great cars

[veedub bub]

Festivas seem to be great cars. I called my local junk yard to see if any parts cars was on the lot and guy was all estatic about how he has none of thes cars on his lot because they run forever. that seems true but i see a lot of them running forever but not purring like a kitten because of that pesky vacume controled fuel system(correct me if im wrong). vacum controls on standard shift cars bug me because most of the controls were put there either because people didnt want to fully learn to drive a standard or to bandaid a design flaw.... has any one came up with a simple carb conversion for thes cars or has anyone tried to plug of everthing exept for the timing advance.....

sorry for soapboxing

[Gforcefd]

Only early festivas came with carbs. I good deal of them are EFI thats why they are still running :-)

[FB71]

i see a lot of them running forever but not purring like a kitten because of that pesky vacume controled fuel system(correct me if im wrong).

ok, I will...

First, I have to assume you're speaking of the carburated cars, not the EFI cars. The only fuel system control device operated by vacuum on an EFI car is the fuel pressure regulator, which referrences manifold absolute pressure to maintain a relatively consistent relative fuel pressure at the injector tip. Nothing poorly designed or concealing there, just good ol' fashioned fuel management.

Next, I'll ask you add your location, so we can best understand your point of view. If you are not in the US or Canada, then we would know you were exposed to carburated engines much longer than we were here in the States.

Now, as for the carbed cars...
These, also, were not poorly designed or conceal any driver shortcomings. The plethora of vacuum lines serve a purpose, otherwise, they would not be there. In the late days of carbs/early days of EFI, computer processor power and memory was non-exsistant. Vacuum was emplored, via timed ports in the venturies and solenoids operated by rudimentary computers, to manage various emission and driveability functions and adjustments automatically. Such things as evaporative emissions canister purge flow control, EGR valve function, decel fuel cut, WOT enrichment, high altitude fuel trim, etc., were (and still are) employed to reduce tailpipe and key-off emissions, and improve driveability to improve customer satisfaction.

As for capping off everything but ignition advance, i don't recommend it on the stock carb, unless you plan on reengineering the carb. Its possible, but if done wrong, will yield less than desireable results. Additionally, many of us are subject to emissions testing by our local governments, and removal of these devices would violate several laws, causing our registration to be suspended.

Now, if you are not required to have such 'superfluos' components like emission control devices, then a good choice for a relatively simplistic and tuneable carburator would be something like the Weber DGEV 29/32 or 32/32, or possibly a DGAV if you want manual or hot water choke instead of electric.

[veedub bub]

ey thanks for the insight.....has ony one done any carb swapps on here.......i am mostly expierenced in aircooled vw.... simple little cars for my simple little mind

[TominMO]

Webers have been used, also Holley-Webers. Do a search on Weber.

[perucho]

ey thanks for the insight.....has ony one done any carb swapps on here.......i am mostly expierenced in aircooled vw.... simple little cars for my simple little mind

Where are you located? I sold my 63 Bug a couple months ago and finally decided to sell all my VW stuff. Are you interested in type 1 DRD L6 heads? Only used for about 300 miles.
Anyway, you'll like the Festiva.

[Banana Bonanza]

As for capping off everything but ignition advance, i don't recommend it on the stock carb, unless you plan on reengineering the carb.

There are ways to rig a feedback carb so it can run halfway decent without a computer, the Jeep CJ5/CJ7 people with the 258 straight six call this "nuttering" the carb. You basically find a good compromise setting for little motor that adjusts the metering rods and lock it into place and disconnect it from computer. Doesnt work as well as a properly tuned non-feedback carb, nor as well as a properly functioning feedback carb, but does work much better than a feedback carb running in super rich "limp home" mode.

As to a Weber DGEV or DGAV being simplistic, I got 50mpg last tank gas with mine and thats with a B6 and a 4spd. If thats simplistic, then give me simplistic, and lots of it. Say what you want, but any, ANY, car getting 50mpg or close to it is not part of the problem as long as there are cars getting much less.... Course such logic isnt going to impress the pollution police and they dont care if you even produce far less pollution than norm in some creative way, they are focussed on forcing you to do it the OEM factory way come heck or high water.

[Banana Bonanza]

Webers have been used, also Holley-Webers. Do a search on Weber.

Most of the Holley-Webers were used on 2.0L and bigger engines, so I would guess should be rejetted for Festiva. Maybe Chev Chevette only 1.4L/1.6L to use a Holley Weber. The Carter-Webers are little different design, but still progressive 2bbl and were used on the first generation Fiestas in 70s and the early 80s 1.6L Ford Escort. Do search and there is at least one person on this forum that used these on 1.3L and likes them very much. Says they dont have to be rejetted to work properly. Jetting is close enough.

[FB71]

ey thanks for the insight.....has ony one done any carb swapps on here.......i am mostly expierenced in aircooled vw.... simple little cars for my simple little mind

Late air cooled Type 1s in the US had similar emission control devices, including a catalytic converter. Also available was the early, simplistic Bosch fuel injection (K-tronic? Jet-tronic?). I don't think the Mexican Beetles built thru 1996 had emission control devices.

[FB71]

There are ways to rig a feedback carb so it can run halfway decent without a computer, the Jeep CJ5/CJ7 people with the 258 straight six call this "nuttering" the carb. You basically find a good compromise setting for little motor that adjusts the metering rods and lock it into place and disconnect it from computer. Doesnt work as well as a properly tuned non-feedback carb, nor as well as a properly functioning feedback carb, but does work much better than a feedback carb running in super rich "limp home" mode.

That was basically my point. It works, but maybe not as well as one may like.

[TominMO]

Yeah, the Weber two-barrel downdraft DGEV (electric choke) and DGAV (water choke) are very well-designed carbs; that's why they are so popular for carb conversions. The only rejetting I ever did on them, when taking one from a 1.8 motor to put on a 1.6, is leaning out the main jets from 140 to 130, for better fuel economy.

[m715]

I don't know what everyone thinks is "wrong" with the carb models. All but two of mine are carburated, and the only real problem I have ever had with them is one pivot that becomes sticky, making the choke have *some* issues until I get my lazy behind in gear to deal with it. Combined, to date, my wife I have driven about 200,000 miles with our cars, with an average of 40 MPG. JMO, but I'll put that in the "win" column!

Michael

[TominMO]

I don't know what everyone thinks is "wrong" with the carb models. All but two of mine are carburated, and the only real problem I have ever had with them is one pivot that becomes sticky, making the choke have *some* issues until I get my lazy behind in gear to deal with it. Combined, to date, my wife I have driven about 200,000 miles with our cars, with an average of 40 MPG. JMO, but I'll put that in the "win" column!

Only that carbs are less efficient than EFI, esp. MPFI like we have in the Festys. If you convert to a Weber, you will get basically the same power and MPG as an EFI car. The only downside is that it will still be less efficient at correcting for altitude, if that is an issue. You have to set the main jets up lean at sea level for the carb to work well at altitude.

[festyxfi]

To my continued amazement, my 89 carbie keeps on running near perfect (NEVER had a carb problem yet) at 230K. When it finally does kick in, I'll be looking into a weber, or swap out for EFI. As long as the body is rust free enough, I'll keep er going.

Great cars indeed!

FX

[TominMO]

To my continued amazement, my 89 carbie keeps on running near perfect (NEVER had a carb problem yet) at 230K. When it finally does kick in, I'll be looking into a weber, or swap out for EFI. As long as the body is rust free enough, I'll keep er going.

The Weber would be far simpler than the EFI swap. You can find used Webers or Holley-Webers on eBay, then buy a rebuild kit and the proper adaptor: www.webercarburetor.com/