Is it better to rebuild or replace a carburetor or throttle body?
Carburetor
If all the carburetor needs is cleaning and adjusting, then a kit
will usually do the trick. A kit is also an option if the carburetor
needs a gasket, diaphragm, needle valve, check valve, or other
component commonly included in a kit.
Floats, choke housings and choke pulloffs are usually sold
separately, but are relatively easy to replace if defective. Faulty
or misadjusted chokes and floats probably account for more
carburetor problems than anything else.
Most carburetors today have molded foam floats rather than hollow
brass floats. Some import carbs have hollow plastic floats. If a
hollow float develops a leak, it will fill with fuel and sink,
causing the carburetor to flood.
The solid foam variety can absorb fuel over a period of time. That's
why the float should always be weighed when the carburetor is
rebuilt. A heavy float will make the fuel mixture rich. Replace
heavy floats.
Kits are not for everyone. It takes a fair amount of know-how to
properly rebuild and adjust a carburetor. It also takes a lot of
time to disassemble, clean, inspect, and reassemble a carburetor.
Many professional installers, as well as do-it-yourselfers, prefer
to replace a troublesome carburetor rather than to try to rebuild it
with a kit.
There are some carburetor problems that cannot be fixed by a kit or
by replacing faulty components. Wear around throttle shafts or
warpage in the carburetor body or throttle plate can create vacuum
leaks that foul up fuel metering. The only option here is
replacement.
Most rebuilt carburetors are sold on an exchange basis, so it's
important to make sure that the exchange carburetor is complete (all
external parts intact), has not been disassembled, and is correct
for the application.
If a base gasket is not included with the replacement, be sure your
customer gets one before he leaves. Your customer may also need new
fuel hose, fuel filter, and air filter to complete the installation.
Throttle Body
Because there are many small components included in a TBI kit, it is
important to inspect each kit to verify that everything is included.
Installers must pay close attention to the kit when assembling the
unit to be sure small parts are placed in their respective
positions.
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