Bent floats after storage...

**nitro_rat** · 03-21-2018, 03:34 PM

My boat has a ‘79 175 Mariner with a holley blue pump (pulse pump removed). When I pulled my boat out of storage last year there was fuel pouring out of the bottom carb when I turned on the fuel pump. I rebuilt the carbs and upgraded the original bodies (wh-7) to use the later square bowls and enrichiner.

The floats that came out of the bottom carb were noticeably bent not allowing the needles to seat.

I only used the boat once last summer but it ran great and started easier than ever. I pulled it out this year and same thing. Fuel pouring out of the bottom carb, floats bent.

What gives? I disconnect the battery after use so it’s not the fuel pump running. And it’s just the bottom carb. It’s done it now with 2 different sets of floats!

Any ideas?

**mach351** · 03-21-2018, 03:47 PM

Are you using a regulator? If so what psi? Sounds like stuck floats with too much pressure

**nitro_rat** · 03-21-2018, 04:09 PM

Regulated to 4 psi. No problems all summer, just after storage!

**flabum1017** · 03-21-2018, 06:31 PM

must be a wave jumper ;-)

**nitro_rat** · 03-21-2018, 06:34 PM

I have been known to throw on the tractor prop and have some fun every now and then, but why just the bottom carb?

**flabum1017** · 03-21-2018, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by nitro_rat

I have been known to throw on the tractor prop and have some fun every now and then, but why just the bottom carb?

physics........ really, I haven't a clue

**billybob** · 03-24-2018, 09:31 AM

What I like to do when using elec. fuel pumps, is shut pump off, let motor run 10 more seconds, then shut motor off. that relieves press., in fuel system. also use a good fuel conditioner.

**Motv18** · 03-24-2018, 10:17 AM

What type of fuel, and drained or full for storage, any additive.

Some can degrade the floats are we also talking the floating part or the metal.

**nitro_rat** · 03-24-2018, 10:30 AM

The issue is the metal part bending, not the float degrading. I converted my carbs to run the square bowls and plastic floats. These were introduced in the early 80’s to be compatible with ethanol in fuel. I never had an issue running the old orange foam floats with ethanol fuel, I mainly went square to ditch the choke plates and switch to the enrichiner system.

Regular pump gas premixed with merc oil 40:1, no additive, the tank was full last year when I put it up, old merc metal 6 gal can.

Residual fuel pressure seems to be the most likely cause so far. I usually run the gas out of the float bowls with the pump off after use but don’t remember doing that last time. Ended up being out late and put it away in a hurry!

**flabum1017** · 03-24-2018, 10:45 AM

the fuel will evaporate enough to take the pressure off the floats. Might just be a weak float.

**nitro_rat** · 03-24-2018, 10:53 AM

That’s what I thought, but it’s happened twice, two years in a row, same carb, differnt set of floats...

**Motv18** · 03-25-2018, 12:58 AM

That’s an odd one. Even over full it should not be enough to bend the float.

**nitro_rat** · 05-07-2018, 09:44 PM

Well, I took the bowl off and this time the float isn’t bent. I swapped over to square float bowls a year or two ago but I used a set off some wh-12’s from an ‘81 150. Apparently they are made of the same junk foam the old round ones were made of! My wife was kind enough to rebuild the carbs again for me but this time she put on a set of bowls from some WH-29’s that have the plastic floats!

While she was working on that I discovered that the Holley blue pump has finally given up the ghost. I dug around in the stash and came up with enough parts to put a pulse pump together and snatched a primer bulb off the wife’s flat bottom (only bulb on the compound that seemed to still work!). I got the fuel lines re-routed and cleaned up some other rigging.

Dang dog ate my water hose adapter for the low water pickup but I did get a successful short run in before I stabbed the lower back on. Maybe a chance for a sea trial tomorrow...

**flabum1017** · 05-07-2018, 09:46 PM

A wife that rebuilds carb..... can't get much better than that

**nitro_rat** · 05-07-2018, 09:50 PM

She enjoys that kind of stuff. She’s more detail oriented than I am and can clean ‘em up faster and better than me. Even managed to save almost all the gaskets. Had to break into one carb gasket set for one base gasket and one jet holder gasket. I also had to cut one gasket for the base of the pulse pump. Grapes of wrath carb overhaul!