87 accord lx

[riboflavin007]

I just bought an 87 honda accord lx. It drove fine when I test drove it but then after I put some gas in the tank for the first time it died after I tried to accelerate from a stop. It would start back up but would die again if gave it too much gas. I could tell it was flooding by the overwhelming smell of exhaust. I took it to one of the only mechanics shops that does carburetor work in the town I live and they said that it needed a carburetor rebuild, intake manifold gaskets and intake resurfaced. The estimate was 1150 dollars. So I've been looking for a way to fix the car myself. I've think that I've ruled out the option of rebuilding the carb myself in favor buying one from importcarbs.com or buying a weber kit. I'm not sure what to do about the intake needing to be resurfaced though. Is this a possible for someone like myself, who is not a mechanic, to fix? I also was looking a weber's and noticed that you need to purchase additional parts if your accord is an automatic, which mine is. Can someone give me some advice on what my best options are?

[2oodoor]

When it comes to truth detection you have to listen carefully to what is said.
How could they say it needs a carb if it has a massive vaccuum leak at the intake manifold to head? This is what that shop is saying isn't it, it has a major vaccuum leak. Sounds like a shotgun strategy to fix the car and make money, more on the money making obviously. How would you ever know they actually resurface the manifold, you wouldn't.
Weber kit is the best most economical way to go IMO, just make sure your not required to pass emissions testing because some regs say you cannot modify.
From what you describe it sounds like the float needle has some debris holding it open making it flood out, but it could be the cold start choke system malfunctioning which is typical for these.
Not so typical is the need for a resurface of the intake manifold unless it ran balls hot but then there would be other more serious issues I would think.

[riboflavin007]

I didn't find any emission laws for Washington state saying that I couldn't have any mods. Although my car is a 1987, which means in 2012 it will be 25 years old and I don't have to take it to emission testing anymore.

It also has no muffler right now which might be causing problems too.

From what you describe it sounds like the float needle has some debris holding it open making it flood out, but it could be the cold start choke system malfunctioning which is typical for these.

Do I fix these problems with a carb rebuild or can I make some adjustments to fix this without rebuilding or buying a new carb?

[Dr_Snooz]

they said that it needed intake resurfaced.

I'll second Roodoo on this one. It sounds like someone is selling you a bogus repair. I absolutely would not trust him with the carb rebuild. It's possible the mating surfaces of the intake are damaged but that wouldn't happen in any normal fashion, so you'd be looking for outlier causes. Maybe the previous owner removed the intake and gave it to his pet gorilla to toss around the pen for a few days before putting it back on. That's certainly possible, but it's unlikely. It's also possible that the shop you took it to pulled the carb and/or intake manifold (a several hour job requiring replacement gaskets) and inspected the mating surfaces, which is the only way to know for sure if they are damaged. It's possible, but again, unlikely. It's much more likely that they are looking for a sucker to pad their checking account. Don't be that sucker.

These carbs are notoriously difficult to rebuild. We've had very, very capable members try. Sometimes they succeed, but it seems they always eventually throw them away for some other solution, usually a Weber swap. If I had a carb, I would definitely try rebuilding it, but it seems that for most people, the Weber is the most effective solution.

[TotaledTL]

Couldn't he spray carb clnr. around the intake to detect a leak? Cheap & easy.

[Dr_Snooz]

Carb cleaner will tell you if you have a vacuum leak, but not if the mating surface is damaged. He needs to replace the carb anyway. I would replace all the gaskets and inspect the surfaces to be certain. If I didn't find something, I would be writing a Google review of the shop warning others that they like to pad bills. Carb cleaner would be a good place to start though.

[riboflavin007]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. So what I'll do is take off the old carb and make sure that the mating surface of the intake manifold is decent. After I make sure of this, I'll order the weber and put it on.

So now I just need a diagram or manual for how to remove the old carburetor, preferably step by step since this will be my first time removing a carburetor on a honda. Can anyone help with providing this or pointing me in the right direction?

I have a basic set of tools. Is there any specialty tools that I will need to purchase?

[Dr_Snooz]

There are two factory service manuals available for download here. Sit down and go through the steps carefully in your mind before embarking on the repair. Make note of any additional tools you need before starting.

Let us know how things go.