Club 80-90 Forums

Come across this several times on different campers over the years, so thought I'd add it to the WIKI. Its about the float valve and the trouble it can give if you're unlucky. May help those unfamiliar with the carb and facing a non-start situation:

http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/Fu ... _then_dies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Its easy enough to identify with top of carb removed. Block fuel return pipe and see if you can blow through fuel inlet with float hanging down. If you can't, float valve is stuck. Very common on a bone dry carb or where engine/vehicle has been stood for a few months.

We have a weird problem that when cold the engine starts fine but then dies immediately (unless you give it a load of throttle) It might do this twice before I can get it to stay running with a little for on the gas. Once warm it is fine. Could ours be the same issue? It literally started doing it from one day to the next.

Cheers

No. If it'll keep going with a blip of the throttle, it won't be float valve. Far more likely the choke needs increasing.

In a very old carb the float needle can wear to take the shape of the hole in the "jet". This generates a narrower angle of contact such that the needle can wedge in the jet in a similar way that the morse taper drill chuck retains itself into the socket in the machine.
I recently had this problem in an early outboard boat motor. If you find the pointy bit is not a true circa 45 degrees then a replacement is in order or if you are a dab hand you can fix it with a small file and lathe/electric drill. While you are at it you may like to check the float has free movement either side of the closing point as if the float contacts the bowl before the jet closes the engine will flood and stop on tick over. Also sometimes the pivot for the float can become stuck.
CS