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Bounty Hunter's opinion, in my opinion, (lol) is only partially correct. Installing other brand carbs or even fuel injection may be a better way to go, but some of us live where those changes are not an option for smog reasons and others it’s just the cost.
I have a 4.2 with over 250K miles (Original carb rebuilt) that runs great daily on and off-road including the hours of rock crawling at slow speeds in all kinds of positions (Hopefully not upside down)
Your Dad's opinion, again in my opinion (lol) is correct, but with an explanation.
Some carbs are so difficult to repair that trying to rebuild them correctly by untrained mechanics causes more problems than when you started. (Buying a new part is always nice; then again why throw away money if you don’t have too) These Jeep carbs are simple to rebuild if you can follow instructions your fine. Parts do wear out but if done correctly...Well, 250K+ miles speaks for itself.
I have used those $10.00 rebuild kits with $1.89 cans of gumout for years with great success including my Carter BBD. (Having a carb without damage is a plus). They do wear out but I am surprised on how long the can last too.
It's easy to blame the carb for performance problems, but there are many other things that need to be looked at before placing that blame. Vacuum hoses are a biggie. Not only incorrectly routed but plugged off, missing or just plain old and leaking. Electrical connections or broken, incorrect, or missing wiring, Spark plugs, wires, caps and rotors, etc. Late 80’s Jeeps with carbs have so many systems designed to pass smog that any one of them not operating properly can cause performance problems.
I have seen Jeepers tearing their hair out trying to solve a carb problem just to found out it was a bad coil wire. (Stuff Happens)
As for the carb rebuild: It's a cheap repair that's worth a try and keeps you record going.
As for installing another system: That's also an option, but which is really the best? And at what cost?
Jeepster05.
There is a plus to doing your own work. Jeeps are different from most other vehicles in that we go to places that are far from repair shops and towing is tuff. Anything you can learn about your Jeep systems helps you and others when problems occur on the trail, saves money and it’s just cool to fix it yourself.
Knowledge has saved me many times.
Good Luck.
[addsig]
