Weber carb question

[167luckycharm]

Hi All! Got a problem with the driver side carb on my dual 44IDF setup; After letting the car sit for a few days, the oil on the dipstick smells like there's gasoline in it and the oil level is a little higher than normal. When trying to start the car, it seems that the left side carb does not have any fuel in it to get the engine running smoothly. After a short while the engine perks right up and runs ok. Could it be that the float bowl goes empty by draining into the cylinder heads when the engine sits for a long time? If so, what circuit do I check on and would there be an adjustment to check? It's been doing this for the past year or so, not long after I did the last rebuild with genuine Weber rebuild kits from Italy. When I depress the accelerator pump arm on each carb (cam actuated) with my finger, I can feel a little resistance and hear the fuel squirting down into the throats. The left side has less resistance and no sound of fuel passing through. Once the car fires up, both carbs appears alright, just an annoying slight flat spot above idle rpm. I'm in the process of dialing in the exhaust system and will have to do a bit of re-jetting when it all comes together. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! John

[fubar]

Any advise? Start by changing the oil and replacing the needle and seat. Gas in the oil will lower the viscosity and wreck the motor. Oil is pretty cheap compaired to a new motor.

[mightymanx]

Over on The Samba there is a similar question to yours. One of the responses was from a person who has twin 44 IDF's who had the same problem as you are describeing. He said he found that the carb that was loseing gas had a crack in the fuel bowl and he had to replace the carb. You may want to talk to him because If I am thinking right that is about the only way a Weber or Delorto can lose all the gas from the bowl while sitting still.

[167luckycharm]

Fubar and MightyManx, Thanks for the replies. I'm re-reading my Weber Tech Manual and nowhere does it say anything about losing fuel when shut off. The cause for flooding would indicate bad needle valve/seat and excessive sediment in the fuel. When I did the float adjustments, I purposely set the floats so the needle valves would close 1 1/2 mm lower from the "full" position. The "open" position is set at the correct 32.5mm. Closing the needle valves while the float level is a little lower than normal prevents the carb from flooding when driving over rough terrain. The tips of the needle valves have the soft Viton seals. I find some seditment has collected in the see-thru fuel filter and I'll pull the carbs after I finish painting the bathroom today. As for a crack in the float bowl, I'm hoping this is not the case! I'll be watching out for that too. Thanks again! John

[mel hubbard]

John what type of fuel pump are you using? standard VW manual or an aftermarket electric one. I have known faulty VW standard manual pumps that let gas pass through into the oil.

[167luckycharm]

on my engine is the slanted Brazilian version for those running an alternator. It is a new unit, but considering it's heritage, I'll have to check it also. It's after 6pm and I just finished cleaning all my brushes and paint rollers, as the painting project is almost complete. I'm on late shift this week and looks like I should get some buggy work done during the daytime. Where on the Samba was that conversation about a crack in the floatbowl? Thanks again Mel. John

[mightymanx]

John It is inthe The Samba forums under performance/engine /racing. It is listed by Toypainter as, Gas in cranckcase. The person that responded about the crack was 67Beetle2017. Hope this helps.

[167luckycharm]

Hey Mike, thanks for the lead on the Samba thread. Pulled both carbs off today, removed the tops and checked the float adjustments. All good. But I found some sediment and slivers of rubber fuel hose in the bottom of the float bowls. Around the threaded portion of the main jet/emulsion tube holders was a film of fine dried dirt. The Taiwan air cleaners were dirty and after a thorough washing I find that some of the folded areas , near the creases, show that the screen is not covered with the filtering material. I installed Outerwears recently but may have trapped the dirt already inside. I'll take the carbs with me to work tonight and give them a complete washing. . I'll keep the float adjustments the same, but take a good look at the needle valves. Both bowls still had fuel in them, so I suspect the leak could be at the fuel pump. I'll pull that thing out after the carbs are installed. Stay tuned! John.