marvh (or anyone),



Previous comment re: worn/loose/leaking metal vacuum line (carb-to-dist. diaphragm) connection, and resultant lessening of minimal vacuum signal:



I have always wondered why the factory vacuum line had no flare? It seems to me that air would be harder to secure than fluids (?), and the brass carb/diaphragm fitting design does not look like other compression-type fittings (brake/fuel, or water even) I am familiar with.

Wouldn't double-flaring the line (a la brake lines) eliminate any future vacuum-leak problems that might upset the sensitive low-level Loadomatic system? Would nipple air fittings and rubber vacuum line be a more reliable way to eliminate leaks?

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

marvh,



Fiber washer seal for float cover bushing leak sounds like a good tip. I stack extra washers under the stud anyway, as my repro T-Bird aircleaner's too-tall paper filters don't leave enough thread for the wingnut.



Re: your previous statement about teapot flooding/gas running down the outside only: I got an emailed newsletter ad yesterday (CASCO) for a new O-ringed teapot needle/seat cover. They said the OEM cover gasket usually leaks, dripping gas down into the secondaries.



As a side note, I just picked up a NOS Motocraft needle/seat assembly with the steel ball (no more sticking Viton needle troubles). But, I have to wonder (aside from cost?) why they changed the design. Do the steel-ball needles wear out faster and leak, or maybe suffer alcohol corrosion?

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

The three screw holes on the secondary diaphragm housing gasket are equidistant to each other. The two vacuum holes in the gasket are not equidistant. I have seen some gaskets with only one vacuum hole.



The teapot used on the 55 cars had the air bleed. Originally they had a lock washer on each side of the air bleed. Lock washers on carburetor tops scare me as I have seen two engines having to have the head pulled when the owner unscrewed the air cleaner and the stud came out dropping the lock washer down the venturii, one chev a six and the other a FE with new holley.

I have tested several of the float covers under water with air pressure and found they leak around the brass bushing that the aircleaner stud passes through. I use a hard fiber washer under the aircleaner stud to seal this area and rids the risk of a lock washer falling into the engine. The bottom of the bushing does not go through the float cover as it has a flange and is sealed well by the float cover gasket. If a vacuum leak occurs either at the bushing the economiser diaphragm will not pull up properly and the spring on the economiser diaphragm will hold the power valve open. Your fuel economy really suffers then and a very rich condition, plugs fouled, rough idle etc.

marv

Richard:

You are reading them right, and they are the correct '57 dual carbs.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

I don't know if I'm looking in the right place or not but on the base of my T-pots, on the secondary side it looks like mine are ECJ9510AA and ECJ9510AB. Am I looking at the right numbers or is this just a casting number and the other numbers are elseware?

Bad light, bad eyes and the wrong angle for my bifocals

Hotrod55bird

Lubbock, Texas

marvh,



Interesting. The exploded diagram in the Holley 4000 manual shows the diaphragm body gasket to be symmetrical, while the holes in the carb body are not (?). No warning is noted re: reversing error. Wouldn't be the first time I have seen mistakes in FoMoCo/Holley drawings.



Also, the diagram shows/lists no gasket under the air cleaner bolt. Were you referring to the air-bleed or lock washers?



Funny, but I have the opposite experience with choke butterfly settings. If not totally closed, manifold vacuum will pull it too far open upon starting, and it will die (unless pumped furiously beforehand). Stalling/flooding usually never a problem after a few seconds running, since just blipping the throttle releases the butterfly.



My main complaint with the 4000 is leaking gaskets (if carb is left sitting empty long enough for them to dry out).

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Ted;

You are very welcome, just my contribution to the discussion.



Paul:

Yes I have rebuilt many teapots as I was a Lincoln Mercury Meteor mechanic in the early sixties started in 62 when these cars were fairly new.

As to recommending a rebuilder I don't know as I rebuild all my own teapots. On my own car I use an ECU carb from a 56 Lincoln and drill the vacuum connection in the base of the carb for the vacuum lines same as the ECK carb is. The "A" intake manifold doesn’t have a plug fitting to use like the "B" manifold does. Dave from Victoria when doing his restorations uses a seller on ebay called vette200. I have never bought anything from that seller so cannot comment. Another person I see selling teapots is Ken Lyle from WV. I have bought stuff from Ken over the years and very good to deal with. I do not know who rebuilds for him but if Ken uses him them likely is good.



The teapot is a very easy carb to disassemble and very simple to rebuild as comparing to a Carter WCFB where you need a box of metering rods and jets, lots of special tools, tools to bend the accelerator pump linkage vs the teapot it is either hole 1 or hole 2. The carb is probably too simple that is why so many mistakes are made on them. The teapot it is only one part of a circuit. Some of the most critical areas that affect the teapot are carb secondary diaphragm, gaskets others areas that affect performance and gets blamed on the teapot are, vacuum advance,vacuum lines and dual diaphragm distributor, (I have probably missed some other areas). Any problem in any of these your vacuum advance does not work, secondary’s do not work and engine performance sucks.

Problems can be in areas other than carb itself.

Some examples of problems I have seen with these carbs is the gasket for the secondary diaphragm is installed 180 degrees out. The gasket looks correct if placed against the carb body; however if placed against the secondary diaphragm body it does not cover the vacuum gallery to the secondary diaphragm and leaves a vacuum leak. Gasket is missing under the air-cleaner bolt/nut in top of carb. Secondary diaphragm ruptured or not installed correctly to have a perfect seal. Spark valve installed loose. The vacuum line to distributor so worn out the brass fittings will not tighten the line even though the nut is tight. The carb is very tied to the distributor through the vacuum signal to the distributor. The vacuum signal is very small and any slight leak leaves no advance. Another is choke hot air tube burnt off in manifold allowing exhaust gas to coke the choke up and even get into the vacuum circuit coking the spark valve and line missing to provide clean air to the choke.



I normally set the choke butterflies over 1/2 -3/4 open. The car is in a heated garage, used in the summer and even if cold outside in the fall just pump a couple of times or darn choke stays on to long and floods if not allowed enough warm-up.



The teapot is one of the few carbs where the engine will run if flooding as the gas is pouring down the outside of the carb onto the intake manifold rather than into the engine as other carb makes usually do and will stall the engine that way before the towering inferno starts.

marv

Marv.  Thanks for the additional info.  Knowing that the carbs are different in regards to transmission application helps.  You've obviously got some good literature regarding these carbs.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Marvh: I don't need a Holley Teapot rebuilt, but are you really conversant with these carbs? At this point in time many owners of those carbs are abandoning them, because of lack of service availability. Or can you recommend anyone to repair or rebuild them?

Paul

Thanks for your help guys.    Barry