Holly 94 question- flooding with gas

I have a flathead w/2 94's on it. Carbs have been rebuilt. I'm still trying to dial them in. Yesterday, I got them close to running right, and took it around the block. It would stumble just a little right off idle, but then run fine. After a mile or so, it started running a little rough and I could smell gas. I headed home. Barely made it. Gas smell was real strong. I shut it off and popped the hood. I could hear a "gurgling" sound, almost like a sink trying to drain. I took the air filter off one carb and it was full of gas. The back carb had the same issue. What could be causing this. I adjusted the floats in both carbs, they're newly rebuilt, I'm stumped. Could it be caused by too much fuel pressure? I'm running a stock fuel pump and no regulator. Not sure what to do next.....

 

Sounds like too much fuel pressue mate, i always use a reg turned down to 2.5-3psi anymore and they leak bad.
Holley do a low pressure regulator.

EDIT just noticed you have a stock pump so maybe not

 

even with the stock pump use a pressure regulator.

 

"stock" means nothing anymore...some recently made pumps have 7 pound springs from some '60's application, or maybe just Chinese random selection. This certainly sounds like pressure...
If pressure is crazy, put in the spring from whatever you removed as a start!
While messing around, check out the float valves just in case. Invert carb tops and blow through inlet...it should take considerable huffing to blow through against float weight...then be sure the valve needles drop consistently when right side up. I have gotten some very sticky viton ones...
tell us carb model...left side of bowl...and check float level against spec for lowest setting (highest as measured). I would not trust any rebuilder not known to me. There are lots of random parts assemblers out there. Know your carbs.

 

Always use a pressure regulator. They are not expensive.

 

But not one of those round chrome with gauge ones...

 

Exactly. Use a GOOD regulator, with a GOOD gauge.

 

could it be boiling over? i know my 54 used to do that before i installed a phenolic carb spacer

 

Put a GOOD pressure gauge on there too so you know where you stand. My buddy Matt (turkeyjerk) just had a defective holley low pressure regulator right out of the box. Had to go back to his cheapo round chrome one in the meantime to get the pressure below 2.5lbs!

 

The carbs are 2100's, rebuilt by someone I don't know. I think the first thing I'll try is a pressure regulator. Then, if that don't work, I'll put a kit in them. How important is it to use a unisyn to sync up the carbs? I did not do that, could that be part of the problem?

Tell me more about this...


Thanks for the help everyone.

 

Could need a spacer under the carbs and a fuel pressure control should take of your problem

 

Pull the carb tops off and make sure the float valves are screwed in tight and the floats are set at 1 5/16" to 1 3/8". Also make sure the floats are empty. Take them off and shake them. If you hear gas inside replace them.

 

valves are tight, floats are adjusted properly, and the floats are empty.

 

I'm with these guys - when I read this earlier today, I immediately said, "That's a fuel pressure problem." - but since the other guys had covered it, I kind of kept quiet.

~Jason

 

When you're finished screwing around with Holleys, come see me.

 

Then start with a gauge. If everything in cars is indeed right, you should see some pretty high pressure. If pressure is below maybe 3, you have a carb problem.
Power valve supplied in most recent kits, by the way, is Holley four barrel and cannot seat properly on the 94 gasket ring. Usually it seats badly on the taper leading to the misplaced gasket surface and either seals or reduces misguided flow to a slow trickle, but look that area over. 94 PV has a flat gasket ring surface in right around the threaded fitting, 4160 types screw in but their gasket surface is way outside the seat on carb body. This could allow pump to fill up the carb as you report if really leaking badly...at normal leak rate it would just be a tuning puzzle and not total drowning!
By the way, LOW end of float spec, meaning HIGH end of the measurement, is usually best.

 

Some good advice here, and i would agree you probably have too much fuel pressure, you want 3lb MAX, 2.5 is safer. Don't use Holley reg, they are no good at pressures that low, at least thats what i found.
I ran four 94's on a hot SBC and initially had fueling problems with Holley reg so I also went for a cheapie round, dial it in, pressure reg with a good gauge, set it at 2.5psi with the engine running and my fuel problems went away.
You need to get the right power valves with a square, not rounded shoulder so they seat right. Drop power valve to maybe a 40 or 45 with twins, i ran all four carbs with 35 on mine.
They can perform real well when tuned right, mine was good enough for a 12.0 at 120mph so nothing wrong with 94's when set right.

