Petter A1 petrol leaking

Hi all, When I strike up my newly acquired Petter A1, and having cleaned the carb etc, it's starts effortlessly and ticks over smoothly without any coughs and splutters, but while running there is a steady drip of petrol from the vent at the bottom of the carb ???
Any ideas as to what's going on?

Many thanks,
Mike.

....vent at the bottom of the carb ???

I'm assuming it's a Zenith 24 T-2. Could it possibly be the drain tap fitted to paraffin or T.V.O. models ?

Any chance of a picture ?

Do you mean this one?

That's the monkey.
BTW. I have a Service Bulletin if you are interested.

Thank you both for your help.
It's the right carb but it's not leaking from the drain tap.
On the underside of the air/choke tube there is a hole filled with rods of brass wire, this is where it's dripping from and only when the engine is running.
I realise looking at the photo the filtered hole I talk of is directly below the throttle right on the base of the carb.

Regards,
Mike.

What you describe is a sintered filter which is usually a breather, you need to adjust the fuel level.

Hi, thanks maryalice.
I thought the float level was fixed. Is the float valve adjustable?

Paul, I wouldn't mind a copy of the service bulletin if you don't mind.

Thanks,
Mike.

You can adjust it by putting a washer under the valve to stop the petrol sooner or adjust the float.

Maryalice

Ah I hadn't thought of that.
A washer it will be then.

Thanks maryalice.
Mike.

One last question if I may.
Dose off the shelf carb cleaner really brighten the dull grey of a carb, or is there a known product that will make it look really bright and new looking?

Thanks,
Mike.

A tin of elbow grease and a suitable scouring pad usually works best, you will find the grease everywhere you go where there is some hard work to be done

Maryalice

Hehehe, at 73 I've lost count how much elbow grease I've used over the years, so now I just want to dip it in something and it comes out all bright and shiny. lol

Regards,
Mike.

Scouring powder and a drop of water with a plastic scouring pad, aluminium is to soft to be to rough with.
Just curious, which part of the country do you call home.

Maryalice

Thanks maryalice I'll give it a try.
I live near Boston Lincolnshire.

Regards,
Mike.

Hi Guys, well I adjusted the float level by a fair margin, but sadly I still have petrol dripping from the breather.
One detail I didn't have quite right in my original report, is that the leaking only happens when the engine has run and subsequently stopped. Once the revs have dropped significantly, so the dripping starts, and continues for maybe 20 seconds or so.
It's as if the engine no longer needs the fuel but there is still sufficient updraft to pull it from the carb and then dumps it overboard. A bit ridiculous I know but it's the only way I can describe it.
Incidentally the compression is amazingly strong so I guess it must follow that so is the vacuum.

Regards,
Mike.

billybongo wrote:
Paul, I wouldn't mind a copy of the service bulletin if you don't mind.

Mike.

Hi Mike,
PM me with an email address and I send it - you will see the 'breather' in the cross section diagram.

Hi Paul, thanks for the bulletin, email address duly sent.

Regards,
Mike.

maryalice wrote:What you describe is a sintered filter which is usually a breather, you need to adjust the fuel level.

Can't understand why a breather would be required in the intake? No reference to a 'breather' in the text
Looking at the cross-sectional diagram it looks like it may well be intended to drain excess fuel from the throttle body when the engine stops. Maybe dumping it overboard is bang on?

billybongo wrote:Hehehe, at 73 I've  lost count how much elbow grease I've used over the years, so now I just want to dip it in something and it comes out all bright and shiny.   lol

Regards,
Mike.

You could, of course, dig out some beer tokens, strip it down and have the big bits vapour blasted.

Hi Paul,
PDF received with thanks.
Looking at the drawing I'm inclined to agree with you that the porous drain or whatever it's called, is indeed intended to drain the unused fuel from the throttle body after the engine has stopped.
That said, it's odd that no one else has mentioned this dripping fuel (enough to form a small puddle) or indeed there's no reference to the drain in the text.

Regards,
Mike.

If you are stopping it by holding the throttle closed or pressing the stop button then it will leak, I have found, on the few Petter A11 engines I've had with the Zenith carb it has been this way but stop it by turning the fuel off and let it run out I've found it doesn't happen then. The Solex carb will drip from the air intake if the fuel is too high and that is fixed by adding a washer to the needle....

Hi Appletop,
Well that kind of nails it...it is as it should be!
All I was concerned about was the possibility of me having missed something when I had it stripped or equally having done something wrong.
I have thus far stopped the engine with the mag stop button, but will certainly try turning the fuel supply off.

Thanks to you and all for your valuable input.
Regards,
Mike.