Zenith Rebuild Problem

JOES31

JOES31

Senior Member
I had an old Zenith carburetor that I thought I would send in as a core and get a "professionally" rebuilt carb. I sent it and received a rebuilt Zenith. I put it on and as soon as I turned on the fuel it leaked like a river. It was coming out of the atmospheric vent. So I assumed the float was set too high. The sheet that came with it said warranty void if the unit is opened.
So I sent it back for another.

I received another one but on this one the threads for the fuel inlet were half worn down to nothing so the compression fitting would not seal. So I sent it back.

I just got a replacement and this time it leaked like mad. The bolt in the bottom that tightens the two halves is too long and will not seal the two halves. The lock washer isn't collapsed and the bolt is tight.

I am really tired of dealing with this. After three times should I just ask for a refund and tell them to keep the core or just forget it and move on? What would the rest of you do?
 
JOES31 said:
I had an old Zenith carburetor that I thought I would send in as a core and get a "professionally" rebuilt carb. I sent it and received a rebuilt Zenith. I put it on and as soon as I turned on the fuel it leaked like a river. It was coming out of the atmospheric vent. So I assumed the float was set too high. The sheet that came with it said warranty void if the unit is opened.
So I sent it back for another.

I received another one but on this one the threads for the fuel inlet were half worn down to nothing so the compression fitting would not seal. So I sent it back.

I just got a replacement and this time it leaked like mad. The bolt in the bottom that tightens the two halves is too long and will not seal the two halves. The lock washer isn't collapsed and the bolt is tight.

I am really tired of dealing with this. After three times should I just ask for a refund and tell them to keep the core or just forget it and move on? What would the rest of you do?
Click to expand...

Ask fort a refund and post how it comes putt, including their name. As you can see I am also in Southern California and might need a carb rebuilt at some time in the future.

Charlie Stephens
 
Who are you dealing with Joe so we can avoid them in the future? Too many hassles to be worth it. You should get a core back too, OR they need to test one to make sure it is perfect before sending you yet another one.
 
Not to be funny but I have met many people like this in my lifetime -- they exist in all professions, all trades, young or old, male or female, & all States have a few.

If you hired a private investigator to check on him it is possible that he also has:

1. A nice flower shop & he restocks his flower shop at night from local grave yards; and/or,
2. He gets tax free cigarettes from across the border & sells them to minors at a slight discount price; and/or,
3. He has a bar with labeled empty bottles of expensive whiskey that he fills every night with cheap whiskey; and/or,
4. He has a neat clothing store full of used Garage Sale clothes; and/or,
5. He sells life insurance that if a widow wants to collect on her husband's policy, her husband has to die exactly at midnight on Easter Sunday after being struck by lightening in the top of a Persimmon Tree; and/or,
6. What ever one can imagine.

I'm sure others have had similar experiences like yours with just about anything.

I would at least "try" for a refund; but if you call him a crook he will get mad.

Hope this helps.
 
Zenith carburetors can be very troublesome to rebuild. I wouldn't think of selling anyone a Zenith I rebuilt until I ran It on my car for a week or so and put at least 20 miles on it. Even then I only offer them for sale locally so that if there is a problem I can deal with it easily.

I cannot imagine voiding a warranty by splitting the two casting halves. The float could have easily come unhinged during shipment. That would have been an easy fix.

I had two come back over the years. One fellow bought a can of the epoxy sealer sold by Model A suppliers to coat the inside of the gas tank and poured it in the tank half full of gasoline. It clogged the Zenith up such that I had a difficult time cleaning all the sealer out.

Another fellow installed the Zenith on a car that had been sitting for 5 or 6 years with gas in the tank. I warrantied one carburetor and when he told me the second carburetor was bad I quizzed him about what he was actually doing. Zeniths don't run very well on rotten gas.

Tom Endy
 
I just look a one that said "REBUILT" on the tag...The person that had it could not figure out why it would not bolt all the way together, like yours.. I took it apart & one look at the secondary well I knew what the problem was.. Some one had just turned it in place two or three turns & would not let the idle jet go down into it far enough.. Put it in the right place & bolted it right together..
 
The supplier is a well respected supplier that has been recommended on this website. The supplier does not rebuild the carb themselves. They have a company do it for them. I think I have had a run of bad luck. I think from now on If I need a Zenith I will rebuild it myself.
 
Its not likely that things will get any better with the person that you are dealing with. I wouldn't count on a refund. The more that you try, the more that it will cost you. I think at this point that the best thing that you can do is along the lines that Fred says above. Remove the bolt that holds the halves together. Check the secondary well and the float. If the bolt is too long, bolts are available cheap.

My wife bought a B carb on eBay several years ago from a guy in California that claimed to be an expert (not anybody that posts here , that I know of ) I installed the carb and it ran horrible, then the gas began to pour. I took the halves apart and found that the float was bent and had a hole in it. The venturi was also missing. This was about 9 or 10 years ago and the price was two hundred dollars plus shipping. I tried several times to contact the guy and he refused to answer my emails. I had the parts and just fixed the carburetor myself. It was a hell of a note but thats the way it goes sometimes.
 
I guess you should have went on the forum first,fix it yourself,cut your losses,let us know who you delt with.
 
I did go on the forum first and rebuilt two other Zeniths that run well but I thought the idle could be a bit better so I had another old Zenith I used as a core to get a "Professionally" rebuilt one.

Just got off the phone and they are sending a UPS call for both the carbs I still have and will issue a full refund. I am out the core which is not a big thing as I have two Zeniths. I think Bratton's better find another carburetor rebuilder. I guess I found out the hard way what a "Professionally" rebuilt carburetor is like.

I have already ordered a new Zenith 13922 carb and see how that works. Not original but from what has been expressed on this forum it's well liked. I'll report on the performance.
 
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I am VERY surprised who you named as the dealer.. Did you talk to Walt, the Owner, about this ??
 
No I did not talk to anyone named Walt. I didn't know who the owner was and I am not in the habit of bothering an owner of a company as I own companies. I delegate to my people how to handle problems that come up every day. I am sure he does the same. They were very pleasant and took care of the problem as they should. I can't blame them. They didn't do the rebuild however after this I would think they would talk to whoever is doing the rebuilds and let them know that this is not acceptable as it makes them look bad.

In the end it is probably just a run of bad luck. It happens.

Joe
 
joe,
water over the dam but if you search carburetor posts berts and renners are two places most were happy with on purchasing a quality good running reblt carb.
i never heard to much about all the others
i would consider them when you get refunded
as you mentioned brattons farms them out but i am pretty sure the two mentioned does them in house....
 
If the Zenith came from Bratton's I would not hesitate to call Walt Bratton. Walt is a hands on owner and manager. His desire is to offer the very best of service. If it falls short he wants to hear about it. Walt will always take you call.

I have called him several times when I received something that was not acceptable and he immediately made it right.

Folks in the Model A hobby should consider that suppliers such as Bratton's are at the mercy of their suppliers and they cannot always control them unless they are advised that the product is inferior.

Tom Endy
 
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