Zenith Carbs

[DaWizard]

Well, I have run into a small problem that I'm sure will be stupid to ask here, but here goes anyway because someone else just might run into the same problem.

In rebuilding the two Zenith carburetors, I have found that to get the floats to the proper height I need to remove the gasket/spacer/seal from the valve, which leaves the threads of the valve NOT seated against anything. Now normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I have found that the gas seeps around the threads to over fill the bowl and leak out the throat.

Well, since this is not acceptable, I am wondering if the Teflon thread tape would be an acceptable seal for the threads so I can still get that proper valve height?

[Rowdy]

I would not use Teflon in a fuel system. Over time it will dislove and become a mess somewhere else in the fuel system. There is a Permatex paste thread sealant for fuel systems. Use it sparingly and you should be ok. Rod

[DaWizard]

Rod, I haven't rebuilt a Model A engine in over 50 years, but if I was going to get new pistons and rings, I would talk to the folk at Egge for the pistons, and see about Hastings rings. Egge also sell the "Best" brand gaskets for specific bore size, not like the Felpro "one size fits all".

https://egge.com/info/services/

[Mitch]

i always found that i needed 2 float valve gaskets one thick and one thin, but that's with the viton tip valve.
you find that none are needed? something is not kosher there

[DaWizard]

May not be kosher, but I got the float within about .010 of being parallel to the top, and 5/8th in. of fuel in the bowl.

Screwy or not, it IS what everyone says it should be.

[Mitch]

well you should add 5/16th and make it 15/16th
when using renners good fuel float gauge on the car lower it 5/16th from the called for 5/8th to get 15/16th
then you'll have your float gasket or gaskets installed and your level will be correct with no leaks

5/8th is the ford spec but you'll end up with stalling on stops. Even at 5/8th it should call for a gasket
get the carb book by Rex Reheis

[DaWizard]

So yer saying I need an inch of gas in the bowl when the float closes the valve?

Not sure I understand that much gas in there.

[Mitch]

set your float at 15/16th.
that means your fuel level in the bowl will be 15/16 below the carb half mating surfaces, not 5/8th
i always use the renners good float level tester to verify this.
the tester that the suppliers sell is junk

http://www.rennerscorner.com/carburetor.html

you can also get away with getting it done without the tester

[Mitch]

Wiz keep us posted on your findings

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

"Sometimes", I just put in a few gaskets, turn it upside down & bend float lever as necessary, to get the float sorta' HORIZONTAL with he lid. "Most" of the times, it runs FINE!---Chief always sed, "DON'T OVERDOODLE IT"!!!---He also sed OVERDOODLING doesn't pertain to EVERYTHING! Whut did he mean????
Dad Shadetree

[DaWizard]

My neighbor trimmed his tree back off my driveway so I had to put up the Popup! Is that a downgrade from Shadetree?

[DaWizard]

Well, I am thinking more and more there is an electrical problem as I have gone over MY "was working fine" carburetor with a fine toothed comb and only found one dimension wrong, and that was the depth of the Main Jet and that was off by .030, so that wasn't a "while driving" fault, plus, I totally removed the #1 plug wire and the motor idle didn't change. *sighs*

So, it looks like a "pull the distributor", though I was saving that for the day I finally feel good enough to roll around on the ground and pull the pan. I know, you ask, "what does one have to do with the other?", well, when I pull the distributor I also need to pull the valve cover because the chance of the Nu-Rex centrifugal advance pulling up off the oil pump drive are too great, and since it has already done it once, I have made the fix and should install it. This will fix 2 things at once, but I really don't feel up to pulling the pan. Maybe I can get by with only pulling the top dizzy plate, I sure hope so. So I will try that first.

I know, you are still asking "what does that have to do with pulling the pan?", well, I figured since I was going to have the valve cover off and the dizzy drive out, may as well do the oil pump too because the odds of that lining back up are slim at best, and since I don't know if the spring is still intact, the pan should be pulled to do that little job, plus, I have not had the pan off since I got this car last October. I did have the valve cover off and it was beautifully sludgelessly clean in there. Now that is not to say the pan will be as pristine, but one can hope.

Oh crap, this went long. Oh well, you guys needed something to read anyway

[Mitch]

can you diagnose the miss on #1
first?

before pulling other stuff apart

[DaWizard]

Compression is 54, 55, 53, 53. Which is higher than first checked in Nov, at 52, 52, 51, 50.

[DaWizard]

Well, that's it for today, I am both mentally and physically exhausted. One of the prime reasons I stopped earning money as a mechanic was, bending over a fender tweeks my back, it still does but I have enough smarts to quit before it gets bad.

[Johnnymo]

I would not use Teflon in a fuel system. Over time it will dislove and become a mess somewhere else in the fuel system. There is a Permatex paste thread sealant for fuel systems. Use it sparingly and you should be ok. Rod

I strongly believe Rowdy. I preach to everyone don't use Teflon tape on fuel fittings! It's made for water. Gasoline turns Teflon stringing and goopy. Use any type of paste that's made for gasoline. And don't over tighten. Nice and easy.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Wiz,
Read your LOOOONG saga of dismay, I CRIED, had to wipe my eyes & clean my glasses, TWICE, the first time, I wiped them with the tissue I had blown my NOSE with!!!---Did you ever get VANILLA Milkshake on your glasses? What a NIGHTMARE!!!
I'd better go to BED!
Dad Exhausted

[DaWizard]

Well, the verdict is in.

I am STILL a Master Mechanic!!

As it turns out, I DO know how to rebuild the Zenith carburetor. Haven't lost the touch. (still might be a wee bit touched *maniacal laughter* but that has yet to be determined)

Anyway, put on my reading glasses this morning and took a different look at the situation. Since the engine was turning over like it had no compression, I figured I'd pull all four plugs and see what that did. So, pulled the plugs and just for S&G hooked the plug wires to them and let'em rest on the head. Well, after cranking it over a few turns with the key on, couldn't see ANY sparks, yet the points were sparking like no body's business. Well, by now you know me, yep, I grabbed the secondary coil wire to see if I could get recharged. Well, low and behold, NO SPARK!!

This 6month old Pep Brothers coil is fizzzzzit. Now, in all my lifetime, I have lost more coils than I care to walk down memory lane to count, and NEVER in any of them did I experience a "starving for gas" scenario like I had coming home from Don's house or running around the block. They have always been working or not working, none of this in between shit.

So, to finish this off, BAD coil, rebuilt carburetor work GREAT!!

[Mitch]

what was the end result on the float gaskets?

glad you goter goin

[DaWizard]

Well, as to the floats, one has a ball bearing and 2 gaskets. The other has steel needle and 1 gasket, and both measure 1.062 as you suggested. One other thing, the main jet distance on both is .375. This was waaay low without even a gasket on mine, so I did a little "machinist" work on a spare jet I had to get it up where it belonged.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Try standing in a puddle of water barefoot.. That really tingles

With a spark tester the intensity of the light is also important, for a weak arc

When I lived in upstate New York, I had my dad's 1950 Studebaker with no body for a field car. One day I had it running next to the hand pump well, and I was standing on wet ground. I leaned over to grab the throttle linkage, but came in contact with the spark plug tip first. That locked me on for about 15 seconds before I could jerk away. I was only 12 at the time, but can still recall exactly how it felt.

[Jm29henry]

Try a differs fuel float shut off