- This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated November 29, 2016 at 1:49 am by
.
-
Posts
-
-
I offer my tale as a warning to the community.
Back in 2012 a hot start problem was solved by replacing the float in my original, stock, 2v carb. I was told at the time that an incorrect float meant for a 4v carb was the cause. Since replacing the float my 260 has started at a flick of the switch when cranked shortly after shutdown, for instance while waiting for a long traffic light to go green again. If, however, the car sits for 5-20 minutes, it will only start reluctantly with a dark cloud of smoke, and then run rich for a few seconds thereafter. From setting the float level back in 2012, I know that the fuel is boiling in the bowl after shutdown. I used to think that the car was struggling for fresh air but I would now revise my diagnosis and rather blame fumes collected in the air cleaner housing causing the rich restart.
I also used to open the hood, for instance while refuelling or before pulling the car into the garage to "give the patient air". Of course I eventually tired of that and now had to learn my lesson for good.
A month ago the carb caught fire after a hot soak restart while pulling the car into my garage. It would appear that something sparked the accumulated fumes, probably the solenoid. I did not notice until two days later.
Damage is much less than should have been because one of the first things to melt down was the left heater core hose section that runs parallel to the air cleaner if an original bends replacement hose as supplied by SunSpec is fitted. The engine was hot, so the coolant was under pressure and doused the flames. All fire damage is above the air cleaner and I feel very lucky that my whole garage did not burn down with my wife’s car and my collection of funnels.
Haggerty estimates the damage to be between 8,000 to 20,000 C$.
Cheers, Gilles -
-
So sorry to hear this Gilles and glad it was not worse! Do you run ethanol fuel in your Tiger? It boils off quicker than non ethanol fuel and also causes other problems. I have an battery kill switch on my car and use it when parked. Haggerty will fix you up with no problems-great insurance company! Hope to see you next year at the Virginia United. Eric
-
You are so right Eric. I have been running regular gas since last spring just because I could get away with it with a stock engine. Back to Esso premium which around here is the least likely to have ethanol I was told.
I am now 75 hours into the repair and I have spent $1,056, on cleaning supplies, paint,parts and a professional carb rebuild. I would say that I am 2/3 of the way to completion.
The color I use is RM single stage urethane (no clear coat) which polishes into something resembling the factory finish well enough. The match for Carnival Red is a Mazda color called Pure Red paint code NP. No fadeout into the fender topsides. I should not have told…
You will definitely see me again next year with my car.
Cheers, Gilles -
Giles sorry to hear about the fire, unless you wanted a repaint
A suggestion to not open hood if you suspect a leaky gas and fire problem. The advise if you do is to have a extinguisher or a smothering blanket.
Having reorganized the CAT pages I like the idea of a fuel shut off kill switch to be turned off prior to parking or stopping.
I do disagree that the stock AC housing allows vapor to coalesce in it’s flat surface. I would also suspect that you may get a dribble or or weeping from non alcohol weeping accelerator pumps and worn throttle plates.
The more fuel in engine compartment the worse things can be . Stock looking plastic filters or a filter in the engine compartment will probably always give up its contents to a boil off mine sure does, but I live with it for now.
-
This is very similar to what happened to me. Fuel boiled out of the bowl of my stock 2 barrel and ignited on a hot restart. I wrote this up, along with my solution, in the TE/AE newsletter a few months back.
The fuel will boil at a temp well below the underhood temp when stopping after a hot run on a hot day. I installed a drain tube on my carb bowl vent so that any fluid that is forced out goes straight to the ground.
Stu
-
http://s350.photobucket.com/user/Foolsl … g.html?o=0
The picture shows how the fire’s focus was the insides of the air cleaner. Of the three bowl vents, only the two within the air cleaner housing appear to have fed the fire. The third vent to atmosphere vent just above the float had no sign of fire activity.
Gilles -
Here’s mine. Much less damage than yours:
http://www.pbase.com/sb_photos/carbfire
As you can see, I had no fire inside the air cleaner. It was all on top of the carb bowl and upward. No damage to anything below.
Stu
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.