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Guess what I learned today

Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
I learned that Weber carbs don't function well when they're full of water.

After making the final adjustments and a lovely shakedown cruise this morning, I decided it was time to get busy and detail the Speedy for next week's festivities. I don't wash the car often - just use some detailing spray - because it doesn't get that dirty. I have washed it a few times, without incident, though - but not this time. After finishing up and drying the car, I get in to pull it into the garage to wax, etc. No joy. Sputters for a few seconds and dies, not to restart. I check the wiring to see if I've knocked something off - nope. Check for fuel in the little transparent fuel filter - yep. After an hour or so of scratching my head and being just a touch pissed off (it was very humid and 90 today - summer's here), I decided to pull off an air filter and see if there's any fuel getting into the car. "My there's a lot of water in there", he says. I think about it for a moment and realize that somehow a deluge from the wash got into the carb through the air filter, while leaving most of the engine compartment dry. One of life's little mysteries, I guess. I wound up have to take the carbs off, disassemble them, and blow them out with compressed air. She runs fine now, but I am still puzzled. Regardless, next time I'll put baggies over the air filters.

I'll detail tomorrow. Time for a beer.

Formerly 2006 Beck Speedster (Carlisle build car), 1964 Beck Super Coupe

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Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
I learned that Weber carbs don't function well when they're full of water.

After making the final adjustments and a lovely shakedown cruise this morning, I decided it was time to get busy and detail the Speedy for next week's festivities. I don't wash the car often - just use some detailing spray - because it doesn't get that dirty. I have washed it a few times, without incident, though - but not this time. After finishing up and drying the car, I get in to pull it into the garage to wax, etc. No joy. Sputters for a few seconds and dies, not to restart. I check the wiring to see if I've knocked something off - nope. Check for fuel in the little transparent fuel filter - yep. After an hour or so of scratching my head and being just a touch pissed off (it was very humid and 90 today - summer's here), I decided to pull off an air filter and see if there's any fuel getting into the car. "My there's a lot of water in there", he says. I think about it for a moment and realize that somehow a deluge from the wash got into the carb through the air filter, while leaving most of the engine compartment dry. One of life's little mysteries, I guess. I wound up have to take the carbs off, disassemble them, and blow them out with compressed air. She runs fine now, but I am still puzzled. Regardless, next time I'll put baggies over the air filters.

I'll detail tomorrow. Time for a beer.
FM Former Member
Lane,

I learned something similar last fall, I think I might have posted about it.

I was out in the country and drove a couple of miles on gravel/dirt roads. That evening I hosed off the engine and when I tried to start it, it almost turned over but felt like it froze up. It is called "hydro-lock, and if the engine fires and turns over, it can bend the connecting rods!!

I didn't try to start it again because I knew I was in trouble. Water had traveled down the carb, thru an open valve and partially filled a cylinder. I had heard of this happening and pushed the car back into the garage and waited until morning to get to it.

I pulled out the spark plugs, put some rolled up blue towels around the plug holes and turned it over by hand. I could not believe how much water the towels soaked up! I let the cylinders dry out and blew some air down the plug holes. After about 4 hours I put the plugs back in and fired up the engine.

Again I was surprised how much water came out of the muffler. I guess that when I turned it over by hand with the plugs out, the water was pumped out the exhaust valves.

FM Former Member
This is why I wish someone would offer a inclosed air cleaner cases for the KN air chargers. Equiped with heat riser vents with thermo flaps for twin carberation.

Not only fitting 44 webers but universial fit with adapters on the bases for Deleros, zenth, or even solexs if you wanted.

Not only would they help keep water out but would realy help on cool damp evenings or a cold morning.
FM Former Member
FYI, you can take the tops off and leave the carbs on the manifolds(in a Spyder). Just don't drop any screws or jets. I wish IDFs had a float bowl drain like IDAs do. It's no big deal to take the tops off though. Remove the idle jet/holder and o-ring, then the mixture screw and blow air through the circuit from the idle jet hole.

Bag your carbs, and also bag your battery unless it's the sealed type. Most SPyders have the battery in the engine area.
FM Former Member
Ricardo,
I have the sealing washers on the top of the air cleaner tops and the wing nuts. Mine seal just fine. The water can get thru the filter fabric or pool at the base of the filter. It is probably not common but it can happen.

I have heard of it happening when dual carb, rear engine cars park on a hill with the engine on the low end. Instead of water, gas causes the "lock".
FM Former Member
You were fortunate to find and remove the water right away. In my case, I sucked the gas tank dry due to a faulty gas gauge. Apparantly some residual water in the bottom of the gas tank got to the carbs. Unknowingly, I let it sit for a few weeks. By the time all my subsequent carb troubles were finally diagnosed, the water had realy done a job on the carb body. Big globs of corrosion stuck to the sides of the carb body, and worse on jets and needles. It looked like it had been stored full of salt water!

Fortunately, the body polished out nicely, jets and seals were replaced, and the tank was drained. All has since worked very well. Now I periodically dose a full gas tank with denatured alcohol to "dehydrate" the gas.

I guess my point is that you should make great efort to assure NO water remains anywhere inside the carb.
LeonChuppLeonChupp
In reference to David K's. "No water left anywhere" comment, Iused to pour alchol into the fuel tank to remove the last traces of moisture from the system....This was quite some time ago...Pre "10% alky gas mix"....If tempted, I used a pint for every 10 gal's. of gas.....

Forgot to mention the addition was to a full tank of fuel, sorry....
Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
Terry - Yes, I have velocity stacks. Perhaps I should restate things a bit. There was no significant water in the throats, just on top of the float vents and in the floats (and jets) themselves. Carey's rain hats would probably solve it, but I prefer the look of the shiny air filter - you know, some underhood bling. If it were just an issue for washing the car, some bags would do the trick. However, Iif I get caught in a rainstorm I might want the rain hats. What to do, what to do... Maybe I could paint 'em.
Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
MAJOR PROBLEM!

As of 6:00PM, the car is running like a large steaming pile of s**t. The carbs are so screwed up due to my emergency removal and cleaning, that I am not sure when, or even if, I will get to Christiansburg tomorrow. I will have to go by my local ACVW shop (local is relative - it's close to an hour from home) to see if they can be tuned properly. If so, I may be a little late. If not, I may be in my Acura, if I make it at all. Freakin' wonderful.
FM Former Member
Lane, did you take the idle jets, holders and mixture screws out and blow air through there? Remember to count the turns on each mixture screw, write it down, and return each mixture screw and idle jet to it's original location. After reinstallation(if you took them off the manifolds), the carbs must be resynched, the linkage must be resynched(at idle and 3000), and the idle mixture must be reset. The engine must be fully warmed up to do this. I still had to blow my idle jets out one more time after complete disassembly. Somebody close to Lane please help him! You've got to bring you car, Lane!
Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
POST CARLISLE UPDATE:

I spit, spat, and sputtered my way to my friend's ACVW shop, and he got them synched and idling just fine. It still sputtered occasionally on the road, getting worse after my first fuel stop. On a phoned-in suggestion from Gordon Nichols, I ran several bottles of water remover (isopropyl alcohol) through over the course of several tanks, and the problem largely went away - until the Friday deluge did it to me again. This time I checked them before trying to start the car, and dried most of it out. With some help of the other Carlisle attendees (thanks, guys!), I got it started, and added another bottle of the magic potion. I have two bags in the car to put over the carbs the next time I wash it or park it outside in the rain. I've also ordered two plastic "rain hats" from Carey that'll prevent a reoccurrence.

Damn dihydrogen monoxide!
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