So i've removed the hitachi carb from my EA82 (my first time doing this) and I'm staring the inlet manifold. As you can see in the photo, the bottom hole seems to be gunked up with something.

 

Is this hole supposed to be totally clear? Or is there supposed to be a smaller tube poking out within it or something? I can't tell if this is just a big blob of gunk or whether it is a corroded pipe (or something), and I'm afraid to touch it as I don't want rubbish falling down inside the engine.

 

What should I do??

 

Not sure but believe that's a coolant passage

Yeah coolant passage - carb base heater port. If you are putting on a weber you will want to block that with JB weld or similar.

 

GD

I'm rebuilding the hitachi carb and reinstalling it.

 

Do I need to clean the gunk out of the way? Is it a pipe or just gunk? Will I risk particles falling down inside my engine if I do?

Anyone...?

from my limited knowledge, anycrud that does fall in the little front portion will go into the cooling system jackets, you would just rinse it out with the radiator hose off and the crud wouldnt end up in your radiator. The crud is not going to go into the engine if it is the front little place.

 

I will have my weber carb off later this week on my EA81 Brat to install a stock carb instead, but it is similar I can take pic and see if it is tubing or what? I have forgot by now.

Its a little pipe... the pipe actually comes up above the plane of the top of the intake / carb base. (in other words if you want to JB weld it shut someday for a weber you have to dremel down the pipe a little... well when its not corroded away.)

Mine has been blocked off there due to Weber, but I am going to leave it blocked off for the back to stock carb....will see how mine goes later this week.

Ah, okay excellent. I will give it a good scrub now that I know that I'm not going to be dropping bits down inside the engine

you still want to not drop stuff in it but it is the water system it will go in. keep the back covered good where the carb was. That is going into the engine at the back.

Okay will do. Thanks!

You could remove the intake as well and clean all of it out. Might as well go with new intake gaskets anyway. Go for the graphite faced ones if you can find them.