18R Carby running rich

[tomp123]

Hey everyone,
I'm extremely new to this, and I'm not actually all that experienced with cars, as I am 15, so please bear with me.
I have an 82 Hilux with an 18R engine, and I've been told by 3 mechanics, that the carburettor is running rich.
What I'm wondering

• Is there a cheap replacement?
• Would a rebuild fix the problem, if so, how much would it cost and how hard would it be to do it myself?
• Could I use any old carby that mounts?
• If I bodge up a mounting brace, could I use any carby?
• Could the problem not be in the carby? Like, the air filter isn't letting enough air in?
• What do you think?

Thanks in advance, Tom

[river]

Hi,

The only cheap replacements are those you would rip off wrecks. However, these carbs would be of similar age and no guarantee they'd be any better than what you have.

You can still get carb rebuild kits, but you need to make sure you specify the right carby as there were a couple of different versions.

Rebuilding the carby is not difficult and with some patience and being careful where things go, you should be able to pull down and rebuild the carb in a day (a day 'cos tis is your first time). Matter of fact.. make it a weekend. Put the disassembled parts in cleaner and make them nice and clean and no debri sticking to any parts.

You just can't use any carby. Some carbys like some webber ones, will fit, but you need to make sure the throttle and any other connections (fuels lines etc) match up, and even then you may need to tune the engine etc for the new carby. And, new carbies... or fully reconditioned ones are not cheap. Thye aren't that expensive, but I get the feeling you are looking to get out of this cheaply - and buying a new or recond carby will dent your wallet a little bit.

Check your air filter and make sure it is clean. get some compressed air and blow it clean if it is dirty. If really dirty and not coming clean then you may need to fork out some cash and get a new cleaner element.

Check your spark plugs to make sure they are within specs and clean.

Check the points and make sure they are set to specification. If the contacts on the points are burnt then buy a set of new points.

Your carby could need the mixture adjusted, but I would assume the mechanics would of checked that. Some carbs hav e the micture blocked so it can't be adjusted - and am not sure if that's the case with yours.

Also look down the carby to make sure the choke is coming off properly when the engine is at normal temperature. If the choke butterfly is sticking it will make the engine run rich.

Hope that helps.

seeyuzz
river

[tomp123]

Hey river,
Thanks for the quick reply, I will look into some of those things.
If a carby rebuild is all the little seals being replaced, I've already done it. If not, what does it require?
Yea, I am definitely looking for a really cheap fix, and I don't even need it to be good quality. It's just a paddock basher, and I'm not looking to make it anymore than that (lack of time, money and skill).
Got new points and spark plugs, and the points are sitting and sparking perfectly.
Something to note is that the spark coming from the ignition coil (also brand new) is very weak. I don't know if that would change anything.
I found a high power cone air filter, that was in real good condition, in a burnt out car, and I'm going to fit it in when I get the chance. Just to see if that helps.
Someone said to me about the thing that spits the fuel or something, saying it may need replacing.
Tom

[river]

Hi,

A weak spark may not burn your fuel properly so if you are going to a wreckers to grab a carby, then have a look for some ignition coils also.

Take some picks of your carby (on your phone) and refer to it at the wreckers when you go searching for carbies so you can match up properly to the one you got - especially the numerous vacuum hoses etc as they did change around over the years with extra anti-pollution gear.

Still, if its a paddock basher then just block off any non-used hoses when you get carbie installed in your car.

I think most 18R-C carbs will bolt straight in and conenct up. Sometimes the vacuum pot for the secondary is in a different lcoation, but it won't make a diff for a swap (only makes a diff when getting a rebuild kit). Try any 18R-C engined car... which would be a hi lux, corona or celica (though celicas seem to get ravaged quickly and are a bare shell within hours).

seeyuzz
river

[TRD-12A]

Rebuild kits a preety cheap the last one i did for an 18r cost me about $30 plus $10 for a good can of carby cleaner to clean every little whole and passageway out.

[MWP]

How rich is rich?
Carbs on these old engines are made to run fairly rich so they are safe at all times.
Ie, better rich than lean.

If it has been rebuilt, its strange that i would be running very rich, unless the rebuild was not done properly.

Normal mechanics these days no long have the experience/practice working on small carb'ed engines.
Your better of finding a specialist carb tuner (ie, they only tune carbs, nothing else), and have them look at it.
They could probably tune the carb (something a normal mechanic would not want to attempt), or suggest a different carb setup, like a Weber 32/36.