WPVT Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Should the inlet needle and seat in a Carter BB carburetor be spring loaded ? The carb is a DTE2. When I disassembled mine, a small spring and brass plunger fell out, which was a surprise to me. Most kits (and diagrams) don't include a spring. I am wondering if some do and some don't, and whether I should use the old spring with the new Viton tipped needle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 10 hours ago, WPVT said: "Should the inlet needle and seat in a Carter BB carburetor be spring loaded ? " - Maybe "The carb is a DTE2." - Not originally in this specific BBR carburetor. Carter made lots of different fuel valves (well over 1000). Since the BBR is not one of my favorite Carters, have not studied the differences in the various models as I have some of Carter's better offerings. But the specified (original) fuel valve for the DTE2 was 25-102s which was brass seat with Monel steel needle. Once neopreme needles came out, the Monel steel needle was superseded by the neopreme needle. Some previous owner probably installed the spring-loaded valve as an attempt to stop the carburetor from flooding, a common problem on these models due to warpage. Probably more important than spring-loaded versus neopreme tipped is the fuel seat orifice. The cheap kits often have the wrong fuel orifice, which also can contribute to flooding. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPVT Posted July 31, 2020 Author Share Posted July 31, 2020 Thanks. Is there a down side to having the needle spring loaded ? Will the incoming fuel be fighting the spring pressure ? In this instance, hard to believe the spring was a well informed retrofit. The truck just didn't get that kind of attention. The truck, by the way, is a 1954 Dodge C-1-B6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Carter developed the spring-loaded fuel valve in the 1930's for use with off-road vehicles, and marine applications. It was not original to your carburetor. If the plunger is Monel steel, and you don't off-road, the neopreme-tipped valve with the correct orifice seat would be way to go. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPVT Posted July 31, 2020 Author Share Posted July 31, 2020 Thanks CarbKing. So I am faced with the choice of using the inlet needle and seat that are already in the carb, or replacing it with the one that came in the kit. The existing needle has a blunt polished steel tip and the orifice is .116". It has a spring, and a small brass plunger that fit inside of the needle. It seats well and works properly. The replacement that came with the kit has a conventional Viton tip and an orifice of .090". It's a Dodge 218 engine with a mechanical fuel pump. It's a half ton pickup that will be driven on the road, with an occasional slow trip into a hayfield. Are either of these good choices ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojh Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 I'd stay with what is working properly, if I recall correct those carbs have sideways mounted needle & seat, not a good application for springloaded moving parts but if it has a history of working and you have confidence in it I'd stay with it. I wonder where it came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 0.116 is huge for a 218 engine. Rochester used 0.112 on a Pontiac 400. I would have to pull a print to check the diameter of the 25-102s, but Carter used 0.086 for the Chevrolet 216. I sell enough of those to remember. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPVT Posted July 31, 2020 Author Share Posted July 31, 2020 I went ahead and installed the new needle and seat. Smaller orifice and no spring. The truck didn't run very well when I bought it, probably due to a number of things, not necessarily the spring loaded needle. I'll hang on to the needle with the spring, just in case. I just started the engine and it runs fine. I'll do some road testing (but no off-road testing). If the fuel bowl gets enough gas for the engine to do what's asked of it, and the needle doesn't stick, then I'll be happy. I have a feeling it probably would have worked OK either way. Thanks to both of you for your sound advice. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 I’ll try not to derail the thread. Are neopreme needles subject to damage from modern fuels? I have tried a couple of them on my Stromberg EXV2 and they don’t seem to work as well as the solid brass. Thanks, Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Zeke - it is a great question, and I think I will post a new topic for it. Jon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 6 minutes ago, carbking said: Zeke - it is a great question, and I think I will post a new topic for it. Jon. Thanks. Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 carbking is one of my favourite bloggers. I always learn something from him. Harry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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