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Attempting to rebuild my first carburetor.


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I just took apart my 1987 Subaru's Hitachi Carb DCZ-328 and I found some phenol jets that got damaged while trying to take it all apart. One of the two phenol parts is in my rebuild kit. The other however, is not. I have called a local reputable parts store and cannot locate it via Google search or here with the search feature. The part I need is listed on the carb rebuild kit as number 44 - "Jet - Primary Slow Air Bleed" I have checked for this part replacement and since its a form of high heat standing plastic. I don't understand why it wasn't included in the new kit as the other jet was and is a metal replacement.

 

One more thing also:

Upon taking off my throttle body spacer it broke into 3 pieces which also is not in the rebuild kit. How do I go about finding a replacement spacer for this carburetor?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance! This is my first rebuild and so far things are okay except these couple problems so far.

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junk yard / breaker yard near you might have same or similar model Subaru and not a bad idea to go buy one even if it is just for help in reassembly or if you can post up a photo of what you need in maybe a want ad carby parts and see how that helps

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So, I went and bought a carb from a 86 GL wagon but it was a manual transmission. I rebuilt most of what I could with my level of skill and still had a few things leftover from the rebuild, and when I went to start it after I installed it with new gaskets and all it backfired through the carburetor my rpm gauge no longer works and I flooded out as well as leaked through the pole that goes through the bottom of the carb body that has the butterfly thing in it. I'm such a noob, you guys are probably having a laugh but I was honestly thinking about going to a junkyard again and try to get a weber. What specific carbs will mount up to my intake manifold?

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something tells me you did more than a carb swap or rebuild ??  Most kits will have left over bits and things due to one kit made to include many applications so fewer kit and part numbers for stockists

 

if the float level is incorrect due to something missing, broken or a float that sinks, fuel will spill over and dribble down onto closed butterflies and out along the throttle shaft/spindle.

 

Can't say my first rebuild went right either. Only showed up  a few miles pointing wrong direction, and required a walk home and a lift back with spare float and screwdriver - simple Stromberg single throat 60's stuff. Before mobile phones too !

Before cordless phones too !!

Edited by jono
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So, I went and bought a carb from a 86 GL wagon but it was a manual transmission. I rebuilt most of what I could with my level of skill and still had a few things leftover from the rebuild, and when I went to start it after I installed it with new gaskets and all it backfired through the carburetor my rpm gauge no longer works and I flooded out as well as leaked through the pole that goes through the bottom of the carb body that has the butterfly thing in it. I'm such a noob, you guys are probably having a laugh but I was honestly thinking about going to a junkyard again and try to get a weber. What specific carbs will mount up to my intake manifold?

 

Backfiring through the carb is usually caused by improper timing.  Timing is of course the most basic setting of the engine, and is something that must be checked, at the very least, for any kind of carb tune.  Many timing issues get blamed on the carb and it sends people that don't have much carb experience down a rabbit-hole because they think the problem is their lack of carb rebuilding and tuning knowledge.  Many a carbed Subaru has been towed to the junkyard because of this.  Your EA82 may need a timing belt kit or distributor more than it needs a new carb.

 

Also, carbed Justys share the same carb base and phenolic spacer as the EA82.  U.S. Justys were carbed from 87-89, and 90-91 were mixed between carb and FI.

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Well I took the belt off the front and the power steering reservoir off to have better access to the carb in my first attempt to remove and rebuild it. Then power steering fluid leaked all over the place. I replaced the belt and have done a complete tune up on it before I rebuilt the carburetor and it ran fine just was not well tuned. I don't know what to do.

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I should have said I put the old belts I took off from alternator and serpentine belts back on after removing them to get them out of the way. Also my car came with no timing belt covers. I can see the belts on both sides from the front top and bottom of the engine. At least I think those are timing belts.

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well don't PANIC unless you need the car to get to work every day next week :)

 

Was it running better before you removed carb to rebuild AND did nothing else regards timing adjust, lead swap ? You do have 13 2 4 firing order which is different from normal 1 4 3 2  four cylinders ?  You have internal floding problems of carb to sort first. needle and seat sticking can also cause float chamber to flood and overflow. See the sight glass on the side ? Should be a dot suggests correct operating fluid level

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Yes it was running better before any mods.I do believe my firing order is normal which is what I found to be correct. I may have carb float adjustments to make. So can I open the carb without damaging the new gaskets? Or do I have to buy new ones anyways?

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Thanks man. Any suggestions as to how to adjust the float properly now? And after that I will post my findings tomorrow or later tonight when I get back to the garage where my car is at. I appreciate all the quick and wonderful suggestions and replies!

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The timing belts have teeth like gears.  They go around the crank and the cam pulleys, and some idler / tensioners.  It is highly unlikely that they are original.  They are supposed to be changed at 60K miles, And fail right around then usually.

 

It's been a long time since I rebuilt a carb.  I guess I'd try to find another identical one to use as a reference, and a factory service manual, if you don't have one.

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I have a factory service manual. Funny how the one section I needed from the manuals here and elsewhere I have found have the carburetor section missing completely for the ea82 FSM and other sources of information. The rebuild kit I bought had enough information to go off of for part names and locations but that was really all that was needed.

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These carbs need care when rebuilding / rekitting  

 

Stuffed up my 1st attempt,  wouldn't idle properly - something jammed inside somewhere  and had to buy a 2nd hand

 

replacement Carb from the wreckers and have another go   :P   :D

Edited by subnz
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Well I honestly goofed and didn't add my needle spring or needle vlave pin on my float mechanism. Whatever these things are called lol. I managed to get her running more lean but when I back up or start to drive forward it now dies. And has trouble starting. I followed many guides and unfortunately most of them say to use tools I will never own let alone get the change to use. I can't just spend 300+$ on a weber otherwise o would have already been excited to remove those crap vacuum hoses. Is there something I missed when adjusting float level? The books I downloaded from this site have the one section I need missing from it... The carburetor section.

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Upon trying to follow a guide on here I turned my idle svrew all the way in and started at 2.5 turn out like it said and boy was that a mistake. My car was idling like it was driving on the freeway and after about 5 minutes fiddling with the idle screw on the carb it started smoking and overheating so I had my buddy kill it and it stuttered and finally died. What do I do now guys, I'm really stumped as to how to make this work again with my direction as to how the float should be I'm lost.

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Wow, that's a pain.  I don't know why adjusting the carb would cause overheat, something must be wrong with the cooling system.  Very important to make sure that the radiator AND the recovery tank are full of coolant before running anymore.

 

I went to check my 86 FSM, to see what is there for the carburetor, and can't find the book with the engine sections.  It's here somewhere. 

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Yeah and update for the evening before calling it quits until next time I muster up the strength and patience to work at it again. After adjusting the float with no real number or reference in mind other than my own meandering experience watching endless videos of carbs like mine and still having problems with idle, rough too slow and fluctuated as well as dying while trying to stop and go. I feel as if that's a float issue. But not sure precisely, any and all suggestions welcome and encouraged. Thank you all ahead of time once again, this is proving to be a nightmare experience for a noobie like myself.

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Ok, you have to figure the dissappearing water out. A few thinks it could be.... check the oil, make sure it isn't going into the crankcase. More common, intake manifold gaskets can fail and coolant is sucked onto the intake. There is also a gasket between the carb and the intake where the same can happen. Running the engine over normal temp while low on coolant is bad for headgaskets.

 

If you decide to remove the intake manifold bolts, be careful. Safest way is to get the engine to normal operating temp, and then remove them carefully. When you re assemble, use anti size, and Subaru gaskets only.

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