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Ford Anglia E494A - a new arrival
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Rick
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Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22423
Location: UK

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi all,

Yesterday I moved the Anglia for the first time in a couple of weeks, it wouldn't idle at all and on opening the bonnet, I was met with the stink of fuel pouring from the top of the carb. Two possibilities came to mind, a sticking needle valve and/or leaky float.

I took it all apart and it was immediately obvious that the float was full of fuel. Presumably the solder somewhere has given up? I left it in the sun for a while and you could hear it hissing as the contents tried to make a bid for freedom through the tiny pinhole, wherever it is.



I put a short vid together describing the fun

https://youtu.be/TYmDBY1b1tQ

RJ
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is strange this failure of floats. It makes you wonder what fails. Unlikely to be brass corrosion nor the tin or lead in the solder. Perhaps there was a small passage filled with flux?? Fatigue failure also seems improbable.

Peter
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badhuis



Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 1388
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As mentioned before I had the same problem with the floats in my TR4. First one started to leak a couple of years ago, the second I needed to replace a month or two ago. I suspect it has to do with chemical changes in the petrol formula.
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Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 6264
Location: Derby

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as I can recall, float failure was always a fairly common problem with old cars. I also think we may forget that Cleveland Petrol had ethanol which improved perfomance but perhaps had hidden side effects.
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alastairq



Joined: 14 Oct 2016
Posts: 1948
Location: East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 10:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ray White wrote:
As far as I can recall, float failure was always a fairly common problem with old cars. I also think we may forget that Cleveland Petrol had ethanol which improved performance but perhaps had hidden side effects.


Maybe? Maybe not? Not everyone had easy access to Cleveland fuels...

I'm more inclined to agree with badhuis ' suggestion. The components that make up today's petrol are very different from what made petrol in the 50's and 60's.
I doubt a branded fuel supplier would concern themselves with the effect their additives have on solder?
It is perhaps one reason why I will not use anything other than basic 95{?} octane leadless, aside from cost. All the superdoopah [higher octane] fuels have additives in them that were probably not considered back in the 50's?

We worry ourselves about ethanol!
Yet we ignore all the other tripe that goes into the most expensive, branded, fuels?

It is entirely possible that the leak was there along along?
Sudden proper usage of the car, using modern petrol, which evaporates much more readily at lower temperatures, maybe started an issue with the float? Also, as with modern circuit boards, it's possible there was a 'dry' joint, or partly dry joint, in the solder?

I wonder if someone makes ethanol-resistant plastic floats?
{Burlen do for SUs]

I wonder if the FSOC will flog you a better float?
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Keith D



Joined: 16 Oct 2008
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Location: Upper Swan, Western Australia

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you watch how people fill their carby bowls before starting their oldies, often by banging down the primer button as if it were a detonator. Perhaps that's the reason floats start leaking. After all, they are usually made of very flimsy thin sheet brass or copper.

Keith
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Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
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Location: Derby

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 1:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My point was that leaking floats were a common place fault back in the day... along with poorly seating needle valves.
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alastairq



Joined: 14 Oct 2016
Posts: 1948
Location: East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2021 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Burlen don't cover this type of Zenith carb.
Floats available either via FSOC, or, for NOS/used, via SmallFordSpares.
Around 17 pension-quids, delivered.
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
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Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 2:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ray White wrote:
As far as I can recall, float failure was always a fairly common problem with old cars. I also think we may forget that Cleveland Petrol had ethanol which improved perfomance but perhaps had hidden side effects.


The thing is that Cleveland petrol back in the day would have had lead in it as well as ethanol, and I suspect that lead acted to inhibit corrosion in a way that was unintended and went unnoticed at the time because all petrol had lead in it. Modern fuel just has the ethanol with, most likely, very little in the way of corrosion inhibitors that might not be that effective anyway.
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bjacko



Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 345
Location: Melbourne Australia

PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 7:35 am    Post subject: Float Leak Reply with quote

Put the float in hot water and the leak should "hiss" underwater and identify the point(s) of leakage.
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Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 6264
Location: Derby

PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bitumen Boy wrote:
Ray White wrote:
As far as I can recall, float failure was always a fairly common problem with old cars. I also think we may forget that Cleveland Petrol had ethanol which improved perfomance but perhaps had hidden side effects.


The thing is that Cleveland petrol back in the day would have had lead in it as well as ethanol, and I suspect that lead acted to inhibit corrosion in a way that was unintended and went unnoticed at the time because all petrol had lead in it. Modern fuel just has the ethanol with, most likely, very little in the way of corrosion inhibitors that might not be that effective anyway.


That is a good point. I hadn't taken lead into consideration but my point was that I remember from my childhood how many older cars had leaky carburettors and being told about leaky floats. No doubt modern petrol is very different and may well make the problem worse. I remember petrol used to have a lovely, evocative aroma but now it just smells.
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lowdrag



Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 1585
Location: Le Mans

PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps this is the wrong thread, but someone might want this:-

https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/d9835ecbeb1fd3dea5124961da9537b4/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/cadmore-twoday-general-auction-jewellery-watches-mi-lot-494/
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Rick
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Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22423
Location: UK

PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For a bit of fun I put together a short vid about the joys of starting handles, using the Anglia as a guinea pig while it was outside. I had thought of taking it to a show on Monday but then I remembered about a rallying event taking place elsewhere so we headed there instead.



https://youtu.be/Jn0Vxo_9TIQ

Handy things!

RJ
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Rick
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The other day we took the Anglia for a spin, looking for old '50s domestic garages to photo the car alongside.

https://youtu.be/1v77A43IEXI



RJ
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AmusingEmu



Joined: 11 May 2021
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rick wrote:
The other day we took the Anglia for a spin, looking for old '50s domestic garages to photo the car alongside.

https://youtu.be/1v77A43IEXI



RJ


Took mine out to meet up with a mate in his 55 Bedford fire engine. Realised that at some point the previous owner has messed with the HT leads and one was completely destroyed inside meaning I was running on 3 cylinders. Quick replacement and an adjustment of the idle and now have a much nicer car to drive.


https://myalbum.com/photo/QQHLgPWUGWAi/540.jpg
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