What is a Carburetor anyways? – Everything you need to know about carburetors and how they work
The carburetor is probably the most important component in the engine. It helps the internal combustion that runs the Jet Ski engine. Carburetors are widely spread and used in different kind of machines and vehicles like jet skis, boats, cars, bikes, and aircrafts. Lawn mowers also have carburetors, as well as the chainsaws. The word “carburetor” is derived from the French word “carbure”, which means “carbide”. The term is used to describe the combinations of elements with the carbon.
How exactly does a carburetor work? The carburetors run on a so-called Bernoulli Principle. That means that the faster the air is moving, the higher is the dynamic pressure and the lower is its static pressure. The accelerator linkage, or the throttle, does not control the flow of the fuel. Instead, it stimulates the mechanisms of the carburetor which meters the air flow which is being pulled inside the engine. The speed of the air flow and its pressure, determine the fuel amount which is being drawn in the airstream.
The Jet Ski carburetor directly influences the engine speed. It controls the flow of the air that gets into the engine. Carburetor`s main function is to make sure that a proper mixture of air and gasoline is entering into the engine. This is of crucial importance, because the engine encounters different conditions at many different occasions. The carburetor is always needed when the engine is slow running, moving, accelerating, cruising or running at high speeds.
The carburetor is consisted of a tube with a plate that can be easily adjusted. This is called a “throttle”. The throttle is controlling the air amount which flows inside the tube. The carburetor tube is narrow at the end, and that narrow end is called a “venture”. This is where the vacuum is being created. At this narrow end there is a hole called the “jet”, and because of the vacuum, the jet is allowing the fuel to get in. The expression “full throttle” refers to the situation when the length of the tube is parallel with the throttle. When the engine is at full throttle, the flow of the air is the highest and that creates lot more vacuum in the venture.
With the increased vacuum, more gas enters inside the tube and that increases the engine power. Contrary to that, when the throttle plate is shut, the engine is in idle position or is idling. The flow of the air inside the tube is reduced and the vacuum is not enough to bring more fuel. The carburetor shape is causing changes in the engine`s air pressure, which ensures a good mix of air and fuel.
The carburetor has many different parts that allow smooth and proper functioning. Those parts are the main jet, air jet, pilot airscrew, slow jets, slide or throttle valve and needle jet. Other very important parts of the carburetor are the accelerator pump, the float chamber, the choke and the barrels. All of those help in the creation of the ideal mix of air and gas in the engine in order for the fuel efficiency to increase. The fuel efficiency of different types of engines varies. In general, most of the gasoline fueled engines have mechanical efficiency of around twenty percent.
In order to properly tune a PWC carburetor you must have some basic knowledge and understanding on how it functions. You can expect the carburetor to work as well as your engine is working. The carburetor is not a replacement to a worn out or weak engine. Also you should have in mind that it is impossible to reach a maximum optimal performance from a watercraft by a simple change of the jets in the carburetor. If there is a mismatch of some components in the engine or in the ports, that can create major problems in the carburetion.
Always look for original parts with the highest quality. In order for you to achieve the best calibration with the carburetor, you should make the following adjustments. First is the low speed adjuster. That way you can adjust a smooth idle. The next step is the pop off pressure – idle to a quarter throttle in conjunction with the low speed jet. The low speed jet should be off idle to third throttle. High speed jet needs to be from one third to three-quarters throttle. The final step is the high speed adjuster, which should be set to three-quarters to wide open throttle.
