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Any ideas why my carburetor is turning green?!?!

Started by Matt Innocenzi, December 15, 2012, 10:23:32 PM

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Matt Innocenzi

For some reason, I only have this problem on my '62 Fleetwood with a Carter AFB.  The carburetor gets a green film all over it, which appears to initiate at the brass components and then spread.  I heard (and it makes sense) that the ethanol additive in gas attracts moisture and I thought perhaps the green is a patena, or oxidation of the copper elements within the carburetor.  The car has been in restoration and I am just finishing it up, so could it be this is the effect of running it very little?  Any thoughts on what is causing this and how I can get rid of it?

I use stabil-gas in my fuel, and I just got turned on to ethanol treatment, which basically reverses the affects of ethanol in fuel. 

John Washburn, if you are reading this, it would make for an excellent column!

Thanks!
Matt
Matt I
CLC #21633
1958 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1962 Cadillac Fleetwood

Steve Passmore

Looks more like the problem is weeping fuel, and thats just the colour of it when it gos stale. those fittings may be weeping.
Steve

Present
1937 60 convertible coupe
1941 62 convertible coupe
1941 62 coupe

Previous
1936 70 Sport coupe
1937 85 series V12 sedan
1938 60 coupe
1938 50 coupe
1939 60S
1940 62 coupe
1941 62 convertible coupe x2
1941 61 coupe
1941 61 sedan x2
1941 62 sedan x2
1947 62 sedan
1959 62 coupe

66Deville

Yep, it's wheeping fuel, have the same problem on my '66 Carter.

Matt Innocenzi

Thank you for the responses.  Is the solution to weeping fuel another carb rebuild? 
Matt I
CLC #21633
1958 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1962 Cadillac Fleetwood

Dave Shepherd

Modern gaskets and seals will cure most of that.

66Deville

I'm going for a brand new Edelbrock 1406 this Spring. I've had it with the 46 years old Carter.

Dave Shepherd

Keep in mind the 1406 is really a modernized version of your AFB.

R Schroeder

The additives are probably part of the problem too.
I would buy a new updated carb kit ,and rebuild that one. To me original is better. Not going to gain much by buying new carb.
Roy

Dave Shepherd


Jeff Maltby 4194

#9
I got tired of my 49 carb always weeping from the top gasket, so I removed it and coated both sides with Gasgacinch from napa or a Harley dealer. Should work fine on your carb threaded fittings also and as a sealant on tire beads to seal to the rim as I recall ? Very easy stuff to work with, being gasoline/oil resistant.

Gasgacinch Facts
Porter Mfg. & Supply Corp., has been the only manufacturer and distributor of Gasgacinch Gasket Sealers for over 50 years in the USA. Our Gasgacinch Gasket Sealer is among the most proven adhesive in the industry. Manufactured from premium grade materials, Gasgacinch offers the best in PERFORMANCE, DURABILITY, and QUALITY for true professional results. Gasgacinch's unique formula is designed to hold gaskets in place during assembly.

In contrast with pasty sealants, Gasgacinch is very fluid, which allows it to flow into tiny fissures and cracks, sealing air pockets where other paste sealants fail. When cured, Gasgacinch is flexible, has high-peel strength, high-shear strength, fatigue resistant, vibration dampening, high heat resistant, gasoline resistant, and oil resistant.

Gasgacinch also allows easy cleanup when competitors require solvents or destructive scraping to clean off your work surface. Gasgacinch adheres to carbon steel, alloy steel, aluminum, titanium, lead, magnesium, synthetic and natural rubber, copper and cork.

Jeffo 49er chapter

CLC 1985
Honda Gold Wing GL1500

Guidematic


If it works on sealing up and old Harley, then it's got to be good.

