• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

I knew it was too good to be true: carb woes now

Share this page

77MidgetMkIV

77MidgetMkIV

Jedi Trainee
Country flag
Offline
well, I have put over 200 miles on the midget since I got it back together and inspected, and it had been running great, even as recent as last night, when I hada great ride home from golf league. I went out this morning and started 'er up. No issues there, as it normally starts on the 2nd crank. I noticed some vapor coming from the bottom of the car, but thought it was water, since it was a very dewey morning. WRONG!! smelled of petrol! I killed the engine and popped the hood. there was a good amount of fuel dribbling out from what appears to be the bottom of the carburetor. Has anyone else seen this? I am going to have to tear it down tonight and see. Hopefully it is just a bad seal or something, but something tells me I am going to be getting to know ZS carbs a lot more in the next couple days.

just when I get it back together, it pulls this stunt.
ARGHGHGH$($(*&%$)$%*#$)#$&GHGHGHGHGHG#$(&U#$&*#)&*!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I haven't seen this personally but it sounds like it is either a gasket leaking or the float is stuck and the fuel pump is overfilling the bowl. Let us know what you find.
JC
 
Re: I knew it was too good to be true: carb woes n

yeah, that is what I am thinking too. The car sat for almost a year while I was working on it, with no fuel in it, so I am hoping for either a stuck float or a bad o-ring on the bowl plug. I will know tonight!
 
Re: I knew it was too good to be true: UPDATE

Well, I went home and got back at it...turns out to be really simple fix, I think. The float bowl drain plug had a bad O-ring. I replaced it with a spare that I had from other projects, and though it was not the exact size needed, the carb stopped leaking, even with the fuel pump running. I will eventually pick up the right size ring, but this is working fine for now. I ran the pump w/o the engine running for a couple minutes with no leaks or seepage, and then ran the car for a couple minutes with the same results. Cloudy with a chance of rain today, so I drove the truck to work, but I will take it out for a quick run tonight if it is clear.
On a side note, the plastic plug receptacle seems a little flimsy given what it's function is. Any other carb I have worked on had a metal plug that treaded in, no clip tabs to speak of. Oh well, another one of the hidden beauties of these creatures.
 
Back
Top