Zenith 2 float level

[Synchro909]

I have just put together a ute from a collection of bits I had laying around. I took it for its first drive yetserday and when I tested the brakes, the motor cut out. I checked that there is no leak at the manifold so I took the carburettor off thinking I would lower the float level. I found 4 washers (yes, FOUR) under the valve already. This carburettor is in very good condition but that surprised me. Another washer holds the float valve closed perminantly.
As I recall, the seam on the float should be about parallel with the surface of the upturned top half of the carb. (about 1"). This carb is way more. by the time I disconnect the air cleaner tube etc, there is a bit of work to get the carb off a RHD car. My first impulse is to remove washers till the float looks right, then try again but obviously someone has tried that and thought it neccessary to put the washers in.
Has anybody seen the situation where the float level is so low that the symptoms are similar to too high? What would you do?
Carb is Zenith 2 and pressure balanced for an aircleaner. The float valve is new with a ball.

[Brentwood Bob]

I have resurfaced an intake and exhaust with a file only to Learn I had ended up with a poorly aligned carb that had float sticking problems from the wrong resulting face angle.
Any chance of that with your unknown condition intake?

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Brentwood Bob

I have resurfaced an intake and exhaust with a file only to Learn I had ended up with a poorly aligned carb that had float sticking problems from the wrong resulting face angle.
Any chance of that with your unknown condition intake?

Thanks for the response, Bob. I had the manifolds surfaced as a pair before assembly. The carb alignment is good. Puzzling!

[Werner]

You can determine the gasoline level exactly with a simple communicating tube. In the screw plug under the main nozzle you drill a hole about 4 mm and solder a small tube / nipple. On it you put transparent hose piece which is laid kink-free in a U upwards. becomes. Then you can see when it floods, where the gasoline level is.

I have previously scratched on the housing the prescribed level.

Is also ready to buy.

[Brentwood Bob]

Try another bottom half.

[Synchro909]

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Originally Posted by Brentwood Bob

Try another bottom half.

Would the bottom half of a Zenith 1 work? They certainly look very similar. What is the difference between the two?

[Brentwood Bob]

Yes, similar. Do need to pull the comp jet to see that secondary well does not restrict the comp jet. That might be the issue with your carb there were 3 versions of the secondary well.

[johnbuckley]

I have found that with a very low fuel level the car misfires on powering the throttle; the fuel in the bowl acts as "reservoir" for sudden demand. ( and of course the sloshing effect of sudden stop is enough to create problems with a low level ). Synchro you're expert enough to get that fuel level set correctly- I appreciate the problem of RHDs carb access. To all intents the various lower bodies and upper bodies are generally interchangeable.

[Werner]

... I appreciate the problem of RHDs carb access ...

Sorry about my wrong question. What are "RHDs"?
Thanks.

[Mulletwagon]

Originally Posted by Werner

Sorry about my wrong question. What are "RHDs"?
Thanks.

Right Hand Drive

[Werner]

Do not understand. If I drive the car, I need both hands.
Saying for what type of car?

[Synchro909]

Werner, You must have the very rare two handed car!
I have set myself the task today to dismantle the carby and clean out everything. I'll let you know what happens. If I can't get it right, I'll put on a Zenith 1 I know to be good.

[160B]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Would the bottom half of a Zenith 1 work? They certainly look very similar. What is the difference between the two?

The difference is that the Zenith 1 was made by Zenith, and the Zenith 2 was made by Holley.

They are basically the same except for some minor casting differences that do not affect interchangeability.

[daveymc29]

Werner, RHD is as in the UK where to most of Europeans of the continent the driver is in the wrong place in that the driver is positioned on the right hand side of the vehicle. In the States the cars are as in Germany with the driver on the left side of the car, as we drive on the right hand side of the road, where Syncro is from Australia and drives on the left hand side of the road.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by daveymc29

Werner, RHD is as in the UK where to most of Europeans of the continent the driver is in the wrong place in that the driver is positioned on the right hand side of the vehicle. In the States the cars are as in Germany with the driver on the left side of the car, as we drive on the right hand side of the road, where Syncro is from Australia and drives on the left hand side of the road.

You guys sit on the left side of the car and drive on the right side of the roasd. We sit on the right side and drive on the correct side of the road.

[johnbuckley]

Rechtsstuerung/linksstuerung....and the steering column sure gets in the way of carby access on the rechtsstuerung. of course on RHD the choke knob is in front of the driver's knees so one loses the joy of leaning across to furkle the passenger

[Werner]

Hello steering wheel men! Thanks for the RHD-education. I had now to laugh afterwards. "Right Hand Driver" means in the literal translation "Steering with the right hand." I understand now that means steering wheel mounted on the right side. Difficult to explain / translate for me. But we understand each other on both sides.

I do not want to disturb the carburetor contribution now and wish Synchro much success and keep all readers always both hands on the steering wheel.

[johnbuckley]

The most famous one-armed driver here in the UK is Archie Scott Brown ( no right hand ) who raced Lister-Jaguars in the 1950s.... full details en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Scott_Brown ( but I think we've departed from the original topic now!

[1931 flamingo]

"furkle" Paul in CT

[30 Closed Cab PU]

Originally Posted by 1931 flamingo

"furkle" Paul in CT

Not sure, a reference to Hee Haw?

[Synchro909]

I always appreciate it when someone who starts a thread gets back with what happened so here is what I did.
I stripped the carby down and cleaned ecverything out. There was a little crud in one passage (not the idling system) which I removed. I put it all back together carefully, taking time to set the height of the cap and main jets to the narrowest part of the venturi. I set the float to 1" above the surface of the top half as usual. That took 3 washers, one less than what was in it before I stripped it. I noticed when I took it apart that the idle mixture screw was only just cracked open off fully closed (less than 1/8th of a turn) so I set it at 1 1/2 turns open like I have always done.
Once it was back on the car, the motor was difficult to start ran terribly till I screwed the idle mixture screw back in to where it was. Sweet now! I took it out and did a couple of crash stops (I'm adjusting the brakes at the same time). It stalled about half the times. I'll maybe put the fourth washer back under the flaot valve but it's drivable enough as it is. If the occassional stall annoys me too much, I have a couple of other carbies to swap in.
I hope to have all the paperwork done to get this car on the road early next week, then the fun starts.