Mike
1970 Fleetwood Brougham 68169
1985 Eldorado Coupe 6EL57
1988 Eldorado Biarritz 6EL57
1990 Brougham d'Elegance 6DW69
1994 Fleetwood Brougham 6DW69

Jeff Maltby 4194

Mike. I sent Washburn a can to try on his carb rebuilds.
Jeffo 49er chapter

CLC 1985
Honda Gold Wing GL1500

kkarrer

Lots of us have had a great experience with sending carbs to Daytona.  Comes back like new and no worries.  We visited them when we were at nationals in Sarasota this year.  Great facilities.
Ken Karrer 1941 6227D Coupe

dadscad

#13
I would pull the lid off the carburetor and be sure your floats are not full of fuel, sticking, misaligned (scraping the side of the bowl) and that the float drop and height are correct. Be sure there is no trash under the float needle keeping it off the seat. Proper float adjustment is very important with the AFB. The AFB is just as good as an Edlebrock when properly set up and adjusted following the Cadillac Manual.

The Edlebrock will not be a bolt on fitment, the throttle and TV rod linkage will need to be adapted. The best AFB do it yourself rebuild kit is obtained from The Carburetor Shop in Eldon, Mo.  http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/

HTH,
David
Enjoy The Ride,
David Thomas CLC #14765
1963 Coupe deVille

Walter Youshock

Could also be leaking from the small brass plug on the bottom of the fuel bowl that holds one of the check balls.  If the stainless plate is deteriorated from the exhaust passing under the carb, it will only get worse.

Wasn't it nice of Cadillac to include that well on the intake manifold to collect that little pool of gas?

For the cost and trouble of retrofitting the Edelbrock, you could have this one done right by Daytona.
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Matt Innocenzi

Hello all, thank you so much for all of the continued insight and feedback.  I like to consider myself a little smarter than the average bear and have had my share of experience in rebuilding AFB carburetors.  I rebuilt the AFB on my '58 10 years ago and I am convinced it still outperforms a brand new carburetor, albeit it recently developed a little flat spot which I am planning to fix.

In any event, I find it shocking that both AFBs that I have rebuilt
Matt I
CLC #21633
1958 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1962 Cadillac Fleetwood

Matt Innocenzi

Oops, last email got cut off...

I was trying to say I found it surprising that both AFBs I rebuilt for my '62 developed the same gas weeping problem which I never had before. 

The majority of the green is around the air adjustment screw and the mixture screws.  I am reluctant to put the sealer around them, particularly if I have to dial them in for adjustment.  Any thoughts or experience on this?

Ultimately, the car purrs, idles, and accelerates wonderfully.  I hate to fix something that isn't broken.  Are the green deposits from the weeping just aesthetic, or can they present a safety hazard in the form of a potentially fire?

Again, thank you all for the conversation and Washburn, you really need to publish this topic!

Matt
Matt I
CLC #21633
1958 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1962 Cadillac Fleetwood

R Schroeder

#17
I use Echlin carb kits , and they are all made to handle the ethanol gas.
Rebuilt my Quadrajet 3 years ago, and have had no problems. I did buy a bushing repair kit ,to do the front throttle shaft on mine. Don't know if I had to go that far, but the bronze / brass bushing is better than the aluminum surface.
You shouldn't have any trouble with yours.

To me, it looks like the fuel is coming from the top gasket area. I would check the floats too, like the guys have said.

Roy

dadscad

Like Roy mentioned, it looks like a lot of the fuel is weeping from the gasket sealing the top of the carburetor. Also, there are venturi vent holes for each venturi, they vent vapor and liquid to the out side of the carburetor body. They are nestled in the recess just above the mixture screws for the primary bores and directly opposite on the back of the carburetor for the secondary bores. If the carburetor is percolating because of excessive heat or from too high of a fuel level, raw fuel would spill over into the throttle bores and run out of the 4 vent holes.

Is your heat riser functional and not stuck closed? Heat soak after shut down will cause the fuel to percolate out of the carburetor bowl, especially if the fuel level is too high.

David
Enjoy The Ride,
David Thomas CLC #14765
1963 Coupe deVille

Matt Innocenzi

Good observation and advice with the floats and top gasket.  It makes perfect sense - I will explore that to make sure the floats are properly positioned.

The heat riser is properly functioning and not stuck closed but I will double check that as well.

Maybe this is related but I did notice this car is pretty darn hard to start, even in the summer.  I have to pump the gas pedal a dozen times and crank it about 6 times before it finally fires up.  When I work the throttle by hand and look down the venturi I can see fuel squirt down the barrels.  Any relation of this to the weeping fuel?

Matt
Matt I
CLC #21633
1958 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1962 Cadillac Fleetwood