dadado

hi,
My 87 accord , 4 cyl, carburator is spitting gas out too much. The gas from the exhaust isn't all burnt since i can smell the gas. I think it's the carburator but how should i go fixing this? Is it hard fixing the carburator or should i need the mechanic?

thanks for all your inputs

P_Adams

Even on the best of days, Honda techs replaced carburetors rather that &*^$##@ with trying to repair them. It has become a lost art and very few will attempt it; opting to replace it. My local Honda indy guy won't attempt it either, stating you'd need a pail of carburetor cleaner, compressed air (filtered) sourse and several years experience to be successful.
sadly, It does sound like your card is "flooding"; a condition by which the float and/or needle and seat need to be replaced

P

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dadado &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hi,
My 87 accord , 4 cyl, carburator is spitting gas out too much. The gas from the exhaust isn't all burnt since i can smell the gas. I think it's the carburator but how should i go fixing this? Is it hard fixing the carburator or should i need the mechanic?

thanks for all your inputs</TD></TR></TABLE>
They're not that hard to work on. Is it ruuning bad? Or is the exhaust just a little smelly?

deserthonda

yo P good ole buddy you make it sound working on carbs is like the plague it is no big deal and i cannot believe your local honda guy wont even work on them what kind of a tech is he?? ..
yo dedado is is not something you might want to attempt yourself especially if you want to do the job right the first time..,, you do need compressed air, carb cleaner ,,, i would buy the overhaul kit from a non-factory it is cheaper and it comes complete with , needle and seats, all the gaskets and o-rings i cannot recall if floats are included,, but you can ask the parts man, if no floats included you need to buy them separatly also u need to buy the carb baseplate seal from the dealer ... i would take it to a shop that is compitent to do a carb overhaul .. if you buy the parts the job should cost you anywhere from 300-400 dollars depends on their hourly rate ...

hondadude

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by P_Adams &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> It has become a lost art and very few will attempt it; you'd need several years experience to be successful.
P</TD></TR></TABLE>
Odd, I've never met a honda I couldn't fix!! This person should find a honda tech with grey hair and his problem will be fixed. Carb problems are rarely solved on the internet, being with the car and applying experience is the best way to fix a carb. NOTE: for you younger guys a Carb is what you would call a giant vacum leak. LOL

P_Adams

HondaDude:
Yeh, but 9 years rebuilding QuadraJets, DualJets, Holleys, and Carters (now Edelbrock) and graduating to EFI for another 19 still doesn't qualify my overhauling a Honda carb correctly the first time. And yes, I too have never met a GM I couldn't fix either. ...and I haven't heard any "Gray haired Honda techs" volunteering their services here either. (oh, hey wait, I'm gray haired)
DesertHonda:
Why do you make me out to be an alarmist, and then agree with what I said? My point was, without prior experience; carb rebuilding involves more than a screwdriver and a B.F.H., and there are fewer and fewer people that will do it. I'd rather tell the guy up front that it can easily turn into the "repair from hell" rather than give him the low-ball, pie in the sky recommendation.
Oh, ASE Certified, 9 years with Honda, 7 years with Acura. Successful independent for 10. BBB rated, American Automobile Association authorized. 9 employees. (That's the kind of tech he is "Ol' Buddy")

P

deserthonda

yo P- i did not agree with what u said i merely told the guy that he should not attempt to do his carb but overhasuling carbs for a honda tech is no big deal,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
and as for your pal tech over there with all thuis experience he wont touch a carb?? to me he is not a true complete tech what kind of a joke is that?? oh i am sorry sir i wont fix carburators you got to go down the street ..a honda tech a true honda tech fixes hondas from a to z . hell he should even work on a honda 600 if it came into his shop you do remember those right??? that is honda tech to me ........
ans as for all of his experience and certifications it dont mean dick if he is not willing to tackle a carburator

P_Adams

Um, ok. And I would then suppose that any sense of a repair warranty, customer satisfaction, repairing it right the first time and giving the customer all the options first means nothing, right?
It's one thing to repair your own carburetor (I can do domestics' in my sleep) where only you suffer the consiquences, but it's a whole lot different when you have to eat the cost of the job (Parts & Labor) a second time and put the guy into a rental 'cuz the first go-around didn't work out for the customer.

