86 gl wagon 1.8

[eqvance]

think i need to take my 86 gl wagon in to have carb kit put in. how much should it cost? it's a 1.8l 2 bl. e e

[Chongo]

Hey eqvance

I had my '86 GL wagon (5spd 4wd) carb rebuilt by a really good shop here in Manassas VA called "Carberators Unlimited"

I called them on the phone first just for an estimate and to see if they even worked on Soobies. The dude asked me what year and then what kind of carb, Hitachi or Weber, and I said I didnt know. Hitachi's are cheaper to rebuid than Webers. He told to to pop the hood and he asked me questions while I described the carb to him.That's how great these people are to take the time like this over the phone.

Anyway it was dumpin fuel really bad, like when you'd get off a curved exit ramp on the highway and finally straigten out and accelerate a big cloud of blue smoke would come out the exhaust. Jeeze i thought it was something in the engine itself, but nope it was the carb for sure.

The Hitachi carb rebuild cost me $330 plus $175 labor but that's because I took the whole car there, not just the carb itself. This was back in the year 2000. Very expensive but well worth it since these guys know EXACTLY what they're doing. You may want to consider just replacing the carb with a new one yourself, but let me tell you, look at all the hoses and wiring and connections and then decide. I'm glad I had it done before the carb washed out the engine..Check around your town and let me know back what you find out...........CHONGO

[torxxx]

a rebuild kit is under 50 bucks if you do it yourself

[calebz]

Chongo, for that price you could have gotten a brand new weber, ditched all those crazy vacuum hoses, had a nice dinner out with your woman and still had enough left over for a full tank of gas, a case of beer and $20 left in your pocket.

 

On the flip side, I think working on carbs sucks.. Thats why all my cars are FI

[thealleyboy]

Webs aren't for everyone...nothing wrong with keeping things stock if you aren't into mods. Problem with the Hitatchis is that they are tricky - even if you've had some experience with this sort of thing. I've had about a 50% sucess rate with the ones I've done. Not good enuff IMO, considering the time involved.

 

You could compromise a little and still save some $$ by getting your carb professionally rebuilt, and doing the installation yourself. Pretty starightforward and simple if you mark everything.

 

If I were to have someone rebuild one for me, I would probably go with Kerry at CCR. I've discussed the Hitatchis with him, and he knows these carbs inside out. Don't quote me on this, but it should be in the 200-250 range if you send him your core (highly recommended).

 

good luck, John

[greggbrat]

That is small fortune for a carb. Rebuilding kits are quite easy to use. Or, you can always pick up a carb at the junkyard for about $25. Dont be afraid to try a rebuild yourself in the future. I know its a bit intimidating the first time to do something like that but its a fun and enlightening experience to know that you really wont blow up your car doing a carb rebuild.

[Aldoat]

Carb kits are fine but a total rebuild involves more than just a kit. Rebushing the throttle shaft is normally part of a total rebuild. Hitachis are known for wear of the throttle shaft bushing, which in turn causes a major air/fuel imbalance. Have been in that situation before. Tried rebuilding at home several times with different kits, no luck. Sent carb off for total rebuild, installed it and car ran like it had just come off the assembly line.