Logistical Carb Rebuild Question

[BEECHBM69]

I'll try to be brief.......

 

87 EA81 Hatch, 140,00 on the clock, suddenly decided it doesn't want to idle anymore. Anti Diesel Solenoid gutted the last time this happened, ran good for about a year. Carb cleaner, Seafoam, and some fiddling has it idling, but not well or consistently. Runs beautifully off idle. 

 

I have a 72,000 mile complete motor on a stand. However, it sat for 6 years before I got it, and two years since. Running condition unknown. 

 

Here's my question for the knowledgable bunch: 

 

Rebuild the carb on the stand, (less miles = less wear on the throttle shaft?) Another benefit, the swap would be straight on and off, (less time for my feeble mind to forget how it goes on.....lol) 

 

-or- 

 

Rebuild the one on the car, as it is a known quantity, and I have the engine on the stand as a template. 

 

As an aside, we have visual emissions inspections in VA, and if I did a Weber swap, I would have to retag the car as an antique, greatly curtailing my usage options. I'd like to save that for a last resort. I did a search on modifying a stock breather, but that seems outside of my skill set (I can't weld....lol) 

 

Thanks in advance for any insight the pros can lend. (And sorry for not being so brief.......lol)

 

Dan

[Gloyale]

I'd be inclined to just take the top off the running carb in the car. Then remove emulsion tubes and clear them, and replace the airhorn orings and the accel pump. Put it back toghether and go. No need to disturb the base.

[ferox]

+1, sounds like the idle circuit is blocked.  If you can blow some compressed air (carefully) through the idle circuit when you have the choke-body off and the e-tubes out that can make a huge difference also.  Just pull the brass weight out first.  I cringe to think of how many carbed Subarus were sent to the yard because of the tiny piece of crud lodged in the idle circuit.

[coxy]

I just rebuilt one that was more of a pain in the but than that, A wreckers used carburettor that never ran right missing down low.

Pulled it apart and found that after a full strip and clean somebody had changed out the Base throttle plate and on closer inspection the Fuel Feed hole did not line up for the progression ports to allow them to actually feed fuel just off idle. So be aware that if somebody has mixed up the carburettor Body with a different Base throttle section they do not all interchange and work even if they actually bolt together, Make sure the Fuel feed holes all line up the Phenolic spacer between the two sections is a good guide to check with.

 

This came off a clean looking EA 81 Touring wagon with the high roof and luckily I had an early EA 82 carb where the base matched the EA 81 carburettor Body section to sort it out, but not all Hitachi carburettors are the same so always remember someone may well have been there before you and stuffed it up giving you the option of not just fixing a normal problem but one caused by somebody else in the past so check everything carefully, Anything can happen after more than a quarter of a century with used parts. 

Edited April 27, 2015 by coxy