I need help with my carb, breather pipe etc

July 12, 2025, 11:55:05 AM

Hi all,

I posted on facebook but not having much luck getting help so I thought maybe people might be able to read through and take a bit more time to reply here? Would really appreciate if i can find someone clued up on carbs!

1989 1.3 Engine
So this saga started because it smells really bad of petrol when im driving the car, my daughter constantly complains it gives her a headache. I cant see anything obvious. Ive checked all the fuel lines and they are new-ish anyway but all secure and not split or leaking. I cannot see anything obvious around the carb but then im no expert knowing what im looking for...
The smell seems to be coming directly from the carb, its stronger smell directly over it, but then that might just be obvious as thats where the fuel goes

I have a feeling its running a tad rich.
It starts perfect when cold.
It takes longer to start when its hot - could be related or something else?
It idles fine.
When you go to pull away it will sometimes kind of choke itself and splutter and you have to give it a rev to move.
When you are driving it seems to drive really well.

I was going to adjust the mixture screw, but im being thick and i need to work out what carb it is to be able to find the mixture screw....
So on the carb it says Pierberg 2E so obviously i assumed 2E however in the haynes manual it doesnt look like the picture of the 2E. It looks like the picture of the 2E3. So would the '3' also be stamped on there if it was a 2E3 or would it still say 2E regardless and it could well be the 3?
So when i know what carb it is I can work out where the mixture screw is. I have an idea BUT i have googled and it says most carbs turn clockwise to make it leaner, but the 2E turns anticlockwise to make it leaner... so again I need to know for definite what model carb it is so I dont mess up the mixture....

If anyone can tell me that would be great?

518336230_10162360246148411_5488416391951502251_n by Michelle Hodder, on Flickr

And this I think may be the mixture screw? But need to know how much to turn it and in which way.

518264704_10162360246498411_803662727794463636_n by Michelle Hodder, on Flickr

So the next thing i noticed while i was there was there was a lot of oil build up which seemed to be coming from the crank shaft breather pipe where it joins the airbox. I wonder if this is creating to the smell being as its just above the manifold?
The pipe itself is very soft and very dirty inside so I guess it wont hurt to change it. Also I assume this yellow thing is a oil breather filter which looks ancient so it probably would be good to do that too? Is this is a bad idea and a pig of a job for any reason now is the time to tell me to leave it alone!

504377369_10162360243818411_8040402125248219992_n (1) by Michelle Hodder, on Flickr

516220203_10162360244258411_8787591685836217439_n by Michelle Hodder, on Flickr

513950086_10162360242268411_363464957646789282_n by Michelle Hodder, on Flickr

516220203_10162360244258411_8787591685836217439_n by Michelle Hodder, on Flickr

So any help on these or opinions I would be thoroughly grateful for!

Re: I need help with my carb, breather pipe etc

Reply #1 – July 21, 2025, 01:25:52 PM

I note no one else has replied, so I thought I would. First of all, if the car is driving fine, and passing the emissions test in the MOT, I wouldn't mess with the mixture. My only experience with problems with this carb (in a polo) is the choke pull down unit can fail, causing it to stall on a cold day, when running on the choke and pulling up at a junction. You can check if the pull down unit is holding a vacuum by sucking on the hose to it. As for the smell, have you checked the fuel line connections at the top of the tank, by removing the inspection cover in the boot? This potentially cause smells. Also the breather tube of the petrol tank in the wheel arch? I dropped my tank down to underseal above it and found the breather hose clip had rusted away, so worth a check. I would also check the filler cap seal. For the smell to come from the engine bay, the leak would have to be pretty bad, ie obvious.