back in the game.. 316 1.8 weber conversion

[Nick45]

Most of the symptoms you're talking about when you're actually on the move sound like overfuelling to me - you get a sensation that the car is bogged down. As has already been said, you might be flooding the engine prior to starting it too.

I dunno if it helps but I've got a Weber set up and I've got a manual choke. If the engine's cold then I start it on full choke and progressively reduce the choke as the temperature of the engine rises. Choke is disengaged after about 5 mins on a cold winters morning and the car then idles at about 750.

Once the engine is warm (i.e if I drive then park it for an hour or two) it doesn't need any further choke at all to restart. It would just flood if you tried.
I couldn't imagine starting my car and getting it to idle right first thing on a morning without the choke though.

Other things to consider:
1. Do you know if the carbs are actually jetted for a 1.8 engine? If not it won't run right.
2. You might need a fuel pressure regulator. Some fuel pumps push too much juice into the carbs and automatically flood them.
3. What size velocity stacks do you have (the 2 lots of horizontal chimneys coming out of the carbs)? Can't see from the vid if you have them but if they're not long enough that will not help.
4. What air filter are you running - is it clean?

Got to say mate, on the first vid the carbs sound OK to me but there is additional engine noise where your engine is clacking like a like a diesel. The carbs might not be all of the problem. Here's another vid of webers on an M10 to compare:


Good luck with 'em. There are lots of twin Weber set ups on lots of M10 engines (1.6, 1.8 and 2.0) running just fine. To be honest though, you don't know the history of your carbs and without a full strip down and rebuild they might never be right. Maybe the original seller can tell you what they came off when he put them in? Might help.

[Speedtouch]

4 pumps then turn then a dab when its labouring maybe I was a bit hasty and flooded it and thats all.

Did you find it struggled to pull in low revs?

I rarely give mine as many as 4 pumps, but then mine has an automatic choke, so all you need to do is pump the throttle pedal once to prime it.

It pulls very strongly at low revs.

It is essential to get the carbs jetted correctly for the engine, else you will have flat spots and bogging down galore!

[318isPMK]

Arsehole at kwikfit advised 4 tyres Muppet here went out and got them. Garage asked why I've got new tyres when there's feck all wrong with the ones on it.

[318isPMK]

Arsehole at kwikfit advised 4 tyres Muppet here went out and got them. Garage asked why I've got new tyres when there's feck all wrong with the ones on it.

[Andyboy]

I expect the carbs are shagged out 30 year old ones from a 2 litre Alfa, have done about 150'000 miles and want binning. A 316 inlet manifold and a Weber twin choke complete with air filter is the easiest way out.
A pair of perfect condition DCOE or DHLA's, perfectly jetted and set up on a rolling road with the right venturis, main and air correction jets etc etc will be fine, but you are a very long way and a lot of £££££ away from that.

[pacerpete]

Arsehole at kwikfit advised 4 tyres Muppet here went out and got them. Garage asked why I've got new tyres when there's feck all wrong with the ones on it.

It is a shame we are so far apart, it could be the start of a beautiful relationship !

[scjimbo]

Arsehole at kwikfit advised 4 tyres Muppet here went out and got them. Garage asked why I've got new tyres when there's feck all wrong with the ones on it.

Ah schoolboy error there mate. Never ever go to kwikfit. If you do always ask them to show you what they are on about. My misses has to get her company car done there. I have caught them out loads of times with stuff supposedly wrong with the car. She doesn't have to pay for the repairs, but I just like catching the total donkeys out.

Legal limit of the tred on a car is 1.6mm across 3/4 of the breadth of the tyre. Not the wear marks as kwik fit love to tell people.

[magpie]

A 316 inlet manifold and a Weber twin choke complete with air filter is the easiest way out.

i've said this from day one about this car but no coont LISTENS !!

[Andyboy]

Arsehole at kwikfit advised 4 tyres Muppet here went out and got them. Garage asked why I've got new tyres when there's feck all wrong with the ones on it.

Ah schoolboy error there mate. Never ever go to kwikfit. If you do always ask them to show you what they are on about. My misses has to get her company car done there. I have caught them out loads of times with stuff supposedly wrong with the car. She doesn't have to pay for the repairs, but I just like catching the total donkeys out.

Legal limit of the tred on a car is 1.6mm across 3/4 of the breadth of the tyre. Not the wear marks as kwik fit love to tell people.

Yes, but anyone who drives with 1.6mm of tread is a tw@t. The wear bar is there to show you've reached the safe level of tread. Down to the wear bar - in the bin.

[pacerpete]

A 316 inlet manifold and a Weber twin choke complete with air filter is the easiest way out.

i've said this from day one about this car but no coont LISTENS !!

