Date:         Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:51:34 -0500
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Friday NVC: British Carburettor hilarity
In-Reply-To:  <AANLkTimscT=--O6N5kmd8OS+sftBQMO9EWsWv-HNqbGF@mail.gmail.com>
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The SU was a very clever and efficient design but there was a lot that
could go wrong with them. The Stombergs were bad news with their
rubber diaphrams and such. Most US mechanics screwed all of them up
when they first got their hands on them, and of course being
manufactured in Britain they wore out prematurely. I never learned
anything about a solex carburetor, even out of all the bugs and buses
I had, because nothing ever went wrong with them and I never took one
apart that I can recall. But when it did, you could grab another one
and tune by ear and go.

I was called on to balance multiple solexes on friends' Squareback and
Notchback VWs, but being out of balance was hardly ever the problem.
It is for one of these that I'm hanging on to my Unisyn : )

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 2:08 PM, neil n <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
> I can't verify how accurate my settings were, but on one of my Volvo 145 's
> I ended up fixing the float on one. Then I set the carbs by ear. Seemed to
> work fine.  (certainly better than it was) My *guess* is that a gauge would
> do a better job.
>
> IMO those SU's got a bad rap. In my limited experience, I had no  issue with
> them.
>
> IIRC the Strombergs Volvo used were not as good.
>
> Didn't know about the Uni-syn
>
> pic: http://content.mamotorworks.com/img300/fr4987.jpg
>
>
> Neil.
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 9:41 AM, Loren Busch <starwagen@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 9:12 AM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > I almost laughed out loud at this. I just ran across my old Haynes
>> > manuals for SU and Stromberg Carburettors (UK spelling of course).
>> >
>>
>> So lets start the debate:  Which is better for syncing a pair of SUs, a
>> simple rubber hose held to your ear or go out and buy a Unisyn?
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
>
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
>