Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 08:41:01 -0700
Reply-To: Malcolm Holser <mholser@ADOBE.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Malcolm Holser <mholser@ADOBE.COM>
Subject: Re: EFI to Carbs
> An up date. I have a 2 barrel progressive carb and after this
> weekend's trip I will have run 5 tanks of gas through it and I will
> post a message to the list re my average fuel consumption. I can
> tell you now that it runs very well, and is VERY simple amd I agree
> that 90% of the list discussion becomes irrelevant.
>
> One problem that was not discussed in today's thread, is a warning
> about state emissions tests. If you live in a state with emissions
> tests, you will probably fail the tests with Carbs.
>
> In a few weeks I'll talk with the mechanic (PO) who did the
> conversion and I'll get back to every one. If you have specific
> quesitons, maybe I can help.
>
> Malcolm
>
Also, of course, there are severe drivability problems with center-mounted
carbs on VW engines from car icing. VW vent to fairly long extremes in
the old engines to route exhaust gasses up to warm up the intake manifolds.
The warm manifolds really hurt performance and gas mileage, but without
some form of external heating, the heat losses due to evaporation of the
gasoline and the simultaneous expansion of the mixture leaving the carb
venturi conspire to drop the intake mixture temperature about 40'F. Wet
cool days (fortunately none of these in Canada for Malcolm (^; ) are the
worst.
This *kills* people in airplanes -- there is a main control lever to dump
hot air into the carbs on planes, and you add carb heat during landings as
a precaution (bad time to lose your engine). Old VW's suffer badly from
this, but we don't get the info since the lists split. They talk about carb
ice as much as we lament FI troubles.
So: If you are not concerned about pollution AND
you are comfortable with intricate mechanicals of carbs AND
you never drive on cold rainy nights AND
you want to spend money making somehthing not stock AND
you really hate the FI
do it.
Personally, even "after a fire" I'd rather pull the whole system off a junker
and fix the FI. But then, I am comfortable with electronics, and I personally
find the EFI *easier* to understand. Many folks don't. The EFI also either
works, or *fails*, while carbs will soldier on through thick and thin. In
Africa, I'd choose a carb. In the US, with free AAA towing only a cell-phone
call away, I'd choose EFI. I'm thinking of converting my carbureted cars over,
which is much more difficult to do.
Malcolm (a different Malcolm)
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