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  1. #1
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    Lightbulb Trouble Tuning the Edelbrock Performer 1406 Carb? Read On...

    Let me start off by saying this is not a Holley Vs Edelbrock thread. Both are great carbs and
    they both have their attributes and drawbacks. So I will just say that I've always been a fan
    of the AFB style carb for street cars, especially with automatic transmission. The Performer
    has a hybrid mechanical / vacuum secondary that gives a good seat of the pants boot when
    the secondaries open on a performance street engine.

    So I've been a fan of the Carter AFB Edelbrock carb on my street cars for many years. Today I
    would like to focus on the Edelbrock Performer 1406 with electric choke. This is a popular carb
    for the small block Ford and is the trickiest Performer carb to tune. I've tuned a hundred Carter
    AFB / Edelbrock 1405 manual choke carbs and they are a breeze. They tune easy and they keep
    their tune forever. Which got me to thinking, if the 1405 is basically the same carb with manual
    choke, why does this electric choke Performer 1406 give everyone including myself a hard time
    with getting the tune right? There had to be a logical explanation. Well after tuning and studying
    the Edelbrock manuals I finally figured out the problem.

    The 1406 (with electric choke) is tuned by Edelbrock for fuel economy. The 1405 (manual choke)
    is tuned for performance. Simple enough. But what if I want an electric choke and a performance
    tune? This is what most of us want for our street cars, so we get the 1406 and begin the process
    of trying to tune it for a high performance engine.

    Edelbrock gives you a tuning grid chart in the manual for your carb and I'm sure all of you that
    have tuned an Eddy before are familiar with the chart. It's a real handy reference guide for fine
    tuning the jets and metering rods. The problem is the stock 1406 carb is jetted so lean that you
    are starting from a whacked benchmark, so even the chart is misleading.

    The 1406 has a stock tune of .098 jet and a 075 x 047 metering rod.

    That's extremely lean in the cruise mode and can cause hesitation or a stumble as it transitions
    to power mode. Most people do two things to try to correct this (both cause the problem to get
    worse), either they richen the idle mixture or they increase the accelerator pump shot. Both of
    these cause the engine to have a flat spot or a rich bog.

    Next logical step is to adjust the metering rod mixture. Because the idle mixture is pig rich, and the
    accelerator pump is full rich (from above), some think they're running rich, so they opt for a leaner
    tune and it gets worse. Long story short, this is the wrong direction.

    Looking at your 1406 chart, tune #24 is one step rich in the cruise mode. But this doesn't solve the
    problem either, welcome to the bizarre world of tuning the 1406 carb.




    Here's the problem.........

    Take that 1406 #24 tune, which is 1 step rich in cruise mode, (1427) .098 jets (1456) 073 x 047 metering rods,

    ..... and let's locate that setup on the 1405 tune chart below?




    That equals a #28 tune on the 1405 chart; 3 steps lean in cruise mode and 1 step lean in power
    mode! No wonder your motor is running like crap? Your stock 1406 is jetted 4 steps lean in cruise,
    and is still 3 steps leaner than the 1405 even after going 1 step rich!

    So here's the simple fix, toss your 1406 tuning chart, and use the Performer 1405 tuning chart.
    For a mild/hot 302 engine, just start with the stock Performer 1405 tuning spec as your baseline tune;
    That be, 1428 (.100) main jets, 1451 (070 x 047) metering rods, and orange springs.

    Set your accelerator pump back to the stock middle position.

    Set your mixture screws to 2 turns out (this is a good starting point)

    Start the car and adjust the idle stop until you get it to idle between 800-900 RPM

    With the air cleaner on, adjust the mixture screws until the RPM drops 50 (don't use a vacuum gauge).

    Now take the car out for a test and tune.

    The rest of your fine tuning can now be done accurately using the 1405 manual.

    The 1406 on my built 302 runs like a champ now with 1405 tune #8 (1 step rich in cruise mode) with
    pink springs. Which gave me confidence to share this revelation with you.

    Good luck and happy tuning!

    Last edited by PaceFever79; 04-22-2009 at 11:04 AM.

