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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Flooding carbs

OK guys this is doin my nut in. Car is 1979 1500 midget and the front float bowl keeps flooding. So far 2 new needle valves and seats, new float, new float pin. Now new grosse jet fitted and it atill floods. Usually after running and say stopping at lights engine idling petrol will pour from the float bowl. Oh new fuel pump fitted last year, 2 inline filters too. Anyone any thoughts or ever encountered this before? Cheers
David Drummond

Original style mechanical fuel pump, or non-standard electric replacement?
Steve Clark

it is the original mechanical pump. Brand new last year.
David Drummond

I have had all sorts of trouble with the new Grosse jets. Ever since they changed they have created a problem. Go to the VITON tipped models and your troubles should be corrected.
Sandy
Sandy Sanders

Hi There

Do you still have the original fan on the water pump? I think that the fuel is boiling in the float bowl and allowing the float to sink. The original fan helps to keep air moving while you are at a standstill. You might want to try some extra heat shielding. Current fuel tends to make the car run hotter and I believe it boils more easily. I had the same problems as you and cured them by putting the original fan back on instead of an electric one. My car also has vents in the side of the wing and the amount of heat coming out of them when the car is hot is amazing.

Good Luck Carl
C Bintcliffe

David -

By all means, remove the Grose Jets and throw them as far as you can. The ONLY time I ever had trouble with the float chamber overfilling was after I'd fallen for the blurb in the Moss catalog and bought one because they were touted to be bags better than the old ones.

After a stall miles from home, three oil changes due to diluted oil, and whole lot of confounded inconvenience, I went back to the original valve and it's worked perfectly ever since.

This was with my Zenith carb, but it sounds like they cause problems in SUs as well, assuming you have SUs. I have no idea why they don't work, but I do know that my experience was far from unique. I was talking to a guy just the other day who had the same issue on his TR6, and admitted to fitting Grose units.

BE SURE to check your oil. Chances are it will be well over the fill line, meaning that your engine has ingested raw fuel by running so rich. It blows down past the rings into the sump. Change the oil if need be, and with a new (old) float valve set, you shouldn't have any more problems.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside (temporary non-member)

How'd it go, David?

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Davd

This used to happen to my wife's Spit in the 80s (the car, I mean). Fine unless stationary for more than ~30 secs. The engine would run more and more rough, then cut-out and be a b*gg*r to start again.

I fixed it with new jets.

The old ones were worn/leaky and never fully shut off. This was not a problem whlist the car was using a reasonable amount of fuel, but as soon as stationary, the fuel would build up in the floats until the engine was way too rich, then it would stall.

You could stave it off to an extend by revving the engine to use more fuel, but frankly you just feel a tw*t doing this in a Sp^t.

I've no experience with Grosse jets - so I accept the comments from the USA above.

A
Anthony

Funny you'd mention that, Anthony. Years back, before I'd gotten my Midget sorted (that assumes I HAVE gotten it sorted, which is debatable), I also noticed my idle gradually deteriorating at long stoplights, necessitating a foot on the throttle to keep it alive until the lights changed. I'm sure I was having the same problem as you.

David, any news? Those of us who think we know what we're talking about are dying to know. It's a psychological thing.

;-)

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

I echo the dislike of the grose jets.
Just silly thought, I know you have two filters but the bowls are completely clean of bit aren't they.
G Lazarus

This thread was discussed between 09/05/2008 and 14/05/2008

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