Just blasted my carb with cleaner, now it wont run at all first stopped ticking over then wont run atall. tried the hand on top method, although it wont run fast enough to suck it through. Was running a bit on the cleaner. lol

Please help. Would it be a good idea to strip it down? Garage said not too. Is it risky? Really pissed off with this as I'm sure this car would run nice. I need it for work too.

slosh a little bit of petrol in and see if it starts , can be a bit hard to start if you kill em with carb cleaner

Thanks, tried it. Got it started repeatedly but would only run the petrol i put in the top. Revved it at much as I could to no avail.

What if I removed the jets I can reach without stripping it down? I believe the idle jet is accessible from the outer case. And I think its a jet I can see in the top of it too. As long as I note how many turns the jet is screwed in, I can safely remove them for cleaning and put them back with no problem?

Please guru's, am I missing something?

Just found this.

Is this as easy as it looks?

http://www.volksworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/CarbOverhaul.pdf

Yes, overhauling is not hard if you are methodical. Is it risky? If you create a fuel leak by bodging - yes.

Which engine size and year?

Autochokes can be awkwardly fiddly. Repair kits can be hard to obtain and costly. For a Pierburg 1B3 a secondhand working carb might be cheaper. Setting things back to the correct spec at reassembly is important, so you have to have the specs (eg choke flap gap when pull down unit operates, float height).

Solex 31 PICT are pretty tough little carbs though.

I'd first work on proving there is no air leak after the throttle plate which cleaning might have made worse.

Edited 9 December, 201312 yr by dvderlm

Its a 1983 86c with the 1043 engine. Carb has solex on one side, but pierburg on the top and its not the one in your image. Manual choke. Ill get some pics today and post them here. Thing is, it ran and well when i put some petrol in the top. How does one check for that air leak? I still don't have a haynes. When my daughter helped me before, i cupped my hand over the carb to try and suck the crap through and it made a real good vacuum...owch. lol. Honestly think its blocked jets and the more research I do it looks more and more likely. So...

How many jets can I remove WITHOUT removing the carb or stripping it. I think there are two I know of that I could get to, the main jet on the side of (i think) the float chamber and the 'emulsion'? jet that can be seen from the top. I would imagine if those two were blocked it wouldn't run?

I know of a Weber carb available for it. Would that be an easy change?

Thanks peeps, its really bugging me now as I really need it for work.

Edited 10 December, 201312 yr by funkster

Just been out for another look and took some more pics.

Its a pierburg/solex 31 pic (T-7) Carb.

Here are the pics:

http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/dudeish74/media/VW%20Polo%20C/IMAG0132_zps8a7762c4.jpg.html?sort=2&o=22

Removed and clean idle jet. No change.

Pouring down the carb just gets it to inlet manifold. It's not emulsified by air passing through the carb jets. Just vapour fractions

making the engine run rich.

Air leak detection. Dunno how many times I've written that. Picked existing one at random

Weber TLA should be easy change, but I think the rubber base mount gasket has two holes at different orientation to the Solex PIC.

I don't know Solex well - only their good reputation versus the complex Pierburg. Here's a picture identifying the jets on the inside. The pilot/idle/slow-running jet is a prime suspect as has smallest hole. Clean that first. Don't poke it with anything hard.

(think you posted while I was writing - shame)

If there's an idle mixture screw - in the base down a recess?- you could unscrew that fully and blow compressed air in (keyboard air cleaner or a bike pump with windscreen washer tube) to try to clean the idle circuit.You should hear the air bubble in the carb's fuel well. (IMPORTANT First screw mixture screw in gently counting 1/4 turns till fullly home, to be able to reset to same position when refit).

Nope a bit more complicated - there's a volume control screw and a bypass screw.

http://www.vw-resource.com/34pict3.html

Should be the volume control one then, pointiest one in picture 15 of http://www.volksworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/CarbOverhaul.pdf.

Don't lose it. Or the rubber o-ring on it.

Edited 10 December, 201312 yr by dvderlm

Was thier a reason you were spraying cleaner down it? Was it not running right in the first place?

Exactly the sort of info I'm after thanks muchly. :)

Will digest and report.

Yes there was a bad flat spot which was already diagnosed as partially blocked jets.

can you not remove the jets and un-block them with a small sewing needle? I have done this in the past on an old weber 32tla

Maybe - but you do not want to distort the jet. Bristle from a toothbrush?

http://www.clubpolo.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=282593&p=2321497

Someone said to tease out one strand from some mains cable.

Took out pilot jet, cleaned that as best as I could.

Removed idle mixture screw and that had lots of black stuff all over it.

What does this indicate please?

Thanks

The safest way to clean out the jets, is to blow them out with compressed air (most battery operated tyre inflators that you can buy, include adaptors for this purpose, as well as for blowing up other items) even then, you need to take care you get a good grip on the smaller jets, or you can blow them out of your hand - so make sure that you can't loose them!

DO NOT use needles etc, as these can end up opening up the size of the orifice.

If you remove the carb from the manifold, you may well find that the mounting at the base has failed and is allowing in air - this is a fairly common problem.

In honesty, unless the carb cleaner dislodged some large particles, it is unlikely that anything other than the pilot (slow running) jet (at the top of the carburettor) is blocked, again, this is not an uncommon problem.

