Carburator replacement

[menos22]

Good Morning. Would like to swap out my tired and old carter afb carburators in my 1994 454 7.4l mercruiser bluewaters. Thought about a re-build but hard to find a good carb guy around here. Has anyone replaced the AFB with the edelbrock 1410 marine Carb. with electric choke? It looks like a direct replacement, Just bolt on and go. The old carters do not have electric chokes, where can I get power for the electric choke, they say not to use the coil as a power source. Any insight would be appreciated. Anyone have a good source for purchasing the edelbrock 1410 with electric choke? Saw them on amazon for about $428.00 each. Thanks for any info. Mike

 

[Quint4]

I swapped my Weber for an Edelbrock 1410 on a 1992 454 7.4 L

Great upgrade. The 12v comes from ignition switch, run a dedicated wire....not too hard to do.

 

[hottoddie]

I have electric chokes on my Crusaders and took the power off of the positive terminal of the starter solenoid the is hot with key in the run position.

 

[WV 320 Dancer]

Edelbrock bought the rights to the carter design. They are great carbs and have an excellent reputation in the classic car circles.

 

[jrybak]

I swapped my Weber for an Edelbrock 1410 on a 1992 454 7.4 L

Great upgrade. The 12v comes from ignition switch, run a dedicated wire....not too hard to do.

Did you see any performance benefits by moving to the new carburetors?

Any other reason other than age to moving to the carb?

 

[menos22]

Thanks for the replies.. Think I will go with the Edelbrock 1410 swap out. Will let ya know how it goes.

 

[Quint4]

Did you see any performance benefits by moving to the new carburetors?

Any other reason other than age to moving to the carb?

I was getting a lean "pop" through the carb....can be very bad! I decided to swap to a new carb with electric choke (versus the old stove style choke).
Much better cold starting with the new Edelbrock, might have picked up a MPH or two...not really sure.

 

[RollerCoastr]

I'm intrigued by the aftermarket TBI systems. I'd probably have one on order right now if I had a return fuel line. I'm not sure that's worth trouble.

 

[hottoddie]

I'm intrigued by the aftermarket TBI systems. I'd probably have one on order right now if I had a return fuel line. I'm not sure that's worth trouble.

In my opinion you would be better off maintaining your existing fuel delivery system and you will never recover the cost of installing an aftermarket TBI system. Sometimes simple is better.

 

[RollerCoastr]

In my opinion you would be better off maintaining your existing fuel delivery system and you will never recover the cost of installing an aftermarket TBI system. Sometimes simple is better.

I appreciate the opinion, but my experience contradicts it...

My '97 freshwater boat has MPI. Maintenance of that system in nearly 1,400 hours includes changing fuel filters and adding stabilizer to the tanks each fall. Neither engine has so much as stumbled.

My salty '99 has 2 barrel carbs with electric chokes. I can actually remember the time that the port engine, after sitting for months, fired like a FI engine after just two pumps of the throttle and crossed fingers. Seconds later, the stbd engine wouldn't even turn over. I suspected the starter at the time, but I've since learned that the carb flooded and actually hydro-locked the engine with fuel. I've rebuilt both carbs twice since then and even bought a spare carb to keep aboard, but starboard did that again last fall.

I agree that sometimes simple is better, but what's simple? In one design, a primitive computer controls injectors that spray fuel. In the other, this complex assembly of parts moved by electric servos and springs and floats with bowls and venturis and jets all reliant on rubber intolerant of ever-increasing ethanol hopefully mixes air and fuel together well enough to minimize reluctant starting, stumbling and stalling and poor efficiency.

Now that I think of it, the only carb I own that I haven't had to tear apart is on my home generator. It runs on propane.