Car Talk

[Sistamatic]

A thread for talking about fixing cars.

[Sistamatic]

Has anyone here ever rebuilt a carburetor with nothing but a schematic and the internet as guides? If so, what are the most common rookie mistakes/pitfalls you wish you'd known about your first time.
I have schematics for the specific carb I intend to rebuild. It is a two venturi (double barrel) carburetor with an altitude adjustment.

[Rhu]

I was hoping it would be a thread about the NPR program that's ostensibly about fixing cars, but is in actuality about a couple of auto mechanics laughing at people who call in about their broken cars.



Talkin' about Car Talk in a thread called Car Talk that isn't about Car Talk but is instead about car talk. Aww yeah.

[Nerthuz]

I don't have any words of wisdom for the actual rebuild but if you are using a carb cleaner with trichloroethylene (TCE), please be careful and dispose of it properly. It is a pretty nasty cleaner that is commonly used in industrial applications. It is carcinogenic as well as posing other health hazards. A co-worker once taught me to rebuild a carburetor but I promptly forgot everything of value. Good luck! Oh, and what kind of car?

[Sistamatic]

It's a 1978 Jeep Cherokee

[Sistamatic]

Still haven't gotten around to that rebuild, and now that I have a reliable car, it may be even longer. Of course I can't drive a car without knowing stuff about it... I just can't. And a Prius is just so different.

I found this great primer video that's a good starting point for understanding how a Prius works. So strange that my car doesn't have a starter or alternator in the traditional sense... simple but ingenious ideas are implemented in the Prius transmission. I'm impressed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GakqZFIejI

[Starjots]

Thanks for the video, we have a Prius as well and this makes the display showing all the energy flows make much more sense.

[stigmatica]

Thanks for the video, we have a Prius as well and this makes the display showing all the energy flows make much more sense.

We also have a prius, but have yet to drive it in a mountainous area. How does it do in the Mountains? I've always wondered.

[Starjots]

We also have a prius, but have yet to drive it in a mountainous area. How does it do in the Mountains? I've always wondered.

Going up hills, it can maintain speed most of the time. It definitely has more climbing ability than my old Scion xB and rarely slows down when climbing.

Going down hills is fun, since one can judiciously switch between N and B and never have to hit the brakes.