  2. #2
    FEP Member Bob's84's Avatar
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    I put a 1405 on my mild 350 chevy in my FJ40 years ago and added the electric choke after. I sent an email to Edelbrock a couple years ago when I switched to bone stock 305 with all of the motor specs, they gave a me a great list of mods. After the jet and rod changes I fine tuned with a vaccume gauge and have been VERY happy. This is my daily driver and have never been let down buy it! And let me say I pulled pine neddles, dog hair, jelly(water) and all manner of sh*t from the bowls of that carb when I rebuilt it, never missed a beat! A quality item for sure!

    That is a very nice write up you did, Kudos to you! Thanks and good luck! Robert

  3. #3
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    Thanks, I'm glad you like my review

  4. #4
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    Wow, thanks for the post and the trouble of putting that up. My '86 is EFI, but its stablemate is a '67 FB with the 1406. I have bought and used the tuning kit and had basically planned to copy the 1405, and found out as you it wasn't quite that simple. I ended up with some type of a compromise, don't remeber exactly. I still have the kit. I'll be pulling the carb and using the 1405 chart. Thanks.

  5. #5
    FEP Member Bob's84's Avatar
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    I found the factory set-up was a bit rich off idle on the 1405, for the 350. This was/is a daily driver 4x4 and a stock late 70's truck motor though, a bit different than our cars. When I went down to the 305 it was WAY fat, but I was very pleased with the customer service from Edelbrock's web site, they were spot on for the jet and rod sizes.

  6. #6

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    That is the fun of hot rodding. The satisfaction of working through a problem and conquering it. Well, it is for me anyways. I always like a challenge.

    Nice work!

  7. #7
    FEP Member 86_302's Avatar
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    i want to do this but i have very little experience tuning carbs.. is there a good write up with instructions on changing jets/rods/springs anywhere?
    1986 beige lx 5.0 conversion - 306ci. edelbrock 1.94 performer rpm aluminum heads, performer rpm airgap intake, performer rpm cam, roller rockers,moroso oil pan, edelbrock 600cfm carb, bbk shorties, offroad h-pipe, flowmaster 40 series mufflers 2.5 pipes, holley high flow fuel pump, T-5 tranny, 8.8 rear with 3.73 gears,aluminum rad, driveshaft loop, weld in sub-fram connectors, 5-bolt cragar SS wheels
    best run: 13.3 at 101.6mphhttp://www.youtube.com/jakesmustang1986

  8. #8
    FEP Member Bob's84's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 86_302 View Post
    i want to do this but i have very little experience tuning carbs.. is there a good write up with instructions on changing jets/rods/springs anywhere?
    The book that comes with the carb makes it pretty clear. Rod changes are super easy! The jets aren't very hard either, though I would pull the carb off the motor before doing that. Good luck, Robert

  9. #9
    FEP Power Member SRM351's Avatar
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    ^^^+1^^^ I think the AFB is a great model to learn on; it's very simple and easy to work on plus the tuning manual is very detailed.

    Great write-up PaceFever79, maybe that explains why my car ran better and was easier to tune after switching from a 1406 to a 1407!
    1979 Base Model Coupe- 351w, C4, 3.73s, the fun machine- Now getting a lot more well deserved mileage put on her!
    2007 Forest River Sunseeker 2200 Class C motorhome on an E-450 chassis. Oh yeah!
    2013 Subaru Crosstrek XV Premium- Marine Blue w/ 5-speed, awesome little car.

  10. #10
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    The Performer manual is excellent (other than how the 1406 tuning chart is misleading as I outlined above). It will
    teach you how to service the carb. You can change the jets with the carb on the car, it's one of the best features of
    the Edelbrock carb. You just remove the top lid of the carb and the jets are right there. You most likely will have to
    change the jets (as I did) from the stock 1406 jets to the 1405 jets and metering rods. The fuel bowl is part of the
    Performer carb body so there is no fuel spillage. You just have to fish your jets in and out of the fuel bowls. Fine
    tuning the metering rods and springs can even be done on the side of the road or in a parking lot with just a nut
    driver. Just remove the air cleaner lid, and change the metering rods / springs.