My advice. not to buy the sorry bodged up sh1tter in the first place, was the best advice given on this thread

[318isPMK]

There's plenty of tread on it just the rear is rubbed on one edge. Guys said he wouldn't change them

[polsta]

if i were you mate id give up on cars and buy a pushbike !

[318isPMK]

How you can say it's a bodged up sh1tter having never seen it is a bit daft.

I took a punt it's not been a total failure if I get the drain sorted. I can keep tinkering with it. And if worst comes to worst I'll get a bit fook off engine after May

[318isPMK]

I'm still under a grand so don't mind footering with it.

Although I've got to say a better comprehension of what can be done would aid my decision making.

[pacerpete]

How you can say it's a bodged up sh1tter having never seen it is a bit daft.

I took a punt it's not been a total failure if I get the drain sorted. I can keep tinkering with it. And if worst comes to worst I'll get a bit fook off engine after May

Read back through your thread.

I have condensed all nine pages of it below.

" It does not start, when it starts it is undriveable then it cuts out and will not start. Boyd comes over, hits it with a hammer, all is good for fifteen minutes. Car won't start. New battery fitted to replace incorrect sales battery removed from council type people carrier, several days later its dead again. Send off to experts to sort out bodged up / fooked carb install. Car now starts and runs. Mop up soaking footwells, feed goldfish in boot pockets. Car does not start . Car now starts but runs toilet and breathe ! "


Did I miss anything ?

[318isPMK]

Lol no that's probably fair

[Curr946]

its threads like this that do my head in..

how many times does folk like to say frag it.. the boys trying to get it running and I admire him for that but there's folk telling him to frag it and buy a push bike..

the last time I looked this was an E30 forum where members tried to help other members out and a bit of chat..

yea I know there's banter but then there's taking the pee..

[Speedtouch]

TBH, with your limited mechanical know-how, this car could end up costing you a packet.

Best advice is to either sell the twin Webers and fit a single carb for simplicity and reliability, or sell the car complete and buy another.

[318isPMK]

Take with a pinch of salt. It's obviously folk trying to increase the scarcity of these cars to pump up the value of their turds. Quite ingenious actually

[318isPMK]

I think I'll keep it run it at the weekend and swap either the carbs or the entire engine.

There's little point giving me any particularly technical advice about carb chokes as I simply don't understand it all lol and to get it done it'll be money thats likely uneconomical.

I'll cross my fingers hope it runs long enough to keep it polished and gets back and forward to the shops at the weekend when I've got dosh I'll sort it.

The things like fault finding and diagnosis is probably about as much as I can take on tithe moment.

[Nick45]

Given that you're nearly 400 notes in with the garage who worked on the carbs, can you not get on the blower to them for a bit of advice? Having actually worked on the car, they should be in a good position to clue you up about whether a choke is needed/ whether the carbs are properly jetted/ whether they "sound right"/ whether they're fitted on Misab spacers etc.. If they've anything about them they should be able to help - even if they think they're only investing a bit of time in your prospective future spending with them.

[Andyboy]

I'd part exchange it for a V12 XJS.

[318isPMK]

I know this is verging on stupid....

Just popped out to the car for a fag and found my side skirt hanging off. It was fine till the garage monkies looked at it.

[pacerpete]

I know this is verging on stupid....

Just popped out to the car for a fag and found my side skirt hanging off. It was fine till the garage monkies looked at it.

Any rust pics ?

[polsta]

f***kin hell mate#


thing is, if you just go out on a whim and buy a set of tyres coz someone said so, then another garage says they are perfectly fine, it beggars belief your on your 2nd e30 with more aggro and messing about than rick wallers tailor, and you cant even look at your own tyres and decide if they need changing or not, and youve taken on this turd with all its problems and more mishaps than an episode of youve been framed

its just asking for expense and trouble, your already talking new engine after 2 weeks and £400 at a garage, give up !

[polsta]

I know this is verging on stupid....

Just popped out to the car for a fag and found my side skirt hanging off. It was fine till the garage monkies looked at it.

Any rust pics ?

how can you not ROFL at that

[Grrrmachine]

While not as brutal as polsta, I will echo his sentiments. You either need to pull your finger out, buy a Bentley manual and start trying to fix these problems yourself with your own tools on your own driveway, or you need to hand over the keys and a blank cheque to a proper shop to get it all sorted.

10 pages in and we still haven't sorted a battery drain

[318isPMK]

Called Seditas (good guys) took a bit of time with me, options are.

Go down a choke size from 32mm to 30mm to improve airspeed at lower rev range at the cost of upper rev performance.

