TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:03 pm

I have a restored a 74' VW Beetle with a new built 2110cc motor with Engle 120 cam and .042 heads. The motor has barely run since I have gotten it because of the carbs. I have gone through two sets of the HPMX carbs both having awful issues keeping them tuned and in sync and bought a set of Weber North America 44 IDF carbs that are being delivered this week (after reading they had problems). Are these really bad? I am just a season driver and want to know if they are going to be causing constant problems or just not delivering as much power as say the European originals?

Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:20 pm

Send them to Art Thraen @ ACE and have him "fix" them for you.

http://www.aircooledengineering.com/

Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:45 pm

Does he rebuild North American Weber Carbs with the European parts? I am curious what problems people are having with the NA Weber Carbs?

Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:17 pm

Jake Raby has posted that he will not use the "New" Webers. He apparently has been working with EMPI and Bugpack so their quality control is better. How long ago did you get the HPMX carbs?

Do you know how to rebuild, tune, sync dual carbs or do you take your car to someone?

FYI the "New" webers are made in china then assembled in the US.

These days the only way to get a usable set of carbs for under $600 is to start with good cores, rebuild them yourself, learn to tune and sync them as well. Otherwise get ready to spend $900 on a set gone thru by a professional and another $500 for someone to install and set them up.

edit: some relevant threads

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=361818

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=283848

Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:18 pm

teardrop.74 wrote: Does he rebuild North American Weber Carbs with the European parts? I am curious what problems people are having with the NA Weber Carbs?
Call him... he's a really nice guy.

Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:22 pm

I took the car to a VW specialist to get tuned when I first got the carbs on, but I do not think the guy was as good as he claimed to be. But the fuel leak in the carbs overshadowed the tuning issues. The second pair I decided to save money and read peoples list of tuning carburetors and it worked for the most part but they will not keep a consistent tune. I swear to all on this forum they run different each day and are not giving the type of power I hear I should be getting for a motor built like mine. In terms of power the car is loaded up on the low end, really sluggish to get off the line then acts like it is starved for gas on the top end.

I am running a Holley pump with a Holley regulator @ approx 3 psi.

I did NOT clean them when I first got them and I am starting wonder if that is causing a major problem with the tuning. It is so fustrating to have a fully build motor and car and it runs worst than my 1989 honda civic....
:(

Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:24 pm

two mistakes:

1.Comparing a 50 year old car to a modern honda

2.Not going through the carbs cleaning and verifying float levels and jets

Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:46 pm

I tell people if you are gonna own a car with dual carbs, YOU BETTER LEARN TO WORK ON THEM YOURSELF! Most of the time if you bring it to a "mechanic" you pay them $80/hour for them to LEARN how to work on webers. And that is expensive and frustrating, since they never get it the first time.

Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:05 pm

Megasquirt.....

Dale

Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:08 pm

I bought some empis in 07 havent had any probs with them.

Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:32 pm

Does the turning methods and practices applied to the Webers apply to tuning and jetting the EMPI HPMX carbs?

Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:34 pm

teardrop.74 wrote: Does the turning methods and practices applied to the Webers apply to tuning and jetting the EMPI HPMX carbs?
Yes... the EMPIs are copies of the IDFs.

Mon Feb 22, 2010 2:22 pm

Thank you everyone for the help and advice; I returned the North American Weber's, am taking off the HPMX's and cleaning them up for sale and bought original Italian Weber's tuned and jetted from Art at ACE.