FAQs About Carburetors

A carburetor is part of a gas-powered engine and is designed to mix fuel and air to improve combustion and fuel efficiency. Carburetors were first added to engines in the late 1800s and are still a common element of gas-powered engines -- especially small engines -- today.

Q: What is a carburetor?

A: A carburetor is basically a pipe that is found on the top of an engine. Air passes through the air intake opening down into the engine’s manifold after mixing with fuel. It controls the fuel vapor mixture or the richness of fuel flow into the engine and the reaction of the car’s engine to acceleration.

Q: How do carburetors vary from one another?

A: Carburetors vary some in size and how they connect to the engine, but the most common difference between carburetor types is the placement of the air intake. When air is drawn from the top of the carburetor down into the engine, it is called a downdraft carburetor. When air comes into the side of the carburetor and then funnels down into the engine, it is called a side-draft carburetor.

Q: Can an engine have more than one carburetor?

A: Yes -- adding multiple carburetors to an engine is called stacking. A carburetor can also have multiple air intakes called a multi-barrel carburetor. They function like a stacked set of carburetors, putting air through multiple chambers.

Q: Is there an alternative to carbureation?

A: Yes -- engines which are not carbureted are fuel-injected. Fuel-injected engines are more fuel-efficient than carbureted engines, but they also have less raw power because less fuel is injected at a time.