Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

ive seen that new tank lining stuff come off in entire sheets and float around inside the tank ,ive never trusted it to last ,brake parts cleaner will clean out the invisable varnish from new fuel goo from the fuel filter element if its the one that hangs off the carb ,the inlines are easier just to replace ,do you have water in your tank?gas will float on the water which can collect by condensation from sitting through tempurature changes ,even if theres a little water and a lot of gas ,itll layer out on the bottom
the alcohol in new gas attacks anything rubber like tha diaphram of your otherwise ok fuel pump ,how about the flezable parts of the fuel lines you can have an aneurism ,where the gas will setperate the inner part ofthe hose and the outside will look ok ,are the flexable parts of your gas lines old?
the float is what has a valve that lets the gas in like a toilet ( charming) if its not right or if its sticky with new fuel goo itll not be at the right level and may not dependable be letting your carb fill !

Thanks for the list, I have checked off most of the items. The float appears to be the most likely culprit now. All of the items listed have been replaced or redone(gas tank). I hesitated getting into the carb.

Those Carter 2bls are not hard to rebuild. I rebuilt mine at home with a kit from Daytona. I never had rebuilt a carb before and I was able to do it. The rebuild kit has everything numbered, so you just take everything apart in ordered number, clean the bejesus out all the parts, and put it all back together in the reverse order with the replacement parts. Do make sure do the all the calibrations as described, and dont lose any of the small little part or check balls. Rebuilding one on a tray is good insurance to prevent a check ball from rolling away.

I didn't do it on mine, but next time I would pre-soak the accelerator pump in some fuel first as it was a little sluggish at first until it got saturated in fuel.

Thanks Kevin, I am getting more comfortable with the idea of rebuilding the carb.

Hey WILLIS!

I rebuilt the carburetor on my '52 a few weeks ago, BIG difference. It was also my first time rebuilding one, and wasn't that difficult. The hardest thing in my mind was installing the check ball retainer, other than that the adjustments are pretty simple, and parts easy to install. Like Kev mentioned, do the work where things won't get lost.


-Garrett

I would also recommend making sure the rebuild kit is E10,E15 and bio fuel compatable. Good luck

All modern rebuild kits should be. Get a kit from Daytona, and you wont have any issues.

A few other tips for rebuilding the carbs:

-Do your rebuilding in as clean an area as possible. Small bits of grit can do great harm.
-Take lots of photos as you are taking the carb apart. If you end up getting side-tracked for a few days/weeks/months, these will be very helpful.

-Keep parts organized on a flat surface (as BigKev stated). I prefer a "sweater" storage box lined with butcher paper. This way I can put the top on the box to seal it while keeping everything laid out correctly. I will also put labels on the paper to indicate which carb component a part goes with. NOTE: This may be over-anal.

-Check to make sure the float bowl top is even/level and the sealing surface is clean.

-Check the condition of the threads where the fuel line enters the bowl.

-Check the clearance for the throttle plate shaft. If the clearance is to large you will have a hell of a time tuning the carb.

-Look over the linkage for out of round holes and worn connecting bits.

-Do not use sealing putties or tapes.

-Do not over-tighten fasteners or fittings. You can always go back and tighten things a little more if there are leaks. But if you over-tighten you can crack the carb.

These are things I look for/do when rebuilding a carb. Others more knowledgable can add/subtract from this list.

Cheers,

Tom

I can use all the tips I can get so I don't make mistakes that others have already made. Although I could possibly come up with some new ones!

I rechecked all the hose and line hook ups for the fuel on the Clipper. Pulled all the plugs and added some WD-40 to each cylinder( each plug had carbon on the tip) Too rich?
Gave the carb a shot of starter fluid and the old girl started up and ran for about 15 minutes. Shut her down and restarted and ran the engine on idle and some rev's for another 15 minutes. I couldn't do this last fall, but now is okay. I think I may have hooked up some vacuum lines wrong when I reinstalled the rebuilt fuel pump. Will try a drive this weekend to see if all is well. After I adjust the carb a little leaner. Now running on the redone tank from last summer and appears okay(running from the drain not the fitting with the pick up tube). I think the pick up tube must have had some holes in it when I kept trying earlier to run the engine off of the tank.

When I reinstalled the radiator, water pump,cooling tube and etc... I left out the thermostat. Will this be a problem? I will only be driving the Clipper in warm weather.