    Here's a good how to guide (it really just adds to what is in the manual)
    http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gi...delbrock_1.htm


    I'd be happy to help you out if you get stuck. Just PM me.

  11. #11
    FEP Power Member grtskydog's Avatar
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    I found the 1406 to be a very reliable daily driver carb. It really is a set-it-forget it deal. That said, I never was able to get the WOT tuned on it. After reading your post I went and dug out my notes/logs from when I was trying to tune it with the wideband (circa August last year). My 1406, position #5 at WOT never got above 12:1 a/f. At Position #6 (3 stages lean pwr) and with .086 jets secondary (3 stages lean) it still never got much above 12:1...at the top. In both cases, the mixture curve went so rich in the midrange, you could tell when it started to lean back out, 'cause the car would start to go again. I don't think the 1406 is too lean for a performance small-block. In my experience, it was too rich. I've never tried the AVS version, but it would be nice to control when the secondaries open up on these.
    Last edited by grtskydog; 04-10-2009 at 08:01 PM.
    Ed

    "The Dude abides."

  12. #12

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    That's good info. I have a 1406 just the way it came out of the box. I have a 306, GT 40 heads, E 303 cam, performer intake and 2.5" exhaust. I could always use a few more ponies!
    Thanks,
    Matt

  13. #13
    FEP Super Member cb84capri's Avatar
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    good writeup, pacefever!

    i've also got the 1406 on my engine, and i've done some tuning to it as well.

    the first thing i found on my 1406 running it on the dyno with 02 sensors in the pipes my car was running right on around 12:1 a/f ratio at wot, but not after dipping extremely rich in the transfer from part throttle to wot. i had to adjust my secondary linkage by bending it in slightly. my car lost the bog, and was running tops after that.

    it has a different cam now, but that tune worked very well for me, until i started driving the car on the freeway more. my miles per gallon weren't great, and with gas over $4 a gallon, over $5 in canada, i had to do something.

    i'm now running tune #8 on the 1406 tuning chart. has been working out very well for me, except that it created a huge lean spot in the transfer circuit with the factory 4inHg spring. i went out late one night and did several hard launches with the 5,6,7,8inHg springs. i found that the 8inHg springs worked extremely well. sotp actually improved out of the hole, and mpg did as well. plugs looked pretty good.

    i'd like to do some tuning at the track this year, but i gotta get my consistency down before i can compare slips.

    i've found people throw in the towel too soon on these carbs, because they don't want to tune them.

    cale

  14. #14
    FEP Super Member Blainer's Avatar
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    I just put a new 1406 on my car. The old 1406(built in '96) was seeing signs of age, plus when I took it apart the floats were all outta wack. No wonder my car flooded when it was warm. Anywho I will definately check your write up to tune it up when the time comes to fire it up.
    -Currently Searching for "The One"

  15. #15
    FEP Member 86_302's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bob's84 View Post
    The book that comes with the carb makes it pretty clear. Rod changes are super easy! The jets aren't very hard either, though I would pull the carb off the motor before doing that. Good luck, Robert
    i'm sure the manual that comes with them is great.. but when i got the car it had the carb on it and no book which is why i was asking
    Last edited by 86_302; 04-11-2009 at 12:29 PM.
    1986 beige lx 5.0 conversion - 306ci. edelbrock 1.94 performer rpm aluminum heads, performer rpm airgap intake, performer rpm cam, roller rockers,moroso oil pan, edelbrock 600cfm carb, bbk shorties, offroad h-pipe, flowmaster 40 series mufflers 2.5 pipes, holley high flow fuel pump, T-5 tranny, 8.8 rear with 3.73 gears,aluminum rad, driveshaft loop, weld in sub-fram connectors, 5-bolt cragar SS wheels
    best run: 13.3 at 101.6mphhttp://www.youtube.com/jakesmustang1986

  16. #16
    FEP Power Member grtskydog's Avatar
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    You can download the manual from the Edelbrock site.
    Ed

    "The Dude abides."

