Weber DGV float setting

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pishta

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Got one and of course you take it apart before you install it right? Redline (only importer of Weber carbs in USA) says set the float to: 18mm from top of float off the gasket with the needles spring ball barely touching. Then Pegasus racing say "...Weber recommends setting the height of a plastic float at 35mm from the bottom of the float to the bottom of the carb top plate, with the plate held vertically and the float hanging downwards, making light contact with the needle valve..." with a 51mm drop...then they say its 2mm of needle travel from drop to top, <then there is an old 40mm to bottom of BRASS float that is no longer relevant to the plastic floats with only a 10mm drop>. Trouble is: the float is 27mm tall SO a "35mm from bottom to top" of lid would only give you 35-27=8mm of clearance from the top of the float to the top of the lid..Wait, didnt they say it was 18mm? There is no way a factory float with a kicked up float and a dropped needle tab lines up to a level 35mm as shown in this drawing, its more like 43mm and its cocked up toward the far edge of the float. Half tell you to measure without a gasket installed the other half say "on models where you need to remove the float to access gasket, measure with gasket installed" Uh, this one doesnt require that so I guess you measure with no gasket? To top all this off, you need to measure the float with the ball NOT compressed, ie with the float inverted like a regular carb, so you have to either factor in the ball compression, .025 inches, or do this holding the carb vertically with the floats just hanging on the ball. What a joke. I cant seem to find a straight answer so I'm asking some users out here. Float level in these carbs is noted as "thee most important setting as it effects the carb globally"



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A few pics to show a "35mm float bottom to top" is impossible. Note that these are all shot upside down so the bottom of float is obviously the top of the pic. The pivot pin is about 20mm off the top. If I were to hammer the metal bracket flat it could possibly level out as the diagram shows but the centerline of the bracket to the float is 13mm so that would leave me 7mm to top, not 18mm. These guys are using either a very thin OEM Weber float (17mm) that I don't have or there math doesn't add up. A 17mm thick float would make all these numbers possible: 18mm off the top and 35mm total from bottom of float to top of carb but not a 27mm float. Let's say they changed the way they measure and are now using the 18mm to bottom of float as the new standard. That's a lot of change! And not everyone is reporting this.

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Correct float settings:
- gasket removed
- as in top pic, post #1. With float just touching the needle [ not compressing the spring ] airhorn to bottom of the float is 39 mm. [ not 35 ]
- float drop. Airhorn horizontal so that float drops: airhorn to bottom of hanging float is 50mm.
 
Shat if I know. @Hyper_pak Stan might know. He has Webers on his slant 6.
 
Bear in mind that Webers work on 2-4 psi fuel pressure. So a regulator should be used if the pressure is higher.
 
Ah, just realised I can't see some of the photos when i look at this at work. just looked on phone and now can. i'll come back and edit below as its wide of the mark for that carb

(later) added a bit at the bottom after this bit that is potentially not that useful... :)



there is always confusion due to the move from brass to spancil (plastic/foam) floats and differing gasket thicknesses. with ethanol petrol, a modern ethanol proof plastic float is probably best

also be aware of changes to thread pitch and taper on idle mix screws as well. between old and new spanish. 1.5 turns on an old carb can be 3 turns on a new one

i don't know much about DGV apart from running something vaguely related on my Mums citroen year ago, but the usual process is to take off the lid
hold it vertically with the float pivot at the top and with the float hanging down, so that it just touches the tip of the needle valve.
check the distance between the top of the float and the gasket against the, lid at the mid point up the float top surface.

18 or 20 mm doesn't sound too out-there...

the gasket stays in place, because it is in place when assembled, adjusting the height of the lid, by its thickness, when installed.

Easiest way is to use a metric or the closest equivalent imperial drill bit shank this will be the closet thing to a gauge block you own unless you are an engineer.

the spacing differs between the two types of float due to their differing density.

you bend the tab so that it just touches the tip of the needle valve when the float is pressed against the drill bit shank

the droop is less important

the aim here is to have enough droop to allow the needle valve to flow, at fully open,
to allow the needle to stay open, if the fuel is slopping 1 way or the other, artificially lifting the float. However not so much droop that the tab moves so far away, as to allow the internals of the needle valve to fall out so far as to escape, or to jam and hang-up, causing massive flooding.

