1961 Ford F500 project.

[MattA]

Can the float be slowly heated to help vaporize the gas creating pressure to force it out the tiny hole? Might want to look up what temp gas vaporizes at. It you do heat it, be careful.

[Spike188]

Matt, I thought about heating it also. My thought was put it into a pan of water that is just below boiling point. As the float heats the vapours should cause a visible bubble trail as it exits the float.

As word of caution, even a something as small as a float can be dangerous if it over-pressures and ruptures. Also do not let the water temperature drop before removing the float from the bath. Water bath canning experience talking there. You don't want the cooling float to draw water back in if there is a hole. I would suggest removing the float from the bath as soon as a bubble trail appears to reduce the possibility of a small flash fire. As a preteen my siblings and I learned to lay empty aerosol cans on a trash fire seam down. They usually ruptured along the seam and would launch higher with a more predictable flight path.

[Gordy]

Well I have turned, twisted, and shook this float in every conceivable way I can think of. I followed Gordy’s instructions
too, and I’ll be darned if I can find the hole!
I can clearly hear liquid inside of it.
A61727D6-441F-4B77-AC90-2662100C5762.jpeg

There’s not much liquid inside of it and it still floats, so I guess the question is what the heck do I do with it?

A) Drill a small hole in the top, drain it, reseal the hole and try to add some solder to the seams too.

B) Leave the liquid in it and just add some solder around the seams.

C) Do nothing to it, slap it back in the carburetor and see how long it floats.

D) Try some other ideas you are thinking of.


What do you guys think?


Also here’s a couple of pictures of the linkage I said I would post.

C69560F5-D25E-4563-9A54-15E9D7A76A49.jpeg
A95C70F8-EEBB-46C9-93D2-F0DCE20AB2E3.jpeg

Hard to tell, but in the picture it looks like you did not have enough water in the pan to fully submerge the float under water. If that is the case I would try the test again with enough water to completely submerge the float.

It looks like the Holley carb in my pictures had another arm on the throttle shaft for the auxiliary throttle cable.


Gordy

[DavidBarkey]

I would clean it so all varnish and oxides are gone ( suitable for soldering ) . Gently heat with hair drier on high and cool in dry environment to get the fuel to evaporate and be replaced with air . This may take a few cycles until no fuel is present anymore . Then with plumbers solder and flux re-solder the seam . Use an iron , not a torch , just in case there are still fumes inside .

[Eugen]

I find this float problem very interesting and the ways to tackle that you guys came up with are quite ingenious. Nothing to add, but I'm curious what'll work in the end.

[JSinMO]

I want to thank all of you for your input! I appreciate it more than you know!

At this point I have completed the hot water bath test twice. I know the picture doesn’t show it good, but the float was completely submerged in both tests with the same result. No visible air bubbles. I also have no gas coming out no matter how I position the float. The only indication I have is an intermittent smell of bad gas at the front of the float.

This makes me believe I have a very small hole. Working on that theory I don’t feel comfortable trying to heat and vent the old gas out. This is a pressure vessel, all be it a small one so I fear over pressurizing it with a hole that small and either rupturing the body or damaging otherwise good seals.

I have decided on this course of action. I’m going to drill a small hole through the original vent hole and drain the old gas out. Then re solder that hole shut.

Then I’m going to go with @propane1 and @Jancoe product of choice. I stopped by o’Reillys on the way home and I’ll be, there it is!

I’ve never used it before, but I think this situation will be a good opportunity to test it! I believe my trouble is in the seam so I’m going to run a thin bead around the seam and see how it does.

I’m quite curious to see how much gas come out!

[Eugen]

Sounds like a good plan to me. But since you make a bigger hole, are you not tempted to resolder all around?

Jeff, do you have a sensitive kitchen scale to see the difference before and after you get the gas out?

[JSinMO]

Sounds like a good plan to me. But since you make a bigger hole, are you not tempted to resolder all around?

Jeff, do you have a sensitive kitchen scale to see the difference before and after you get the gas out?

Yes i am tempted to just resolder all around. But I think im even more curious to know if Seal All can do the job. At this point I’m confident my trouble is in the seam so that is where I plan to test it. If it works as well as the guys have said, it would be mighty handy to keep on hand! If it doesn’t the float is as easy to get to as the ones on our tractors so no big deal to pull the top of the carburetor and resolder it then.

Unfortunately I don’t have a scale sensitive enough to weigh the before and after. I plan to try to capture what come out just to see how much was in there!

[Eugen]

Keep the set course Jeff! An idea did come to me when I saw that blob of solder in the middle.

I would melt that blob with a soldering gun and suck the solder with this tool

because I have one. Then I would drill a tiny hole there if the original hole was not open. Would fill the float with water and then keep the float with hole downwards so the water inside gathers at the hole and either suck or push air in with a syringe with thin needle, which would force the water out. I happen to have a syringe too from giving the dog injections.

Then I'd heat the seam all around with a mini butane torch, as I have one of those too, and take the two halves apart. If it didn't come apart I'd just do fresh solder with the torch all around, just like in plumbing, and wipe excess solder with a wet rag.

If it did come apart I'd clean up both halves and solder them back together.

To solder the remaining hole I'd keep the float with the hole downwards and heat up the spot with the torch touching the spot with solder from time to time until a blob sticks nicely at the hole. I'd keep the float with the blob down as the weight of the blob counteracts the possible sucking that might happen there. How's that for a hairy suggestion?!

I'm not done though. I would also silver plate it. Don't laugh, I've done it to parts of a boat carb I used to have.

[propane1]

Good luck Jeff.

Noel