EA81 Carb problems

[Uberoo]

My carb on my EA81 seems to have some problems right now. A buddy says the accelerator pump is bad,and then for some reason its running very rich.Rich enough that the fumes from the exhaust(or the gasoline smell from under the hood) hurt my eyes going down the road.Drove it 90 miles round trip up to whinchester(up hill one way) and it was getting about 15 MPG.I know with the 235's MPG will go down somewhat but not that extreme.

 

I am not sure how the accelerator pump can be out if its getting such poor MPG.

 

can i fix the carb for cheap just to deal with it now?Or would I be better off not putting any money into the carb, then just save up until I can do the SPFI swap?

[GeneralDisorder]

It really depends on your skill level and attention to detail. I don't want to insult you, but a lot of folks just don't have the attention to detail, clean work environment, and knowledge of what they are looking at in order to properly and effectively rebuild a carb. And as carbs go in general, the Hitachi's are not the most forgiving creatures. The quality of the rebuild kits that are easily obtained these days leaves something to be desired as well.

 

If you aren't afraid of dozens of tiny parts, heavy duty chemicals, and are willing to do the job on your kitchen table (no joke - that's where I do carbs), then go order the kit.

 

Problems are often blamed on the accelerator pump (I suppose because it's one of the few parts on a carb that people can identify and understand) that have nothing to do with it at all. More often than not, off-idle hessitation and poor running are due to vacuum leaks, improper idle speed/mixture, and poor timing. Usually a good cleaning, adjustment, and replacement of the top gasket will do wonders for a carb (Hitachi or Weber).

 

On the other hand you could buy a Weber or do the SPFI swap. The Weber is the "easy" way out. Buy a new one and slap it on - you won't have many issues beyond mounting the throttle cable and clearing out your old carbs paraphenalia from the engine bay.

 

If you go the rebuild route - make sure before you buy the parts and tear into it that it's even worth the effort. Crack open the primary throttle and wiggle the shaft - if you feel any real play in it then the throttle base is worn out and you might as well find another carb. They aren't worth rebushing.

 

GD

[Uberoo]

Ive never really "rebuilt" a carb per say.Ive torn down a couple of mikuni's off toyotas and such,mainly just to clean them out.never to replace/rebuild anything...That and ive never messed with anything as complicated as a hitachi.That said if I tried to do something to it I probally would brake something or loose a tiny but essential part of the carb..

 

I wonder if acetone might help with anything?Supposidly it will improve MPG by 1-3 MPG?Im sure thats on rigs that are running right,but if it does boost the MPG it would help abit at least until I can find a weber or do a SPFI conversion.Both of which don't just happen over night,on my budget(I earn money by selling stuff,this weeks seems to be scrap aluminum)