Technical Winfield issue model A

I have a banger engine in my roadster project, Winfield head Inake and downdraft carb. I rigged up a temporary fuel system to get it running to and I noticed fuel leaking from the intake i inspected and found some cracks in the cast alum intake i was able to weld them and hopefully eliminate any vaccum leaks. But once I reinstalled there was still fuel leaking from two small holes on the underside that appear to be cast intentionally. They don't allow light to pass so I'm not sure what theyre for,I assumed they were there for production machining. But maybe not? So that's one problem. The other question is why is my intake flooding with fuel?

 

Stuck floats, float level too high, fuel pressure too high.

What fuel pump are you using?

 

Stromberg 97's and Holley 94 are low pressure carbs, I have a pressure regulator set at 2 1/2 psi on a flathead with a mechanical fuel pump because some of the new pumps have higher rate springs. Dual 94's on an 8BA flathead and they would leak due to high fuel pressure.

 

Maybe check with Brauns Motorsports?

 

If the carb is leaking, post a picture of the carb and where the leaks are. Lots of things it could be, some with simple solutions. S or SR carb? Fuel pressure? Has the float level been correctly set? "Holes on the underside of what?" the carb or the manifold

 

Theres no fuel pump connected at the moment, I was gravity feeding the carb from a funnel hanging on the radiator rods. The intake has holes in it not the carb. Not my photo but here is what I mean. When I took the manifold off fuel was leaking from these. Circled in the photo. Winfield SB

 

An how much raw fuel is in the crank case ?

 

Those are either from a sprue or a vent from the casting process....they should not be open....I suspect that someone got over zealous cleaning up and polishing the manifold and broke thru.
You shouldn't have any liquid fuel in the manifold....something is going on with the needle and seat or the float for starters.....

 

I'm sure there's fuel in the oil also. That was my thought. I've only ever run this engine on a stand before and never had this issue. Of course once it's in the car and ready to go I have this problem. I'll have to call brauns I suppose. I'm new to these hop up parts so I'm not keen to the vendors and support. My other A's are all stock so I'm familiar with the typical vendors.

 

Pull the plugs, before turning it over.
And check the dipstick.

I don't know anything about Winfield carbs specifically, but this is a problem.

 

@Kevin Pharis
Maybe he can help with pointing you in the right direction for a start....
I know he frequents the monthly banger meet here on the HAMB
You might get some guidance there as well....so state your situation ask your question here....
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...er-meet-thread-hot-cold-august-nights.1321049

 

Not sure if all the Winfield manifolds had those holes… but they are shown in the 1932 catalog. A #68 drill is .031” diameter. If the fuel is draining out here, motor should be OK




I agree with the other fellas above. Too high a float level, sunk float, or leaking needle valve. Remove the plug on the leading side of the bowl, if fuel runs out the level is too high or the needle valve is leaking. Make sure your float ball is loaded with flat side down.

 

So I did with this advice, pull the plug on the carb and to my surprise no fuel came out and the car is on flat ground. The oil didn't smell of gasoline either which is good.

Thank you for the drawing, any thoughts to why those holes would be cast there? Could they be to act as drains in case of intake flooding like I'm seeing?

I'm not sure why I'm intimidated by the carb. Usually I would just dive in.

 

The holes are by products of the casting process. They should not be open to atmosphere.

 

Sooooo… if the fuel is not above the bowl plug, how is it getting into the manifold? All fuel must be drawn up into the crossover ports to get into the spray bars, and so into the manifold. This is true for idle and pump circuits as well.

Edit - Irrelevant nonsense deleted as I re-read the original post

How about engine/carb angle? Despite being on level ground, your car could have an extreme rake to the chassis and/or engine causing the float level to be high/low. I think it’s time for some pics…

 

Everyone has covered the possible carb issues, and raised the proper concerns about your oil being diluted (or not)
As for those holes, just tap them and permatex some stainless bolts or grub screws in place.
Stop worrying how they got there. Plug 'em and get that car running.

 

Some of these images are from months ago, the blurry one is the newest....cracked lens on my phone. it does show my temporary "fuel system"

The chassis is pretty much flat front to back as you can see.

00 wires have been used to properly mount the battery.
I got a little impatient and want to hear it fire over,hence the rinky dink gauge.

 

If you left the choke closed for more than three revolutions it's possible you simply flooded the engine. I read where Winfield warned about this. Good luck, their great carbs.

 

See that is very interesting. That could explain the issue. I've been choking it to get it started, without success but that might be the problem. In my stock A Only every Choke it for about a rotation, maybe even less before it fires off. The starter does turn much slower in the car, but it also has a "hi-compression" Winfield Red head.

 

I was figuring I should plug them but wasn't sure if there was some greater cause for these that I was missing.

 

Ok so this isn't fixed yet. In the process of removing the intake to weld cracks that were found, i attempted to reuse the gaskets that were installed. No good, I spray starting fluid into the carb and It was dripping at the manifold mating surface. Any advice on where to find new gaskets? I'm assuming I'm going to have to cut one up, but is there something special folks use for these intakes?

 

better (re)surface that manifold!

 

don't you tap in there for vac windshield wipers?

 

Those holes will cause a lean condition until fixed. You effectively have a pretty serious vacuum leak. Fix that first. Then, deck all the mating surfaces, install new gaskets, and see where you are.

 

here's something to read, I don't know shit about anything, but will say this...in order to fix a problem, you must first figure out what the problem is... so from reading what has been post' too much fuel in the manifold...so this is gonna be wrong... but it is what I would do...first with it setting over night.. be care full not to touch the throttle , and take the top of the carb off...see that there is fuel in the bowl... and even if not put fuel in the funnel..... watch and see what happens... the fuel in the funnel should stabilize to a constant level, the fuel in the bowl should fill and stop... the inlet valve could be your problem, as well as the funnel not making enough pressure to seat the needle.. only take a couple lbs to seat it and it works both ways.. not enough pressure , or too much causes fuel to get by... another thing I do is run lucas in my model a's, well all my motors...if the inlet valve is dirty..it won't work... if the fuel level is too low... get something to slightly lift up on the float... if it starts flooding over the float is set too high, if it doesn't the inlet valve is bad or dirty..

 

yes, just cut one up...

 

another thing about model A's and gravity feed fuel tanks...you have to use the fuel shut off when it's not running..just setting, the valve open it will fill the motor with fuel on a down draft,,, and fill your garage floor with fuel on the up draft carbs...

 

also.... I read that you ran the motor before with no problem... how long ago did you do that, with todays fuel it doesn't take long for it to go bad... did you drain the fuel out of the carb to store the motor?? I always do the fuel shut off while the motors running to let it run out of gas, just in case I don't drive it for a month or so,... if you don't do that you leave the door wide open for these kind of problems..

 

You can make your own. I used the heavier gray stuff napa sells that is fuel compatible.