Which carburetor is best?

[CptKelly]

Our new engine has a Stromberg carburetor, and has no accelerator pump or fuel cutoff. The old C-85 had a Marvel carburetor, and although not used, a mixture and fuel cutoff. Which carburetor is the better of the two? I am interested in your opinions as it is not too late to change back.

Thanks,

Mike

[Nathan K. Hammond]

Hey Mike, how was the flight home?

A Marvel is nice because of the Mixture control, and the accelerator pump. The benefit of the mixture is obvious, and the accelerator pump is nice for cold starts on cranky engines, plus it will accept the throttle a little easier. On the flip side, it has a mixture control and accelerator pump that can fail. The only thing against a Stromberg is the needle/seat. More often than not, it will start to leak and can be a real pain to re-seat.

Personally, if I had both on the shelf, I'd go with the Marvel.

nkh (currently running a Stromber)

[CptKelly]

Nathan,
It was nice to see you again. I bet your 0-540 Cub really rocks, and is a pretty bird. My trip home was uneventful, and since the 5 gallon wing tank ran over the main tank exactly 1 hour into the flight, my fuel consumption has dropped. I also noticed that the exhaust pipes were very light in color when I arrived back in Wagener- much unlike the old C-85 pipe color, and I'm no longer using 6 gallons per hour, more like 4.8-5gph. I ran her at 2300 rpm flying back home, stopping at Aiken for refueling. I was indicating about 95mph, and my ground speed was mostly around 105mph... a tail wind is nice.
I checked the oil when I arrived, and there was no change in two hours flight time, and the engine was dry as a bone. Don Sword certainly does nice work, and truly is a nice southern gentleman. There certainly is a positive difference in the power output. When the engine breaks in we will really note a increase in power. I'll be glad when the new prop arrives, Don says that prop will allow us to utilize the engine better.
While I don't have enough experience with the Stromberg carburetor to judge it, I still may change back to the Marvel unit, I am yet undecided.
The Stromberg unit seems to use less gas, but to be honest and unbiased, that old Marvel did run way too rich, and the mixture control was tied full rich as well. We will see how they compare.

I'll see you later on,

Mike

[joea]

Mike,

Not sure but believe that the Marvel is about 3x times the price of the Stromburg, and getting harder and harder to find these days.

Would really hang onto the Marvel if you do not use it.

Joe

[Oliver Barth]

I had a Stromberg in my C-85 and with the overhaul of the engine I installed a Marvel. Throttle response is much better but I also see a slightly higher fuel consumption.