You're welcome to your opinion, as am I. And I guess we should agree to disagree. Just like you, I speak from personal experience, unfortunately I've worked on both side's of the counter, and more than sometimes I mention worst case synario's. (I guess it's the service writter in me)

deserthonda

everyone is entitled to their opinions i strongly agrere with you on that and customer satisfaction fix it right the first time is a priority all i am saying is that if you are a honda tech especially one as such as you siad 9 yrs on hondas 7 yrs on acuras own his own place for 10 years should be qualified enough to do carb overhauls and do them right the first time ..

i worked at honda dealerships for 15 years have had my own shop for past 10 we specialize solely in hondas and acuras and anytime i received a repair order fron srvice adviser i fixed the car no matter what ... carb job, electrical, wind noise, water leak warranty squeaks and rattles tranny overhaul etc etc ..

P_Adams

That having been said, I think that we both agree that; no matter if you're the customer, the service writter, the technician or the shop owner that it is a constant battle to balance the cost/benefit calculation for both the customer and the shop. And I think it is the responcibility of all of us that try to contribute to these forum discussions to offer every possible solution, so that the inquirer will be given all the options he has available. To these points I think we've both been successful. I think the problem arises when our responses are tainted by our personal experiences and they don't jive with what others experience.
You'll note that I have never refuted anything anyone has ever suggested in these forums, I offer alternative suggestions based on what I've experienced.
As to my Honda Indy who has caught the majority of this: He runs his shop very successfully, having moved to larger quarters three time in the ten (10) years he's been in business and has never had to lay anyone off.
Just as I've never questioned your qualifications or how you ran your shop, I think it somewhat unfair to question my "Indy" based on business practices

I've said enough on this.

Apologies to Dadado, I don't think this was what he was looking for.

P

dadado

like i said all inputs matters, and it looks like i have to take it to the shop. Can i ask how long would it take a newbie to replace the carburator and is it worth it to replace on your own?

P_Adams

Of course it is, if you have the tools and meters, a mechanical aptitude and the reference materials required to make the final adjustments. (and it helps to have someone help that"s done it before).

The options you have are:
1) You rebuild your carburetor (only if you've had prior experience *&^#$@ around with carburetors)
2) Repair shop rebuilds your carburator (shop warranties repair)
3) You install remanufactured carburetor (parts store warranties part only*)
4) Repair shop installs reman carburetor (shop warranties parts & labor)

Admittedly, it would be cheaper to do it yourself if successful the first time; but there's a lot to be said for having the shop make good on the repair if anything goes wrong

In answer to your question...... taking your time, getting everything out of the way, marking all the hoses and familiarizing yourself with where everything goes; I would estimate between an hour (1.0) to an hour and a half (1.5) as a first guess.

* assuming not damaged during installation

Chiovnidca

It sure would be a shame to replace the whole carb if the problem turned out to be something as simple as a bad choke coil, choke pull-off diaphram or a sunken float. Probably be a bit more expensive too.

P_Adams

Yes, and if he was capable of checking those things I'm quite sure we wouldn't have been waltzing around for the last several days trying to approach this problem... and the original question: "I think it's the carburator but how should i go fixing this? Is it hard fixing the carburator or should i need the mechanic?" would never had been asked.
It sounds like Dadado is smart enough to ask when he's got a question, and I hope he's got enough info (after all this) to make an intellegent decision.

Geez, I thought I mentioned the Float and needle/seat in a prior post.

Chiovnidca

Just trying to show the guy there are options. Maybe he'll decide to research the problem a little more, maybe not. He didn't give us much information to go on.

dadado

thank all, much appreciated