'82 accord valve job/carb problems

[oldsteveo]

Hey, I'm new on this site. And hoping to get some help. I have an '82 Accord. It was getting 34 mpg before it lost compression in #1 and 2 cyl. I pulled the head and had a valve job done. Before my compression was about 145 pounds. Now it's 180 pounds on all four. My problem is that when I start it up I have to spray starting fluid in and then hold my hand over the carb and rev it to about 2k rpm. My guess is that it's a vacuum leak. I'm not sure where. I've got all new gaskets. If I can't get this figured out, is there another, maybe, aftermarket carb that doesn't use vacuum lines so I can strip all this vacuum stuff and go back to basics. I'm an old school guy that is pre-smog. As of Jan. 1, 07 this car will be smog exempt, yeah. Also, is there an auto supply who knows their stuff that I can talk to? Thanks for any help you can give.
oldsteveo

[PhydeauX]

A weber DGV carb kit will eliminate most of the vacuum lines. Only power brakes and vacuum advnace will remain. It will mess with the opperation of the cvcc a little (won't have the advantage of a diferent mixture between the cvcc port and the main cc) and your gas milage should take a slight hit because of it. I can't remember what kind of milage my 82 got with a weber carb, but it wasn't that bad. Though this was back in 99 and gas was around $1.10 a gallon so I wasn't paying all that much attention. There was a noticable increace in power, although with 70hp a tailwind adds a noticable increace in power....

[Whistler225]

try this link: it covers all the ins and outs of doing a weber swap, and gives some links for conversion kit sources.
https://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38161

seems like most people are going with the 32/36 carb kit. Just make sure you check your tv (throttle value) cable setup. If your tv cable goes to the stock carb linkage, you'll need to put in a new cable and run it to your gas pedal. There aren't many other issues except for deciding what to do about your dividing plenum in the intake (it's discussed in the thread I gave you the link for above).

[oldsteveo]

Thanks guys,
I'll look into it. Is there by chance any way I can lose the vacuum and still keep the stock carb? Or is the only chance of saving this car is by using the weber carb? Thanks again, you've been a big help.

[PhydeauX]

You probably could, but its going to require some work. You'll need to get ahold of some vacuum diagrams and eliminate what you don't need. I believe the 82 had a feedback carb so it may run a tad rich. Feedback systems bleed a small amount of air into the system through a solenoid based on readings from an o2 sensor. I beleve the ES(84-85) engines had this but I don't rember if the EK(82-83) did. The easiest way to tell is look to see if you have an o2 sensor. You can simulate the bleed with an aquarium needle valve to create a small controled vaccum leak on the proper port. Otherwise you really only need the vacuum advance.

On my 82 I was having problems similar to yours, though not as bad. It was traced back to the carb (the throttle plate bolts like to make their way loose from the carb body, esp if you rebuild it and don't put thread lock on them). Those carbs can be a pain. I'd start by trying to diagnose the vacuum leak. Make sure the carb is on tight and its tight on its base. I know those bolts on the base can be quite a pain to get to. and one may not be as tight as it needs to be.

[oldsteveo]

Hey Andy,
Thanks for your quick response. I already had the throttle plate bolts come loose on me. I was able to figure that one out. Now I know that they are tight. What I have is a three barrel. Is that one of the carbs that can't be turned over that I've been reading about?
Thanks again,
Steve

[denhonda]

I've found the original Keihin carbs to be generally reliable & easy to work on.

One problem I eventually found on one of my cars years ago was corrosion in the float chamber, resulting in the jets getting blocked up. Cold-starting was torture & necessitated pouring petrol in (not recommended!) to get the car started initially before fuel got drawn through... the engine had to be kept running at higher revs befoe it would stay running. It got cleaned out but only lasted a couple of months before I found a mint low mileage carb at the breakers. The new carb gave the car a new lease of life & improved performance & running greatly.

On one of the others cars the accelerator pump needs occasional adjustment to prevent against a fuel starvation/hesitation from stand still.