• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Float Valve Question - Clips?

Share this page

dklawson

dklawson

Yoda
Offline
My car's recent running problems turned out to be a hung float valve. This pair of valves is virtually brand new so it's not an age or wear issue. There are no deposits in, on, or around the seats to explain why one of the two valves stuck closed.

I installed these stock float valves to replace a pair of Grose Jets that I suspected were leaking. I'm not really interested in re-installing the Grose Jets.

My question is historical and application based. In my youth I remember working on a car (God knows which one) where the moving part of the float valve was connected to the float arm by a music wire clip. When the float fell the needle was pulled off its seat. The needle valves in my SUs have a machined groove for such a clip... but I don't ever remember seeing them on LBCs. Do any of you remember working on carbs that had the type of clip I'm talking about? I'm thinking about forming up some clips of my own but I'd like to hear from you guys about any pros or cons you can think of about this.
 
I certainly recall the wire clips, Doug. Can't tell ya which carbs tho. They made it so the needle was ~dragged~ (drug?) out of the seat... no possible way for it to 'hang' in the closed position. Holleys, mebbe?

I don't think it'd cause any grief to fab up some for the SU's but also don't think it'd be a discernable benefit. A sharp smack with a screw-stick handle should dislodge a sticking needle most times. If that didn't work it would've required disassembly and a good cleaning anyhow. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
Think old strombergs had that clip, like model 97s maybe.
 
I just rebuilt the Rochester 4BBL in my Dad's farm truck. It had a clip that worked much like you are talking about but I think it was mainly for assembly purposes.

I installed countless campaign recall updates on TR7 Strombergs at the Dealer (they would stall in left hand sweepers) but I don't think that it physically pulled the needle from the seat.

Alan T
 
AlanT, I don't mean REMOVED, rather if the float dropped there'd be NO WAY the needle would stay closed. It had to follw the float and open to allow fuel flow.

The spring Doug (and myself) remember is anything BUT an assembly AID. Had to fiddle it into place over a tine on the float arms as the float was pinned in place. An assembly challenge, morelike.
 
Back
Top