As with all weber carbs they were built for specific models of cars back in the 50s/60s/70s the settings were model specific, and float height was varied between models of car/engine depending on the engine and the position of the carb on that engine
to take into account fuel surge foaming etc

In the middle of a V6/8 quite stable. fuel surge mainly fore and aft
hung off the side of a 6 less stable but much smoother operation so less vibration at frequencies that might cause foaming . some fuel surge side to side and fore and aft, dependent on manifold length and how crap the engine mounts are
hung of the side of a 4 cylinder less stable and way more vibration. As above with added fuel foaming
this is kinda true for all carbs

so float height on a 6 or v8 may be higher than on a 4.

if you can find a plastic float setting from float top to cover. you are on the right track.

find a model list and see if your carb was used on another six cylinder like an MGC or triumph six, etc the setting for float height would be appropriate, as it is linked not only to when the main circuits come in but also to the engine type and mounting position of the carb.
try to make sure the carb faces the same way it did on an engine that weber made a version of the carb for.

later on, a small change to raise or lower it could be used to deal with a flat spot in transition or a period of over richness in the same rpm range. although i doubt these carbs have the same sensitivity to this kind of thing that the DCOE and IDF do.

if stuck, email webcon in the UK they are mainly responsible for the fact you can still buy webers new, believe they got magneti marrelli to continue manufacture. they are usually willing to help with what would be standard settings.

they may of course try to sell you something.... but i have not found that to be the case the tech guys will at least give their view on what might be right. given the caveat above i.e standard settings are for the engines that the carb was designed for.

still the best baseline to start from in most cases

i think on a lowish revving slant 6 with a standard two-tower slant 6 fuel pump you would be ok without a regulator. i found my holley one to be more trouble than it was worth.
If you a running an electric pump YES you need one.

most cars that ran weber's as OEM equipment didn't have one, the pressure was tuned by the valving and main spring in the pump. flow is key, a slightly larger needle valve tends to be used on engines with capacities towards the top end of what the carb was designed for.

if the pressure is too high, your wear a groove into the needle valve, you will spot it, and to be honest a replacement is not too much. i.e get a regulator If and when you need one

Dave

did a bit of digging, yes indeed the pictures above are useful now i can see

Weber recommends setting the height of a plastic float at 35mm from the bottom of the float to the bottom of the carb top plate, with the plate held vertically and the float hanging downwards, making light contact with the needle valve. (Racing engine builders often recommend adjusting this height to 33mm for a richer mixture in FF1600 racing.)

So can you achieve setting via Bewys set up? using the top of the air horn?
potentially an easier way to set up...
loads of ways to skin this cat...!

if you can achieve neither i presume you have either

1) The wrong float
2) The wrong needle valve
3) the wrong washers under the needle valve
4) The tab on your float has been bent to a position that is messing with the set up and needs to be bent back. Has it been splayed out when the lid was pulled previously i.e float catches in bowel?

you will probably find that 18 mm between top of float and gasket-ed lid is the same as 35mm from bottom of float to the gasketed lid.... unless they changed the design of the float.

but it would be usual to have the float tops more or less parallel to the lid when you are in the right ballpark.


is the carb new or second hand and what was it used on before?

your needle valve looks different not wrong i guess, just different stirrup on it, looks plastic. presume that's a 200

Needle valve DGV / DGAV / DGMS / DGEV / DGAS / DGES / DG | Webcon UK Ltd

picture below stolen and blown up, off webcon site

the floats here are at rest and presume they have pressed the needle valve in as far as it goes under their own weight. hard to tell if your tab is bent differently from this one
but with 2mm travel in the valve i would imagine the floats being kinda parallel to the lid with the tab just touching the tip of the valve.

this lid is probably a 36-36 DGAS but all the same DG type carb.



Dave

Capture.JPG


3171613200_1_hr.jpg
 
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Yea I don't know that carb, but on my DCOEs :
You have to hang it vertical.
I have 3 or 4 Weber manuals, lot of different information of float setting.
3 to 4 PSI is important with DCOEs, not sure about yours.

