Solex drip Herald 1200

[Tom]

Some of you might know I’m currently fitted extra gauges to my 65 Herald 1200. It was whilst faffing with the temp sensor in the waterpump housing I noticed a whiff of petrol. The car had just been run and upon inspection I noticed a drip of fuel exiting the carb ( Solex B30 ) from the spindle that operates the accelerator pump. Whipping the air filter off and looking into the carb revealed a drip from the Spraying Bridge? The drip dripping  onto the butterfly and then running down the spindle and out the carb. My guess is the carb is flooding slightly? Pressure from the pump getting past the float valve as the dripping stops after a minute or so.

guessing I’ll need a new gasket for the carb once I’ve taken the carb top cover off to get to the needle valve.

[Pete Lewis]

gasket is a possible but often quite re useable.

i would also check the small ball and spring generally  under the spray nozzle .

then there is the dreaded rubber slivers cut off the hoses float into the back of the float needle 

and the more  you mess the more you make , crafty little sods .

Pete

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom]

Cheers Pete, can you elude deeper as to where this small ball and spring are located? I can see a small ball on the exploded diagram in the Haynes manual but I can’t work out where it goes? Also I can’t see a spring?

[Colin Lindsay]

The ball is under the accelerator jet, the curved little guy in the photo with the hexagonal nut, but no spring, just a washer.

 

[Tom]

Cheers Colin I’ll check that this weekend 👍🏼

[Tom]

Ok chaps, gasket was reusable 👍🏼 I cleaned out the float valve, didn’t see anything come out. Float chamber did contain debris, not slivers more like small bits like very fine sand but black, could that be rubber? Fuel pump ( AC brand, looks original ) also had quite a lot of this this ‘stuff’ in. Rubber fuel lines are only two years old from James Paddock or Canley classics, I can’t remember? But these should be ok…???

Float looked in good condition, I could get the curved accelerator pump pipe out, it seemed stuck solid! Didn’t want to damage it so gave up, any advice on how to remove it would be good.

Reassembled but it still drips! Could it be a worn float valve?

Also I’ve noticed a slight leak from fuel sender, I know it’s not related but it needs addressing too. Was going to replace it as the gauge flicks around wildly when below half a tank. Can anyone recommend a good quality replacement?

[Pete Lewis]

some carbs do suffer from perculation and fuel drips on the throttle plates and runs out the spindle bore

its unlikely to be the float needle but thats worth changing as a matter of elimination 

make sure all the very small holes in the base and top cover are all clear  , they are surprisingly important 

pete

[Tom]

Ok👍🏼. Are these all the holes that are visible once the cover is removed?
 

also does anyone have any thoughts on fuel senders? It seems prices range from high 20’s ( ebay ) mid 30’s ( most Triumph suppliers ) and  £50 at Rimmers. Quality is my main driver, quite happily spend a bit more if it’s a better part.

[Pete Lewis]

yes not jets just small drilled holes that feed slow running and compensator circuits 

as for senders firstly are your gauges thermo bi metal with voltage stabiled supply or instant wavy needles

of the non stabilsed early type ???

the senders are both very different and you cant mix or match them 

6 hole or bayonet fitting does not define what you have 

Pete

 

[Tom]

Blimey Pete you have some knowledge 👍🏼
Is there a way to tell which gauge I have? There doesn’t appear to be a voltage stabiliser present if that narrows it down?

[johny]

As Pete says watch your gauges (fuel and/or temperature), if on powering up their needle rises slowly its a stabilised thermo system if on the other hand it shoots up immediately and vibrates a bit youve got the earlier type without stabilser...

[Tom]

Ahhh, I see! 
 

Mine’s the instant waggler, so the early type. All the suppliers only mention locking ring and screw type not stabilised or unstabilised??

 

Any other way to make sure? Pt.no.?

[johny]

You might be in luck as this comes from a very good article on Smiths gauges from triumphclub.co.nz indicating the number that should be on your sender. Then as it happens theres one of them asking for offers here on ebay: Triumph Herald & Vitesse (Some) Fuel Gauge Sender | eBay

[johny]

Re-reading your earlier post Im not sure that the early type gauge swinging around a lot on lower tank levels isnt normal. Moving iron systems because they react quicker will inherently be less stable so will move much more with sloshing fuel... Before you start spending money we need a comparison with an owner of a similar car? 

[Pete Lewis]

we have made a bayonet ring tank accept a 6 hole sender by cutting a bit of the circumference

you cannot make a stabilised sender be it 6 hole or bayonet work your moving iron gauges

supply of the correct one is getting limited if at all

one solution is to change the fuel gauge  to stabilised  and add a voltage stabiliser and later float 

or make a wooden dipstick  Ha !

same applies to temperature senders non stab  121997  stabilised  GTR108   again mix them  and you get silly gauge readings