1984 V6 2.8 Carb Replacement -- HELP?

I have an '84 V6 2.8L with the stock Rochester Varajet E2SE carb. The jeep is no longer running, but toward the end of its working life (this time around atleast) it had a major stutter problem getting on the freeway, would the fuel would cut out intermittantly when driving, with very poor throttle response.

I have had the car checked by two mechanics (both family friends) and both say that its the carb. I haven't yet decided whehter I want to rebuild or if a reman/new replacement is the better route. Any ideas? Has anyone had experience with this carb before...or know of any higher-performance carbs that would serve as a better replacement?

Anything at this point would be extremely helpful.

-Ed

Theres are bunch of things that can do that. EGR, ignition ect.. The Carb may or may not be bad. When I went to school to be a mechanic, I learned that ignition problems can pose as a fuel delivery issue's. EGR's from the early 70's to the late 80's are well know to stick. I would check ignition timing and take a look at the cap & rotor, wires. But I wouldnt be shocked if the carb needed a rebuild.

I know of very fer reasons to replace a carburator besides worn shafts/bodys which cause a vacuum leak. Most fuel delivery problems are caused by a bad fuel pump, or bits of loose varnish which have managed to get themselves lodged in an orifice or two, or three.

You could rebuild the carb, replace the fuel pump, and it never hurts to clean out the EGR passages and replace the EGR valve itself as they tend to clog up with carbon/soot.

Have you diagnosed as to why the engine does not run now?
Lack of fuel, or spark?

Here is a site where you can purchase a rebuild kit...

http://www.carburetor.ca/carbs/kits/CK224.htm

wish I could rebuild all my injectors for $37!

I was having a similar problem with my '86. It had been sitting for a while and had old fuel in it. Put some seafoam in it and then run a couple of tanks through it before replacing the fuel filter. This helped, but noticed still hard starting and sputtering some. Checked all the ignition and battery connections, and cleaned them up. Problem solved.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/51318_107.htm
This is the one im going to go with when the time comes. How many miles do you have on the XJ? What kinda Budget do you have?
Here is another carb: http://www.holley.com/0-8007.asp This one has a ford kickdown rod so some modification could be required. And while you are at it you might as well put down a new intake on it and really wake the motor up. http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/manifolds/chevy_v6_perf.shtml Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll see 2 different manifolds for the 2.8. The bottom one has no opening for the EGR. If you can get away with it in your state then just kill the EGR. If you do this put a little bit of a cooler plug in it also. Here are some headers for the 2.8L http://www.speedyperformanceparts.com/hedman-headers_gm_s15-jimmy_header_z.html they are for the GMC s-15 4x4's but they will work for the XJ as well.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions PM ME

Wow thank you all so much for the advice. I made sure to check and cancel out everything I could (with my relatively limited automotive knowledge) and I figured it could hurt so I basically did a tune-up when the thing died on me--cleaned my cap and rotor, adjusted my timing to stcok specs, new wires, replaced the spark-plugs, checked and cleaned the battery.

I also fogot to mention--and I don't know if this might help to diagnose the problem, but for the last week or so, before it died, I had to use 'Thrust' starting-fluid, occasionally to get the thing up and running. Any ideas?

I'm a big fan of doing things right things first time through...but with the fuel pump I don't know what to look for/how to check it. I know that after about 186K miles, and being 25 years old, the carb could probably use a rebuild anyway, and for $40 why not.

Thank you guys so much, Ed

i got my rebuild Kit from Oreily and it was like 20 bucks. That carb still sucks though.

Haha definitely, I'm basically trying to get this one running so I can sell it and buy something with a 4.0L...I guess you could say I'm looking to be 'in between jeeps.' But I'll be sure to check that out. Also...this is the first carb i am going to attempt to rebuild...any pitfalls, tips, warnings? I am going to get the carb tuned by a mechanic, because I know its not going to be a plug-and-play operation, but to save some cash and learn something, I want to do the rebuild myself. Thanks I really appreciate any help you have to give.

-Ed