Thread: Do I need a carb preheater hose?

Tweet

Hi Fellas, I have a ZZ4 350....The L98 heads on this motor dont have an exhaust heat crossover. The car runs really great in warm weather, but now that its getting cold outside the fuel doesnt entirely vaporize in the intake, causing a lean condition, and I get sputtering at low rpm (which I learned about in this forum a while back). Tried to richen the mixture and increased pump shot, but not much help there. Whats the best way to remedy this? I was thinking a carb preheater hose to compensate for the lack of heat crossovers in the heads. But this will look ugly, and I have a nice pretty engine bay. How did they remedy this on production vehicles years ago?
Thanks.

You can find a 1" spacer that came on a 302 ford that had hose connection built into it and you can hook up the heater hose to it will help warm up your carb. But I wouldn't use it during the summer. I think it came off a ford pickup. Just go to junk yard that have lots of older cars and trucks.

Hmmm...changing the thermostat may work...Im running a 180 degree one now, and the car runs dead on at 180 when its cold out. I guess Ill try a 190 or 200?