Help!

Mick Rae

Active Member
Out away from home, enjoying drive. Until fuel began coming out if the D shaped orifice in carb pictured. Any advice to help me in my way or am I stuffed?
 

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So the fuel is coming from the overflow. Bummer. Going to take the carb off, open it up and see what's what I guess, not good at roadside........
 
Carb off. Stripped. Cleaned. Seems to be fine again..........off on the road for now at least!
 
Float seemed fine, looked quite new, white plastic. No fuel I could see. Bit of dirt on the I side of the float chamber lid though, so new filter going to be done. Noted that the float valve had marks in it suggesting friction, so gave that a very light polish with some wet and dry. Just got home, all nice and dry, phew. Only drama (other than the thought of my expensive fuel piddling away) was dropping the wee screw that holds the float shaft in. That was a sinking feeling, but luckily it did not roll too far! This is going to sound silly I know, but I felt a little bit if pride to have sorted that at the roadside, as I have never taken a carb, other than the lawnmower, apart before..........I guess it's a good way to learn, but would rather not!
 
One thing I did wonder. Should there be some sort of overflow pipe on the carb body? It seems to me a good idea? There's a threaded hole and a wee bolt in another hole that looks like it may have been to hold some sort of overflow system to guide fuel away from exhaust. Or am I just imagining things?
 
There wasnt a pipe on the overflow on the 4cyl cars but the v8 has them.

Great design which dumps petrol over the exhaust and starter motor.

Have you got a heat shield fitted?

No harm in adding one.
 
I had a reoccurring problem with flooding hif carbs on my car. Took me a month to work out the fuel was boiling because of ethanol and high temps with a four cylinder.
 
Yeah, have the heat shield fitted. That did at least deflect the worst of the fuel away from the manifold. Quite surprised there wasn't some overflow pipe to avoid the hot bits.
It is rather warm under there in the engine bay. I only use E5/99 octane, which at 1.90 per little, was a bit uneasant to see coating the engine mount as opposed to going where its intended! Oh well, every bit that goes wrong and gets fixed is one less concern, reliving my youth with bonnet up at roadside, blundering through, keeping going
 
Read this with morning coffee. Interesting indeed, yeah, the Viton tipped brass float needle in mine sounds as equally poorly finished as yours, clearly had been scrapping so a bit stictiony. Hoping filing cured. Fairly convinced float okay, it was nice and free moving. No fuel in it, but I'd liked to have tested in hot water (but couldn't of course). Nor could I check it's setting level under the circumstances. But fingers crossed, either muck or the burrs on the needle bit and now sorted, as things had been fine until they weren't. The other commonality I found was automotive hypochondria. I will spend the next few hundred miles sniffing for fuel now.
Cheers
Mick
 
Put a bit of talc on the car.

If fuel overflows and you miss it the talc will show a stain.

I had this on my 2200tc and there was no heatshield. Petrol dripped on it an vapourised:oops:
 
Read this with morning coffee. Interesting indeed, yeah, the Viton tipped brass float needle in mine sounds as equally poorly finished as yours, clearly had been scrapping so a bit stictiony. Hoping filing cured. Fairly convinced float okay, it was nice and free moving. No fuel in it, but I'd liked to have tested in hot water (but couldn't of course). Nor could I check it's setting level under the circumstances. But fingers crossed, either muck or the burrs on the needle bit and now sorted, as things had been fine until they weren't. The other commonality I found was automotive hypochondria. I will spend the next few hundred miles sniffing for fuel now.
Cheers
Mick
The big solution for me was to use additional heat shielding applied to the existing heat sheild. I added it to both sides and has cured the problem for 7 years now. Welcome to the club of looking for problems :). I'd say you found a support group, but I fear we are more likely to be enablers.
 
Ah, I wondered about that little groove on the catrbs, mine's got a little tabbed cover plate, with a number on it. Cheers Mick hope you got it sorted.

I saw Allan Millyard use fake coal from a gas fireplace, sliced up and used as a heat shield. It's actually similar to NASA tech.
 
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Ah, I wondered about that little groove on the catrbs, mine's got a little tabbed cover plate, with a number on it. Cheers Mick hope you got it sorted.

I saw Allan Millyard use fake coal from a gas fireplace, sliced up and used as a heat shield. It's actually similar to NASA tech.

I guess it’s basically refractory ceramic so it makes sense. Just don’t have it drop off during reentry.
 
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