In the near summer I plan with a few other people to take a trip from NH out to California and back starting in the north to YellowStone , Saltlake city redwood forest then down the Pacific Coast highway into Los Angeles, over to Las Vegas , the Grand Canyon and head home on good old route 66 an take detour to the Jack Daniels Distillery. So here's my dilemma, I have a 1984 Dodge B250 Van, everything's in check, we rebuilt the motor last year so that's the least of my worries. What I need some more help with is the carburetor. Traveling this long distance with a carb worries me because of the massive change in elevation. some points we will be at sea level and others well be around 8000 feet..... How can I make sure i can make it thought these places without the engine cutting out or any other problems with the different density in air.
Please any advice would be great.

Dan

 

You don't need to do anything, the elevation is irrelevant. The carb mixes fuel based on the volume of air passing through the air horn. Less dense air pulls less fuel and the mixture stays constant.

 

As stated. There is nothing to worry about. Think about it, do you ever remember manufacturers making different cars for different parts of the country? Or warnings that say "warning: do not drive this vehicle in high elevations". Lol

 

Actually, he's not incorrect and yes, manufacturers DO make different carburetors to run in higher elevations. Take a chainsaw, lawn mower or any other modern carbureted engine that is properly tuned at sea level and you will need to re-tune it to run at 8,000 feet elevation. Manufacturers actually make "high elevation" carb kits to re-tune these carburetors to run at high elevation (since they no longer have adjustable carbs). When carburetors were all the rage, manufacturers (or more correctly, dealers) in higher elevations would tune the carburetor differently to run properly. However, you won't need to do anything if you are only going up and down the mountains and not staying at a high elevation for long periods of time. If you do stay there or do have problems getting up a hill, you may have to adjust the carb while you are there. Really, nothing to worry about, but you MAY have to adjust the carb.

 

Cool to know. I stand corrected.

 

Thanks guys,that's what I originally figured but I wasn't to sure because i know my snowmobile is rated for high altitude because its a mountain sled and that's what i use it for out in Utah so i wasn't sure if id run into major problems. But i will be stay in some places for the most 1 to 2 days.

 

Way back in the early 80's, I ran my V-8 Chevy Nova up and down mountains for almost 3 weeks, mostly in Colorado and Utah. I do recall some times where the engine just did not have the same power while at elevation as it did at lower levels. It was not so bad that I had to sit on the side of the road... however it was noticeable. I also recall that I took out the plugs once during the trip and cleaned them, which made the rest of the trip a little better. I was not towing, but I did nave a car load of camping gear... coolers and such.

I have been told that if I use 92 octane gas in my current '01, 5.2 liter van, that I am wasting money. I wonder if a partial fill up of the higher octane gas might help gain some power while driving in the high mountain country?

Just my 2 cents...

Hope you have a great trip.

 

Any Info is good Info Thank You

 

You'll notice when buying fuel at higher elevations, the octane ratings are lower. I had some 85 octane in when I returned to lower elevations and suffered a little bit of pinging, and filling the tank with 89 octane stopped it.

All vehicles have less power at elevation because there is less oxygen. Motors with forced air induction, turbos or superchargers, are less affected.

 

Yes. I owned a 1948 Buick Roadmaster with a straight 8 engine. There was an adjustment dial on the carburetor that needed to be changed if the car was to be driven at elevations over 5,000 ft. It was done by means of a **** on the side of the carb - no tools necessary -- so from that, I always figured that they expected you to pull along side the road and make the adjustment.