Carb dripping gas onto floor

B

buddyholley19

Member
Will the carb leak fuel if the gav is not set correctly?
or is it a float issue.fuel leaked out onto the gound just before start up.thanks in advance .
 
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The GAV adjustment will not cause a leak. Either you're float level is set too high, or the needle valve is leaking, or the drain plug at the bottom of the lower body is leaking or you have a crack in the casting somewhere.
 
Or you are over chocking at start up. Release the choke after one revolution or don't use the choke to start and see if the dripping has disappeared.
 
Adjusting the gav. will not help, I close the shut off valve and run the carb. dry if I'm going to be setting for more then 20-30 min's, and esp. over night in the garage, to many reasons not to. these are 80-83 year old cars, I don't expect any recalls from ford any time soon ;).
 
These things can leak just the fellas mentioned. Trying to stop some of these critters from leaking can make you pull your hair out. Apparently from looking in the mirror, I've had a lot of these leak over the years !
 
Is it an original carb or a Tillotson? If it's a Tillotson, Sometimes the carb body itself can warp over time because of the aluminum casting and cause it to leak through the gasket.
I agree with the guy above who said it's probably the float adjustment and/or bad needle valve.
I just had to do the same thing to mine!!!!
Good luck!
 
I've tried everything but my carbs still drip a few drops in a day or so. My solution is a plastic paint bucket hung beneath the carb with a wire or zip tie
 
glenn in camino said:
I've tried everything but my carbs still drip a few drops in a day or so. My solution is a plastic paint bucket hung beneath the carb with a wire or zip tie
Click to expand...
just make sure the plastic bucket wont get eaten by gas... had that goopy mess on the garage floor before...
 
glenn in camino said:
I've tried everything but my carbs still drip a few drops in a day or so. My solution is a plastic paint bucket hung beneath the carb with a wire or zip tie
Click to expand...


Glenn:

Order a modern (Viton tip) float valve from Bratton's. Take it apart before you install it and clean out any brass machine particles residing inside. The valves work very good, but Bratton's is at the mercy of his supplier and they sometimes leave brass particles inside from the machining process. You may also want to replace the tank valve as well as it apparently is not shutting off 100%.

Tom Endy
 
Possible causes of carb leaking: some of which have been already stated ..
1) float set level too high
2) needle valve leaking or its gasket leaking
3) leaking drain plug/gasket
4) cracked casting
5) leaking gasket at main jet or cap jet
6) hole in float
(7 also sometimes a leak at the inlet union is mistaken for a genuine leak elsewhere)
 
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A new tank shutoff valve with a stand up filter should solve the problem. The new valves are ball type and they never leaked for me.
 
If you are running a Zenith carb and the float is set too high, it will stall when you put on the brakes. A couple of things that hasn't been mentioned as a possible cause is main and cap jets that are too short. I always try to use old original numberd jets because some repro jets are way off, especially old repro jets. If there happens to be too many gaskets under the main jet or stuck up in the lower housing, this will lower the main jet below the level of the fuel in the float chamber and cause a drip. I have found that the original type needle valves can work good. I give the needle a tap with a small hammer before installing the float, this seats the needle . I then blow air through the fuel inlet and check that the needle functions properly.
 
Dang me, well remembered Purdy! I always measure the jets for length- (not yet come across a short one, though plenty of time yet )
 
I put a small shutoff valve right near the carb and I shut it off and let it run out of gas when I'm parking it for a while or putting it in my attached garage. Works good for me. I don't use the one inside the car.
 
Fix the carb, it should NOT be leaking. Get an electric fuel shut off switch, so much easier than the original.
Paul in CT
 
After many attempts with various solutions I finally fixed the leak with an electric shut off as mentioned above.
 
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