I thought I'd remove the sediment bulb from my '24 roadster. I doubt it's ever been off, and it won't budge. I did get the valve levers free, and would like to check the filter screen. Should I try to just remove the screen plug or keep working on removing the whole assembly?
Phil
If you pull the filter screen assembly off you will need to have one of the lead gaskets on hand that go between it and the bulb. If it were me and it's not leaking I would just blow air through it and make sure it clear.
Remember, you have thin metal supporting that sediment bulb. I would soak it good with penetrating oil, and using the longest open end wrench you can find, just tweek it ever so slightly back and forth, until you detect movement. After that it should be a piece of cake. You can get the inlet off later. Hopefully the screen will be ok.
I have seen a few gas tanks ruined by not following Larry's advice, above.
PJ,
If the outlet with the screen will not budge easily, don't force it. In effect you will be levering the sediment bowl sideways and you risk cracking the solder joint between the threaded fitting and the fuel tank.
Rather, I would suggest removing the sediment bulb. Turning that will not put anywhere near the same load on the fitting in the tank and the solder joint. Make sure you get your wrench as close to the tank as possible so all you are doing is rotating the bowl rather than levering on it.
Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.
I finally got the bowl off. It was quite tight. I used a large pipe wrench. Since the body is cast iron, it didn't mark it... much. It's a good thing I took it off. The top was packed with fuzz and grit, and I think the screen is off or missing.
Thanks to all.
Phil
Usually they're rusted so tight so you'll have to heat it first to be able to loosen the outlet. A propane torch will do, I used my oxy acetylene torch with success on one, on the other I held the flame too long on the end of the brass shutoff so it melted slightly (still useable fortunately) so it's best to move the flame around. After heating let it cool off and you'll be able to take it apart while fastened in a vice.
..Hopefully the lower petcock has been removed and it's been emptied of fuel and washed in something inflammable before heating it.. (Mine had been dry for years when I started heating them)
I've freed up the brass parts in some dry (no gas) cast iron bulbs by heating the cast iron around the part with an oxy/act torch and dropping into water. Works almost every time.
Rich, your method worked like a champ. I heated the bulb with a large oxy-acet torch, then dropped it in a can of water. The brass fitting came off easily!
Note the screen is torn out.
Phil
Phil
Glad it worked out. I've done the same thing using a "heat wrench" on NH carbs and the small jets, etc inside the various areas and the brass parts back out like they were installed yesterday.
(Message edited by Stinch on November 04, 2014)
Phil
Good job with the hot wrench to get that filter nut off, the vendors have new screens, and you can solder it in place.
A clean sediment bulb with a new screen works wonders on providing flow of clean gasoline to the carb! Sure prevents sticky float needles due to dirt/grit particles and gas starvation going up hills due to poor fuel flow.
Phil,
You might consider coating the inside of the sediment bulb with some kind of gas tank sealer when you get it as clean as the one on the right in Dan's picture above. Otherwise it might rust up again at a later date. BTW, where can one obtain a pet cock spring like the one above?
I've had good luck buying old sediment bulbs, and taking them apart until I get one with a good screen. Then, I clean and clean forever until I get all the muck out, and put it back together with a new lead gasket.
"BTW, where can one obtain a pet cock spring like the one above?"
Make it out of stainless spring steel wire.
OK, . . . thanks Ken