Pinto carb

[jerry2]

My 2litre pinto is running way too rich and obviously failed its m.o.t.
Was thinking about buying a recon unit due to the age of my original one.
Anyone have any experience on a supplier for these?
It's a single downdraft at the moment.

[rover]

Is yours the motorcraft version? If so then a direct replacement is a 34ich weber

Rover.

[sic transit]

Can I assume you've done the obvious, like checking the state of the air filter and adjusting the mixture screw (although I would have thought that the MoT man would have tried the latter)? If this doesn't work, then the fault is probably elsewhere; a carb would have to be VERY knackered indeed to cause an MoT failure, simply because it's only tested at idle, and you can adjust the idle mixture to your heart's content. Before shelling out £££££ on a Weber "direct replacement" (very cheap and nasty in my experience), make sure that the engine is properly tuned generally (new plugs [NOT MOTORCRAFT OR CHAMPION!!!], new air filter, new and correctly set points, properly adjusted valve clearances etc. and that there are no air leaks anywhere and that all the various vacuum hoses are present and correct (and not split). Replace the PCV valve if you don't know when it was last changed. As a last resort (if the engine is very worn), you can vent the crankcase gases to the atmosphere (still legal) and block off the appropriate stub in the inlet manifold. If you've done all of this, and you still can't set the mixture satisfactorily, try stripping, cleaning and rebuilding the carb with an overhaul kit; it's possible the float valve might be stuck, for example. Basically, if it runs, the probability that you need a new carb to pass the MoT emissions test is practically nil. Weber make an awful lot of money from people who don't appreciate this!

[rover]

Can I assume you've done the obvious, like checking the state of the air filter and adjusting the mixture screw (although I would have thought that the MoT man would have tried the latter)? If this doesn't work, then the fault is probably elsewhere; a carb would have to be VERY knackered indeed to cause an MoT failure, simply because it's only tested at idle, and you can adjust the idle mixture to your heart's content. Before shelling out £££££ on a Weber "direct replacement" (very cheap and nasty in my experience), make sure that the engine is properly tuned generally (new plugs [NOT MOTORCRAFT OR CHAMPION!!!], new air filter, new and correctly set points, properly adjusted valve clearances etc. and that there are no air leaks anywhere and that all the various vacuum hoses are present and correct (and not split). Replace the PCV valve if you don't know when it was last changed. As a last resort (if the engine is very worn), you can vent the crankcase gases to the atmosphere (still legal) and block off the appropriate stub in the inlet manifold. If you've done all of this, and you still can't set the mixture satisfactorily, try stripping and cleaning the carb with an overhaul kit; it's possible the float valve might be stuck, for example. Basically, if it runs, the chance that you need a new carb to pass the MoT emissions test is practically nil. Weber make an awful lot of money from people who don't appreciate this!

I dont know where the feck you get your info but I've been dealing with ford carbs for donkeys years and they are shite! I've seen hundreds fail the emmisions test because of them, especially in the early days of testing. A weber 34ich can be had for a tenner second hand....not exactly a bank breaker is it

Rover.

[sic transit]

I dont know where the feck you get your info but I've been dealing with ford carbs for donkeys years and they are shite! I've seen hundreds fail the emmisions test because of them, especially in the early days of testing. A weber 34ich can be had for a tenner second hand....not exactly a bank breaker is it

Rover.

My mistake. I'm a newcomer to this site, and I presumed it was a forum for the exchange of information, rather than a soapbox for mis-spelt, poorly-punctuated, illiterate personal insults. I'll know better next time.

[rover]

Oh so I'm supposed to have a degree in english lit to have been a mechanic for 24 years??? Damn I missed that one

When you posted a question....who was the first to offer advice??????????

I can only think of one thing more to say to you...

PI$$ OFF

[Soren]

Hi Rover
Can you tell me whits engine is yousing weber 34 ich?
i am looking at the scrapeyard so i hope you know
Soren

[sic transit]

I can only think of one thing more to say to you...

PI$$ OFF

I rest my case!

Seriously, though, if a car is running badly THE CARBURETTOR IS ALMOST NEVER THE PROBLEM! EVEN IF IT'S A VV! Too many people, even professional mechanics who should know better, throw a perfectly good carb in the bin (and throw several hundred pounds down the toilet in the process) without attempting to find the real (amost certainly ignition-related) problem. Even if the carb is at fault, it's often only because someone has mucked up the settings in an attempt to mask the real problem that they couldn't be bothered to solve. The carb should always be the last thing you touch when tuning an engine, and the last place you look when solving a problem. Plugs, leads and points are relatively cheap; carburettors are expensive!

[jerry2]

Thanks for the comments.
It failed the m.o.t before I had purchased the van.
It has lumenition ignition I've changed plugs,leads, rotor arm and cap and also the ballast resistor, and air filter.
Will check all the hoses and also fit a new inline fuel filter in the engine bay.
I haven't checked it since doing this .
Didn't want all the hassle of rebuilding the carb and finding out the spindles etc are knackered.
The carb does leak a bit on it's mating face with the manifold.

[sidspop]

Just a silly suggestion, are you sure that Lumenition needs a ballast resistor?

[jerry2]

yeah it doesn't run without it as it was faulty