I have found much information on a couple of FakeBook user groups.
 
Yea I don't know that carb, but on my DCOEs :
You have to hang it vertical.
I have 3 or 4 Weber manuals, lot of different information of float setting.
3 to 4 PSI is important with DCOEs, not sure about yours.

I have found much information on a couple of FakeBook user groups.
Thanks Stan. I couldn't remember which carburetors you have.
 
Ah, just realised I can't see some of the photos when i look at this at work. just looked on phone and now can. i'll come back and edit below as its wide of the mark for that carb

(later) added a bit at the bottom after this bit that is potentially not that useful... :)



there is always confusion due to the move from brass to spancil (plastic/foam) floats and differing gasket thicknesses. with ethanol petrol, a modern ethanol proof plastic float is probably best

also be aware of changes to thread pitch and taper on idle mix screws as well. between old and new spanish. 1.5 turns on an old carb can be 3 turns on a new one

i don't know much about DGV apart from running something vaguely related on my Mums citroen year ago, but the usual process is to take off the lid
hold it vertically with the float pivot at the top and with the float hanging down, so that it just touches the tip of the needle valve.
check the distance between the top of the float and the gasket against the, lid at the mid point up the float top surface.

18 or 20 mm doesn't sound too out-there...

the gasket stays in place, because it is in place when assembled, adjusting the height of the lid, by its thickness, when installed.

Easiest way is to use a metric or the closest equivalent imperial drill bit shank this will be the closet thing to a gauge block you own unless you are an engineer.

the spacing differs between the two types of float due to their differing density.

you bend the tab so that it just touches the tip of the needle valve when the float is pressed against the drill bit shank

the droop is less important

the aim here is to have enough droop to allow the needle valve to flow, at fully open,
to allow the needle to stay open, if the fuel is slopping 1 way or the other, artificially lifting the float. However not so much droop that the tab moves so far away, as to allow the internals of the needle valve to fall out so far as to escape, or to jam and hang-up, causing massive flooding.

As with all weber carbs they were built for specific models of cars back in the 50s/60s/70s the settings were model specific, and float height was varied between models of car/engine depending on the engine and the position of the carb on that engine
to take into account fuel surge foaming etc

In the middle of a V6/8 quite stable. fuel surge mainly fore and aft
hung off the side of a 6 less stable but much smoother operation so less vibration at frequencies that might cause foaming . some fuel surge side to side and fore and aft, dependent on manifold length and how crap the engine mounts are
hung of the side of a 4 cylinder less stable and way more vibration. As above with added fuel foaming
this is kinda true for all carbs

so float height on a 6 or v8 may be higher than on a 4.

if you can find a plastic float setting from float top to cover. you are on the right track.

find a model list and see if your carb was used on another six cylinder like an MGC or triumph six, etc the setting for float height would be appropriate, as it is linked not only to when the main circuits come in but also to the engine type and mounting position of the carb.
try to make sure the carb faces the same way it did on an engine that weber made a version of the carb for.

later on, a small change to raise or lower it could be used to deal with a flat spot in transition or a period of over richness in the same rpm range. although i doubt these carbs have the same sensitivity to this kind of thing that the DCOE and IDF do.

if stuck, email webcon in the UK they are mainly responsible for the fact you can still buy webers new, believe they got magneti marrelli to continue manufacture. they are usually willing to help with what would be standard settings.

they may of course try to sell you something.... but i have not found that to be the case the tech guys will at least give their view on what might be right. given the caveat above i.e standard settings are for the engines that the carb was designed for.

still the best baseline to start from in most cases

i think on a lowish revving slant 6 with a standard two-tower slant 6 fuel pump you would be ok without a regulator. i found my holley one to be more trouble than it was worth.
If you a running an electric pump YES you need one.

most cars that ran weber's as OEM equipment didn't have one, the pressure was tuned by the valving and main spring in the pump. flow is key, a slightly larger needle valve tends to be used on engines with capacities towards the top end of what the carb was designed for.

if the pressure is too high, your wear a groove into the needle valve, you will spot it, and to be honest a replacement is not too much. i.e get a regulator If and when you need one

Dave

did a bit of digging, yes indeed the pictures above are useful now i can see

Weber recommends setting the height of a plastic float at 35mm from the bottom of the float to the bottom of the carb top plate, with the plate held vertically and the float hanging downwards, making light contact with the needle valve. (Racing engine builders often recommend adjusting this height to 33mm for a richer mixture in FF1600 racing.)

