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Or...an issue it's had all along suddenly getting worse. You're probably all sick of hearing about my EA81 running rough (So am I believe me:()but I thought I'd throw one last effort out there to try and figure out what the heck is going on

Basically wriggling the air cleaner either makes it rev or almost stall. Stopped at traffic lights it is constantly the latter, I have to have my foot on the throttle constantly for fear of it dying on me, and it's gotten worse in the last few days.
I've checked all around and the air cleaner isn't touching anything that should make a difference, I thought maybe the intake manifold is cracked or something and the weight affects the crack? I am at a total dead end here, please help!

The only way I could properly describe what was happening was in a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBeRVyUmbXE

I'd say the carb is lean, and or has a vacuum leak.

The weight of the aircleaner closes up your vacuum leak.

I'd be going for a carb rebuild and reset your valve clearances.

Sounds like either your carb is loose on the manifold, or the top and base have started to come loose, or similar.
Either way, you have a vacuum leak.
Try moving the carby without the aircleaner fitted, and see if the symptoms are there.
BTW, have you tried it without the aircleaner element in the housing? Just to be sure it's not the filter.

A carby tune for about $50 would do wonders.

You maybe up for a rebuild - worth it, you will not know your car post

Battlewagon wrote:Sounds like either your carb is loose on the manifold, or the top and base have started to come loose, or similar.
Either way, you have a vacuum leak.
Try moving the carby without the aircleaner fitted, and see if the symptoms are there.
BTW, have you tried it without the aircleaner element in the housing? Just to be sure it's not the filter.

I agree with Battlewagon a vacuum leak cause if either the manifold to base or base to carby body gaskets are not sealed down properly the whole mixture ratio goes out the window. My EA81 exhibited similar symptoms so I had the whole carby rebuilt plus new base and body gaskets.
Sure did wonders.
Hylton:twisted:

i have had my hitachis come loose on screws between body parts, think guys above are correct. try pull air filter upwards and kill it ! also all little vac tubes remove, clean and refit one at a time.

Great! All solid suggestions. I was thinking of a carb rebuild kit but was a bit put off by the complexity of it. I wouldn't like to start and not be able to put it back together properly
A little while ago I had a look to see if the carb was loose on the base/manifold, and it didn't wobble noticeably, but could it be so minuscule you can't see it? Today when I did this video I noticed on the driver side of the engine, where the manifold connects to the block there is a little seep of something out of the gasket and some dust had stuck to it, but it looked quite old and not fresh. I guess I should have a closer look at that over weekend.
Now I see why people get Webers, or just throw the EA81 out completely! Since I can't afford to do that right now, carb rebuild kit looks like the best option but I would surely have to get it professionally tuned afterwards? This won't be for another couple of months since I don't have another car to get around in, until dad goes off to UK for a while and I can borrow his.

Thanks guys, you're the greatest

the gaskets in the carby are that old that they have perished / dried out the weight of the aircleaner is pushing the gaskets back together.

get a rebuild kit and some carby clean to clean it all up. check the surfaces that bolt together for warpage by placing them on a sheet of glass (look at eye level).
when you are putting it all back together lightly grease the gaskets so they don't dry out, if you have to pull it apart again the grease stops the gasket from sticking to the surface.

or look on Ebay motors for a weber and adaptor out of America

TOONGA

Just as an afterthought most good carby places will have the gaskets for
the base and the body in stock about $5 each
They look like this
(img) IMG_2566.JPG (22.9 KB)(/img)
Hylton:twisted:

Sound advice already posted - but could be worth just checking the vacuum balance pipe that runs from one side of the inlet manifold to the other side its mounted plumb ontop and is a small pipe about 6 - 7 mm dia.
Well they are on the UK spec engine. I had a problem keeping my engine running until I noticed that the pipe end had age related perished.
Swapped it and bingo problem solved. BTW I an on a weber carby.

Maybe the airfilter size is somehow resting down on this small pipe and creating the effect the vid clip shows ???

Worth a quick look for nothing ! and is a dead cheap fix if thats your problem !

Good luck !

take lots of before shots and save them to aid in rebuild, so lots of different angles. Should not need a professional tune after. When unscrewing the tuning bits if they have them, cannot recall, count the number of full or half turns to completely in and that is where you start on rebuild, screw the idle mixture air bleed screw in all the way, then out that so many turns. WRITE down the info for self

I had a same issue with my Gazelle, turned out that I was missing an o-ring (Go figure where it went) As soonas it reved, it died. Air was bring sucked through one of the injectors. So have a listen around, spray some detergent in water around vaccum hoses, and what not and see if it bubbles, you will be able to find your hose leak that way.