TheSamba.com :: View topic - It has finally happened. EMPI beats Weber.

Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:26 am

i love my Dell 45's , great carbs , but in the end they are just a well though out fuel leak. someday when i have a little extra cash i will go to megasquirt, if only so i can adjust and fine tune the engine performance. I love carbs for their ease of set up and old school tech... but nothing compares with a good F.I. system...

Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:36 am

jason_hamilton wrote: vwracerdave wrote: I'll get out before I put any EMPI shit on my car and you can take that to the bank.

I also once told myself I'd never sleep with a forty year old woman, but hey...

My local shop is building a '56 Oval as kind of an experiment to showcase all the EMPI parts they sell. I've been goofing around with VWs for over twenty years and have bought many good and bad parts from many manufacturers, but I'll reserve judgement until I go for a ride in the finished product.

Chinese technology and manufacturing is the new normal, and we all know it's improving drastically every day.

In the 70's the running joke was " Made in Japan" = "JUNK" by the 80's "Made in Japan" meant quality and high tech.. We need to watch our backs cause China may figure this out too.

Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:10 pm

[email protected] wrote: Empi is one of the few that's continuously adding parts to their catalog, and trying to keep the hobby alive. It's allready apparent they are gathering information, and feedback, and improving products as needed. Empi is here to stay, and may very well be putting others out of business in the near future. Those who dislike their products need to do something constructive about it, or get out of the hobby.

I've been one of EMPI's biggest critics for years, but I have to give them credit for addressing the steel-backed main bearing issue in their newest online catalog.

Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:02 am

i have been reading the replys on this forum . for the most part . when weber stopped makeing carbs . and dellorto stopped . there became a need for for a replacement carb for the air cooled vws . empi saw this and rushed to have a replacement carb made . and put there new carbs on the market. doing so a lot of the first EMPI carbs were a joke. poor workman ship. after reading this forum . it seems to me that EMPI has got there act together . sure there are going to be some people that have never tryed a set of EMPI carbs . and will put them down . its like the ford and chevy guys . my fords better than your junk chevy and it goes on and on lol . i have friends that run the new EMPI carbs and love them . i must say that there is still a lot of EMPI parts that i stay away from . my self i like dellortos. but now adays finding a good used set of dellortos is very hard to do . a lot of guys dump junk dells and weber carbs on samba. i have got burnned and so have my friends .to the point that i wont buy a used set dellortos. unless i have them in my hands to look at and i can take them apart. i feal there is a market place for the EMPI carbs .after reading this forum. my self i would rather buy a new set of EMPI carbs. than a set of used carbs that may be junk or need a lot of work to make them run right . there will allways be weber guys and dellorto guys and now EMPI guys lol lol. have a great x mas to all and happy new year. after all this is the big night for the little ones . i am going to stay up all night to see who is leaving all these gifts under my tree. i am hopeing for a deep sump and new fuel pump this year lol lol. my best gift this year. is that a friend of mine. came home from the war a live spencerfvee mharney wrote: I never thought I would have to say this.

After looking over 4 different sets of the latest "Spanish" Weber IDFs, I have to say that the later HPMX carbs I have worked with are superior to them. I don't mean the "Version 2" HPMXs, I haven't laid hands on any of those.

The latest "Spanish" IDFs are characterized by different character shape on the "Made in Spain" embossing, and by a cast cover on the enrichment circuit covers. The enrichment circuits are also not drilled and machined, like some of the Italian Weber models that had roller pump linkage.

I find them to be sloppy, in the throttle shaft machine work on the body. Holes out of line, bearings loose in the bodies, and a lot of the parts tend to be too loosely installed. You have to check this all.

The worst of it is how the auxiliary venturis fit. They are so loose in there I can make them rattle by shaking the carburetor. The bore for the aux vent is way too big for the aux vent itself, and even the little spring loop isn't enough to make them seat up tight. This is important because the small signal response of the main circuit REALLY depends on a good seal between the aux vent and the hole in the side of the jet well that it mates with. If it is not good, dilution and erratic running will occur. This is NOT a place to be screwed up. It's pathetic.

If I were going to choose between one of these IDF kits and HPMXs, I would choose HPMXs, now, as long as they were later production models. They seem to have worked out all the stupid stuff, and the casting quality is better too.

It's a sad day my friends. But I believe in being truthful. I still don't endorse any one brand for all their parts, but I have seen a trend toward better stuff coming from EMPI in a few areas. I hope Weber pulls their head out of their ass and starts making good carburetors again.

Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:54 am

Well I will be trying out the empi carbs here very soon when I get my long block but I won't have anything to compare them to as I've never owned webbers or dells...

Off topic but...
Spencer, It's great that your military friend got home alive and in time for Christmas! It's great to hear the govt got alot of the soldiers out and home before the holidays! My cousin is in the marines and did two tours over there and it was great when he returned and we're so thankful he doesn't have to go back over there!

Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:33 am

one of my daughters did a tour with a bomb dog and came back intact for the most part, but a lot did not.we need to remember them this weekend also.
as for the junk empi crabs, my plate is full and they taste great!! first gen 44's I bought about a month after they hit the magazines.and they have worked flawalesy ever since(execpt for the screws that came loose after &years,but they still ran great,just over ritch uppon hard braking,and yes it was me that did not twist off the screws when I first got them and set the floter levels, and I dont mind retightening them the same way,snug.)if I buy another set it would be empi or FI.& I dont see me going fi on this.

Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:34 am

spencerfvee wrote: ... after reading this forum . it seems to me that EMPI has got there act together ...

Whoa there.. I wouldn't go that far. :P I'd say that they are less screwed up - As much work as they have put into fixing the problems, they could stand to do one better... make sure all the hardware is tightened, and stop charging people for pre-tested units. It's like they are saying they'll make sure you don't get junky ones for a premium. If they need to test them to make sure they are working, then they need to just do that, or improve their other QC.

Merry Xmas, Jack.

Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:52 am

It's not the empi gets better weber gets whorse and we get more and more ued to crap quality because most of us are cheap(including my self sometimes :oops:). When empi improves their quality by 10% we are happy? It still sucks. But what can you expect for less than $500. when there are lotst of people that have to urn a drink out of this price. But even now when you want to pay for good quality its jut not out there. I Still think its better to buy good used than crap new. I don't believe all these people on here that say its a good product. I i can't blame the vendors that respond on here it's their bread / income they have no choice there is nothing else good out there.

Bottom line it's all our own fault if we would buy quality than this junk would not be out there . Weber would not be forced to try to lower their cost to make a profit with b quality as result. And empi would be bankrupt. We Would still have a good economie, chinese products would not exist and fuel would be halve price. So if you have lost your job because of the recession don't blame our presidents this is why.

Merry Christmas

Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:52 pm

I blame the Unions!

Casey

Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:20 am

Merry Chirstmas,and Thanks for the heads up Mark 8) ,Madmike

Mon Dec 26, 2011 10:24 am

mharney wrote: spencerfvee wrote: ... after reading this forum . it seems to me that EMPI has got there act together ...

Whoa there.. I wouldn't go that far. :P I'd say that they are less screwed up - As much work as they have put into fixing the problems, they could stand to do one better... make sure all the hardware is tightened, and stop charging people for pre-tested units. It's like they are saying they'll make sure you don't get junky ones for a premium. If they need to test them to make sure they are working, then they need to just do that, or improve their other QC.

Merry Xmas, Jack.

I do believe that is the nail on the head. At least someone at the EMPI comany is listening, and if they are that is a GREAT thing.

Mark F.

Mon Dec 26, 2011 4:16 pm

73 KAFER wrote: mharney wrote: spencerfvee wrote: ... after reading this forum . it seems to me that EMPI has got there act together ...

Whoa there.. I wouldn't go that far. :P I'd say that they are less screwed up - As much work as they have put into fixing the problems, they could stand to do one better... make sure all the hardware is tightened, and stop charging people for pre-tested units. It's like they are saying they'll make sure you don't get junky ones for a premium. If they need to test them to make sure they are working, then they need to just do that, or improve their other QC.

Merry Xmas, Jack.

I do believe that is the nail on the head. At least someone at the EMPI comany is listening, and if they are that is a GREAT thing.

Mark F.

I don't know if they're "charging" people to test them. I was more under the impression that they're only attempting to provide reassurance. Obviously them doing so can backfire on them.. no pun intended.

Mon Dec 26, 2011 4:26 pm

i think what mark meantr was...

they sell the "deluxe" units more expensive...

when it just means they QC'd them.... better than the non deluxe

Tue Dec 27, 2011 11:57 am

The deluxe kits have different linkage and air cleaners thats why they cost more. The basic kit comes with stamped steel air cleaner bases and separate linkage "plates".

They now offer offset dellorto style manifolds with matching linkage that is also an upgrade

Tue Dec 27, 2011 2:27 pm

concur.. different (unnecessary) hardware with the deluxe kits.

Tue Dec 27, 2011 3:54 pm

Yeah, I guess the catalog has changed. I remember when they were selling the kit as test run or not. Maybe it was all a bad dream!

Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:57 am

The manifolds in the Deluxe kits look like they are knock-offs of the CB manifolds. The linkage/aircleaner bases are much better than their previous ones.

Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:02 pm

just got a set of empi's in,looks like they will need a little work on them, first they did not come with the jets they were suppose to, second they need allen screws installed on the sides like the webers do so the velosity stacks wont move (they are snug and not moving) and there needs to be a 3rd progresion but i new that and the float bowl could use a mill gone down to make the bowl bigger,, overall i think they are a carb that will work great out of the box with tuning just my .02

Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:23 pm

vwracerdave wrote: [email protected] wrote: Empi is here to stay, and may very well be putting others out of business in the near future. Those who dislike their products need to do something constructive about it, or get out of the hobby.

I'll get out before I put any EMPI shit on my car and you can take that to the bank.
Car ?yea take it to the bank and buy a vw and get out of the kit cars

Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:43 am

How "late" are we talking? I have had my IDFs for about 8 years, they are made in Spain. I have always thought the venturis were a little loose. They don't rattle when I shake them, but they are definitely not the tightest fit. Should I be concerned? I am still trying to straighten the tuning out (granted, I'm not tuning them 8 hours a day, 5 days a week). Perhaps there is a quality issue I won't be able to tune out?