Volvo 340 Carb questions.

Hi, I have a 98,990 mile Volvo 340 1.7 G reg (1989) and I have been told my fuel pump has problems and need to be replaced.

It think the car has the orginal Solex carb on it, I phoned a local Swedish and German parts place and they said they can supply a replacement Weber v18654 carb.

Does anyone know if the Weber will fit?

Thanks.

Michael.

Hi Michael

Why do you want to replace the carb with when it is the fuel pump that needs changing? You would probably be better off with the original model carb and if the Weber replacement is anything like the one fitted to the 1.4, I`d advise you to avoid it altogether. I have had bad experiences with these. Poor running at idle, top cover constantly working loose, idle solenoid failure.... the scariest being when a plug fell out on the motorway, drenching the engine bay with fuel. Potentially very nasty.

You can get an original carb here:

http://www.gsfcarparts.com/

Will Plummer

I thought the carb was the fuel pump?

I was told that I would need a new carb.

http://www.gsfcarparts.com

That is where I am thinking of getting the replacement carb from, There is a local branch a few miles down the road from my house.

I rang them and they were the ones who said the replacement they could give me would be Weber Part number v18654.

Hi Michael

I had another look at the site and it did not actually make it clear that it was an original carb - apologies for leading you up the garden path on that one.

The fuel pump is a seperate ( and very much cheaper! ) piece of kit and it may be worth finding out exactly what has gone wrong. Unless whoever told you that it was the fuel pump meant the " accelerator pump" on the carb which gives a boost of rich mixture on throttle depression. This too would be repairable but possibly not cost effective unless you have the skills to DIY. They often need precise adjustment to ensure they deliver the correct amount of fuel...

Why not post up the symptoms your car has been displaying - I`m sure someone will have the know how to point you in the right direction.

Will Plummer

[pettaw]

I"m pretty sure you mean new carb, because the carb bases on these models are notorious for warping. A certain amount can be cured with a new baseplate gasket but at this age I would think its time for a new carb.

If you really want to try and save the money, I have heard of people filing the carb baseplate so its 100% flat again, using emery/glass paper and a very flat worksurface with maybe a piece of glass on top to ensure 100% flatness.

Otherwise if you want a new carb, then the place is called Webcon, and its the original Solex you want, the replacements aren't as good despite what people will try to tell you over the phone. I 'think' the model number is E13463. A few years ago it was about 250quid+vat. The good side is the engine will hum along nicely after fitting:) Its easy too, just plug all the various bits on and then take it to a garage to trim up the idle and CO mixtures.

Thanks for the replys.

I am pritty sure the " accelerator pump" on the carb is the problem.

I discovered the problem on Tuesday, I warmed the car up as usual then drove to the shops, I parked up and let my engine idle for a few minuets, while heating the interior of the car with the heater, after a few mins of idle, the engine started bumping and the revs started dropping.

I turned off the engine, restart it idled but on the application of some medium power the engine would struggle and cut out.

I did my shopping, restarted the car all was fine and I drove home.

The next day I went to go out, I walmed up my engine and drove off, as drove along I applied more power and it started struggling again, I drove it slowly to my machanic friend who took a look and found the problem with the carb.

I have phoned a loacal Volvo breakers and they have a second hand weber carb for £30 from a Volvo 340 1.7.

I will get my machanic to fit it Saturday and see if it any good, if it is not very good or I have problems I will just buy a new a new replacement from my local branch of http://www.gsfcarparts.com at approx £230.

I have recenly had a new exaust and prop shaft fitted.

I love my old Volvo although it has sufferd from damp in the distributer cap in the past.

pettaw:

I looked a webcon and have found the Solex replacement carb Part No. S13463001.

If the cheap second hand replacement weber carb gives me any trouble then I will buy a proper solex from webcon.

I am going to get the second hard part tommorrow (Saturday) and hopefully have it installed tommorrow afternoon.

I will let you guys know how it goes.

Thanks for the help up to now.

Afte all that hassle it was once again the classic distributer cap problem, I seem to get this every year with my Volvo 340.

At least my car is running nicly again.

Looks like I have to take back that weber carb, the one I got would not even fit my car anyway.....

[pettaw]

Simple things first.... Glad to hear you got your car running nicely again.

As for the carb, its a Solex, they were the only make ever fitted to 1.7's, Webers were never used. the guy gave you one for a 1.4 and told you it was off a 1.7. IMO there's no point going for a second hand one, because all of the carbs of that age will have a warped baseplate to some degree or other.