Has anybody found a solution to a chronic gas leak from the carburetor. On my 27 Touring with Vaporizer carburetor I always have to turn off the gas to prevent gasoline dropping to the floor below.
replacing the needle and seat usually does it for me.
Of course, I have had some with float problems that drive you crazy!
I have a Vaporizer on my '17. It does not have any problem like that. I am using an original brass needle and seat. You can buy a new original style needle and seat from most of the T part vendors. They are unaffected by the new alcohol laced gasoline.
Thank you Mike and Royce. I will definitely change the needle and seat this winter.
Bob Pellow in Parksville
When I had that problem, I got a rebuild kit from Lang's that included all the gaskets and the needle and seat I needed. Turned out my brass inlet needle (which looks more like a cone than a needle) developed a groove in its rubber nose from the seat. Some folks have difficulty unscrewing the seat for replacement and that sometimes requires heating, but mine unscrewed easily.
I didn't bother replacing the needle valve because I knew it wasn't the problem and there was no point in opening that can of worms, but replacing all the other parts with the stuff that came in the kit was easy and self-explanatory. Bolting the carburetor back on, however, was another story because there was no room to get a wrench in there. Longer bolts and a crowfoot wrench were the answer to that problem. While you're at it, you might consider some kind of air-filter.
Bob:
Where is the leak coming from? I completely rebuilt my carburetor prior to the engine rebuild in 2009 - needle, seat, jet, bowl - everything but the float. Mine was leaking just a few weeks ago from the vaporizer adjusting needle clamp. http://www.modeltford.com/item/6278.aspx
I replaced the gasket and that still didn't work. I had to really tighten it down before it finally stopped leaking. You need a deep socket to do this. Mind you, I have roughly 1800 miles on a rebuilt engine before it began leaking. I wonder if this is going to be an ongoing issue.