I have carburetor work in my future, on my 1914cc 2017 VS build. My oil level is a quart high and the dipstick smells like a fuel spill. I've done a 34PICT decades back (and that car still ran afterward!) but these are Solex 40/44 EIS. My questions:
Is there a best source for the best rebuild kit to get?
Do I need or want to do anything else to the carbs while I have them out?
Is there a Youtube video or downloadable PDF I should see?
Thanks for any guidance.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Aircooled.net has the Solex rebuild kits
https://vwparts.aircooled.net/...44mm-p/radke-702.htm
Sounds like the float valves are leaking and new ones are included in the kit.
x 2 for the Aircooled.net Solex rebuild kits, don't use the Chinese parts. Probably just need a good cleaning and as Gordon mentioned float valve - needle valve stuck or leaking. What PSI are you running for the fuel pump ?
Check/set the float bowl height. If you have access to a solvent tank, take them apart and boil them.
That said, although carbs are relatively simple as far as precision instruments go and just about anyone with moderate mechanical aptitude can “rebuild” one, I think there’s a lot to be said for having a pro go through them. Your carbs will come back in “as new” condition.
I had well known carbmeister Dave at Redline Racing go through my dells and I pretty much bolted them on and drove away. Dave replaced one of my throttle spindles which was worn and all my accelerator pump springs. Things I never would have known to do had I just slapped a rebuild kit in them.
Those Solex carbs are made in Brazil and also called Kadrons ,
if they are old and been used for years , make sure to check for play in the butterfly shaft , they run directly in the carb casting and can wear , then it will be hard to get an idle as it’s sucking air around the shaft ,
Kadrons have been sold since the 1970s in the USA.
Call the guys at Kaddie Shack in Pasadena (kaddieshack.com). Super helpful - will walk you thru it, talk you thru it. They have a variety of video tutorials as well.
I also swapped Venturi’s (went from 28mm to 32mm) - I live at high elevation - and used their standard ‘rebuild’ kit that included gaskets that are far superior to what came on my VS. The guys were super helpful, always readily phone available, and always willing to talk with me.
Bolted the carbs back on, hooked up the linkage, and my Speedy fired right up!! It’s run great ever since!
@imperial posted:Those Solex carbs are made in Brazil and also called Kadrons ,
if they are old and been used for years , make sure to check for play in the butterfly shaft , they run directly in the carb casting and can wear , then it will be hard to get an idle as it’s sucking air around the shaft ,
Kadrons have been sold since the 1970s in the USA.
They can be fixed- the carb bodies can drilled for bushings so they're good as new and wear then won't be a problem.
" My oil level is a quart high and the dipstick smells like a fuel spill."
Raw gas in the oil could be caused by a leaky diaphragm in the stock mechanical fuel pump.
@ALB posted:They can be fixed- the carb bodies can drilled for bushings so they're good as new and wear then won't be a problem.
This is generally part of a real pro “rebuild,” as is drilling out the body plugs and blowing out the passages following a good solvent soak. (I’m not so familiar with Solexes and Webers, so I don’t know if they have them. Dells do).
I second @Ted’s comment a couple of posts higher. Check the fuel pump to see if it is leaking fuel into the crankcase. That would be an easier fix than tearing the carbs apart.
I agree 100% with Imperial.....check your cross shafts. You won't be able to sync them with bad shafts.
