Need help tuning mikuni

#1
I'm having a little trouble with tuning my new mikuni VM22. It's on a predator 212 hemi with black mamba cam and 26# springs. I have the stock pilot and main jets in it, 30 and 100 respectively. I started with the air screw 2 turns out, started it up and adjusted the idle a little high. Then I turned the air screw in which made it about die so I went out to about 2.5 turns out which was the highest idle. The problem is that when I twist the throttle it dies. Any idea on the next step and did I do the idle screw right?
 
#2
I am guessing it is not the oval slide chikuni but a real mikuni correct? Pictures would help. The Chikuni comes with a 15 pilot and a too lean main. If you have a real mikuni I have not run one so I don't know what the correct jetting is.
 
#7
here in florida I have a 212 with a full race ported head 252 cam I run the stock low speed jet with a 107.5 main runs like a raped ape
 
#12
its not a air screw its a idle jet..all engines are different ,,, with the engine hot and plug clean turn the screw in till the motor stumbles then out till the motor goes rich. set the idle jet screw in the middle of these to extremes where the motor idles at its fastest rpm then reset main idle to your preference
 
#14
So [MENTION=3072]ole4[/MENTION], I can run the air screw in all the way, and I have no bogging issues but it doesn't have much throttle response. If I tune the air screw the way I'm being told, it idles great but will die when I twist the throttle. I can't tell if it's to rich or too lean.
 
#15
There is too much talk about that air screw IMO. It just doesn't do that much in my experience.

Where is the air needle set at? It definitely affects off idle and all the way up through mid range.

Maknwar, try and move the air needle setting CLIP to the top groove, and try it. If it seems to improve, you are too rich on your #30 pilot jet. Conversely, you could move the CLIP to the bottom groove, and if it ran better your pilot jet would be too lean.

See the link from Ole and BBQjoe, and look at Figure 4. I'm telling ya, this is the most important part of getting them to run right, and will point to which direction you need to go with the pilot jet.
 
#17
The needle clip is in the middle. I will move the clip on the needle. Thanks Dave.
Nagging feeling: Air screw all the way in and it idles fine. Do you have an air leak? If you run the clip all the way down and it runs better, this would indicate a lean condition. An air leak will result in a lean condition as well. I can not tell you if, or how well, the engine should idle with the air screw closed. But this is something to consider while testing things with your air needle clip movement experiment. I wish you the best of luck.

PS: I would never advocate someone use a bit of ether, or propane around a running engine to leak-check to see if RPM increases, because it can lead to fire.
 
#18
generally 1 1/2 turns on the idle screw, set idle, move screw 1/4 turn in or out till best run. From idle to almost wide open is the slide and slide needle that takes over. The needle should have several grooves in it with a c-clip holding it. Sounds like yours is very lean, try raising the needle one groove. Raise needle or lower clip, same thing. I have seen where a different slide is needed. the shape of the slide matters to a degree. Main jet is for wide open, tho it does influence about 3/4 to wide open. If your slide needle does not have several grooves in it, I have seen some that don't then a richer needle is in order, or if you can try shimming the needle up about 25 thou. Been many years since I was playing with these, and I fried a few brain cells since, so proceed with caution,,, lol
 
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