Author Topic: 1.8 carb clipper advice  (Read 1940 times)

Offline Mars Attacks

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1.8 carb clipper advice
« on: 31 March 2006, 14:27 »
Hi there

going to pick up a 92 clipper tomorrow hopefully. i've only ever had golf gti's so have become very familiar with the injected engines, but have never had any experience with the 1.8 carb'd model.

I do know its running on the original pierburg carb, but just wondered if there are anythings i can look out for as far as problems are concerned. I'll be starting it from stone cold and making sure it runs smoothly from there, but really not got a clue about the ins and outs of them.

any advice would be greatfully recieved.

Cheers

Offline Phil303

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Re: 1.8 carb clipper advice
« Reply #1 on: 01 April 2006, 11:29 »
Hi,

Soon after I bought my 89 cab with 91K on the clock my local garage said that the Pierburg carb would last around 150K before playing up. Sure enough at 160K it started to give me gip and was replaced with the Weber conversion. Although this isn't cast in stone it may help as a guide to how long yours may last.

Problems will be obvious, generally running like a sack of poo, problems starting, etc.

You may also get problems with the cold/hot air box that sits halfway between the carb and the air intake that snakes down the left of the engine bay (facing the car) and ends just behind the rad. Over time this either sticks open so you'll be drawing cold air in at all times of the year, leading to carb icing in the winter. This is easily sorted by screwing it permanently shut so you draw warm air off the manifold. Doesn't affect the day to day running so as you'd notice.

You can replace these, but from memory I think they are around £200-£300, so it depends on how flush you are feeling. Other than that, carbs are fine!

As a testiment to VW's quality, in the past I maybe didn't look after my engine as often or as throughly as I should, and left problems get worse rather than sort them sooner. A few years later and with everything sorted, the garage ran a compression test and it was 170psi on all four cylinders, which on a car with nearly quarter of million miles is pretty special, according to them anyway! While I'm not suggesting you can neglect the engine, it seems to be quite a sturdy unit so hopefully you should get years out of it yet.

Good luck!

Offline RIPP3Y

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Re: 1.8 carb clipper advice
« Reply #2 on: 15 April 2006, 22:55 »
hi there, i just got myself a 92 clipper 1.8 carb, if your gonna start it from cold let it tick over a few mins before driving or u will be gutted at the performance, mine takes about 5-10 mins of gentle driving then it runs sweet. hope it go`s well for you.

Offline rubjonny

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Re: 1.8 carb clipper advice
« Reply #3 on: 30 April 2006, 11:43 »
The carbs have a huge list of things that can go wrong, but once fixed they should work perfect right off the button from cold, and keep working no matter what the engine temperature.

Have a read through this:
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=33259.0

On a car of this age, the coolant channel o'ring is likly to be dead, and it will casue all kinds of problems with the choke & high idle.
« Last Edit: 30 April 2006, 11:45 by rubjonny »
Hello my name is John and I'm a dub addict.

Offline mexicorich

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Re: 1.8 carb clipper advice
« Reply #4 on: 12 August 2006, 20:35 »
Yes, the only problem I have had with carbs is the waxstat controlling the choke but it wasn't the stat itself atall. There is a rubber seal on the gasket for the port out of the head to the choke. The rubber seal expands and breaks, gets pushed by the waterflow into the stat and blocks it. Old bits of rubber cleaned out and super high mileage carb engine still runs like a dream