Zenith carburetors

[glenn in camino]

I have 5 Zenith carburetors that I just tried to rebuild. They're beautiful and they run good, but when I slow down to a stop, the engine dies. All the butterfly shafts are snug and the floats are within spec. I did not drill out the brass plugs, but I soaked all the parts in muratic acid and acetone, and blew out all the passages with air. Maybe I need to drill out the brass plugs and do the cleaning out again. What do you think?

[Will Ziegler in LI NY]

When I have had carbs do that it was usually related to the float height. Usually set to high.

[Capt Quahog]

Do yourself a big favor. If your Model A Ford is a driving car rather than a show piece, then remove the Zenith and replace it with a sweet running rebuilt / new MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor. Then, take the best looking of those Zenith carbs and as I did, mount the thing on a display stand for viewing. The antiquated troublesome Zeniths are most certainly very nice to look at.

[glenn in camino]

I got a nice email from my SoCal friend Tom Endy. Tom rebuilt carbs for many years and offered several suggestions for my problem. I'll try them starting next week. Thanks Tom.

[HoarseWhisperer]

Originally Posted by Capt Quahog

Do yourself a big favor. If your Model A Ford is a driving car rather than a show piece, then remove the Zenith and replace it with a sweet running rebuilt / new MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor. Then, take the best looking of those Zenith carbs and as I did, mount the thing on a display stand for viewing. The antiquated troublesome Zeniths are most certainly very nice to look at.

Sorry, but properly rebuilt & jetted, my Zeniths have given me thousands of miles of great performance touring. Tom Endy is a good resource: https://www.brattons.com/media/wysiw..._-_11-2007.pdf

[Mike V. Florida]

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Originally Posted by Capt Quahog

Do yourself a big favor. If your Model A Ford is a driving car rather than a show piece, then remove the Zenith and replace it with a sweet running rebuilt / new MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor. Then, take the best looking of those Zenith carbs and as I did, mount the thing on a display stand for viewing. The antiquated troublesome Zeniths are most certainly very nice to look at.

Originally Posted by HoarseWhisperer

Sorry, but properly rebuilt & jetted, my Zeniths have given me thousands of miles of great performance touring. Tom Endy is a good resource: https://www.brattons.com/media/wysiw..._-_11-2007.pdf

Any of the carbs properly rebuilt will work great. Berts sells a rebuilt and tested unit. There are new tilistons, and zeniths available as well as the zenith forklift carb so popular a few years ago.

Check here, http://www.model-a.org/

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by Will Ziegler in LI NY

When I have had carbs do that it was usually related to the float height. Usually set to high.

Times 2

[Mark in MT]

Stalling at a sudden stop is irritating, but fixable. If the throttle plate is not adjusted properly, the carb will not pull the fuel from the idle discharge port in the side of the bore. You will have trouble adjusting the idle mixture and raise the idle speed to compensate. Try loosening the throttle plate screws, and with the idle stop screw backed all the way out, tap on the plate while holding tension on the lever to close it. This will center the plate in the bore and place it near enough to the port to work right. Tighten the screws and hold it up to the light, it should almost black out the light. If there are warts, burrs, or pimples on the plate, remove it and dress it up with a file to get it smooth. Some of the plates have a notch or bevel on one side, that goes towards the port.

The idle jet must be sized correctly for your engine, if it is not right you can't get it to idle slow enough, and it will not run on the idle circuit. The idle circuit only operates at very slow idle. If you can't adjust idle quality with the air screw,it is idling too fast or the jet is the wrong size, or the idle port is plugged.

Properly adjusted, the Zenith will idle smoothly at 400 rpm and stay running during a hard stop. Once you get it right, it will run great.

[pgerhardt]

There are many who will state that if your Zenith has a problem it is just not set up correctly. This may be true, but the it is also a fact that Zenith themselves regarded their original design flawed enough to completely change it in 1932. Then there is the problem that things can change over time and even a properly set up Zenith that has run fine for months can suddenly start stop-stalling. Mine did!

I think it is fair to say that while a perfectly set up Zenith will result in a wonderfully running model A engine, it is not an as forgiving or resilient design as some others.

After my fully rebuilt and tested Zenith with flow tested jets (after months of no problems) started stop-stalling , I went with a Marvel carb and never looked back.

BTW if you are looking for one, look for the patent # 1536043.

[Capt Quahog]

You just don't know how to properly rebuild one.

I don't rebuild carburetors as I have neither the skill, patience or inclination. Would rather leave it up to those competent who know what they're doing.

Meanwhile, look above at that sweet MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor!

[harleynut]

I agree with Capt Quahog.....I put a Marvel on mine and it made very big difference.....I don't have the knack for rebuilding old carbs either.

[DougVieyra]

So, if the MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor is so great - how come I can't find one ? What is the source for a M-S Carb. specifically made for the Ford Model A ?

I can easily find a number of websites (google search term "MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor") that can give websites for both the 'Marvel' and the 'Marvel Schebler' carburetor - but nothing that specifically is targeted for the Model A.

So, all you MARVEL-SCHEBLER fans, where can you direct a buyer to buy a new or rebuilt M-S Carb. for the Model A Ford ?

[harleynut]

I got mine on e bay

[DougVieyra]

Thanks, harleynut. I did check on ebay and currently there is a "professionally" rebuilt one for $175.

One of the concerns that I had about Marvel-Schebler carburetors is getting parts for an obsolete and hard-to-find odd-ball carburetor.

It turns out that RENNER'S CORNER has a full line of parts to rebuild all aspects of the 'Allstate 2405' Marvel-Schebler Carburetor. So at least that makes the carburetor at least viable for use on a Model A.

[700rpm]

Henry made 5,000,000 Model A's using Zenith carbs, and had a direct hand in their design. That's good enough for me. If my Zeniths have a problem, I figure it's my fault, not Ford's.

[harleynut]

Doug, that's where I got mine and that's what I paid. Plus he bought old Tillotson from me that I had laying around.

[pgerhardt]

Originally Posted by DougVieyra

So, if the MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor is so great - how come I can't find one ? What is the source for a M-S Carb. specifically made for the Ford Model A ?

I can easily find a number of websites (google search term "MARVEL SCHEBLER carburetor") that can give websites for both the 'Marvel' and the 'Marvel Schebler' carburetor - but nothing that specifically is targeted for the Model A.

So, all you MARVEL-SCHEBLER fans, where can you direct a buyer to buy a new or rebuilt M-S Carb. for the Model A Ford ?

Look Here: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...tor+&_sacat=0"

The first one id fully rebuilt and tested. It is what I am running.

[pgerhardt]

Originally Posted by 700rpm

Henry made 5,000,000 Model A's using Zenith carbs, and had a direct hand in their design. That's good enough for me. If my Zeniths have a problem, I figure it's my fault, not Ford's.

I can not imagine the then old and incredibly rich Henry Ford sitting at a drafting table designing the Zenith carb. I can easily imagine him choosing the proposal from the Zenith company as his most cost effective carb solution.

[1931 flamingo]

Will an air maze bolt on??
Paul in CT

[jeep44]

I picked this grubby, dirty Marvel up a few weeks ago, when I went to see some Model A parts on Craigslist-it was sitting on a shelf with a couple of Zeniths and a bunch of Tillotsons. I got the kit from Renners, so I guess I'll be cleaning this one up and seeing how it does.