 

Awesome sign!

 

You may want to check the accelerator plunger cup seal. I thourghly rebuilt 4 holley dueces on a Cadillac motor with the same issues. The accelerator pump cup seals fit so tight within the bore of the carb that they pulled right off of the accelerator pump rod causing the engine to flood with fuel. I ended pulling the new seals out and putting the ones I took out back in which looked fine and never had a problem since.

 

So, I found out that the two little angled jet deals weren't sealing up at all. Fuel was pouring out under those. So, I took the carbs off, pulled the top, replaced the gasket under that deal, reset the float level and drop level, made sure everything is right. Put everything back together and........... now I'm not getting any fuel. When I give it throttle, there's no fuel squirting into the carbs.


Uncle Max: I'm done screwing around with Holley's. Maybe I can come see you this weekend.

Anyone want to buy two "freshly rebuilt" Holley 94's? lol.....

 

As to the Holly regulator-By installing a return line back to the tank (1/8) from the regulator it allows the regulator to work well at lower pressures and maintain a steady pressure at idle and drive speeds..

 

You were using the wrong Holley regulator. There's one for low pressure that looks exactly like the regular high pressure regulator.

The silver dial ones are so unreliable that they can change pressure settings on you at any time.

If your carbs aren't "flowing" fuel now, I'd make sure you hooked up the accelerator pumps. They're easily overlooked...

Good luck.

 

"So, I found out that the two little angled jet deals weren't sealing up at all."

Look at this: http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_fuelsystem-pics/Flathead_Carbs_ford1938to48.jpg

What part numbers are we talking about here?? It is beginning to look like accel pump check valve issues, perhaps multiple ones??

 

Part # 9577. It was leaking quite a bit of gas out from under this piece.

 

Interesting, that part 9577 would be leaking. That could be it.

I am running 6 two's with power valve block offs on the outside four carbs. Everyone of the power valve block offs leaked using the gasket supplied with them - causing similar symptoms to what you are facing. I installed new gaskets and it solved the problem.

Mike

 

That is the squirter for accel pump. Under it there should be a needle valve that looks like the inlet needle almost to prevent gas from being drawn from there into normal airflow or from siphoning (some late 94 variants may have a spring loaded ball instead).
Under the accel pump itself there should be a spring clip at very bottom of well holding in a tiny ball that is an inlet check, allowing pump well to fill but not to discharge back into bowl.
Symtoms are puzzling, but something in that area is installed wrong, stuck, or something. Your various symptoms sort of point at both ends of that system...
Teach your carbs not to go anywhere with strangers!! Buy the book, learn how they work, rebuild them yourself!

 

I had my holley 94 rebuilt and this new high eythenol fuel disinigrated my power valves in two days turned the rubber to jelly. i know this sounds crazy but i bought modern racining 3.5 power valves had to clearance the carb body a little because the power valve is longer . and used a copper spark plug washer as a gasket to help seal the different mating surfaces between the power valve and the carb body. worked great anyone know where to get good old style power valves.

 

OK, I'm really stumped. I rebuilt one of the two carbs. Put it back on, wouldn't start. Gas was getting in the bowl, but would not go beyond that. If I pumped the throttle, no gas. Couldn't get it to fire up. I poured a little gas in the carb and it started right up. If I gave it ANY throttle, it would just make a "sucking" sound kinda like a bad vacuum leak, and quit. Poured more gas in carb, started right up, idles fine, gave it gas and it quit. Started again and let it idle and noticed that the fuel line was empty then it quit. I turned up the regulator to 4lbs and started it up. This time it started on it's own. I let it idle for awhile, and once it warmed up I could give it some throttle and rev it up without it dying. It would stumble a little, but would get over it and rev. Ran rough but would run. What the???? I'm stumped. Any more ideas? Carb has new powervalve, all new gaskets, was torn down and soaked, new accelerator pump, what am I missing?

 

I run the same thing and had the same problem.Installed a pressure gauge and run about 2-3lbs. now.No problems anymore.

 

At 2-3lbs, it runs dry just idling and starves the carbs and quits.... ???