I have a 56 ford f100 freshly rebuilt motor and ive been driving it here and there to break in the motor. One day i decided to take it for a ride and about 2 blocks from my house it started to die. So i turned it around and it died a couple times but i keep the rpms high enough for it to chug back home and i looked under the hood and it was wet all around the carb baseplate and leaking from the float cover onto the manifold. it doesnt smell like straight gas though and it feels oily. What are the causes of this? It has a new holley 1 bbl carb.

 

Stuck float, I'd bet. When you open up the top of the carb, check for rust and sand. When trucks sit (like during a rebuild) and are then run regularly, it sucks all the junk out of the tank. No filter will stop it all, you'll need to clean the tank and lines if you find the carb is full of it.

 

i went and messed with it again. by the way, the tank is brand new and so is the carb and lines. i even installed a see thru filter inbetween the 2, but i dont think its oil now that i messed with it again. when i try to start the truck gas soaks the carb and i had a puddle under the truck of gas. theres gas all over the carb and manifold. i even took the float cover off and looked at the float.

 

Check the gas supply line fitting that is threaded into carb. Mine has a copper ring in there, without the ring it's a mess. The gaskets on the carb. might be bad. Tightened up screws abit and see what happens.

 

How high was the fuel level when you opened it up? Are you using the stock fuel pump or an electric?

 

Have someone start the truck, and watch were the fuel is coming out of. I agree with Albuq, it sounds like the float is either stuck or out of adjustment. Even with a new tank, it doesn't take much to lodge something in the float/ needle causing it not to seal. The float will continue to allow fuel to come into the carb without shutting it off. If the level is too high, it will dump excess fuel into the carb. No offense, but Holley's are notorious for leaky floats or being out of adjustment.

 

yea thats exactly what i was thinking, lucky i have a carb rebuild kit that i got for the old carb, and it has the paper straight edge for measurement. i have the carb off and sitting on the table and im going to bea trying to adjust the float, after i find out how to.


im using the stock mechanical fuel pump

 

You may need to replace the entire seat and needle for the float and not just an adjustment. I take the new needle seat from the rebuild kit and install that. Then check your measurements.

 

Don't the Holley 1-bbl's have an external screw to adjust float setting? My old IH had that. You can see the fuel level in the glass bowl. I wish all carbs were like that (although the glass bowl leaked like a sieve)

 

no mines not the glass bowl,(i wish) yea ill go ahead and replace the neddle and seat. but after i got everything back together i fired the truck up and its not leaking from the float bowl anymore, but now from the top gasket on the carb.