Holley teapot carburetor leaks after shutoff

[Lonestaraggie]

I’ve got a 53 Mercury Monterey with the original teapot carburetor.
It’s having an issue where fuel leaks into the barrels and dribbles out the choke and throttle shafts and onto the block and into the intake whenever I shut off the engine.
Otherwise she runs great with plenty of power and smooth idle, but I’m not too keen on having gasoline pouring into a hot engine.
My experience with these teapots is very limited, but I don’t see any place where the fuel could leak out of the bottom of the bowl, other than maybe being siphoned out through the jets.
Has anyone encountered and corrected this?
Thanks!
AJ
Los Angeles

[Merc Cruzer]

Causation: Heat build up after you shut off the engine. Welcome to the ownership of a 1953 Mercury with the "teapot" (aka: Holley 1901) carburetor.

Go to the search and type in "teapot carburetor" or "Holley 1901". The carburetor has been the subject of numerous posts. Many of them were started by me!

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...ghlight=teapot

[Charlie ny]

Sal will hopefully join in here, but in my experience excessive clearance between the
throttle shafts and the base can cause this pita problem. Anything over .004 is in
leak infested waters, imho.
Charlie ny

[scicala]

I agree with Charlie when he says sloppy throttle shaft fit can cause the fuel to run out and drip on the manifold. Seems kind of odd about doing it on the choke shaft too though, since it's higher up and the choke plates are a sloppy fit compared to the throttle plates. There shouldn't be fuel dripping with the engine off anyway, unless the fuel level is way high, or it gets hot and boils over, but you said it runs good ? Any chance the fuel is running down from the large round brass screw in plug over the fuel valve on the back side of the bowl top ?

Sal

[Anteek29]

Is this how the term "Towering Inferno" started?

[Tinker]

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I was going to say that Alan, but I didn't. the newer 2 barrel 350cfm or 500cfm race holley's are not a bad bolt on. I think the motorcraft 2 barrel can be a good carb also.

[Lonestaraggie]

Originally Posted by scicala

I agree with Charlie when he says sloppy throttle shaft fit can cause the fuel to run out and drip on the manifold. Seems kind of odd about doing it on the choke shaft too though, since it's higher up and the choke plates are a sloppy fit compared to the throttle plates. There shouldn't be fuel dripping with the engine off anyway, unless the fuel level is way high, or it gets hot and boils over, but you said it runs good ? Any chance the fuel is running down from the large round brass screw in plug over the fuel valve on the back side of the bowl top ?

Sal

Thanks for the input all.
Sal and Merc Cruzer- In this case it'll leak with the engine cold or hot. If I run it for 10 seconds and kill it, before any significant heat builds up, the same condition occurs. It may be just the throttle shaft that is leaking and not the choke. The sloppy shaft is a definite possibility. It's got some wear. The big brass screw plug is tight and not leaking.
Regarding a swap, I'm trying to avoid that. I'm going for all stock on this car.
Thanks everyone. Will do more research though the other threads and see about getting a core with a tighter throttle.
AJ

[Merc Cruzer]

Will do more research though the other threads and see about getting a core with a tighter throttle.
AJ


Getting a few cores at swap meets (if there are any going on) is your best bet. Over the years I have collected any I found. Luckily, the people selling them usually don't put too high a price on them, due to their limited application. Try Craigslist locally.

What is the measurement of a good shaft and I will check my stash? Is is usually the shaft or the bushing?

For all the bad press they get, I have been running mine for over 10 years now. Being a purist can be a pain in the butt some times. I have found out, the less you work on them the better.

[scicala]

Originally Posted by Anteek29

Is this how the term "Towering Inferno" started?

That wives tale is only active with people that never touch this style cab in my opinion. Nothing wrong with them at all if done by someone that knows them.

Sal

[scicala]

When these carbs get sloppy throttle shafts it is pretty much always the shaft that wears since the bushings are bronze. I have had some luck by repositioning the bushings to a fresh spot on the shaft to make them fit properly again. You can also send your carb to me for repair, if you wish.



Sal (586) 612-1650 [email protected]

[Merc Cruzer]

AJ,

Fill up you printer and print this off. The manual is always a good thing to have.

http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/m...l19011952.html

[Merc Cruzer]

Originally Posted by Charlie ny

Sal will hopefully join in here, but in my experience excessive clearance between the
throttle shafts and the base can cause this pita problem. Anything over .004 is in
leak infested waters, imho.
Charlie ny

Charlie,

What should the measurement be on the shaft?

Roy

After I posted this, I realized all I have to do is measure the center of the shaft and then the section in the bushing.

[flatheadmurre]

Teapots ain´t bad carbs...usually Mr Red green overtightening them and being worn is the main suspects.
They just needs to be dealt with correctly...and they are less tollerant to abuse then a 94 for sure...
If you´re not familiar with them it´s probably a good investment to send them over to Scicala or Charlie ny.

[Merc Cruzer]

Originally Posted by Lonestaraggie

I’ve got a 53 Mercury Monterey with the original teapot carburetor.
It’s having an issue where fuel leaks into the barrels and dribbles out the choke and throttle shafts and onto the block and into the intake whenever I shut off the engine.
Otherwise she runs great with plenty of power and smooth idle, but I’m not too keen on having gasoline pouring into a hot engine.
My experience with these teapots is very limited, but I don’t see any place where the fuel could leak out of the bottom of the bowl, other than maybe being siphoned out through the jets.
Has anyone encountered and corrected this?
Thanks!
AJ
Los Angeles

If you could post a picture of the area/s where the carb leaks I will see if I have parts for you. You can have them for free, if I have them.

[Charlie ny]

The idea of collecting cores is the best. Sal or I can make & fit oversize throttle shafts
but you can buy a lot of cores vs the cost of fabbing and fitting oversize shafts.
Charlie ny

[Merc Cruzer]

If you buy enough cores, you can build a second carburetor for the car, which is what I did. Then if you want to, send Charley or Sal a carburetor to rebuild, and you can still drive the car. Of if you take a long trip, a second carburetor and distributor, are not bad things to have in the trunk.

[RalphG]

I recently saw a couple of "teapots" advertised here on Kijiji. Think it was $100 for the pair. I've got the 53 parts car so I really should rebuild that one and have it as a spare ready to go.

[Charlie ny]

Gotta remember unless you are fortunate a kit alone will not square away a 65 - 70
year old carb.
Charlie ny

[scicala]

Originally Posted by Charlie ny

Gotta remember unless you are fortunate a kit alone will not square away a 65 - 70
year old carb.
Charlie ny

Amen Charlie.

Also, the rebuildable cores are on EBAY on a fairly regular basis.

Sal

[rotorwrench]

I mostly deal with the older 885 carbs but they are similar. Heavy handed shade tree DIW guys were hard on them back in the day. Warped castings from overtightening or dropping them are not uncommon. I guess if it leaked, they would just tighten it more. I've seen some messed up pieces for sure. I keep a lot of spares around too.