redbaron1930 Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Hello Everybody; I have a 1916 D-45 that 95% of the time runs great, then either at idle or while driving it wants to flood ( I think) it will stall at idle unless I give it a lot of throttle, black smoke, and I have seen gas drip from the carb. My first reaction was a float problem, so I took it all apart and everything seems to work just fine and is in pretty good shape. I am just wondering what I am missing here and if anybody has had an experience like this? As always all help and insight is appreciated. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Does it have the original cork float? If so, you need to replace the float. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 Larry; Yes it has a cork float which is quite old if not original, do you replace it with fresh cork or is there a material that works better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian_Heil Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Nitrophyl is the material. Carves up, files and sands very easy. It’s a high tech closed cell dense foam impervious to modern fuels. All your favorite old car parts houses sell it in a block ready for you to whittle away. ~$6. I did my 1923 2 years ago and probably 20 years too late. Great results. Give yourself enough clearance to the carb bowl wall. On my first attempt mine was hanging up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 Brian; Thanks I'll give this a go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian_Heil Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Put your coping saw with a fresh blade in your vice and hold the material in your hand. If you have a small hobby band saw better yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 A stationary belt sander works well for carving the float. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 I have a good belt sander and a scroll saw, so I should be able to get it done. I'll keep you posted as to the results and thanks for pointing me in the right direction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian_Heil Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 You are all set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Wear a mask when carving, sanding, whatever! Formaldehyde particles are not good for the lungs! Jon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 Thanks for the info on the float, There is one other thing I just noticed and that is that the float needle has a slight ring around the seat area, probably wear from 100+ years of metal to metal contact, however I wouldn't think that it would cause this type of intermittent catastrophic flooding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Of course, the real solution to the float: Brass float top Brass float side Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 55 minutes ago, carbking said: Of course, the real solution to the float: Brass float top Brass float side Jon Are these custom made at your shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 No, insufficient demand. The one pictured is new old replacement stock. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted July 2, 2021 Author Share Posted July 2, 2021 In an interesting development on this problem, I took apart the vacuum tank and found that the valves were not closing when the float was all the way up.I fixed the problem but I am also in the process of changing the float so i haven't started it yet, but is it possible that if the Vac tank valves didn't close that it could overfill and suck raw gas right into the intake manifold? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 Andy, you identified the problem in the vacuum tank right on. That was what was happening with the tank on my '20. The springs were replaced in the lid so that the valve closed properly and the problem was solved. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted July 2, 2021 Author Share Posted July 2, 2021 Hey Terry, good to hear from you. Do you have a source or part number for the springs you used? For now I just cleaned all the pivot points and gave them a little lubrication, so for now they are working fine and may be OK for a while but it sounds like a good idea to put new springs in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 I would talk with John Wolf out in Willoughby, Ohio about the springs. He has a whole bunch of NOS Stewart vacuum tank parts and pieces. He rebuilt the tanks for my '16 and the '20 and did the fix for my'20's tank. He will be the person you will want to talk with. His contact information is on his website - John Wolf and Company. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 The standard spring and gasket kit is available from BOB'S. On my tank I had to re-solder the outer tank then clean both inner and outer to prep for gas tank sealer. They were pretty rusty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron1930 Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 Just a quick update on this, I cleaned and lubricated all the linkage on the vacuum tank and got it working properly, I also changed the float on the carb. We took the car out for a 30 mile drive yesterday (4th of July) and it never ran so well, it didn't miss a beat in all 30 miles. Thanks to all for the help on this. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 On 7/1/2021 at 8:06 PM, redbaron1930 said: In an interesting development on this problem, I took apart the vacuum tank and found that the valves were not closing when the float was all the way up.I fixed the problem but I am also in the process of changing the float so i haven't started it yet, but is it possible that if the Vac tank valves didn't close that it could overfill and suck raw gas right into the intake manifold? On my vacuum tank the springs were a little weak and not closing the valves properly, so I just made the springs a little shorter. Cut about 1/2 inch off the spring and re-bent the new ends to fit.......worked perfectly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 10:52 AM, carbking said: Of course, the real solution to the float: Brass float top Brass float side Jon I'm doing an experiment now to see if Red Kote works on cork. I'm looking for a strong tough coating that doesn't make the cork any heavier. Red Kote is permanent in gasoline, the question is..... does it stick to cork. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 The verdict is in. Red Kote form an extremely strong coat. I can't scrape it off with a thumbnail, even steel can't budge it. It's as strong as rubber. So I'm using it to coat my carb float. My nitrophyl float weighs 5 grams and my cork float, exactly the same dimensions, weighs 8 grams. So if I coat the nitrophyl float with 3 grams of Red Kote it will weigh the same as cork, which is what the carb was designed for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 The hardware for the float weighs 16 grams for a total of: 21 grams nitrophyl float plus hardware 24 grams cork float plus hardware So I plan to use the nitrophyl float, attach it to the hardware, and coat it with as many coats as I need to make it 24 grams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Not bad, huh? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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