If you strip the carb, identify the parts so that you put it back together correctly, but the guide pictures shown above, look pretty helpful.

Do make sure that your screwdriverS actually fit the slots in the jet (neither too large or too small) Do NOT overtighten the jets, as this can distort them.

The APPROXIMATE correct setting for the mixture adjusting screw (shown with a screwdriver in it in the picture) is to screw it in until it JUST touches its seat, and then back it off exactly one-and-a-half turns. You may need to make SLIGHT adjustments to this once the engine is hot - NOTE: You will need a screwdriver with a very short handle (I cut one down for the very purpose)

Once that the manifold is airtight and the carb cleaned, set the ignition timing (if needs be) BEFORE adjusting the carb, also make carb adjustments ONLY with the engine at its normal operating temperature.

METHOD. get the engine to run as slow as possible by screwing out the IDLE SPEED screw (on the throttle) then turn the MIXTURE screw in (or out) one quarter turn only - note the increase or decrease in engine speed - if it increases, turn the MIXTURE screw a further quarter turn IN THE SAME DIRECTION - if it slows down, turn the MIXTURE screw back to where it was,and then one quarter turn further. At this stage, you may have to slow the engine down again on the IDLE SPEED screw, after which you need to check the mixture screw again by turning one quarter turn at a time until the engine runs at its absolute best. If needs be, set the idle speed by adjusting the IDLE SPEED screw.

By the way, the best way to check that the pilot jet is not blocked, is to hold it up to a white surface and look through it, they are rarely completely blocked, but just a single hair in there can 'upset the apple cart'.

Regards.

Setting the automatic choke.

(It is UNLIKELY that you will get this right first time)

With the engine COLD.

Slacken off the three screws which hold the black plastic cap in place.

If the choke butterfly is open, open the throttle ONCE. The choke butterfly may well then close.

Turn the black plastic cap SLIGHTLY if needs be to get the choke butterfly to JUST fully close.

Nip up the three screws.

The engine should start OK at that setting, but the choke may not open when the engine is hot, so further adjustment of the black cap will be required - This is all a bit of a juggling act. It is then a case of waiting for the engine to go stone cold again before you can repeat the adjustment (if need be)

I always put one small blob of thread sealing compound on the nuts (and studs, if they come out) which holds the air cleaner on to the carburettor - It reduces the risk of the engine 'swallowing' one of these nuts)

End of chapter two -sorry about the essay!

NO not at all, bring it on. As many essays as possible. Please!.Thankyou very much. Batterys nearly flat now and i just found out that the damn battery tray/bolt has rusted so cant even remove it from the car!.

This baby has a manual choke BTW.

Been to Solex hell and back a good few times myself. Can you feel any play on the throttle butterfly with the throttle closed? That might be enough of a vacuum leak by the spindle bearings to lean the idle mixture out even further. I fixed one of these on a friends Derby a while back by clearing a blockage in the lid of the carb. No idle apart when choke out..

Edited 12 December, 201312 yr by Vic

(you've got some of the best people on here helping now!)

Soak battery tray bolt with plusgas/wd40 overnight. Then attack it in the morning.

Or disconnect earth negative lead contact and charge in place.

Freezing + old battery is never a good combination.

You could buy a Haynes Polo 1982 to 1990 off eBay (ISBN 1 8050105104 with the Terry Davey hand illustration) . There's a good description of the Solex 31-PIC 7 in chapter 3. But it's idle mixture setting procedure needs a CO analyser - so you have to do it by ear like the caretaker says (or using a Colortune)

Actually just noticed there's a cut-off solenoid. It'd be rare, but that might have jammed closed.

At what revs were the flat spot?

No let me guess, no auto choke, no rev counter.

Removed idle mixture screw and that had lots of black stuff all over it.

What does this indicate please?

Thanks

oily or gritty black?

Was the very pointy tip clean? if so probably nothing to worry about.

Oily it's just old petrol.

Gritty - could be rusty sludge from the tank has got past the fuel filter and into the carb well.

Good point Sir ^ the idle air cutoff valve has to work for the idle circuit.

this manual covers the solex carb pretty well if you can get hold of a copy

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-POLO-REPAIR-MANUAL-/121231966870?pt=UK_CarParts_Vehicles_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item1c39fd0296

Cheers guys. Bidding on a haynes manual atm. Wifey helped me yesterday turning it over for me while i put my hand over the carb etc. Def shifted something, as shes trying to fire sometimes but not enough to run.

If I remove top half so i can remove the emulsion jet is it worth using the old gasket? Is gasket paper suitable?

Many thanks yet again. :)

Just got some more carb cleaner. Thought F*** it I'm just sitting around waiting for a magic wand. Took the top off. Cleaned emulsion jet. couldn't see main jet under the float and its visible from that angle in the tear down guide. Still bugger all.

That sounds like air leak, or blocked fuel supply.

How full of petrol was the carb well?

As for gasket paper - Scotch Porridge Oats cereal packet is waxed cardboard and surprisingly good.

(does anyone else miss MacColl?)

The way it is catching sounds like air leak. With engine cold spray shaving foam around the outside of carb base.

Wait about 30 seconds. Crank the engine. It will bubble where there's a leak, or even get sucked in.