Technical carburetter servicing?

[maddogmorg]

my carborutter has seen better days and is not air tight anymore. is there any places which anyone can recommend for a good clean up and replace seals etc. i've got the number for a company called greenways engineering which isn't too far away from me (it's shepton mallet way). if they aren't able to help is there anywhere which anyone can recommend from experience? i can't get the gaskets from Fiat though as they've been discountinued so i've had to rule out doing the work myself.

 

[maddogmorg]

couldn't get through to them on the phone. so went out there. turns out they finished 5 years ago. the Lady was nice though and took me to the small garage there which took other. there was several nice cars there including a ginetta. i told him what i was after and he said kits are available for £40 but he said it's not worth touching the carb unless i can guarentee there's something wrong with it. just change the base plate was his advice and then see how it is!

 

[sumplug]

couldn't get through to them on the phone. so went out there. turns out they finished 5 years ago. the Lady was nice though and took me to the small garage there which took other. there was several nice cars there including a ginetta. i told him what i was after and he said kits are available for £40 but he said it's not worth touching the carb unless i can guarentee there's something wrong with it. just change the base plate was his advice and then see how it is!

If thats all he recommends, then steer clear. You can get kits from this place and do it yourself;- http://www.southerncarbs.co.uk/carbs.htm

Your carb will no doubt have worn jets, and an overhaul is needed.

Andy.

 

[Trancendental]

If thats all he recommends, then steer clear. You can get kits from this place and do it yourself;- http://www.southerncarbs.co.uk/carbs.htm

Your carb will no doubt have worn jets, and an overhaul is needed.

Andy.

I think he probably recommended only changing the base plate as if you cannot overhaul the carb yourself it will cost a fortune.

Problem with removing the carb in the first place is that is has to be done from underneath the car and thats an excuse to charge a load of money before any work has even been carried out.

Then there is Balancing the Carb when you replace the components. The gaps need to be set to the mm and some parts are bent into position. You fook up one of these and snap it off... then what?

Just a guess as to why he said only change the base plate, but its a good place to start.

 

[sumplug]

I think he probably recommended only changing the base plate as if you cannot overhaul the carb yourself it will cost a fortune.

Problem with removing the carb in the first place is that is has to be done from underneath the car and thats an excuse to charge a load of money before any work has even been carried out.

Then there is Balancing the Carb when you replace the components. The gaps need to be set to the mm and some parts are bent into position. You fook up one of these and snap it off... then what?

Just a guess as to why he said only change the base plate, but its a good place to start.

These carbs are simple to work on. Just buy an overhaul kit, and clean out the carb and swap the parts over. On a Weber, you never need to bend anything to adjust really except the float height setting. The fast idle is simple to set with a drill bit as your gauge. Once back on, its a simple matter of setting the mixture and idle. To do this, set the idle to 1500 revs, then turn the mixture screw in until engine begins to stall then back out untill engine runs faster, then keep turning until it does nothing then turn it back [count the turns]. then turn the idle screw down to a 800-850 idle tick over [hot engine]. Job done.

Andy.

 

[maddogmorg]

he knew what he was talking about and asked me quite a few questions before, he didn't blindly say to leave it alone for no reason. tbh i don't intend to spend a lot of money on it and he found that out which is why he said to just change the base plate. but first to make sure it is the base plate that is the problem. he said the carburettor won't be perfect but it's best to leave it as it is unless there is a serious fault. if he had said immediately without asking questions i would of been more worried. he's just thinking logically and truthfully. he said if there is a problem when the base plate is changed to take it straight to him though. he knows his stuff. he said if i had a valuable classic that was worth spending the money on he said he'd sort it out there and then but as i said it's more of a runabout he suggested just sorting out the one problem rather than possibly introducing a new problem.

 

[sumplug]

he knew what he was talking about and asked me quite a few questions before, he didn't blindly say to leave it alone for no reason. tbh i don't intend to spend a lot of money on it and he found that out which is why he said to just change the base plate. but first to make sure it is the base plate that is the problem. he said the carburettor won't be perfect but it's best to leave it as it is unless there is a serious fault. if he had said immediately without asking questions i would of been more worried. he's just thinking logically and truthfully. he said if there is a problem when the base plate is changed to take it straight to him though. he knows his stuff. he said if i had a valuable classic that was worth spending the money on he said he'd sort it out there and then but as i said it's more of a runabout he suggested just sorting out the one problem rather than possibly introducing a new problem.

Dont agree. He could of tested the base plate by spraying some liquid soap around the base plate or some brake cleaner. If the idle altered, the base plate was faulty. The liquid would temp seal any cracks or splits and the brake cleaner would get into the manifold and increase fueling for a sec or two.
Under £50 can have that carb running perfect again. Not much to pay i think.

Andy.

 

[maddogmorg]

under £50 you say? hmmm only problem is there's nowhere near here which would touch it though it would appear that southerncarbs is the only place to take it. but then that's 100 miles away. or do you think i should fit the kit myself?

 

[sumplug]

under £50 you say? hmmm only problem is there's nowhere near here which would touch it though it would appear that southerncarbs is the only place to take it. but then that's 100 miles away. or do you think i should fit the kit myself?

Can you use a spanner ok? If so, fit the kit yourself. Either take the carb off from underneath, or take the inlet manifold off. This will require a new gasket [current one is proberly past its usefulness], or use intant gasket.
Have you got a repair manual? If not, let me know if you are going to do the job yourself, and i will dig out the carb setting figures.

Andy.

 

[maddogmorg]

hmmmm i have had problems with the exhaust downpipe and the manifolds had to come off... maybe i could cause it to mess up again.... i think i might just try and take the carb off with everything else left on. hmmm just need to order a kit then. cheers.

 

[sumplug]

hmmmm i have had problems with the exhaust downpipe and the manifolds had to come off... maybe i could cause it to mess up again.... i think i might just try and take the carb off with everything else left on. hmmm just need to order a kit then. cheers.

Inlet manifold is very easy to remove on a Tipo, and you dont touch the exhaust at all. But the carb is removeable on its own. Dont forget to order a new base plate.

Andy.