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Carb specialist Dublin

Exodus 1811

Hello all,

Has anyone a recommendation for carb tuning in the Dublin area?

Car is a 81 Bmw E21 320/6 with 5 sp. and 38 DGES Carb that is brand new. Got it back from some work after a long period with one mechanic (heavy troubleshooting exercise, which ended up with a refurbed distributer, all igniton parts changed etc) but the car is still running very heavy. Symptoms are that the carb is running very rich, down on acceleration and stuttery idle. Car starts and idles correctly but I feel like with all the work been done it needs to be dialed in with all the new components.

McNamaras in Ballybough (convenient location although heafty 75euros an hour), that I am going to try, but they have very mixed reviews? It seems almost split 50/50 between modern and classic owners. The PH I dont mind, IF they're good. But I've been taken for a gallop before so, once bitten etc.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

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irshmerc

Have you looked at the plugs, the colour of them may give you idea of the problem, maybe have a tweak of the mixture screw to see if it makes any difference before you go spending your hard earned.
A general old school mechanic may also be the way to go instead of a specialist, bigger picture sorta thing !

Good luck

hi5

Get yourself a vacuum gauge, find the mixture screw on the carb and adjust until you get maximum vacuum, usually around 20.
Also check for leaks around the carb, a can of Easy start and spray at various points around the carb. If the engine revs up then you have a leak at that point.

https://www.micksgarage.com/d/vacuum-testers/products/3455367/draper-35881-vacuum-and-pressure-test-kit-5-piece---?gclid=CjwKCAjwmMX4BRAAEiwA-zM4JixGu6EY7h-teVNOJmgtZFP2QaS8Ajs9Q5gFw5KkDZ17610mVQRdlhoCFs8QAvD_BwE

Tazio

What Jet sizes are in the new carb? If car is running rich then the accelerator pump circuit jet might be too large?
how high is the float bowl set too? Is the fuel pressure from the pump (after market electric fuel pump fitted ?- you only need less than say 4psi) too high forcing past the needles?

as above - get a vaccum gauge. but before going fiddling with carbs check the basics... check for timing and a strong spark - even the state of the plugs will help tell a lot too.

best of luck - playing with these carbs is fun and frustrating but it is satisfying when running well

EDIT : you said above the car bogs down under acceleration. how is the timing advanced in your car - vacuum or weights.. is the disty working ok?

Exodus 1811

hi5 wrote: »

Get yourself a vacuum gauge, find the mixture screw on the carb and adjust until you get maximum vacuum, usually around 20.
Also check for leaks around the carb, a can of Easy start and spray at various points around the carb. If the engine revs up then you have a leak at that point.

https://www.micksgarage.com/d/vacuum-testers/products/3455367/draper-35881-vacuum-and-pressure-test-kit-5-piece---?gclid=CjwKCAjwmMX4BRAAEiwA-zM4JixGu6EY7h-teVNOJmgtZFP2QaS8Ajs9Q5gFw5KkDZ17610mVQRdlhoCFs8QAvD_BwE

I plan to buy these tools, for work down the line. It seems to be a bit of a black magic, it would be great if some of the classic dealers popping up would do a crash course 1 day affair for enthuasiasts (can't see them being too keen to do themselves out of business I suppose).

What Jet sizes are in the new carb? If car is running rich then the accelerator pump circuit jet might be too large?
how high is the float bowl set too? Is the fuel pressure from the pump (after market electric fuel pump fitted ?- you only need less than say 4psi) too high forcing past the needles?

Jet sizes are standard from a 38 Weber, nothing has been changed internally, only the springs were changed to better quality. This was done from it's last tune (2 months ago).

Car had head skimmed due to passing rings. Has brand new distributor (refurbed), plugs, leads. Aftermarket fuel pump, but direct replacement item. Advance is controlled via vacuum!

brucky

Most of the posts are making suggestions about you fixing it yourself. Are you looking for a garage recommendation?

Exodus 1811

brucky wrote: »

Most of the posts are making suggestions about you fixing it yourself. Are you looking for a garage recommendation?

I am. I appreciate the advice all the same, and I plan to delve deeper into carb tuning and the general running of the car.

At the moment I’m looking for classic car garage recommendations, but have mentioned that I’m possibly going to McNamara’s in Ballybough. Looking to see if anyone has used them or could suggest a better house for a carb tune

Titzon Toast

McNamaras are very good, they know their stuff.
If you give it to them you'll have peace of mind that it'll come back running properly.

kev1.3s

hi5 wrote: »

Also check for leaks around the carb, a can of Easy start and spray at various points around the carb. If the engine revs up then you have a leak at that point.

https://www.micksgarage.com/d/vacuum-testers/products/3455367/draper-35881-vacuum-and-pressure-test-kit-5-piece---?gclid=CjwKCAjwmMX4BRAAEiwA-zM4JixGu6EY7h-teVNOJmgtZFP2QaS8Ajs9Q5gFw5KkDZ17610mVQRdlhoCFs8QAvD_BwE

I use a can of WD40 or the like and see if the revs drop off. I'd be afraid of the possibility of easy start catching fire.

Exodus 1811

Titzon Toast wrote: »

McNamaras are very good, they know their stuff.
If you give it to them you'll have peace of mind that it'll come back running properly.

I just dropped it in today, very interesting display of cars down there. Nothing made sense. There was a Nissan Qashqai, a 718 Boxster roadster, a tesla model what ever and a turbo nissan 300sx.

They should really work on their presence online, as from reviews and searches it's literally 50/50 as to whether to go down there. Some great reviews, but also some shocking ones!

Exodus 1811

Exodus 1811 wrote: »

I just dropped it in today, very interesting display of cars down there. Nothing made sense. There was a Nissan Qashqai, a 718 Boxster roadster, a tesla model what ever and a turbo nissan 300sx.

They should really work on their presence online, as from reviews and searches it's literally 50/50 as to whether to go down there. Some great reviews, but also some shocking ones!

Just following up.

I went down to collect the car yesterday, and it’s running perfectly. It didn’t break the bank either. Inside the garage we’re some very interesting cars. A DB6, MGBT, Maserati coupe etc. Very nice man as well to chat to!

Car99

Exodus 1811 wrote: »

Just following up.

I went down to collect the car yesterday, and it’s running perfectly. It didn’t break the bank either. Inside the garage we’re some very interesting cars. A DB6, MGBT, Maserati coupe etc. Very nice man as well to chat to!

What did they do to fix your car?

Exodus 1811

Car99 wrote: »

What did they do to fix your car?

Re-levelled the carb (even though it was brand new - can be off from factory), changed to a smaller size jet and general tune up.

Tzardine

How much did they charge?

Thinking of upgrading the carb on my car - would be great to just install it and then leave it to them to tune.

Exodus 1811

Tzardine wrote: »

How much did they charge?

Thinking of upgrading the carb on my car - would be great to just install it and then leave it to them to tune.

Hi Tzardine, I'll shoot you a PM with the price.

What they usually do is a diagnostic of the carb for a flat fee of 1 hour. Then they give you a shout and let you know what it needs to get right.

I thought they were reasonable for a city centre classic car centre. The guy who runs it is a gentleman as well. Lots of interesting cars around there that he's more than happy to chat away about.

CoBo55

Do they sell carburettors as well?

Titzon Toast

I'm delighted that they were able to help you out, OP.
They're a good bunch lads down there.

Exodus 1811

CoBo55 wrote: »

Do they sell carburettors as well?

Yes, they're a rep for Weber.

He gave me some **** for buying my new carb off his competitor in fast road cars in Wales! In jest of course

Cheers @Titzontoast, they are sound out!