TR2/3/3A welding slag in the carb tr3

[sp53]

I have less than a thousand miles on this tr3 and have had trouble keeping it running correctly. The gas tank is a new one out of southern California, and I did not flush it out prior to installation, and I keep getting welding slag in the carb bowls. The amount has lessened, but still coming in. I thought about putting a magnet in the gas tank and a paper filter for a while. I cannot tell if the slag is doing any damage and the first time I saw it I was shocked. I thought it was just a onetime deal, but I guess it just keeps getting flushed out of the welds. Any thought?

 

[Jerry]

Put a filter inline to the carbs. A magnet in the tank won't hurt anything. The tank does have a drain hole and you can flush it a few times with gas. Use a paint filter to catch the gas coming out and you can reuse it.

Jerry

 

[TR3driver]

Why isn't it getting caught by the sediment bowl and screen?

I don't think welding slag is magnetic, but might be. A paper element filter is a good idea, though. I started running one myself after seeing all the tiny bits of rust that were making it through the bowl and screen.

 

[SPACER]

I don't have slag in the carb float bowls but I do have a bit of very fine black powdery stuff.
I have the usual AC fuel pump & glass bowl with screen but this powdery stuff is so fine it gets past the screen & into the carb bowls.
I would like to add a generic in- line filter.
Where is the best place to locate it?
Oh yes, late 59 TR3 with SU H6 carbs.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[TR3driver]

I don't have slag in the carb float bowls but I do have a bit of very fine black powdery stuff.
I have the usual AC fuel pump & glass bowl with screen but this powdery stuff is so fine it gets past the screen & into the carb bowls.
I would like to add a generic in- line filter.
Where is the best place to locate it?

I prefer to have the paper element filter after the pump, so the sediment bowl & screen can still catch most of the gunk. So I trimmed back the hard line a bit, and reshaped it so I could mount an in-line filter between the hard line and front carb. It's a bit hard to find 1/4" filters at FLAPS, so I picked up a box of them on eBay.

 

[LarryK]

Spacer: Do you have any old rubber lines between tank to carbs? If so, the black powder may be alcohol eroded lines!

 

[SPACER]

Thanks Randall, good tips.
Thanks also to Larry, and yes I have some rubber tubing, about 4 inches just before the front carb. Will replace when I add the filter.

Thanks again guys,
Bob

 

[TR3driver]

One other point, last time I went through this with a buddy's TR6, he found what seemed to be a nice little reusable screen filter at FLAPS. It looked great with a clear center section (making the screen visible) and chromed ends, but it turned out that the ends were chromed plastic rather than steel and it broke after just a few months of service.

This is probably not the same filter, but it looked very much like this:

So my suggestion, if you buy that style of filter, then make sure the ends are steel, not plastic. Personally, I prefer the one piece paper element filters, but I suppose they do contribute some small amount to landfills every year.

 

[dklawson]

On my Mini I have the filter Randall shows above located between the tank and fuel pump. It is a fairly coarse filter and catches the larger sediment. The elements are replaceable and I keep spares (along with the end cap o-rings) in the car in case something happens on the road. I also have a cheap, translucent paper element filter right before the carbs. The disposable filter is the type that used to be very common on air cooled VWs. Together both filters do a good job of keeping debris out of the fuel pump and carbs. I also have the VW filter right before the carbs on the GT6 and the Spitfire.