Carb Dilemma

Mattiee7

Mattiee7

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Should I get the Zeniths rebuilt or weber swap ??

Opinions please and directions of helpful suppliers??

Regards
Matt
 
depends on what you want with your car
zeniths are good if working correctly and want to stay oem
but then webers are bullet proof w/ a bit of power w/ jet revision
they make a weber just for our cars w/ an adapter for the oem air cleaner.
i liked them in mine.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E3-with...-kit-BMW-Bavaria-2800-3-0-3-0CS-/400414268892
http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1974/bmw/3-dt-0cs/carburetion/carburetor_kit.html
http://www.vendio.com/stores/partsw...ar/bmw-2800-2800cs-3-0cs-3-0s-bav/lid=1480611
 
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I rebuilt my Zeniths, not really that hard (and I never rebuilt a carb before). Car runs beautifully. I think Zeniths have a bad reputation but not sure why. Why spend the money on Webers when you have what the BMW engineers chose for the car already? Just my 2 cents.
 
Zeniths are great carbs, have your rebuilder plane the body sections to remove any warpage, especially the top.
 
Webers rule, Zeniths drool :D . My car came with some worn out Weber 32/36's so when replacing them I went with a pair weber 38's and haven't looked back (except in the mirror to see the guys running zeniths). Kidding aside they are both great carbs when set up right (and not leaking air or fuel or both) What it really it comes down to is what you want to do with your car. If you keeping it stock stick with your zeniths if not the Webers may be a good option and if you really want to get into it the Triple Weber set ups are a work of art and sound incredible... If you want to talk to a knowledgeable source on Webers these guys are great http://www.piercemanifolds.com/Default.asp
 
Any carb when it is properly adjusted will work really well. My Zeniths worked well, but a few runs on the dyno showed me that the secondaries were not opening all the way, and there is no adjustment that I know of. I like my Webers. If you're a DIY guy, they have a whole lot more parts support, easier to work on, and I haven't touched mine in 8 years.
 
Well that didn't help did it? I'm the same about mine. Zeniths I got, Webers I don't. Webs cost money, Zeniths swallow gas (money). Zeniths are legendarily finicky to get right. My wife's former Bavaria with a rebuilt auto trans and untouched Zeniths could smoke my CS, so.... It's totally gonna be your call. You might pick up some Webs for cheap, why not try that if you can? Warning... the back Zenith is a bit of a b*tch to remove, particularly if you have large hands.
 
I'm in the same boat. Zeniths that came with my car are safely stored; running Weber 32/36s with adapter and stock air filter housing. Still doesn't fit right, too high and far back. Leaning towards rebuilding the Zeniths and selling the Webers...
 
I vote for triple weber DCOE 40's... vroom!

As a testament to weber downdrafts, my rather neglected e9 fires up with very little effort, even after sitting for a month or three. Perhaps the old guy that I bought it from was a carb genius because i have done absolutely nothing to tune them. I haven't tested them above 50mph but they run really well.
 
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Here's my take. I replaced my Zeniths with 32/36's on my first coupe 30 years ago as it was "the thing to do." Bad decision. Lost top end power and had the dreaded linkage lock at WOT before correcting that. In my garage now is my friend's coupe with 32/36's. Same deal, top end power is left on the table. The down drafts idle well, adjust easily, etc but imho do not give the engine what they need power-wise. 38's may be different, I have no experience with them. If I didn't have my triples I'd put my Zeniths back on - I rebuilt them and it's not that difficult - correcting any warpage is key. Get the Royze kits as the Walkers are no bueno.
 
I had the over lock issue at WOT as well. Kind of scary when you aren't expecting it. If I was a prius driver I probably would have sued Weber for unintended acceleration. :D Easy enough to correct though, but something to watch out for if you install Weber DGAV's.
 
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