So it happened again. This is the second time. The common factors between the two events are that the weather was stupidly hot/humid, and I had just returned from a somewhat lengthy drive. I had just turned the engine off, and I immediately heard a gurgling from under the hood.
This time I was able to (somewhat) see the source of the noise. Holy crap, engine fire waiting to happen. I say I could somewhat see the source because I could not positively identify where the fuel was coming from - the carb or the mounting gasket or both.
You can sort of see what I mean in the following two videos. You have to look closely to see the fuel bubbling and gurgling at/near the base of the carb:
It only lasted for a minute or two and seemed to subside proportionally to a drop in temp. I let it cool for a few more minutes and removed the air cleaner and started it up (fire extinguisher at the ready). I wanted to see if it was leaking, and if so from where. I say "if it was leaking", because I swear it seems like it's not a leak. Rather it seems like the fuel is boiling out of the carb somehow. Remember, this has only happened when the weather has been unusually hot. Or at least it has only revealed itself in that situation.
This third video is during that experiment:
No leaking, bubbling, gurgling, nothing. The only weird thing was the backfire that happened when I exercised the throttle a bit. But no fuel ejected anywhere. And this was probably max ten minutes after the initial event.
I really hope someone has some ideas about how this is happening. It has been years since I've driven a carbureted vehicle, and I've never owned a 4bbl. It is a Carter AVS. My instinct is to pull the carb and rebuild it, but I'd really like to understand how/why this is happening. Would a rebuilt carb do the same thing on a stupidly hot day? Should I concentrate on lowering the temp under the hood instead?
Obviously I'm not going to drive it again until I get this figured out. Any and all suggestions/theories would be welcomed. Thanks
