Help: fuel leaking out of intake

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nailman

nailman

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I have a 1966 Dart wih the 225 /6. I have been driving it on weekends for several years. It stopped running today, so I looked under the hood and saw a fuel leak. It has a Holly one barrel on a stock intake. The intake has a plate or cover on the side with no gasket. Fuel is leaking out of that cover. Under the cover are two holes. What was this opening for? I need to stop the leaking fuel so my car will run again.
 
Sounds like the float is sunk or sticking. Not really sure what the plate is for.
 
do you mean the plate is on the opposite side from the head?

where on the intake is this plate?
 
That plate/cover with two holes sounds like you are describing the EGR valve mounting flange on '73-up intake manifolds. If you're getting fuel leaking out of there, it's because you're getting fuel pooling in the bottom of the intake manifold, and that would indicate you've got a pretty severe fuel percolation problem. This also means you've got a nice vacuum leak. The engine will run better and more economically once you solve the problems one at a time: install a gasket between that blockoff plate and the intake manifold. Use an EGR valve gasket for a 1985 Dodge D150 pickup with 225 ("3.7") 6-cylinder engine. Go through the carburetor carefully with a good-quality rebuild kit with a premium inlet needle and seat (such as the "DFV" inlet needle/seat included in kits from www.daytonaparts.com ). Install a new float in the carburetor -- Walker number 100-14 if you have a Holley 1920 carburetor (the kind with the fuel inlet on the passenger side and a rectangular fuel bowl facing front, with "HOLLEY" cast into it, held onto the main body of the carb with one screw at top, one at bottom, one left and one right). If you have a Holley 1945 carburetor (fuel inlet on the front), the float is a Walker 100-48. Carburetor operation and repair manuals and links to training movies and carb repair/modification threads are posted here for free download. Do the fuel line mod to reduce fuel heating and percolation, and in addition to the thick insulating spacer gasket between the carb and intake manifold, install a heat shield. Make sure your thermostat is a 180° item, not a 195°.
 
Thanks Dan. I have the 1920. I wonder why I have a 73 intake manifold on my '66...
It was running fine. I parked it after driving one day and it would not start the next day and had those symptoms. (would not start/ fuel running out from that plate)
Before that, it started first crank, even when cold. It does not have a choke, so it would run a little rough and slow at first but would smooth out as soon as she warmed up. I will do the carb rebuild and gasket to see if that gets her going again. Then I can do the other mods.
 
Oh, I forgot to ask: what vacuum? I only have one vacuum line and it goes to the distributor.
 
If gas can drip out that means air can be sucked in.

Carbs need to take in a specific amount of air in order to function properly. The vacuum created by air traveling through the venturi is what pulls the fuel through the jets. When you open the throttle you let more air in which draws more fuel, but if you have a vacuum leak it's going to throw off the ratios.

I also found this link over on slantsix.org which may apply.

Another suspect area is the gasket between the base of the carburetor and intake.

You'll get it hashed out in no time :)

Jim
 
One small-diameter vacuum line from carb to distributor, one large-diameter vacuum line from carb to PCV valve, and remember that every gasket junction (carb to intake, blockoff plate to intake, intake to head...) is a potential vacuum leak.
 
If your carb has a stuck float or has been flooding for anytime at all, you may have severely diluted oil in the crankcase. I'd check for that and change the oil and filter (if necessary) before I started the engine. A good tell tale sign (if you can't smell gas in the oil or if it doesn't seem thin) is the level. If it's now overfull, it's because raw gas has made it's way past the rings into the pan and raised the oil level.
 
The EGR gasket worked on the leak, but that was not stopping the engine. After I repaired that obvious problem, I found that my resistor was bad and I was not getting enough spark.

Thanks to all of the suggestions!
 
nailman said:
The EGR gasket worked on the leak, but that was not stopping the engine. After I repaired that obvious problem, I found that my resistor was bad and I was not getting enough spark.

Thanks to all of the suggestions!
Click to expand...

sounds like its time for an electric ign or petronix conversion
 
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