[Healeys] 57 Healey

[Bob Spidell]

Guess I should have been more specific.  You shouldn't smell a strong gas odor when you open the bonnet, and none in the 
boot (mine reeked of gas until I replaced the tank).  I don't usually stick my face down by the carbs, but wouldn't be 
too alarmed to get a faint whiff of gas if I did.  Any more than that, however, and I'm looking for the leak.  Best I 
can tell, the needles and pistons seal the jets pretty well when the engine is stopped (if the pistons don't drop the 
jet is misaligned).

I'm basing this opinion on my experiences with my two Healeys and a few others I've observed so others' experiences may 
differ, of course.

bs


On 3/2/2011 5:23 PM, Greg Lemon wrote:
> " Back to the point: Healeys shouldn't smell of gas. It is not a normal condition"
>
> I have heard this opinion expressed I think a couple times on this list, I would respectfully disagree.
>
> Last I checked Healeys have SU carbs which have an orifice or mouth for the air intake, if you look inside just a 
> couple inches there is a piston, lift the piston and you will see a needle which goes into a jet full of gas, when the 
> car runs gas is sucked out to the jet and mostly atomized and burned but there will always be some in the bottom of 
> the jet.  The jet and the interior of the carb, the piston and inner walls, are exposed to the gas as it is sucked out 
> of the carb and are open to the world (there is an air filter, but it doesn't filter out gas fumes) a slight smell of 
> gas, particularly after running is not at all outside the range of normal.
>
> Now if the fumes are stinking up the garage to the point the significant other complains and you are afraid to light 
> matches or make sparks in the area that is not normal.
>
> A more debatable point is that the fuel system was never built to be that precise or leak free, and a little seapage 
> from the carbs, not drips, but some fuel getting out where a seal is not absolutely gas tight, such as the jet or 
> float bowl lid, seeping along the surface and smelling a little of gas is fairly normal as well, and won't cause any 
> harm, and fixing it or not is a matter of your overall worldview on such things and wether the effort and potential 
> frustration is worth the reward to you, I will concede that this point is debateble, but when I drove SU carbed cars 
> (Healeys, MGs, Triumphs) when they were used cars and daily drivers seemed to be the way they worked.
>
> Greg Lemon
>


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Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell at comcast.net

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