Years Ago The Grose Jet Ball Valve Was Criticized....

[Utopia Texas]

For every gas level problem in the Model A Zenith carburetor. Are they any better now? Maybe I am mixing up the Grose valve with the original valve. Educate me. Haven't bought a carburetor part since 1988 and my Zenith is starting to drip if the gas tank valve is not turned off. Thanks...

[Tom Wesenberg]

I used toothpaste to lap my original tank valve and carb needle and seat, and both have been perfect since then. No carb drips if I don't turn off the valve.

The last I heard the two ball valve had problems.

[tbirdtbird]

so which valve do you have now

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Michael, the original Grose-Jet valve was German made, then a Model-A vendor started having them made offshore. Bill Stipe was making them in the US again however he was having trouble competing. See if he has any left.

[MikeK]

Some Grose jet valves had a rare but dangerous tendency to lock up, unable to close upon slow rise of the float.

It would only happen when the engine was not running and no vibration was present. The two unequal size steel balls would get hung up causing a flood when you open the tank shutoff valve.

A hard rap with a screwdriver handle on the side of the carb would fix it, but by then you had a flood of gas on the ground.

The 'modern' viton seat replacement valves have the opposite problem- E10 makes the elastomer slightly sticky and the pin sometimes sticks shut after being parked for a few days with a full fuel bowl. A fuel pump will pop it open, gravity feed may not. Additionally, many of them have a smaller flow hole, others a restrictive square rather than triangular pin.

After having Grose-jet valves get their balls in a knot and stick open, and Viton valves stick closed I really prefer the original steel pin valves. They are easy to service, and when clean, polished and seated are drip tight. If you think about it, those Grose-jet valves are just another version of a steel against brass seat valve.

[Mitch//pa]

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I'll stick with the viton valves, as I have not had any issues with them. Using only E-10 in my cars or the carbs I did for others doesn't matter, it has not effected the needle material. I'm going on 12 years now with the same carbs/ viton valves and no trouble W/ E10.. The key on any valve is a clean tank with the proper filtration.
It is important for the E-10 to not go stale

[Utopia Texas]

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird

so which valve do you have now

I don"t know yet. As I stated above my Zenith has not been taken apart since 1988, except the side bowl screen, so I don't remember. I have always preferred to use a needle and seat, but would not be surprised to find anything inside. I looked on three vendors sites and only found the ball type replacements. Who still sells the needles and seats for the Zenith??? I'd like to keep some on hand for future use if they are still available.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I'd give Bert's a call for an original needle and seat. If you know any older mechanic in the area, he might have saved some from the carb jobs he's done over the years. I used to save a lot of carb parts when I worked at the dealership.

[goodoldvic]

I recently rebuilt two Zeniths #1's. The Viton tipped needle seat leaked, and would not shut off consistently. When I got the carbs one had a gross jet type seat, the other a stock set up. I cleaned the Viton valves but they would not work. I scrounged up another gross jet type seat from a box of old carb parts and both carbs work fine with these seats. The Viton needle did not work for me.

[Keith True]

I bought a half dozen sets of the Grose-jets maybe 20 years ago.I've used a couple of them for myself,zero problems.I have used a lot of old plain needles and seats,if they looked good I would use them.Zero problems there too.Any of the rubber tipped needles,nothing but problems.It doesn't look like the gas attacked the rubber,but rather looks like the goo attaches itself to the rubber more readily than it does to the metal.A quick wipe and ready to go again.I never seem to have that problem with any metal to metal valves.I just started a JD 420 crawler that had not been run for over 6 years.I drained out 4 or 5 gallons of old gas,poured in some fresh,rapped on the carb a couple of times,and it started.I'll bet $1000.that it doesn't have a rubber tipped needle.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

On Volvos, in the '60's, the Viton type valve would stick shut, while DRIVING & kill 1 carbuerator! We replaced them with Grose Jets, & ALL WAS WELL.
Bill W.

[H. L. Chauvin]

FWIW: From experience:

We have all experienced that there is really nothing to compare to the so very, very few professional craftsmen who try to achieve perfection in all, and everything that they do ......... and try and try numerous times until they finally succeed.

After buying and very carefully checking "all" lobe dimensions on one (1) of Mr. Bill Stipe's "New" 330 cams with a dial gauge, and after having experienced a set of Mr. Stipe's "New" shocks ................ if Mr. Bill Stipe advertised "Two-Dollar Bill Trees" that grew Two-Dollar Bills ........... I would not hesitate one second to order and pay for a few gross of same.

Hope this helps Mr. Stipe "and" those who experience his precision.

[Capt Quahog]

"Gross Jet"!

Now's there's a blast from the past!

Back in the mid-1960s, I remember this older man who lived in Stoneham, Massachusetts who was running around trying to promote his wondrous automotive invention. He called the thing "Gross Jet" or some such name and explained how when installed into any carburetor would dramatically enhance fuel flow, etc and so on.

Nobody I ever knew bought or used one. At the time, the "modern" cars we were driving around in cost between $75 to a couple of hundred bucks for a decent ragtop. Didn't make much financial sense then to spend good cash for some fancy add-on part when the throw-away clunker 57' Ford was rolling on $10 re-cap tires.