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Do you know what causes gasoline to drip out of the over flow tube of your carburetor?
The short answer is that a tiny piece of dirt is most likely stuck in the needle and seat of the float valve, preventing the valve from fully seating. Or else your float valve may need to re re-adjusted, or replaced (due to wear on the needle valve and seat), to lower your fuel level in the carburetor float bowl.
However, I'd like to give you a bit more background on this important question. I used to think that the float valve in the carburetor operated like the float valve in the tank of a toilet: i.e., when water in the tank got low (as in after flushing), the valve would open until the tank filled and then close again. However, it is important to realize that (unlike our toilet tanks) the needle in the carburetor float valve is always closed. What varies is the pressure that the carburetor float exerts on the needle: relatively high as the fuel level increases, and relatively low as the fuel level decreases.
This means that the fuel pressure (on the inlet side of the valve) is in constant equilibrium with the pressure exerted by the needle (on the carburetor side of the valve), so that a very constant level is maintained in the float chamber.
Understanding that the needle of the float valve is always being pressed against the seat is important in understanding why any tiny bit of dirt can cause so much trouble. Once a piece of dirt gets caught between the needle and the seat, it will be held there and interfere with the needle valve's ability to control the fuel level, until such time as fuel is drained from the carburetor and the piece of dirt is flushed away. This is the reason for the flushing procedure of the fuel system, by removing the drain plug from the bottom of the float bowl and let enough fuel run out, which will usually rinse off the the debris that is on the needle valve and seat, as fuel is running out of the float bowl drain plug hole.
To help prevent this problem from happening, again. It's a good idea to put a good inline fuel filter between your gas tank and carburetors that keeps your fuel system very clean going to your carburetor's float valve and seat, which also prevents having other problems in your carburetor, too.
In addition to dirt causing the valves to stick open, I have seen a few cases where the brass seat of the float valve needs to be polished (smoothed out) by pressing and rotating a short pointed hardwood dowel into its small orifice. Dowels of 3/16” diameter work well. I have even had to clean up brand new seats in this fashion before they would stop leaking.
The short answer is that a tiny piece of dirt is most likely stuck in the needle and seat of the float valve, preventing the valve from fully seating. Or else your float valve may need to re re-adjusted, or replaced (due to wear on the needle valve and seat), to lower your fuel level in the carburetor float bowl.
However, I'd like to give you a bit more background on this important question. I used to think that the float valve in the carburetor operated like the float valve in the tank of a toilet: i.e., when water in the tank got low (as in after flushing), the valve would open until the tank filled and then close again. However, it is important to realize that (unlike our toilet tanks) the needle in the carburetor float valve is always closed. What varies is the pressure that the carburetor float exerts on the needle: relatively high as the fuel level increases, and relatively low as the fuel level decreases.
This means that the fuel pressure (on the inlet side of the valve) is in constant equilibrium with the pressure exerted by the needle (on the carburetor side of the valve), so that a very constant level is maintained in the float chamber.
Understanding that the needle of the float valve is always being pressed against the seat is important in understanding why any tiny bit of dirt can cause so much trouble. Once a piece of dirt gets caught between the needle and the seat, it will be held there and interfere with the needle valve's ability to control the fuel level, until such time as fuel is drained from the carburetor and the piece of dirt is flushed away. This is the reason for the flushing procedure of the fuel system, by removing the drain plug from the bottom of the float bowl and let enough fuel run out, which will usually rinse off the the debris that is on the needle valve and seat, as fuel is running out of the float bowl drain plug hole.
To help prevent this problem from happening, again. It's a good idea to put a good inline fuel filter between your gas tank and carburetors that keeps your fuel system very clean going to your carburetor's float valve and seat, which also prevents having other problems in your carburetor, too.
In addition to dirt causing the valves to stick open, I have seen a few cases where the brass seat of the float valve needs to be polished (smoothed out) by pressing and rotating a short pointed hardwood dowel into its small orifice. Dowels of 3/16” diameter work well. I have even had to clean up brand new seats in this fashion before they would stop leaking.