Weber 32/36 problem!

My first problem with my weber...:thumbdn: I was driving to New Orleans(on the highway doing 70mph) and all of a sudden the car begins to shudder and hesitate. It progressively gets worse so i pull off to the side because i knew i wouldnt make it up the on comming bridge...It cuts off but starts again with pumping the gas rapidly. Also there was a very strange smell comming back from the hood/under the car. Smelled like plastic or something...but anyways I took off the filter and proped the choke plate open, it ran alittle better but still ran like it was missing. I was checking it out again this morning and i notice that when the primary is opening there is an initial squirt, which is good, but after it opens alittle more it sounds like its suckin through a straw at the bottom of a empty cup...and begins to studder:wtf: haha yea i know. I can see the fuel comming from the primary venturi but its not a stream its a irregular spray...It runs fine when you open both barrels tho at WOT, just when the primary is opened slowly it sounds like its missing. Please help me out guys, thanks.

First let me say I love the bass guitar avatar, it looks remarkably like one of my guitars, no kiddin. Mine is a gibson/epihone pearl with three pickups all black like your bass.
Car: Just going by what your saying here it sounds like the smell would be a lean out smell (cant really compare that smell to anything but maybe ozone) or maybe cat converter is stopped up (smells like a really hot oven with a sulfer smell, the plastic smell would be burning, paint, undercoating, insulation under the carpet, wires. etc. in the area of the converter)
The car should have been spitting/backfiring thru carburator if it was fuel starvation. Your only suppose to see a squirt, that is the accelerator pump giving the intial squirt to get the engine to tach enough to create enough vacuum to pull gass from the bowl thru the main jet. You should be able to see a little gas swissling around the top of the thottle plates, but keep your head back, if your having fuel/carb problems it could backfire and shoot a flame on your face.
Webers do work a little different than regular carbs though.

I also recommend doing a compression check on the engine, my car did the same thing a few weeks ago. It turned out to be a head gasket blown.

Thanks for the relpy! The engine would still run fine at WOT even with a blown head gasket? It seems to run even worse when the choke plate is left in its normal position, the plate opens at WOT but then it dosent seem to have a problem then...the studdering comes after the initial squirt from the accel pump, where the main jet comes in for the primary. This is strange...why this would just happen to a brand new carb gets me:huh: im still getting used to these 2 barrel carbs by weber, im used to 4 barrels by holly/edlebrock...i suppose im gonna have to take the damn thing apart which blows because its a work car also...any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks again.:violin:

The float valve on the 32/36 has been know to come loose... it then clamps down on the float needle blocking fuel from entering the fuel bowl.

You have to remove the top of the carb, get a wrench and screw the float valve back into the under side of the carb top. Re check the float level, fill up the float bowl a little and start the car.

It is hard to give complete accurate diagnostic information sometimes with these written posts so you really benefit by searching the post and reading what other members have experienced. A20A1 has remarkable communication skills when it comes to written explanations of how things work, so whatever they said you can bet is legit on these cars. (thanks A20A1 me learn-ded something too , dent know about the weber float problem)
Since it is a new install, and from your descriptions, it may be a good idea to check the electric choke circuit too. I don't have handy now what the choke angle adjustment spec is on that carb. but you should not have to be opening it too much manually if the car is warmed up already.
Any whoh , I drove my car home with the head gasket problem, and at 75 mph on the interstate it ran smooth at not quite WOT. I don't recommend that, but mine was not running hot and had good oil pressure.

:bandance: I figured it out guys haha. When I took the top hat off and looked in the bowl the main jet screw for the primary was just sitting in there:Owned: totally not screwed in! I dont know how that happened(maybe vibration?) but well thats why the damn primary main jet outlet didnt really stream fuel like the secondary main jet outlet, because there was no jet to regulate the fuel comming out hahaha. O yea does it really matter how tight I screw it in there? If not im gonna make sure it dosent come out again :) Thanks again everyone.:rockon:

well you could strip the casting, then you're F'd

Cool, glad you got it squared away.
How the heck does the jet come unscrewed, most of jets I've ever taken out were tighter n na virgin polecat. Even have broken them trying to get them out sometimes, and yep sorta f'd then too if is an uncommon model.
Question for the forum , are there really bootleg webers out there and how does one tell for sure.

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Originally Posted by roodoo2

Cool, glad you got it squared away.
How the heck does the jet come unscrewed, most of jets I've ever taken out were tighter n na virgin polecat. Even have broken them trying to get them out sometimes, and yep sorta f'd then too if is an uncommon model.
Question for the forum , are there really bootleg webers out there and how does one tell for sure.

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Was NOT trying to imply anyone had one !
It seems like I ran across a website that mentioned 'beware of counterfeit webers' to answer my own question I guess if there clones you cant tell it.

question ? if you do not add partition inside of adapter/spacer rig, and you do not port intake and leave it 'dual plane' how does the performance suffer. My build is for street only, a daily driver, looking for freeway power and mpg. I have an extra spacer in addition to the adapter spacers, an attempt to gain some plenum velocity.

It's kind of psuedo dual plane/divided plenum but it sould be better for performance when you use it as a daily driver.


You add volume when you add a spacer, but kill velocity.

To help keep the velocity you'll need a spacer that has holes for each barrel only and everywhere else on the spacer is sealed off.

Open spacers hurt throttle response and acceleration but are good for moving your power up in the RPM range. It's a tuning aid for cars that make too much power off the line and always spin tires. This way they move the power up in the RPM range and get a nicer launch and more power where they can use it.

ahh yes,now I remember, like old school drag racing with hi rise intakes and then the development of edlebrock performer dual plane and hi rise hybird type intakes for super street. I am wondering now if it was a good idea to add the 3/8 inch spacer, well its all ported matched and polished now...all three pieces. I will see if I can get somebody to add a divider, I have an aluminum spool on mig but Im not very good at it yet, esp on an that pricey adapter piece. may wind up just running it like it is and see what happens.