Solex Questions

[gt crazy]

Ok so my solex like to have good moments and bad moments. 1 minute it will be perfect usually when I start it up, then after a couple of minutes it will not hold an idle, then on occasion it just starts to dump gas and then idles at 2k rpms. Do you think this is caused by a vaccum leak?

[guyopel]

Not with it " Dumping " gas , sound like trash in the carb. bowl and or sticking float . HTH

[timemachine]

Float is a common problem, but with warmup it could be a little heat flexing. You often see fuel dumping after you turn off a hot engine. Make sure everything is tightened down, starting with the four screws holding on the top half of the carb assembly.

Jim

[GTJIM]

Dip the carb in Nitric Acid .............................................. or Caustic Soda

That will (dis)solve the problem and you will be forced to buy a Weber!

[wrench459]

Ok so my solex like to have good moments and bad moments.
1 minute it will be perfect usually when I start it up, then after a couple of minutes it will not hold a idle, then on occasion it just starts to dump the gas and it idles and 2k rpms. Do you think this is cause by a vaccum leak?

2000 rpms? Is the secondary hanging open?

[gt crazy]

ill check the secondary after i drive it tommorrow and let you know

[timemachine]

Dip the carb in Nitric Acid .............................................. or Caustic Soda

That will (dis)solve the problem and you will be forced to buy a Weber!

Despite the frustration over Solexes expressed on this site, my 32 didta performs quite well thank you very much.

(knock on wood)

Jim

[opelbits]

Hey-

This is Tony P. (opelbits). I'm just down in Hillsboro, what's your location?

I have a cd-rom with the Solex manuals on it.
Give me a call 314 803 6440. I'll be out and about today (in my GT).

[tekenaar]

Ok so my solex like to have good moments and bad moments. 1 minute it will be perfect usually when I start it up, then after a couple of minutes it will not hold an idle, then on occasion it just starts to dump gas and then idles at 2k rpms. Do you think this is caused by a vaccum leak?

1. a) mechanical or b) vacuum secondary? . . . don't assume, CHECK your Solex!
2. how do you know it "starts to dump gas" . . . a) observed? b) assumed?

. . . some possible answers relating to above questions:

If 1. and 2. are answered b), more than likely you're not dumping gas and do have a vacuum leak, just not at the 'carb-base'!

More than likely the intermittent vacuum leak, which causes your idle RPMs to increase uncontrolledly, is due to a ruptured secondary vacuum diaphragm . . . inside the secondary actuating vacuum housing! This is the most common problem with vacuum-secondary Solexes for the symptoms you describe!

[West Coast GT]

Dip the carb in Nitric Acid .............................................. or Caustic Soda

I will be re-installing the Weber one of these days. But meanwhile, on a 5,246 mile trip in the '72 GT this last September, I got an average 31.2 miles per gallon running:

• On the original Solex's primary barrel only,
• Exceeding the car's weight limit,
• Crossing six major mountain ranges, plains, and deserts,
• Approximately 55% freeway, 40% secondary roads, some city, some one-lane gravel roads, and 1/2 hour of idling to get into a car show.

I've done my share of bad-mouthing the Solex, but hey, it came through. Not bad for 35 year-old equipment we generally regard as POS.

________________

1. Sierra Nevada
2. Wasatch Mountains
3. Northern Rockies (continental divide)
4. Southern Rockies
5. Tehachapi Mountains
6. Transverse Mountains (Southern California's Grapevine)

[gt crazy]

hey opel bit my location is in fenton so im pretty close to you. i just got your message so ill call you this weekend when i have some free time if thats ok? or you can call me 636-544-4281.

[opelbits]

Hey-

That's fine, I'll be around all weekend.

Tony P.

[gt crazy]

im working on the opel saturday morning so if i dont finish too late ill give you a call tomorrow.

[opelbits]

I'll be in Fenton sometime around noon.

[gt crazy]

you can stop by if you want i live behind the "pink elephant" on the big hill called schneider hill. you should see the opel parked in the drive way. but you can call me when your in fenton if not ill call you at 11:30 or so

[stevyz]

i have been restoring volkswagens for 25 years,,solex carbs on everey one of them, they are quality german manufacturing unlike webers which are now made in china,,,,they are better crafted than the webers usually if someone dosent like them its because they are just working with 30 yerar old dried up funky old pos....the solex is much more tuneable, it has an adjustible air bleed for superior atomization..easy to rebuild if you take your time,i prefer the mechanical secondaryversion to the vaccuum model,if you want to upgrade without buying a weber just find a mechanical version or two(for parts) it really is a simple carb with much better tuneabliity than a weber,,but if you really want a weber dont buy a new one,,they are on lots of other cars(look in the junkyard for a 71-79 vw bus most of them have been switched to weber progressive(also has good jetting for 2.0 or 1.8 engine) either works well on an opel or pinto or chevette also had versions of the weber,, dont get me wrong i like webers too.. have a large box of them box of them they have many of the same issues as the solex..if they sit they get funky ,,if you have a good one they are awesome in my opinion,,im partial to solex for its familiar good german design...my solex on my ascona works great ..if you know how to tune it

[sawdust]

i have been restoring volkswagens for 25 years,,solex carbs on everey one of them, they are quality german manufacturing unlike webers which are now made in china,,,,they are better crafted than the webers usually if someone dosent like them its because they are just working with 30 yerar old dried up funky old pos....the solex is much more tuneable, it has an adjustible air bleed for superior atomization..easy to rebuild if you take your time,i prefer the mechanical secondaryversion to the vaccuum model,if you want to upgrade without buying a weber just find a mechanical version or two(for parts) it really is a simple carb with much better tuneabliity than a weber,,but if you really want a weber dont buy a new one,,they are on lots of other cars(look in the junkyard for a 71-79 vw bus most of them have been switched to weber progressive(also has good jetting for 2.0 or 1.8 engine) either works well on an opel or pinto or chevette also had versions of the weber,, dont get me wrong i like webers too.. have a large box of them box of them they have many of the same issues as the solex..if they sit they get funky ,,if you have a good one they are awesome in my opinion,,im partial to solex for its familiar good german design...my solex on my ascona works great ..if you know how to tune it

I approve of the above message.

[JaredT]

I just bolted on a freshly rebuilt solex onto a GT. Now the fun question, has anyone got a schematic of where all the vacuum hoses go? Every single one of them was capped off except the one that goes to the distributor when I got it. This is a vacuum advance carb on a '71.

I've also got a parts car '69 that I robbed the solex off as well, the '69 had an electric choke, so I thought I would give that one a shot over the water choke. The wire to the carb was gone, so I'm not sure where to plug it in, any insight there as well? Other than just run 12v to it with a toggle switch?

TIA

[baz]

what some thing like this
better vac pic - Opel Photo Gallery

its all there if you look lol

[JaredT]

Much thanks, between that and the vacuum leak article, I should be good to go!