So can you achieve setting via Bewys set up? using the top of the air horn?
potentially an easier way to set up...
loads of ways to skin this cat...!

if you can achieve neither i presume you have either

1) The wrong float
2) The wrong needle valve
3) the wrong washers under the needle valve
4) The tab on your float has been bent to a position that is messing with the set up and needs to be bent back. Has it been splayed out when the lid was pulled previously i.e float catches in bowel?

you will probably find that 18 mm between top of float and gasket-ed lid is the same as 35mm from bottom of float to the gasketed lid.... unless they changed the design of the float.

but it would be usual to have the float tops more or less parallel to the lid when you are in the right ballpark.


is the carb new or second hand and what was it used on before?

your needle valve looks different not wrong i guess, just different stirrup on it, looks plastic. presume that's a 200

Needle valve DGV / DGAV / DGMS / DGEV / DGAS / DGES / DG | Webcon UK Ltd

picture below stolen and blown up, off webcon site

the floats here are at rest and presume they have pressed the needle valve in as far as it goes under their own weight. hard to tell if your tab is bent differently from this one
but with 2mm travel in the valve i would imagine the floats being kinda parallel to the lid with the tab just touching the tip of the valve.

this lid is probably a 36-36 DGAS but all the same DG type carb.



Dave

View attachment 1716226769

View attachment 1716226775
you will probably find that 18 mm between top of float and gasket-ed lid is the same as 35mm from bottom of float to the gasketed lid.... unless they changed the design of the float.

This cant be obtained as the float is 27mm thick and 27 + 18mm clearance would be 45mm to gasket, not 35 (or 38). This was where I questioned the float design. My float and bracket looks exactly like your pic. The pivot pin is ~20 mm off the top, or about 19mm with the gasket. They want the top of the float to be almost inline with this pin and level?? look how far Id have to bend that float. The seat gasket as about 1mm washer. check my pics again, I think #1 is gonna be where I leave it and just work from there but all these conflicting diagrams just confuse the **** out of me. This is off a Mazda B2200 2.2, second hand so Im not sure if anything was altered, probably not except me bending the float in an attempt to get 38, 35, or 18mm recommended clearances.
 
My float dimensions I gave earlier in the thread come from the Haynes manual, which covers dozens of Weber models.....

Float level is critical with Webers because the upper emulsion tube holes can be covered or uncovered by the static fuel level. Fuel level is also dependant on [a] fuel pressure n/seat size. Higher fuel pressure, float needs to sit lower; same if the n/seat size is increased. I never liked the steel/spring loaded needles in these carbs. Redline in Hollywood used to make Viton
tipped needle & seats for some Webers, not sure about DGVs. Viton is much more forgiving & less likely to cause flooding.
Float drop is also critical with some Weber models, & nothing to do with the needle falling out.
It is because if the fuel in the bowl is used up quickly & the float drops too far, the float can contact the wall of the float chamber....& jam open. Result is flooding. So this is an important measurement.

Not critical on Carter, Holley, QJ 4 bbl carbs.
 
@pishta can fully understand your frustration

weber made them brass floats
LCN spain owned the brand and made them brass and plastic floats and made edelbrock carbs as well
Magneti Marrelli owned the brand and runs the factory that LCN ran and makes them brass and plastic floats.

and one of those companies give up on waxed card gaskets, moved to big thick rubber lid gaskets, and we are now back with card gaskets.

on top of that Most books written on the subject are from the weber italy era and do not cover the fat and thin gaskets the changes to floats and the consolidation of the best features of numerous versions of each carburettor series into one or two "continuation"models

on the one hand i presume your carb worked on the previous car. so try it.
we don't know what the last owner did to it..... possibly nothing.

attached sections of weber book covering all of the DG DF style carbs

However the attached PDF 32-36.pdf page 2 has float setting specification for 3 types of DGV there is variation in settings across the 3 maybe 1 will work with the float/needle in your carb.

