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Hey all! I just have a curiosity. For the fun of it, I bought a NOS Carter 25-98S needle and seat, really just to have one in case it could ever be useful. This is the needle/seat for the WDO 643SA. I have been using my Daytona float valve without issue of course, but I was just surprised by how different the two are.

So I'm curious, in anyone's experience, does the Daytona float valve really live up to the claims on the flyer that comes in the kit? I've scoured the forum for previous discussions on the topic... some have said they're superior, some prefer the traditional needle/seat combo. Anyone really notice a difference, or is sort of like "what oil do you use?!"

Hope everyone's staying cool!

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The biggest issue I have seen with the flat elastomer cushion designs is they eventually compress and form a round circle where the seat presses into the soft surface. Daytona says the design eliminates the slow leak caused by worn needle valves but depending on how resilient and thick the elastomer substance is it may eventually harden and no longer compress to the point a slow leak develops. I honestly do not know if it is an issue with the Daytona seats and gasoline but it was an all too frequent issue on some air solenoid valves that were used in equipment I serviced. I also found the flat seat an issue with the solenoid valve that turns the vacuum supply to my 47 Electromatic clutch valve on and off. That rubber seat had gotten hard and with the round circle depression unable to compress it could no longer seal at all.

One thing to keep in mind is that the fuel supply is only about 4 psi tops. Likewise, the upward pressure from the floats being half-submerged in gasoline is not very great. So while it's inevitable that the material will age in some aspect, the deformation during use is very minimal.

Offhand when rebuilding my carb with these, I turned my air horn upside down to let the weight of the floats rest on the valve, then immediately disassembled it. Even on close inspection (close enough to see the imperfections in cutting or molding the elastometer), I could see no trace of any indentation, or witness mark.

I probably have one due to Daytona rebuilding the 47 carb but have not driven the car to have any personal drive experience. Do remember a few years ago there was controversy because some had installed them and then said they pulled them back out because of perceived flooding and surging issues when the car was being driven. Whether that was due to the valve leaking or external issues with modern gasoline is unknown but the valve got the blame in their minds and they went back to the needle type.

I know there was this guy recently who I also replied to at the time. I have no clue how it could even get this damaged as even if you didn't support the floats when adjusting them, I still don't think it would be enough force to cause this.

https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=27679&post_id=265148#forumpost265148

In my experiences the Daytona float valve has proven to be exceptionally reliable with a service life exceeding the brass/steel old style units.