  17. #17
    FEP Super Member Blainer's Avatar
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    Well I got the T-top coupe out with her new carb. After setting the idle a little faster (about 1000 RPM on the original tach) she ran great!! The new 1406 solved my hard starting after being hot but I am having smelly gas issues. I am running a stock fuel pump so my pressure isnt shooting past the needle and seat(I hope). I guess I better start messing with the fuel/air mixure screws and hopefully that fixes it.

    I bet my probs are due to my 281 comp cam, man is it loppy.

    Well I tried starting it to put it back in the garage and she didnt want to start. What the Heck!
    Any suggestions????
    I thought this new carb would fix my worries...dangitt!
    Last edited by Blainer; 04-11-2009 at 07:07 PM.
    -Currently Searching for "The One"

  18. #18
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blainer View Post
    Well I got the T-top coupe out with her new carb. After setting the idle a little faster (about 1000 RPM on the original tach) she ran great!! The new 1406 solved my hard starting after being hot but I am having smelly gas issues. I am running a stock fuel pump so my pressure isnt shooting past the needle and seat(I hope). I guess I better start messing with the fuel/air mixure screws and hopefully that fixes it.

    I bet my probs are due to my 281 comp cam, man is it loppy.

    Well I tried starting it to put it back in the garage and she didnt want to start. What the Heck!
    Any suggestions????
    I thought this new carb would fix my worries...dangitt!
    It didn't want to start (but started) or it won't start at all?

    Check your ignition, timing and plugs, the fuel pressure (4-6 psi), and the float levels.

  19. #19
    FEP Member Bob's84's Avatar
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    I think Edlebrock says no more than 5.5 psi at the carb for fuel pressure. I have a pressure gauge right before the carb, inline. That hard start sounds like a timing issue, but I would start buy doing the basic checks, which has already been suggested. I would also install a pressure gauge as well.

  20. #20
    FEP Super Member Blainer's Avatar
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    It started after holding the pedal down a little and stayed running and runs great. It gets the problem if it sits awhile after running then I try to start it.

    -Should I look at fuel pressure even though it is a factory spec one for a 1983 5.0?
    -Spark plugs and wires are new and all check out.
    -Timing I still have to concider but it runs so good after I get going.
    -It starts better when its cold
    -Another issue I might have is my fuel line gets pretty warm by the waterneck and intake(its not touching but it gets pretty warm)
    -The Carb is brand new and the floats are good.

    I hope I am not invading this post with my prob.
    Last edited by Blainer; 04-11-2009 at 10:55 PM.
    -Currently Searching for "The One"

  21. #21
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blainer View Post
    It started after holding the pedal down a little and stayed running and runs great. It gets the problem if it sits awhile after running then I try to start it.

    -Should I look at fuel pressure even though it is a factory spec one for a 1983 5.0?
    -Spark plugs and wires are new and all check out.
    -Timing I still have to concider but it runs so good after I get going.
    -It starts better when its cold
    -Another issue I might have is my fuel line gets pretty warm by the waterneck and intake(its not touching but it gets pretty warm)
    -The Carb is brand new and the floats are good.

    I hope I am not invading this post with my prob.
    Check the fuel pressure. Make sure those fuel lines are not boiling your gas.
    I'd insulate them and route it away from the high heat zones. You also need
    to have a good heat absorbing spacer under the carb or the gas will boil. It
    sounds like heat management could be your problem.

  22. #22
    FEP Senior Member 86gtstang's Avatar
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    I have the same problem with my carb,thanks to this I should be able to get it fixed

  23. #23
    FEP Super Member Blainer's Avatar
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    Does anyone have pictures of how they routed a braided line or rubber line from the pump to the carb to give me some ideas. I want it to look nice and neat. Thanks.
    -Currently Searching for "The One"

  24. #24

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    I have a 1406 and I bought the stock metering rods, jets and orange springs that are stock in a 1405. What a difference! Better acceleration off the line and rolling, very good article!

    Thanks,

    Matt

  25. #25
    FEP Super Member PaceFever79's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by machm1969 View Post
    I have a 1406 and I bought the stock metering rods, jets and orange springs that are stock in a 1405. What a difference! Better acceleration off the line and rolling, very good article!

    Thanks,

    Matt
    That makes it all worthwhile. Glad it helped you out!

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