gas leaking from inlet manifold

[John Morralee]

I believe that this question has been raised before but I am still concerned about gas which sometimes leaks (Pours!)from two holes(one each end) and through the under surface of the inlet manifold.Why would this seemingly dangrous situaton be allowed? The holes appear to have the stub ends of small tubes attached.Are these tubes replacable and where do they lead too: a safe area I would hope! Or just plugged?

 

[Dave Russell]

John,

The ends of the tubes should be open & extend well below any manifold, exhaust - hot engine parts. They are to let excess fuel drain out before it gets into the engine.

In my opinion only, this is not one of the better Healey ideas but many people feel differently.

The only time that fuel should come out is if the engine is flooded by overchoking, or if there is a carb float level problem.

PS
If the SU carb floats needles & seats are in good condition & the carbs are preceeded by a good fuel filter I have NEVER had an overflow problem on any SU carb. The Tri Carb Healeys never did have the drains & my BN2 doesn't either.
D

[ 11-15-2003: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>

 

[Tom R3]

John, I found out the hard way that the overflow setup is dangerous. One of steps I've taken to prevent another fire is using an extra long line. Any leaking gas will be directed away from the exhaust headers and pipes. I would check out the floats before taking a drive.

 

[stever]

John, The previous responders are absolutely correct, but I wanted to add my two cents' worth because I suffered from this problem for some time before I finally solved it and wanted to share "the secret". Not really a secret at all, but my problem was that there was a problem with the original style needle/seat in the float bowls. After the engine had sat for a while (weeks) the float bowls probably dried out and the needles thought rightfully that they needed to be open to add fuel. However, they stuck open and when I would try to start the engine the massive flooding of the garage floor would result. I replaced the stock needle/seats several times to no avail. I solved the problem's symptoms for a long time by tapping the float bowl center bolts with a screwdriver handle as the fuel pump was clicking away. This jarred the needles and allowed them to close off. Thenceforth, no problem until the float bowls dried out again. However, the REAL SOLUTION for me was converting over to using Grose Jets which use a chrome ball bearing system to seal off the gas flow when the bowl is full. I have never had an overflow since. I also want to add that I did and do still have a high quality inline fuel filter fitted. I cannot tell you strongly enough that I am very relieved to not have the potentially catastrophic fuel all over the garage floor problem solved. Hope this works for you. I purchased my Grose Jets from Victoria British. Regards, Stever

 

[John Loftus]

John,

The metal tubes should extend down quite far. I think about 14" or so but that is from fuzzy memory, not some reliable source

. If you look in the current Moss catalog, page 17, no.32, you will see the part you need to order. The bottom end of the tube passes through a small bracket (clip) with a ferrule to hold the end steady or perhaps a rubber grommet (depending on the model). I can't help you too much with this because my BJ7 engine had drain pipes that were cut off too and I have to replace these parts. The little clips, ferrules, grommets will need to be figured out in my case so if anyone else has pictures or descriptions for this area it would be appreciated.

Cheers,
John

 

[Dave Russell]

John,
I don't have a BJ7, so can't be exact. A quote from Anderson- Moment says "the steel drain pipes were fastened at the bottom in brackets with a grommet in the outer hole & with the inner hole fastened to the two long oil-pan bolts on the left side of the engine pan". From this, I gather that the tubes are long enough to extend to slightly below the oil pan mounting surface.
D

 

[John Morralee]

re.'leakey' inlet manfold'.Thank you for the answers;they were all relevant to my situation.I can now put the baby to bed knowing what to have ready when I wake her up again next Spring.

 

[John Loftus]

Hi Dave,

I just looked at my spare BJ7 motor (parts donor) and see two small brackets on the left side secured by bolts that fit the description and appear to be in the right place.

Thanks for the info!

-John

 

[bugimike]

I too have had the dreaded "fuel flood" and agree with all your comments. The cause has been sticky jets in the float chamber and yes, I have had success with Grose jets though even they will stick if ignored for too long!

 

[Vespa]

What I don't get is why these two drain pipes aren't, in effect, inlet manifold vacuum leaks. I mean, they're after the carbs., so why don't they just suck in air like crazy?

Paul B.

 

[Dave Russell]

They are leaks. The small tube diameter & great length restrict it to very small leaks. And the leaks are at locations which affect all cylinders equally.
D

 

[Johnny]

When it came time to install the intake manifold I forgot about the two inlets, one on each end. I still have the drain pipes but failed to install them. They are about an 1/8 inch in diameter and the inside diameter is about the size of pencil lead. One was so corroded it couldn't be salvaged the other was also corroded shut but eventually opened up. I remember one being sharply bent so they would appear to join up somewhere. I just plugged the holes in the manifold and it ran much better. However, if ever I have a problem with the jets, or over choking, I may be in for a surprise. Has anyone found a source for replacements?

 

[John Loftus]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Johnny:
. Has anyone found a source for replacements?
<hr></blockquote>

Hi Johnny,

I mentioned one source earlier in the thread ...

"If you look in the current Moss catalog, page 17, no.32, you will see the part you need to order."

Cheers,
John