Carb leaking when running

[XunrestoredX31Xtudor]

My old man an I just got a 31 from my grandpa. After wrenching on it for about three days we got it running an driving after sitting for about twenty years ha ha! Got to love American made. Anyway, the carb leaks only when it's running, an before pull in it off an tearing it down was hopeing to get a little help from some experts. What typically goes bad on them where to find the parts. Definatly a budget build so any an all info is appreciated. Thanks gents.

Dustin

[Tom Wesenberg]

A gasket kit is cheap and cleaning the carb inside may be all it needs. I'd suspect something is in the needle and seat and letting gas flow when the float should stop it. Steve Pargetter has a good book on carb rebuilding and you can buy it from Bert's, Bratton's, Snyder's and many other Model A parts dealers.

[Dave in MN]

Follow Tom's advice...a carb gasket kit should be all the parts you need. Buy a pressurized can of carb cleaner to spray through the jets. Do it a couple times to make sure they are open. If you try probing the jets with a wire, you may enlarge the opening and cause yourself problems. If you decide to probe the jet, make sure the wire is smaller than the jet opening and be gentle. The needle and seat should also be cleaned with carb cleaner to remove any deposits.
Tom Endy has a good method of cleaning a carb. Do a search for his past posts and you will find a link to his document.
Good Day

[C26Pinelake]

Is your old man your father ??? Hope you respect the Model A more than your dad !

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by C26Pinelake

Is your old man your father ??? Hope you respect the Model A more than your dad !

C26Pinelake,
When Gregg calls me "OLD MAN," I don't consider it disrespectful, more like experienced, been around the HORN, etc. He thinks calling me Bill is disrespectful, says Dad instead. I wish my kids would call me Bill, or a made up HANDLE!
I never felt comfortable calling my dad Dempsey, somewhere the name CHIEF came about. Bill W.

[Junior]

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When my dad and I are working on cars, which we do quite a bit in our spare time, we call each other all sorts of names. Not disrespectful, it's just the way we are when turning wrenches. We are identical in short temperament. Some other family members hide out near the garage so they can listen because they think it's hilarious they way we carry on with each other. Years ago, I was holding a flashlight for him and he was climbing all over me because I was shining it on whatever it was he was looking at. I had a cup of cold ice water in the other hand and I just poured that whole cup of ice water right down the crack of his behind as he was bent over. He cussed and ran after me like a wild man and I ran like a bat out of you know what. We still laugh about that today. Great times.

[C26Pinelake]

Dad to me is a title of respect. The " old man " in my opinion is very disrespectable. Call him by his first name, his nick name or whatever but not the old man !

[XunrestoredX31Xtudor]

Anyways, thanks for your help gentlemen and your personal opinions too I suppose. Is there a preferred rebuilt kit brand or source? I like that advice. Also I forgot to mention it is not leaking out of the intake but higher up on the carb could that still be the jets or just gaskets/seals?

[XunrestoredX31Xtudor]

Also we just put a brand new battery in it last night and it worked great. No more hand cranking. Than tonight went to start it an the battery was dead in 24 hours is this normal? Is there a fix besides a battery disconnect. I'm sure from the factory they didn't drain overnight, or did they? Where could the draw be? Also when running oil pressure gauge says rite around twenty psi is this appropriate for these engines? When not running the gauge says around ten. Maybe a bad gauge? Or the gauge line is plugged? What do you guys think? Also when running the amps read 10 discharge is this normal? Does that mean alternator issue? Thank you very much for all your help much appreciated! Sorry for so many questions.

[XunrestoredX31Xtudor]

Oh an I apologize if I offended anyone I defiantly respect my dad. If I didn't probably would be hanging out with him wrenching on a piece of history. He knows I respect him too I suppose everybody is different though.

[XunrestoredX31Xtudor]

Thank you for the help sounds like the generator is a good place to start than.

[Tom Wesenberg]

The generator won't drain the battery if the cutout is working like it should. The cutout is simply an OFF-ON switch which disconnects the battery from the generator when the generator output falls below the battery voltage. I find generators and original cutouts very reliable and have never had a problem with either one since I've been driving Model A's.

First disconnect the battery and use a 3 to 6 amp battery charger for several hours to bring the battery back to full charge. Remember, Model A's are + ground.

The short could be one of several things:
1. stuck brake light switch
2. repro ignition switch touching the gas tank and shorting to ground
3. headlight switch left on
4. stuck generator cutout
5. bare wires
6. burned insulation board inside the ammeter
7. a bad alternator, if that's what you have

[C26Pinelake]

Jack 29 Get a life. The rest of the Barn does not understand !
Your opinion means nothing and the comparison shows a lack of understanding. Because you called someone a whippersnipper bears no comparison to the subject matter. It looks like you were looking for a little self exposure and a pat on the back and if anything you hurt his case rather than helped. With friends like you who needs enemies. I am indeed he respects his father because we only get one in this life !

[C26Pinelake]

What close the thread because you have shown your lack of intelligence. Get off the man's site and get to your powder puff derby on ladies night !!
I have 33 private emails supporting me, what do you have loser ?

[Rusty Homestead Fl]

Hey Dustin
You and your ol' man (LOL) should have hours of fun with your new project from Grandpa. You two are very fortunate to have this time together. You'll get lots of answers to your questions here whether you ask or just lurk. You'll find the "search" option valuable but it takes a while to go through to find what you want. FYI.. Tom Wesenberg knows his electrical so he's someone to pay attention to, along with many more that are well experienced with every aspect of the Model A. You'll learn a ton here. Best of luck, Rusty

[C26Pinelake]

Heh Dustin I agree with Rusty ! Model A's are a whole new world to explore and enjoy. Generally not too complicated but when the going gets tough the answerts are here. I have several and on any given day each one can be my favorite.
Sorry if I offended you !
Pinelake ( Wayne )

[XunrestoredX31Xtudor]

Thanks for all your help gentleman, a little bit of expert knowledge sure makes wrenching much more fun. Not a problem Wayne, everyone has different opinions and experiences, thanks for the apology anyhow though. Well the fact that they are positive ground may have made a difference oops, ha ha. Bit of a model A learning curve i suppose So one more new battery later while running the thing is charging in the rite direction. Still loosing power though while sitting so We will start going down toms punch list, thank you by the way. We have a side project going now too pulled the horn off and hooked it up to power and got it spinning where it wouldn't before probably had bad contact, but it still won't make awooga. Pulled it apart cleaned all the crud off the diaphragm put it back together. Still spins still no sound. Adjusted the depth both ways even until it stopped it from spinning still no sound. Is it spinning to slow? I can hear the gear making contact with the tit on the diaphragm, any thoughts? I only loosely understand how the things work. Thanks again

Dustin

[Tom Wesenberg]

The horn diaphram must be turned so the chisel point hits the wavey washer with the peaks parallel to each other. If the armature is spinning them you should be able to turn the adjustment screw in until the peaks start striking each other.