For the "Carb" crowd out there: I have a Carter 2100s carburetor on my '60 235. Truck starts/runs better than the Rochester B I had before it. I now have about 300 miles logged, but a couple times when I have started the truck, it idles rough and then dies. I try to restart and it just runs rough. I look under the hood and notice gas on and around the bottom of the carburetor. My thinking was maybe the float was stuck down and gas kept pouring into the carb? I tapped the float bowl with the handle of a screwdriver. When restarting, the truck would run rough for 5-10 seconds and then run as normal. Is my thinking correct? If the float was stuck open, can gas pour out the carb? Thanks for any input.
Note: Both times this has happened the truck was sitting for 3-5 days before starting.
Last edited by UtahYork; 09/21/20266:59 PM.
~ John in Utah 1946 1/2Ton w/4-speed manual transmission w/1960 235 engine Here We Go Follow in his DITY Bay
- If you think about it, it has been one year ago today!
That is a very good possibility. You might take the top off and check to make certain your float isn't falling too far down. Gas evaporates in there (especially in a hot/dry spell) and the float can fall far enough down so the needle becomes sort of "cocked" in the seat piece. When that happens the float can't shut off the fuel flow as it has been designed to do. Raise the float "down" adjustment about a sixteenth of an inch and see if that helps.
edit: when you tap the float bowl with a screwdriver, it will usually be enough to free the needle up and let it work okay again. It will run really rich and badly until it normalizes.
Last edited by Jon G; 09/21/20267:52 PM.
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
When setting float drop, I have always set it such that the float cannot hit the floor of the bowl. When modern fuel evaporates, it leaves a gooey substance that resembles glue. If the carb is empty, then the float could stick to the bottom of the bowl. Resetting the drop may solve your issue.
The other Jon
Good carburetion is fuelish hot air The most expensive carburetor is the wrong one you attempt to modify. If you truly believe "one size fits all," try walking a mile in your spouse's shoes! The Carburetor Shop
If you are not out hot rodding around in your truck, you can set the float drop quit high, the fuel level won't drop all that much when driving so the float doesn't need to drop way down to keep the bowl full.