36-36 included as well incase you have a float for a 36-36 DGAS in your DGV.

when you get this to work, it will work very well...

Dave
 

Attachments

  • 38-38.pdf
    13.3 MB · Views: 18
  • 32-36.pdf
    11.6 MB · Views: 25
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The other method you can use

But i will caveat this with its a method i use on DCOEs and IDFs not DGV. I didn't know if it would work on DGV
but looking at the diagrams in the attachment above i can't see why its application here would not be valid.

operation is similar, fuel should be below the exit into main venturi from main well when engine off, by enough to stop undue variation in operation when its running as you brake or take a fast corner.
but not too much. the symptoms in driving terms are the same...you experience the impact of over lean or over rich as rough or dead spot...but in carburation terms different.


take out main emulsion tube
use a small hooked scribe to gently probe down the wall on the primary carb venturi side to find the exit hole into the main venturi.
measure the distance from the top of the emulsion tube bore to the bottom of the hole in its side facing the main bore.

Note it down this is your critical depth.

Take a piece of translucent acrylic rod a cylinder with nice clean cut off ends, they can be opaque from the saw that ok, the rod should be of slightly smaller bore than emulsion tube well bore.
Scribe a line round it with a brake pipe cutter at this distance from the end. i.e the distance from the top of the emulsion tube bore to the bottom of the exit in its side wall

then scribe 2 more lines 1 and 2 mm above your critical depth line

you end up with an acrylic rod that has 3 lines round it 1 is the depth of the exit from the main well the next is 1 mm above that and the next is 2 mm above that
get an e clip that you can clip into your highest groove made in the rod.
You are now set to measure your critical depth +2mm below using the length of rod below the e clip

run the car at high idle low rpm to fill the bowl
shut it off
take off the carb top
take out the emulsion tube
shine your torch or IPhone torch down the emulsion tube well and insert the acrylic rod
when the acrylic rod hits the fuel down the well the top end of it will visibly change, like shadow was cast over it, the length of rod down the hole is the depth of fuel that your float setting has allowed in the bowl.
it should be 1-2 mm below the critical depth hence the 2 extra lines you scribed ideally 2.
if you don't hit fuel by the time the e clip hits the top of the well bore
float setting is too low. its shutting off the fuel through the needle valve too early in its travel.
if you hit fuel before the first line enters the well float setting is too high
if its between the 1mm and 2mm markers. e clip nearly seated id leave well alone and tune with that setting.

adjust and repeat until either happy or its time for tea....

I can not say this will work effectively as i have not done it on your carb
i have however done it many times on DCOE IDF and dellorto equivalents and have had some success

on multi carb setup like i have i use the drill bit method to set initially and then use this as a check, and i tweak the carb that is a bit out... this covers off mismatch in weight of floats and slight machining differences etc.
no reason why it can't be used as main setting routine
do it with the carb filled by the running motor but still cool.

the fuel level is set below the exit when at rest because once the main venturi flows the vacuum in the main venturi is applied to the emulsion tube well
this allows atmospheric pressure on the fuel bowl to push fuel through the main jet and the now emulsified fuel level in the well moves up to the exit and into the main venturi.

with a 2 barrel carb with staged opening there may be more than 1 emulsion tube well. id use the one on the primary.

Dave
 
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@pishta can fully understand your frustration

weber made them brass floats
LCN spain owned the brand and made them brass and plastic floats and made edelbrock carbs as well
Magneti Marrelli owned the brand and runs the factory that LCN ran and makes them brass and plastic floats.

and one of those companies give up on waxed card gaskets, moved to big thick rubber lid gaskets, and we are now back with card gaskets.

on top of that Most books written on the subject are from the weber italy era and do not cover the fat and thin gaskets the changes to floats and the consolidation of the best features of numerous versions of each carburettor series into one or two "continuation"models

on the one hand i presume your crab worked on the previous car. so try it.
we don't know what the last owner did to it..... possibly nothing.

attached sections of weber book covering all of the DG DF style carbs

However the attached PDF 32-36.pdf page 2 has float setting specification for 3 types of DGV there is variation in settings across the 3 maybe 1 will work with the float/needle in your carb.

