I am working on the Ensign carb on my thirty. This is a little different from most of my other antique tractor carbs. My question is on the brass float bowl. I just cleaned the needle valve and seat and the cork floats. Reinstalled the float arm with top up stamping correct. Seems there is very little movement in the needle valve. Not much more than a 1/16. This don’t seam right. Can anyone help?

Thanks Don

"Bluegrass1985" wrote:

I am working on the Ensign carb on my thirty. This is a little different from most of my other antique tractor carbs. My question is on the brass float bowl. I just cleaned the needle valve and seat and the cork floats. Reinstalled the float arm with top up stamping correct. Seems there is very little movement in the needle valve. Not much more than a 1/16. This don’t seam right. Can anyone help?

Thanks Don

-that doesn't seem like much movement, but the real movement that counts is the brass float itself....it might be called "leverage"....and probably more ways to describe what's happening, so the needle valve doesn't really need to move much, just off the seat...

-usually dirt and crud is the biggest enemy in a carb.. clogging passages etc...

-make sure float doesn't have a pinhole leak etc...

-and soft tip on the needle doesn't hurt...alcohol in a lot of the gasoline now doesn't help

I think I will reassemble carb, install and give it a try. It was very clean. Probably should have left it alone. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks Don

Suggestion, cork floats can be coated with clear two part epoxy obtainable at model air plane stores to prevent damage from our ethanol additive in gasoline.