5 replies to this topic

[charminbear]

Model: Mayfair
Year: 1988, 998 with stage 3 295 head & HIF38
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):
Started playing up on the way to Brooklands yesterday. Drove OK untill you put your foot down to accelerate and sounded rough and lumpy, like it wasnt firing properly, it was also using a LOT of fuel and there was a fuel smell in the car.

Tried starting her up just now and she refused to start but just poured fuel out of the overflow/drain off (?) pipe on the carb (would explain the use of lots of fuel yesterday)

One thought was crap in the carb so took the dashpot/needle off & turned it over, fuel came through the jet & out of the overflow again. Put it all back together & tried starting again but fuel is still pouring out of the overflow.

Anyone got any ideas please?

[charminbear]

Just taken the carb apart and found the float half full of liquid - could this be the problem?
Sorry to sound thick

[Dan]

Yup, the float is leaking. The problem you described with driving it was due to overfuelling and the overflowing float chamber means the needle valve in there isn't closing. A leaking float will cause that because it won't float up and close the valve.

Edited by Dan, 30 March 2009 - 04:58 PM.

[charminbear]

Brilliant - thanks

Can you buy replacement floats do you knoe
mini spares only seem to sell the HS type, not the HIF ones

If the 38 & 44 floats are the same then I have a spare 44 lurking so i can just use that one.

[Dan]

Get one from the manufacturer, Burlen Fuel Systems.

Float kit

If you go and look elsewhere to order one, make sure it's for an HIF not a KIF. They are a little different. I think all the floats for a given type of carb are the same though so the one you have should be OK, unless it's punctured too. People do try to reseal them when they leak but it's not that successful usually. Oddly (since it lives in petrol it's whole life) it's a solvent resistant plastic so you can't really glue it. People do try to melt them back closed with a soldering iron but doing that with a container full of fuel vapour is a good way to blow some fingers off. I don't know why people bother, they aren't exactly expensive.

Edited by Dan, 30 March 2009 - 05:09 PM.

[charminbear]

Just changed it over to the one we had on the HIF44 so fingers crossed that is the problem.
Got to replace a manifold gasket before putting the carb back on as noticed that is blowing a little too.

Thanks for the link too