Thread: alcohol and carb question

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here is my dilemna....

I work offshore and am gone 4-6 weeks at a time.
My holley carb leaks everytime I get home.
Last hitch it was the rear bowl, this time I fired it up and the front bowl and the balance tube o-ring were destroyed.

I don't really mind replacing the gaskets/orings every year, but 8 times a year is getting annoying.
I can only assume this has to do with ethanol in the fuel? as it doesn't seem like it was a problem in years gone by.

Finding fuel with no ethanol is nearly impossible, so where can I find gaskets/orings that'll stand up to the stuff?

or do I just need to drain the bowls everytime I leave and hope for the best?


many thanks,
Drew

You might need to rebuild your carburetor with an alcohol compatible kit like this one:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/QFT-3-204/

All of the carburetor equipped engines now a days need to be updated with alcohol resistant gaskets and o rings especially the needle and seat.

The older composite floats are getting eaten but the alcohol also.
Good Luck.

Originally Posted by DeepRoots

here is my dilemna....

I work offshore and am gone 4-6 weeks at a time.
My holley carb leaks everytime I get home.
Last hitch it was the rear bowl, this time I fired it up and the front bowl and the balance tube o-ring were destroyed.

I don't really mind replacing the gaskets/orings every year, but 8 times a year is getting annoying.
I can only assume this has to do with ethanol in the fuel? as it doesn't seem like it was a problem in years gone by.

Finding fuel with no ethanol is nearly impossible, so where can I find gaskets/orings that'll stand up to the stuff?

or do I just need to drain the bowls everytime I leave and hope for the best?


many thanks,
Drew

run carb out of fuel, fill bowls with gasoline,it will not eat orings

You are doing something wrong. All the gaskets etc are compatible with the alcohol. Have been for decades. The ethanol is being blamed for a lot of problems and rightly so in many cases, but not carb gaskets and crossover tube seals. The alcohol race carbs use the same gaskets as you do, the difference is the needle and seat is steel as opposed to rubber tip and the accelerator pump gasket is different material.
It is common for the fuel bowl to 'leak' at the passage for the accelerator pump shot (that small hole running from the gasket flange of the bolw to the metering block), this can weep fuel while under pressure - just look at how small the gasket area around it is and you'll understand.
The leakage at the crossover tube seal can be prevented by using a little vasoline or petroleum jelly when you slide the tube into the gasket. It'll act as a sealant and make it easy to get the tube in there - true for either 'o' ring or condom type gaskets. Bye the way, if you have an 'o' ring type seal you cannot change to the condom type (or vice-versa) as the tubes are different lengths.
Hope this helps.