fuel wicks out of stromberg EE-22.

[Bill Stewart]

The gasket between the bowl and cover on my carb is always wet with gas until the fuel is almost gone. The fuel level is exactly where it should be but it "wicks" up the inside of the bowl, blots through the gasket and wets part of the outside of the bowl. I have removed the carb cover, dried the inside of the bowl above the fuel and watched the gas crawl up the side of the bowl like it might wet a blotter. I made a new gasket of rubber (figuring its not "wickable") and fuel still gets out. What am I missing? I can't find anything on the blog about this. This really bugs me---I can always smell gas when I walk in the garage. Doesn't seem like enough to be dangerous, but still---

 

[carbking]

Solutions, in order of difficulty:

 

(1) Learn to live with it!

(2) Stop filling the gasoline tank with fuel (eventually, the wicking will stop)

(3) Leave the garage door open (won't stop the wicking, but will reduce the smell)

(4) Replace the carburetor with (UGH) fuel injection, and a sealed system

(5) Build a refinery, and refine your own gasoline, rather than the fuel we can currently buy.

 

If it makes you feel any better, it takes about 3 weeks for the fuel (it ain't gasoline) smell in my garage to cease after I have parked a 1979 model car.

 

PS - there is a (6) but if mentioned, the thread would be locked

 

Jon.

[Morgan Wright]

Don't know what year your car is, but those of us with old updraft carbs and vacuum tanks always just shut the bottom valve on the vacuum tank when we park the car, and open it to start it. No problem. No way to stop the dripping from the carb otherwise.

[Bill Stewart]

Morgan, my car is a 36 Roadmaster. This is not the first time I've learned something that everyone else seems to know. I'm thinking hard about carbkings suggestions to decide which ones to try. I'll let everybody know what works.

[Morgan Wright]

It has a downdraft carb? Ignore my post, it's about the vacuum tank setup.

[Bill Stewart]

Thanks Morgan. I realized that you didn't know that my carb is a downdraft. 

I especially appreciated the helpful suggestions from the king of carbs though. I am sure he would only propose solutions that he has tried and found useful. I wondered if he has considered filling the carb on his 1979 with epoxy to eliminate the odor. Or maybe he could consult a specialist.

[50jetback]

Bill, the good thing is this problem doesn't occur while the car is running. That big 320 straight 8 sucks up every drop or fuel I feed into my 36 Century to the point where I'm considering carbkings suggestion No.5 just to keep up supply. 

[carbking]

Bill - if you glue the top casting to the center casting, you will only change the wicking destination. The fuel will now wick up the bowl vent (a carburetor must have a bowl vent to allow inflow/outflow of the fuel), and either fall down on the throttle plates, or if the temperature is sufficiently hot it will vaporize into the air cleaner. If it drops onto the throttle plate, it will then either flow beside the throttle shaft and drip on the intake (throttle plates closed) or drip down into the intake manifold (throttle plates cracked open).

 

In either case, the bowl will still go dry over time, with an odor in the garage until the bowl goes dry; and may be difficult to start.

 

The castings are better on my 1979, so there is no leak at the gasket, but it does vaporize into the air cleaner, and the odor in the garage is present.

 

I do not drive this vehicle in very cold weather, and I DO open the garage door in warm weather (to allow the fuel fumes to clear). 

 

And if I have to drive the vehicle in cold weather, I LIVE WITH IT! so yes, I have experience with (1), (2), and (3). As far as (4) is concerned, I try to go the other way, replacing efi (if I legally can) with a carburetor/carburetors. And I shutter to ever think about what government regulations might be required for (5) if I could afford to consider (5). I have been trying (6) for years, without success (there is only one of me  ).

 

Jon.

[Bill Stewart]

Carbkings reply to my original question was not serious. Neither was my similar quality response suggesting that he fill his carb with epoxy. Carbking misunderstood my suggestion, thinking that I was making some kind of serious suggestion. All of this is not constructive.

So, seriously, has anyone ever come upon an idea to stop gasoline from wicking out of the carb? Coating the inside of the bowl and cover with something impervious to fuel? Something like the old shellac on carb floats (before modern fuels). A few years ago I made a fiberglass gas tank for a boat using epoxy resin. Still good after at least 15 years. Any thoughts?  

[edinmass]

The basic fundamental problem.........what your pumping in the tank from the “gas station” is no longer gasoline. Every car in our collection has adjustments for today’s “sxxt for fuel” we run. That said, with some effort, you can get past most issues. I could type a hundred pages on how to reduce fuel hot soak, and smell in the garage. The easy fix..............get rid of the wife and the fuel smell complaints will stop. The smell will never end......unless the tank is empty.

Edited March 7, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[37_Roadmaster_C]

Bill, Carbking was ,I think, actually being serious with humor. His second post actually tells the story. He said that even if glued together the fuel would still wick up the vent and wet things and stink.  The old shellac is still available if you look hard enough, but it will not work as well as you think. Shellac is softened/dissolved by alcohol and that is now 10% of our fuel. I think we just have to grumble and live with it. JMHO......

