Carb/throttle needle valve adjustment

[meowy84]

Oh great Happy-Time gurus lend me your wisdom. What's a good starting point for throttle needle valve for the first start and the break-in period? I'm finally about to get my Zoom 80/66cc going for the first time and want to minimize the initial hassles. My needle valve has the 5 grooves and the circlip is on the middle one straight from the factory. Obviously since that little valve has a lot to do with the leanness/richness of the mixture I'd rather have it a bit on the rich side for the break-in so I'd rather lift the valve a spot rather than dropping it a spot. Else, leave it in the middle as it is.

 

[charles kohler]

start from from where it now is , at 24 to 1 mix with syn oil . run ror a few miles & then pull out the spark plug and check the color ,black is rich or or too much oil. try this first
then adjust from there

 

[2door]

Second notch from the top is a good ball park starting point. As suggested above, after a few miles, a couple of tanks of fuel, check your plug. Very dark indicates a rich mix at which point you might consider raising the 'C' clip a notch but only after a few miles. Two or three tanks of fuel will tell the story better than just a tank full. Don't be afraid to twist that throttle either. Run it hard a few times; it won't hurt your engine and will reduce the break-in time. Running too soft for too long will not help a thing and can keep the rings from setting properly. They're tough little motors and like a little abuse.
Tom

 

[meowy84]

As always thanks for the info everyone.

 

[surfishjoe]

I will bump this since I am in the same boat. Dialing in the fuel mix is tricky for a newbie, my plug was definitly on the black and mucky side.