Interesting thing happened to me recently. For the last several months I
found that if I let my car sit for a few days I would have a slight problem
when trying to start it. The problem was that it would take about four or
five tries before it would fire up completely and run. I had noticed for
quite some time that the bottom of one of the carbs (where the mixture adjust
screw is) was "moist" with gas. But going along with my theory that
Carburretor is French for "leave it alone", I left it alone.
Two days ago I went out for a ride and noticed that there was fliud under the
car after it sat parked for five minutes. When I smelled the fluid I found it
was not oil (as usual :-) ) but gasoline. Upon opening the bonnet I found
that the rear carb was seriously leaking gas from around the outer part of the
mixture assembly which is screwed up into the bottom of the float bowl. The
leak stopped when the bowl was empty.
Diagnosis: The "moist" problem had gotten worse and now the gas was flowing
out of the bowl rather than just seeping out. Since after a while there was
no drip, the fuel bowl must be emptying out. (This meant that when I cranked
the car over, after it had sat for several days, the fuel pump would need to
pump enough fuel to refill the bowl.) A bad seal could be the culprit.
Manual shows an "o-ring" on the mixture assembly where it enters the bottom of
the bowl.
Cure: Didn't even need to remove the carb - I just unscrewed the complete
assembly from the bottom of the bowl. Then I went to local Auto parts store
where they gave me an "O-ring" to replace the dried out "O-ring" on the
assembly. Replaced the "O-ring", CAREFULLY reinstalled the assembly, being
careful not to bend the needle inside the carb. Tightened it up and re-
adjusted the mixture. Voila - the little beastie starts up on the first crank
over - As it should.
Hope this helps someone. Cheers.
Art Kelly '64 TR4 CT 33118L
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