36-36 included as well incase you have a float for a 36-36 DGAS in your DGV.

when you get this to work, it will work very well...

Dave

@Dave999, What book of Weber carbs is this? I'd like to find a copy of it.
 
It comes from the same book I quoted from: Haynes Weber book, ISBN 1 85010 020 9.

Note that one of the links above that Dave provided does not refer to the DGV carb in this thread.
 
@Bewy

it doesn't, but seems like a potential source for the wrong float, and is also a favorite for jeep 4.2 so might be relevant for slant 6s as well....



@halfafish

i just picked up that weber stuff from here.... the OP above was suffering so a quick search of the internet for something i'd spotted years ago turned up some stuff.

www.theguestroom.net/manuals/ cut and paste it in as a URL

its an unsecured directory in the root directory of some poor fellas website, and you can find all his files including pics of work on his house!!

32-36.pdf 38-38.pdf and dcoe.pdf covers DG 32-36 DG 38-38 and DCOE ??-48


got some other weber books if you need. PM me got the full haynes book covering weber su and zenith 65 meg scan so can't really email

however if you want a readable, if slightly annoying and strange, essay on how they all work and how to navigate through tuning

john passini

Amazon.co.uk

the green book and the orange book 2 volumes, OR both of them in the black cover.
written in 1969 so don't cover new production but you learn enough to manage

amazon charges a fortune second hand so find them on ebay, but you can usually pick up green and orange for about $20

these are "conversational" books i.e you read the lot, they are not reference style or tuning books as such. In style they are like a chat with a man from the BBC in 1959 about carburetors, odd but very useful. very "helloooo, fine sir" and in his view the vast majority of "tuning" done makes things worse unless you really know what you are doing, he is aiming to help. which is why he uses the term "souped up" or "souped". UK slang for tuning, but in his mind you did work on the motor, you changed it with the idea it would make things better, BUT, its only tuning if it actually does make it better. more noise and more temperamental is not better in his world... fair point

soon becomes apparent that all webers work in the same way and the only difference is the idle set up the pump set up or the wot enrichment

i love these books from the point of view of making a car work on the street or the circuit . its a breath of fresh air in comparison to the drag race focused "performance" attitude of many and the vast majority of promo and advertising coming out of aftermarket suppliers . Very much DO NOT BLOCK you heat cross over and keep you vacuum advance, and he explains why..... for a car you drive amongst other cars in all weathers

just don't have a scan of them...

attached another general weber book
all found on the net as scans i didn't do the crime :)

Dave
 

Attachments

  • WeberTuning Manual 1985.pdf
    2.7 MB · Views: 20
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awesome PDFs for the 'ol Weber. Ill assume the (new) 18mm clearance is accurate for new style gasket and new floats per Redline as they probably sell the most WEBER cast carbs here in USA. I can get that measurement at the tip of the float. When they show it parallel to the top is were I lose it as it cant be 18mm AND parallel unless you bend the tab at like a 30 degree angle.
 
yes i think you are on the right track

id guess redline US and Hardimans Redline Australia are working from the latest detail which was probably shared with them from Webcon UK who seems to have a undue amount of sway over what gets made and the features it has.

All 3 companies seem to be distributors in their own areas and, guardians of the "genuine weber" branding

if you need parts you may get satisfaction from your Local aircooled VW place they often carry weber and dellorto parts, and given that their marque of focus is not totally focused on european exotic supercars the cost is often less

but keep an eye out for EMPI ENTEK and FAJS parts. they work, but are chinese copy parts for chinese copy carbs coming out of chinese factories that originally had contracts with USA suppliers to provide product in the spell when weber italy closed down and webcon redline et al had not got the relationship with the spanish going..

EMPI are a respected supplier of VW bug parts (or were 25 years ago when i liked that kinda thing)

Dave
 
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