Karl Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 The good news: I wasn't doing anything wrong. The bad news: I need a new carb. My question: can I make my cruise control work if I put a Weber on it? The story: So, I've been frustrated with my carb. Rebuild went well, one venturi wouldn't come out but had decent flow thru it. Yet, when it was all back together, it was rather erratic to say the least. My friend who is wrench helped me tweak some more on it-still runnin' pretty crappy. I dicked with it over and over and finally got it to where it ran kind-of-okay most of the time, but still wasn't running all that well and sometimes it just ran crappy for the hell of it. I was hoping it was something simple, or just something I didn't know about and so I took it to the dealer (Carter in Seattle). They say it's just worn out. They say there is 1 carb still left and it's $900!!! They weren't really trying to sell it to me, and I know that they didn't take a long look at it, but what they're saying makes sense, especially since nothing I did could get it to run right. I told them for that price I could put a fuel injected motor in it. Before you suggest it, I don't have a garage or a back-up vehicle, so I'm not goin' that route this time around. It looks like I'll be takin' the weber road after all. Anyone got one for sale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 It is possible that your current cruise control will work. I would recommend that you go see Brians Subaru in Burien before you totally give up. Their number is 206.242.0835. Tell 'em Ken sent you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I agree with Ken - I have never seen a Hitachi that was "worn out". The dealership doesn't know what they are talking about, and told you that you get you to go away. The only thing that wears on the hitachi is the throttle base, and you can get rebuilt throttle bases from CCR in colarado for around $40. The Hitachi is a funny animal at times, and it took me about 5 try's to get the rebuild process down to where I could get good results..... but it CAN be done, and the ones I have rebuilt run perfect. The last one had 190k on it when I rebuilt it and I didn't have to replace the throttle base as it was still in decent shape. It's also very possible that your problems are not entirely the carb. One of the reasons that people get such good results with the weber is they do not understand what all the vacuum and purge lines do or how to properly troubleshoot difficulties of this nature. The Weber eliminates all that stuff, and then of course the engine runs perfect again.... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I'm with Ken; go see Brian's in Burien first. If that doesn't work for you, a weber can be had for considerably less than $900!! There's one currently on the Board for $200 and retail from Carbs Unlimited in Fife, WA is about $375 and Bow Wow in Lynnwood is slightly less than that. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 see if you can get it running kind of alright, and then spray carb cleaner around the base of the carb, you could have a vacuume leak, which could be causing your problems, and is a pretty easy fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted June 8, 2004 Author Share Posted June 8, 2004 Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the support and knowledge. I think I will give Brian's a try, I was going to go there first after searching the message board for shops, but the dealers hours made it easier. I was trying to get things dialed in before I go out of town on friday...I should have listened to the little voice in the back of my head. I will say the dealer quoted me $75 for the alignment! I'll let you know how that turns out. It'll be nice to get rid of the camber I've had up front after replacing those half-shafts. There is the smallest of chances I didn't get all the hoses (well over 30 feet!) right when I put it back together. There's a chance that one of the hoses just needs a clamp as well. this was one of my other hopes when I took to the dealer, I was hoping that they'd be able to quickly track it down, if I had a vacuum leak due to this. I didn't keep proper track (lesson #?, how many times will I have to learn that?) of where exactly all of the cheesy FHI hose clamps were when I took it all apart, so I can't be sure that there isn't a vacuum leak somewhere due to this (forgot to get a bucket of hose clamps before spending sunday evening for the rebuild. oh, for one of those towns where the auto parts stores are open until midnight...). Probably my first step will be to go thru and just put clamps on all of them. With your indulgence, I'll post my notes of it's symptoms, they're particular enough that someone might recognize the source of my problems. Feel free to tell me more about throttle bases... muchas dankes, -Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 Many of the vacuum lines and such have no clamps - I wouldn't worry about them unless you can verify by spraying carb cleaner around the connection that it is indeed a leak. It's unlikely that a leak is caused by no clamp - usually a leak is caused by a crack in the line, or a completely disconnected line. The EGR valve is sometimes guilty of this. You must understand tho, that in order to effect how the engine runs the leak must be pretty big. Small leaks are normal, and will not cause you much trouble. I can guarantee that if you spray carb cleaner directly on the throttle shaft of the carb the idle will increase ever so slightly. This is not a big deal unless there is a LOT of slop in the shaft. The throttle base is the cast iron bit on the bottom of the carb that contains the throttle shafts and plates. It bolts onto the carb, so is easily replaceable. You just have to make sure and get the linkage correctly set when you put on the new (rebuilt) one. A $30 rebuild kit for your carb, and possibly a rebuilt throttle base should be all you need in the carb arena. Fix whatever vacuum leaks you find, and you should be able to put it back in service for less than $100. Could take a bit of time to tinker with it, and if you don't have that then a Weber would be no better. They take time to properly install and adjust if you have never done one before. I agree with the above statements that you should find a shop that can do reliable carb work. The dealerships for the most part have no clue how to work on these carbs. They are just too old, and no one is trained on them anymore. Too bad you aren't closer, or I would take a look at your Hitachi. There just aren't a lot of people around anymore that take the time to learn how to properly fix them. Everyone seems to throw new Weber's at the problem instead. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonOfScio Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I have to say though, a weber is nice and easy for those who don't want to rebuild or tune a hitachi. BUT - a feedback 2wd hitachi gets AWESOME mileage when it runs perfectly. My hatch at one point on 89 octane got 45mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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