fitting a 38dgas

[rattyscala]

hiya - so i have a 1.8 dx with a race cam/head 3branch manifold, flamethrower coil, BOSCH Platinum-Iridium plugs and a facet fuel pump.

ive got a cheepo ebay 38dgas that i want to fit to replace the 32/34 has seen better days... anyone done it before? - is there an adapter plate i need, or can i just make one? also any pics on the set linkage set up

cheers!

[rattyscala]

also... other than a mild skim on the head.. any more ways to get ponies out of this motor?

[rattyscala]

well I guess the forum is quiet these days so ill talk to myself...

The alloy base plate had to be modified (drill, jigsaw), the auto choke had to be removed from the new 38 dgas as it hit the bulkhead. 2 mins to remove it. The quality of the chinese carb seemed generally good although the throttle butterflys didnt seem to seat perfectly.

bolted it all down with some home-made gaskets. requires a different throttle linkage so just just turned it over - not expecting much with a non-operational choke and untuned (just set mixture setting 2 full turns out). It started up straight away with a lumpy idly, not bothered about the lack of choke. a little tune brought the mixture settings to 1 turn out each and a perfect idle. I managed to set up a makeshift throttle set up. In all it took about an hour to modify and about 10mins to fit.

Took it for a drive and there is more torque down low, its just flowing better - stupid amount of intake noise so will need to sort a filter out. noticed on return that once its hot its idling a little high, but is adjusted all the way down - so i might take a look at the throttle butterflies. MOT time so ill post the emissions data

All in all very happy - the chinese 38dgas was £68 off ebay and is a proper bargain.

[blakey]

Sounds good! I did see a post recently regarding Chinese carbs, but can't remember whether it was on here or on one of the Facebook pages.

It can be risky buying Chinese products, but they are cheap and not always tat, just a gamble to find out...

If it's torquey low down, that's definitely a good thing! The butterfly's not seating well will probably cause a bit of an erratic idle, but if it's a suitable cheaper alternative to a pricey Weber or tired Pierburg it sounds like it's worth a go. Keep us posted on progress.

[mark1gls]

Good to hear you got it up and running, sorry I could not be much help with modifications on the carb as still running standard Webber or fuel injection.

Let us know how you get on the carb.

[rattyscala]

so I lightly sanded the throttle plates and they seal nicely (was just one of the throttle plates and probably would of worn in quite quick. added a stronger return spring and it idles nicely. seems fine without the choke, takes a few spins extra to fire up but then its fine. its 2-5c when starting so lets see how it does in colder weather!

i'm not sure id recommend it for road use.. with both throttles open at the same time id say its better for race use than road use other wise. makes a great noise on a simple k&n. since mine is going to be for track day fun i think its fine. ill upload a video of it running soon and report back to see what its doing mpg around town and on a run :)

[rattyscala]

update... i drove to Croatia and back on this set up over 10days... clocked 124mph gps on the autobahn - sounded like it needed more fueling at top end so i have bought a booster pump and regulator... 2500miles later i did some calculations and I am getting 24mpg... oops

[chopperoli]

I would go back to a DMTL if driving long distance, fuel is getting too expensive to hose it away like that! They are easy to service and quick if jetted properly. They're capable of over 130bhp definitely. Because DMTL is a progressive carb (not synchronous like your brute DGAS) you can get good economy driving on the first choke, and the power comes from the second choke