Carburettor Wear and Maladjustment
Symptoms
Poor idle quality, hesitation on acceleration, rich running (black exhaust smoke, fuel smell), lean running (backfiring, overheating), poor fuel economy.
Cause
The Solex 40 PDSI or Weber 32/36 DGV carburettor has numerous wear points: throttle shaft bushings develop play (causing air leaks), jets wear, float valves stick, diaphragms perish, and gaskets shrink. Ethanol in modern fuel attacks old carburettor materials.
Fix
Rebuild the carburettor using a quality rebuild kit.
This replaces all gaskets, seals, needle valves, and accelerator pump diaphragms.
Inspect the throttle shaft bushings, if worn, the carburettor body needs bushing (specialist work).
Cost: $60-120 for a rebuild kit, $200-400 for a specialist rebuild.
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