[Bill Stewart]

Actually carbking, thank you for your response. I take it that this wicking problem would not have been present when the cars were built, but because of thinner (actually)? fuel and the porosity or surface "fuzziness" of the old castings, the wicking is a modern problem. I bought my 36 (now parts car) in 1956 and I recall no such odor situation in the garage then. Of course my memory may be as "fuzzy" as the old castings and I didn't have a wife who thinks gas odors in the garage are a negative thing.

[Bill Stewart]

Actually carbking, thank you for your response. I take it that this wicking problem would not have been present when the cars were built, but because of thinner (actually)? fuel and the porosity or surface "fuzziness" of the old castings, the wicking is a modern problem. I bought my 36 (now parts car) in 1956 and I recall no such odor situation in the garage then. Of course my memory may be as "fuzzy" as the old castings and I didn't have a wife who thinks gas odors in the garage are a negative thing.

[Bill Stewart]

I really do hate it when I raise an issue that all you old folks think is off the wall----but if modern fuels are such a problem can the old fuels be approximated by cutting slightly with a less refined product, perhaps kerosene or diesel? Would that result in a lower octane rating?

[Gary W]

Good morning Bill!

 

I have experienced this "hot soak" with my '37 Special as well.  Every time I come in from a ride, the gasoline smell fills the garage and my carburetor gaskets get damp.

If my car sat for more than five days, it required excessive cranking to start as the carburetor completely evaporated to empty.  

I posted my issue in my blog and was introduced to the term "HOT SOAK".  It is not a carburetor problem.  Today's fuels are much more volatile and evaporate easily and that seems to be the main culprit.

 

If you read the last few pages of my blog, the discussion is fully documented and some of the fixes, including a discussion on how to REMOVE THE ETHANOL from your gasoline.  

 

Here are some things I did to minimize the issue:

1. I stopped using the 93 octane Sunoco Ultra and now use 87 octane fuel in my car

2. Using "Play-Doh" on top of the air filter, close the hood to measure the clearance between hood and air cleaner. Stack as many gaskets as possible to get the carburetor off the heat.

3. I've installed an accessory electric fuel pump to fill the carburetor when she sits more than a few days, as much of the fuel was evaporated out by then.

4. When I installed the fuel pump, I installed plug valves fore and aft of the pump (in my mind to make a pump change easier should the unit fail), BUT, as an added benefit, I can now simply shut off the forward plug valve and allow the engine to run out of gas, and there is no evaporation issue, no smell, no wet gaskets when she runs herself dry.

 

I really only use the #4 shut off valve when I know the car will be sitting for a while or the weather is freezing and I can't leave the door open or company is coming over (the smell).

But it does work.

 

(You can install a single plug valve anywhere in the fuel line, even right up before the carburetor to shut off the fuel supply to the carburetor.  I did mine under the car because I don't like constantly opening the hood and I wasn't even thinking of this "Hot Soak" issue.  I was only thinking of making it easier to change the electric fuel pump should it fail.)

 

First Link is the original carburetor question that explains the "Hot Soak", the smell, today's fuels..... (Touch the arrow in the upper right corner)

 

 

Second Link is the 6-part accessory electric fuel pump installation, and the position of the 5/16" in-line plug valves:

 

I hope this helps you out.  

Have a great day!  Gary

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Gary W (see edit history)

[carbking]

Bill - as you have realized, the fuel is the problem (well, one of them). The other is that in 1938 very few individuals garaged their car.

 

My daily drivers sit outside to this day.

 

In 1938, gasoline was available; although so was ethanol. Every other generation of Americans seems to have to learn that alcohol is not a very good fuel, creating far more issues than it solves!

 

But even if one buys fuel that is ethanol free, there are still other additives that create issues. Even without the ethanol, since the late 1960's, it has been fuel, not gasoline.

 

Regarding your last question concerning adding something to solve the issue: to my knowledge, no one has figured out an additive that will subtract the issue.

 

As to the odor, some folks have more sensitive noses than others; one of several reasons my daily drivers sit outside.

 

A few years ago, there was a lot of discussion on the vapors in the garage issue from California folks. Evidently, some localities in California require hot water heaters to be placed in the garage, and many hot water heaters are either propane or natural gas. The issue was never resolved, other than switch out the gas-fired hot water heaters with electric.

 

One term you might find interesting in researching, rather than "thinner" gas, is Reid Vapor Pressure.

 

Finally, if my Dad were still with us, he would compliment you on your choice of car. The 1938 Buick was his all time favorite car, and he never owned one.

 

Jon.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

May an OLD old-timer jump in here?   Actually, gas and carbs and gaskets did the exact same thing when built. Carbs would turn red from the lead in Ethyl gas. All seams wicked/leaked gas or oil or both. Cars did not become "dry" until the '90s sometime. Garages, if one had one, were not airtight. Cars SMELLED!

 

  Ben

[Bill Stewart]

Thanks for all the ideas everybody. I got hooked on Gary W's links re: carburetors/fuel pumps/gas tank senders/etc. Remarkable work Gary! Thanks. I will be going through all your contributions whether it involves a problem of mine or not!

This whole discussion led me to follow everybody's ideas, and my own, all over the blog. Very helpful. Most contributors are very considerate no matter how new or uninformed the questioner may be. I had not known until today that there is a website to find no alcohol gas or that we can remove alcohol by mixing the gas with water to separate. Something so obvious, but I hadn't thought of it myself.