The Karmann Ghia has a version of the Solex 34 Pict-3 that was built by Bocar in Mexico. Although not as good as the original Solex, they are reported to be better than the typical Chinese version of the carburetor. That said, in my case the carburetor was not performing well. The automatic choke would not set properly and it was impossible to get the car to idle at a consistent RPM. After confirming the timing was set properly, plugs and wires were in good shape, the electronic ignition was working as it should and the valves were adjusted…the problems I was continuing to have seem to confirm my suspicion that the carburetor not functioning properly.
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| The Bocar carburetor that was on the car when I purchased it. |
I did some homework and found a “premium” reproduction of the Solex carburetor available from California Import Parts. It was more expensive than most of the options but CIP claims it is a very close match to the quality of the original Solex carburetors.
I took a chance and purchased one. In hand it appeared to be well built. It installed easily and once the bowl was filled with fuel the car started and idled without issue. I am working on some other projects with the car so I have yet to road test the new carburetor…I will report back on that later.
Well, it is later…I took the Ghia out for a long drive and I am very happy with the performance of this carburetor. There does not seem to be any flat spots, the throttle is responsive and the car now idles as it should. The only change I made was to use the throttle return spring off the old carburetor…it provides more tension and ensures the throttle returns to idle when you let off the gas.
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| Installation complete and everything buttoned up. |
When I purchased the new carburetor I also purchased a carburetor rebuild kit. I will clean up and rebuild the Bocar carburetor and then pack it up in case I start having trouble with the new carburetor.