Misab spacers are on the car.

popping noise from the carb was because of atomisation in the air cold night fuel droplets ignite carb splutters nothing to worry about. Carbs are fine. but a car this age if ive never driven a single carb let alone a twin carb it will dement me apparently lol.

twin side draughts tends to be all or nothing lots of power or no power.
modern cars know how to adapt better through computer etc.

option 2.
distributor off and box it off to h&h ignition can overhaul it. ignition curve could improve it. bring the timing down maybe make throttle response better £100 for overhaul then £100 back and forward.

Then timing reset by seditas.

cam timiming and valve timing could be footerd with

He advised against retro fitting a choke. he's never found it to work right.

Starting process he advised on was:
3 pumps and sit on the pedal a little 45 second to a couple of mins to bring engine speed up and heat build.

He said its all working fine apart from vacum advance and thermostat could do with replacing.

[Speedtouch]

Well worth replacing the vacuum advance, as this will yield better fuel economy.

[318isPMK]

While not as brutal as polsta, I will echo his sentiments. You either need to pull your finger out, buy a Bentley manual and start trying to fix these problems yourself with your own tools on your own driveway, or you need to hand over the keys and a blank cheque to a proper shop to get it all sorted.

10 pages in and we still haven't sorted a battery drain

Alright smartasses, im waiting on a meter to test and inspect it. then it will be fixed as for the bently manual I do have one, just a bit apprensive about taking bits off.

thats why im getting info on here before I go spending more money on it.

Tyres aye, I thought they were okay but bowed to the knowledge of someone who I thought would know better, the inner edge was worn and I wanted them balanced as it was vibrating but the guy in kwikfit said it would be pointless balancing them if they were worn. the guy today was a bit of a chav so I thought id let him balance it and see how I get on with the vibration etc... if its fixed i'll keep the tyres and change them in a few months.

Im not completely incabable of decision making (despite how it may look) just starting from a position of relative ignorance so easily led, Im trying to make sure my decisions are based on whats safest and I was quite happy to get the Nankangs off in favour of what I percieved to be a better tyre.

P.S I know theres a well meaning undertone to your point but the money I spend is not really anything to do with the questions I'm asking or really anyone's business.

P.P.S yes I have bit a little to this

[318isPMK]

Well worth replacing the vacuum advance, as this will yield better fuel economy.

Ill look into it.


FOR THE RECORD I AM TAKING ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ONBOARD. AND I GREATLY APPRECIATE THEM

[pacerpete]

its threads like this that do my head in..

how many times does folk like to say frag it.. the boys trying to get it running and I admire him for that but there's folk telling him to frag it and buy a push bike..

the last time I looked this was an E30 forum where members tried to help other members out and a bit of chat..

yea I know there's banter but then there's taking the pee..

What really does my head in is people bigging up a turd that is completely unsuitable for the owner to be . This car will NEVER be anything but a pain in the rectum for the current owner. E30 ownership is trying at the best of time, add to the mix an owner who for all his admirable enthusiasm, has , by his own admission zero mechanical skills. and then put him in a cobbled carbuncle like he now has and all of my earlier predictions have been proved correct .

My advice before he bought the turd was based on many years of my own mistakes and watching others commit similar folly.

I was brought up with carburettors, I know how they work and can usually fix them. I would not dream of running a car with a FACTORY fitted single carb when there is an injected alternative, never mind some cobbled up home brewed turd with two of the horrid things hanging off it.What hope does that give the OP ?

This is an E30 forum, we are indeed here to help each other, shame the only decent helpful advice the OP was given was mine, even if it was not what he wanted to hear.

The car may well be basically sound and in the hands of someone with some mechanical savvy , it may even be useable as a car BUT the current owner is not that person.

Blowing smoke up the OPs 4rse is not going to get him to work for 8 am on a Monday morning.

My advice now to the OP would be to get it on Ebay and let some enthusiast who thinks flat batteries and a car that will not idle / is undriveable when it is cold are characterful traits. Then , if you are not completely disillusioned with E30s ,go and buy a nice STANDARD 316i/318i/318is AND get a full pre purchase inspection done, BEFORE buying.

[Nobby_N]

Job Jobbed and glad this car ended up in Scotland and not on my drive with the mrs moanig at me for wasting mucho dollers on it! Any fooker who gets bummed for a set of tyres after getting bummed for 300 notes to make it know better needs to take Petes advice! Unless the shell is rust free get it gone!

[318isPMK]

Wheels balanced, been unplugging battery as I go. Had it out on the motorway tonight concentrating on keeping the rev's up and following advice about starting and letting it warm up first it seems good. Plenty of tinkery things to get stuck into and looking into Vacuum advance.

Side skirt repair and oil and filter change tomorrow.

[Speedtouch]

How did it go on the motorway?

I found my Weber'd Fiat twin cam had chronic flat spots at around 60 mph, until I removed an aftermarket inline fuel filter which cured it.