Help! Carburetor help needed

[Breadfan]

Having carb problems on my dad's car...been doing some work on it this weekend and took it out for a drive, it drove good. Next day I go over and start it to check vaccuum for the hvac system.

Car starts right up, idles good for about 15 seconds. I give it a little gas to idle up a bit, and sounds OK at first after a let off, then sputters, coughs, and dies.

At this point I can't get it started, it'll cough, sputter, run for a few seconds, but poorly.

I smell gas and figure OK I flooded it, felt goofy, but will let it sit.. So I let it sit, and try again. I smell more gas. OK...something isn't right.

I pop off the air cleaner and find gas pooled on the intake manifold.

I dry it off, and get the car half-started with someone watching the carb.

The person let me know gas was pouring out of one of the 4 brass tubes taht come up the top of the carb. Even though the car didn't really run much it apparently dumped a fair amount of fuel...

Here's a pic. Gas was coming out of the rear left tube in relation to the image.

What are these four tubes, what do they do, and what can be wrong causing this issue? This carb was rebuilt last yaer and has run OK, though not often since then.

Car = 65 Mercury Park Lane, 390FE, 4bbl Autolite carb (stock)

Was it just severely flooded or do you think it's a float issue? I'm gonna go take another look at it, it's sat overnight.

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/cars001/normal_IMG_2648306kt.jpg

[Local Boy]

I believe those are vent tubes, that over flow when your needle and seat go bad...

Check your float...needle and seat

ALOHA

[Breadfan]

Thanks I'm gonna go take a look at it. Here's a pic from last year with the carb opened:

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/cars001/normal_IMG_2669327lo.jpg

[Zack]

New needle and seat FTW!

[Jolly Roger]

New needle and seat FTW!

What he said ^^^^.
Also make sure that the floats are not filling with gas.
Good luck finding parts for that one.

[whd507]

very easy getting parts, internal parts are the same as a ford 2-v carb. brass floats rarely go bad, new ones are typically foam, but will work if needed.

I concur, needle and seat assy. you need a kit anyway, it will come with them anyway.

those are one of the best stock carbs ever made.
I have the one from my 66 Colony park with a 410 sitting here on a shelf waiting for a car to go on.

[TooManyFords]

I concur. Best carb Ford ever made. Only carb I know that will actual idle and run with the top off (assuming the cam doesn't shake the engine!)

Get a kit for it and you're a hero.

[MM2004]

I concur. Best carb Ford ever made. Only carb I know that will actual idle and run with the top off (assuming the cam doesn't shake the engine!)

Get a kit for it and you're a hero.

Ford 2 BBL's will also run with the top off.

Great for adjusting float levels.

Mike.

[TooManyFords]

Ford 2 BBL's will also run with the top off.

Great for adjusting float levels.

Mike.

What's a 2 BBL? :confused:

LOL!

[MM2004]

What's a 2 BBL? :confused:

LOL!

1/2 a 4 BBL.

LOL!

Mike.

[Breadfan]

Thanks all! I just got home so first chance to log on. Anyway, I popped the top on it and the problem was very apparent - float. The float was full of gas...it's a brass float too. I was gonna drain it and let it run a bit so I could do my vacuum check still today but the only way the gas in the float will come out is if you gently squeeze it, and it appears there are atleast 2 or 3 pinholes. I had hoped I could just shake/drain it out and run the car a few mins. :)

Already sourced parts I'll pickup 2 new floats for him and do both.

We did a rebuild kit last november with new needle and seats as well as accel pump, gaskets, all that good stuff. It was running great after that. At that time the floats were completely dry and were handled very carefully...

Also noticed some dirt in the float bowls I'll have to do his fuel filters and the gas tank may be due to be dropped and cleaned/sealed or replaced, good time to check the sender too which doesn't seem to be working right.

thanks all :beer:

[ImpalaSlayer]

cool an FE block. i have in my truck. gota love a one piece oil pan gasket

[FastMerc]

Buy a new edlbrock carb you will be very happy with it. :D

[Breadfan]

If I buy a float plus the rebuild kit last year we'll be $50 and 1hr of personal labor into this carb and the 4100 is a very good carb!

I'm just trying to source my parts locally if I don't find anything tonight I'm gonna order a secondary float. I'd like to repair it (solder it) and I know how but it's full of gas right now! So hot soldering iron and gas seems like a bad idea, plus it appears to have 2-3 pinhole leaks one of which I see a minute crack about 1/8-1/4" long - new float = $20 seems like cheap insurance.

[ImpalaSlayer]

do you know if the 2bbl floats are the same? if so i have a carb you can have

[TooManyFords]

Yes, the 2BBL is exactly half the 4BBL.

[larryo340]

Then a 2BBL is 1/3 of a 6BBL ......right ? ;)

[Breadfan]

do you know if the 2bbl floats are the same? if so i have a carb you can have

Appreciate it! I don't know if they're the same, one place has different part #'s for many of the 2bbl 2100's vs 4bbl 4100s. This same place also listed slightly different part #'s for the 4100 primary and secondary floats even though they appear to be identical.

I'm all set for now though - I called pony carburetor and talked to them, they said the floats are the same in primary and secondary. Not sure why the other place had different part #'s like that, anyway their own pics of each part # looked nearly identical...

They had good prices on parts so I ordered two of their floats so I can do both primary and secondary, as well as a secondary float spring which I may have lost on Sunday. (lol @ me dealing with springs). I figure that way it's got two brand new floats and since the primary one we have is good that can go in the parts bin as a spare.

The person on the phone knew their stuff I brought part #'s with me but didn't need 'em.

If the parts make it here by the weekend I'll drive down there and pop 'em in. (Well carefully with the spring!)