|
Ah, an Australian. So it's fine using "km" and stuff. I'm in Auckland, NZ with a '71 144S, twin Strombergs, 117 000km, imported from South Africa where my father bought it new.
The Strombergs require virtually no tuning, just setting the idle speed. The needles and seats are supposed to be replaced at 100 000km, and sets the mixture profile. Never use carburettor cleaner, it stuffs up the diaphrames. Always have spare diaphrames with you on long trips, and oil for the pistons. The temperature compensators are only for above 18 degrees C, if I remember correctly, otherwise they are shut closed. In Auckland the temperature does not really go above 22, so on mine it's fine to set them closed and not worry about it. The only problem I'm having with mine is that the throttle relay arms adjust themselves increasing the idle speed on one carburettor, so every few months I've got to reset it. Should probably get thread lock. I've rebuilt the carbs myself, and it was very easy. Could not get the needles out, so I just left them. Will probably take it to a carb specialist for replacing only the needles, so they take the risk of breaking them.
The only drivability problem, which I believe is shared with the SU, is that while cold in Winter the needle tends to freeze up. It makes sense, because the fuel evaporating off the needle cools it down... In Winter time I start my car, let it idle for half a minute, shut it off, and them go have breakfast. When I get back, the car is warm enough not to freeze up and I also do not have to use the choke other than for idle speed increase.
Apparently with the SU you can get better performace by tuning them the way you want to, but even just for standard performance you still have to tune them. You also have to ballance them using an expensive gauge. Strombergs do not require ballancing, which I belive is one of the purposes of the diaphrames.
The older Strombergs are adjustable while the car is running. They had an adjuster under the float bowl, but later models just have a plug in place.
For servicing info, Triumph also used them and Triumph info is easier to come by. I believe that Strombergs were not widely used in the US, but it was in AU. It also helps that the 140 series was officially imported to AU (but not to NZ!), so you should be able to track down parts. Even in South Africa you could still find parts years after Volvo imposed sanctions in the mid seventies.
Have fun...
|
