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View Full Version : 2G to be my daill driver?



User927
08-19-2013, 11:59 PM
Wasn't sure what else to call this topic, but I figure with the low activity of this forum, my topic would be ready by everyone anyways...

Anyhow, my daily, 2000 Sentra was rear ended in Seattle this past weekend. Damages are mild, but with the low resale values of these Mexican, I mean "Japanese" cars, I am thinking it may be declared as a total loss. Lucky enough for me, I picked up an 85 accord some time ago from a friend. There's a few dings here and there, along with some rust, but I couldn't help myself given the price I was offered!

That being said, I don't have enough cash to buy another non-beater, so it seems I'll be putting some serious time and money into the accord. I sort of know my way around cars, but am dumbfounded when it comes to carbs. The vacuum diagram gives me explosive diarrhea. I'm torn between my possibilities with the motor. The current (stock) motor has less than 80k miles on it, so I feel like it still has a lot of life in it. It does run a little rough, but it gets me from point A to point B, while of course, sucking down more fuel than it should. I also wouldn't mind it being a little quicker... It struggles up the hills of Seattle, and getting to and maintaining highway speeds is sometimes a task. I see a lot of users on the forums end up doing swaps, and other using weber carbs. What are the pros and cons of either of those and their associated costs? Maybe I should just keep things stock and find the issue?

I'm also considering doing a suspension and brake upgrade, but these aren't too crucial at this time. There are also some body issues (mainly rust), that I'm looking to fix (pictures to come). I'm looking overall towards improving the reliability to the point where I feel comfortable driving it any time of day, and for any duration. As far as engine mods go, I'm sort of relying on beer's ability to attract local car enthusiasts to my garage and have them do work. I imagine a scene out of overhaulin, where 50 people are working on the same car at once, but that probably won't happen. And if it makes any difference, I'd be willing to travel so someone's place (I'm in Bellevue) to have them look at my accord, maybe poke a few things, wave their magic wand and make things better. I also wouldn't be opposed to a complete engine and suspension overhaul (within reasonable cost). In short, what I'm saying is, "Help!". All input is welcome.

Dr_Snooz
08-20-2013, 06:02 PM
Well, you know the tuner axiom right?


Fast, reliable, cheap. Choose two.

If you're on a budget, then you're going to have to give up having a fast car, or a reliable one. If you're not comfortable under the hood, then you'll definitely have an unreliable car. I'd say keep it stock and learn to do your own wrenching. When you get the wrenching under control, then start the modding.

And for heaven's sake, get that explosive diarrhea checked out! :ugh2:

2ndGenGuy
08-21-2013, 09:48 AM
If you have a factory service manual for the car, you might actually be able to figure out what's wrong with the stock carb and get it going. It's very detailed on all the systems and how to diagnose and troubleshoot them. And once you read about them, you kinda understand what they do and how it might affect how your car runs.

If you don't, you're going to be kinda shooting in the dark. You can always do the basics, check the vacuum lines, check for broken or missing pieces. Check your timing, make sure the fuel filters are good. Spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor. Give it the basic tune up.

I have to say, I drove my car for number of years thinking it was as gutless as it was. I could never see the timing marks on the flywheel because it was covered in grease. Once I put in a new flywheel, and got my timing adjusted, it was pretty amazing how well the car did after that. I mean, it wasn't fast, but no more dropping to 4th gear to pull up hills on the freeway. Lots of power can be lost from bad timing.

Honestly, you're not going to gain much power from a Weber carb swap unless you buy a 38, but that carb kinda adds some complexity to the swap with the linkage hitting the adapter plates. I kinda would only suggest the Weber as a last ditch resort that you can't get the stock carb working right. If you're using the car as your only car, and a daily driver, I would say you're not going to have time to do much more than a Weber swap. Swapping an A20 in and putting on big carbs, or converting to fuel injection is a bit more than a weekend job.

User927
08-22-2013, 07:48 AM
Thanks for the advice. Tune up (cap, rotor, wires, plugs, air filter) was done a few months ago and fuel filter was done last week. I managed to find one of those 3rd party service manuals online and should be in soon. Not as good as a factory one, but it's a start. I suspect the valve cover gasket is leaking so I'll have to replace that as soon as I have the chance to order parts.

Online sources say it's probably a good idea to rebuild the carb. Videos online make it seem like a fairly easy job. My only concern is making sure all the vacuum lines go back to the same place. Any advice on this aspect? I'm thinking about using a label maker to mark each tube.

And while I'm on the topic of tubes, it looks like some of mine need to be/should be replaced, as they are cracking. Can I buy these vacuum tubes in bulk and just cut them down to size? They don't look like anything special, i.e. structured bends. Is there a particular material I should be looking for, or is "vacuum tube" a good enough description of what I need?

Thanks again for the advice

2geeSEi
08-23-2013, 05:41 PM
I have a PDF copy of the 85 USDM service manual. Haven't figured out how to get it on the Wiki page though.

User927
08-28-2013, 08:11 AM
Would it be possible to put it up on a file sharing website until it gets to the wiki? Dropbox, MEGA, etc?

2geeSEi
08-28-2013, 09:15 AM
http://www.thedempsters.us/usdm-accord-1985-full.pdf

conozo
08-28-2013, 12:44 PM
Personally I would try and get the stock carb going before switching to a weber. I've had both on a 3g and while the weber was nice at times it was a pain to have to adjust it whenever the weather changed and I lost the driveability of the car, where you can just get in an go and not worry about tuning your carb next time you stop. Just something to think about.

Dr_Snooz
08-29-2013, 06:49 PM
Bulk vacuum hose from any parts store should be fine.