34 Ford Carburetor

[34 fordor owner]

Hello everyone I have a no start issue and I believe the issue I am at now is the carb not feeding gas to the engine. I have a Holley 94 model 59 on my 1934 Ford and I’m not sure how to rebuild one of these since I am new to flat head engines. Is it better to send this off to get rebuilt or rebuild on my own? Does anyone have a good rebuilding kit for these?

Thanks again!

[Terry,OH]

Daytona has the rebuilding kit, they are in Fla and on the web.

[drolston]

Before you go any further, please tell us why you think it is the carburetor.
Are you sure you have good spark at the plugs when cranking?
Will it fire up if you pour a little gas in the carb and then crank it?
Does the accelerator pump spray stream of gas in the carb throat when opening the throttle?

But to answer your question directly, - If you are new to flatheads, it is probably better to send the carb off to one of those on this forum that do that all the time.

[nickthebandit]

If you determine that it is a carburetor problem, send your carburetor to Charlie NY here on The Ford Barn. IMO, he is the Ford / Holley 94 Guru.

[Lawson Cox]

Originally Posted by nickthebandit

If you determine that it is a carburetor problem, send your carburetor to Charlie NY here on The Ford Barn. IMO, he is the Ford / Holley 94 Guru.

I'll second the nomination of Charlie NY. He just did one for me. Super nice guy to deal with too.

[tubman]

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I will third the recommendations for "Charlie ny". If you find out that your current carburetor is complete junk and needs replacement, consider getting one of the English Stromberg 97 reproductions currently available. Be aware that the "9Super7" available from Speedway Motors is not a true reproductions and has a bad reputation.

While the '34's came with a Stromberg model 48, the 97 is a lot closer to correct than a 94 (48's are getting tough to find).

[34 fordor owner]

Originally Posted by drolston

Before you go any further, please tell us why you think it is the carburetor.
Are you sure you have good spark at the plugs when cranking?
Will it fire up if you pour a little gas in the carb and then crank it?
Does the accelerator pump spray stream of gas in the carb throat when opening the throttle?

But to answer your question directly, - If you are new to flatheads, it is probably better to send the carb off to one of those on this forum that do that all the time.

That there is where I am a bit stuck. I checked spark and there is good spark but pouring gas down carb does not make it fire. Also to the other part of your question the pump does not spray gas into the carb but is getting to to the fuel pump. Any ideas?

Thank you to everyone who suggested the rebuild kit and Charlie NY I will look into this!

[drolston]

What has changed since the engine was last running okay? Any modifications, upgrades, or adjustments to the engine, ignition, fuel system?

If the spark is good any you put a few tablespoons of gas down the carb, it should fire and run for a few seconds, even is the carb is completely bad. Very strange.

Check the spark plugs. If they are wet, oily or sooty, replace them with new plugs, and then crank it with a little gas down the carb. Should fire.

[nickthebandit]

Tubman, I don't think that model 48, or model 40 carburetors are hard to find. I have at
least 25 of each sitting on the bench. The model 40 was the precursor to the model 48.

[Terry,OH]

If no fuel coming out of the two nozzles in the venturi and there is fuel then there appears to be a blockage. IMO remove the carb and have some fun taking it apart and note the position of all the small pieces, clean and blow it out and reassemble with the old parts and gaskets see if you can get it to work. If that fails send it to Charlie. If it works get the rebuilding kit and DIY. If you do not have the parts breakdown someone here can post it for you. The rebuilding kit comes with instructions.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by nickthebandit

Tubman, I don't think that model 48, or model 40 carburetors are hard to find. I have at least 25 of each sitting on the bench. The model 40 was the precursor to the model 48.

This is exactly why they are so hard to find,

[34 fordor owner]

Originally Posted by drolston

What has changed since the engine was last running okay? Any modifications, upgrades, or adjustments to the engine, ignition, fuel system?

If the spark is good any you put a few tablespoons of gas down the carb, it should fire and run for a few seconds, even is the carb is completely bad. Very strange.

Check the spark plugs. If they are wet, oily or sooty, replace them with new plugs, and then crank it with a little gas down the carb. Should fire.

It has been sitting for a few years but when last parked it was running fine. I have only cleaned the gas tank and fuel lines. I have also had the distributor rebuilt with new wires and spark plugs along with it. I am at a loss of what it could be.

[Ron Pilger]

order a carb kit, find someone in your area with a bit of mechanical knowledge, and who uses an ultrasonic cleaner. The results will be noticeable.

[Bob C]

If it's been sitting that long I would pull the top off the carb and see if there is
old dried out gas that looks like shellac in the bowl.

[34 fordor owner]

Originally Posted by Bob C

If it's been sitting that long I would pull the top off the carb and see if there is
old dried out gas that looks like shellac in the bowl.

I plan on doing this and going ahead and getting the carb rebuilt and cleaned I know it’ll need it sooner or later.

Thank you to everyone for the help and if anyone has any other ideas on things I could do and or check it’s greatly appreciated!!

[Daves55Sedan]

Did you "prime" the fuel line after the cleaning process? You may have a dry fuel line (along the car frame side-rail).
To check this, disconnect the fuel line from the carb and crank the engine. If gas comes out of the line, it's okay. If not, the supply line is dry (or blocked, probably with ethanol deposits).
To prime a dry line, I have always disconnected the flexible hose from supply line to fuel pump. Hook a gas hose to the supply line and connect a small funnel on top and fill the line with gas. (You can use a clean vegetable can with a spout bent into the top to pour gas into the the funnel). Stop pouring when gas sits in the funnel without going down. Re-connect your fuel line to pump again.
Prime the float bowl in your carb by using the same vegetable can. I think the Holley 94 has the same vent tube from the float bowl sticking up in the carb throat that the Ford 8BA, Ford EBU and later "bug-sprayer" carbs had in the early to mid '50's.
You can pour gas directly from your tuna can or vegetable can down that vent tube.
Not too much gas. About 1/4 of a tuna can high is plenty to fill the float bowl.

[tubman]

I use one of the "squeeze bottle" ketchup containers for priming the carbs. I have never had a problem wit gasoline dissolving the containers; I think ketchup is toxic enough so the manufacturers have taken care of that problem.

[paul2748]

It's a shame that people hoard things beyond their need for them.

Originally Posted by nickthebandit

Tubman, I don't think that model 48, or model 40 carburetors are hard to find. I have at
least 25 of each sitting on the bench. The model 40 was the precursor to the model 48.

[tubman]

Here's a little story. About 25 years ago, I bought a "4 in a row" Weiand manifold for the early hemi in my dirt modified. I had a bunch of 94's I was gonna use on it, but it turned out that the 94's wouldn't fit; the manifold was designed for 97's. At the time, I had a friend who had literally dozens of 97's. I asked him if I could buy four from him. I told him I would rebuild them and return them to him if I didn't need then some time down the road. He turned me down flat. I finally got 4 carburetors from Baxter Ford in Kansas; big logo, small logo and one had a "grang" in the choke area that precluded the installation of the choke plate. It all didn't matter to me, since I was "goin' racin'".

I talked to my friend a few months ago, and he said that he was in the process of liqudating his stash, and was having trouble finding anyone who wanted it.