ChicagoBob
Senior Member
I'd previously posted a problem in which my Tudor (Zenith carb) would intermittently fail to idle. The only solution seemed to be disassembly and flush-out of the carb, after which it would continue to run fine, until it didn't, usually only a few miles later.
I suspected fuel contamination (dirt or rust) as the culprit, and made sure all the carb passages and jets were clear. Didn't help, and besides, the filter screens showed no evidence of contamination.
But then I examined the chronology of the issue, and traced its first appearance to my carb rebuild a few months ago, in which I installed a new float (the old one had been mangled by being bent every which way to adjust the float level) and float valve, among other things.
What I hadn't noticed recently was that, each time I removed the carb lower half (with the carb still on the car) to look for contamination, the float would drop down at an angle, due to the hinge pin having worked loose and dropped out of one of the float ears. I assumed this happened just as I removed the float bowl, but I think it had actually occurred while the car was running.
I realized that I had neglected to take measures to secure the float hinge pin. I had assumed that the sides of the float bowl would hold it in place. What was happening was that the pin was partially releasing the float hinge and thereby allowing the bowl to overfill, stalling the engine at idle.
At least, that's what I'll think until the next time it stalls.
In the meantime, I flattened the end of the hinge pin in a vise, and tapped it into the float hinge ear, in the hope that the pin will now stay in place. I suppose I could also make a longer pin, so that the sides of the bowl really will hold it.
Any thoughts?
I suspected fuel contamination (dirt or rust) as the culprit, and made sure all the carb passages and jets were clear. Didn't help, and besides, the filter screens showed no evidence of contamination.
But then I examined the chronology of the issue, and traced its first appearance to my carb rebuild a few months ago, in which I installed a new float (the old one had been mangled by being bent every which way to adjust the float level) and float valve, among other things.
What I hadn't noticed recently was that, each time I removed the carb lower half (with the carb still on the car) to look for contamination, the float would drop down at an angle, due to the hinge pin having worked loose and dropped out of one of the float ears. I assumed this happened just as I removed the float bowl, but I think it had actually occurred while the car was running.
I realized that I had neglected to take measures to secure the float hinge pin. I had assumed that the sides of the float bowl would hold it in place. What was happening was that the pin was partially releasing the float hinge and thereby allowing the bowl to overfill, stalling the engine at idle.
At least, that's what I'll think until the next time it stalls.
In the meantime, I flattened the end of the hinge pin in a vise, and tapped it into the float hinge ear, in the hope that the pin will now stay in place. I suppose I could also make a longer pin, so that the sides of the bowl really will hold it.
Any thoughts?
