Solex Z2 Carb Dripping Into Manifold?

[Loose Hand Luke 6]

Having a problem hot starting my car.

When I turn the engine off you can hear it ticking like fuel is dripping into the manifold.

When I leave it a short while and try to start it again its instantly flooded.

 

Is this a float level issue or something else causing fuel to drip from a jet?

 

From cold it starts perfectly using the manual choke and the idle mixture has been set. Timing is also bang on and vac advance is working etc.

Only thing I've not done yet is a compression test as the engine runs fine once started.

[j_turnell 134 3 Cars]

The ticking noise is probably the exhaust starting to cool. Does it eventually fire up or do you have to wait for it to cool right down? Could be something electrical/ignition related getting to hot. I'd check for a good spark when the problem occurs.

[Loose Hand Luke 6]

No its not the exhaust mate. Its in the inlet manifold.

You don't have to wait for it cool, you just have to keep turning it over till the flooding clears.

I've good spark, all new ignition items inc a new module.

Got to be fuel related.

I just don't know much about these Solex carbs yet.

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Common issue with these, Mate had the same on his 309, swapped it to the XS carb and problem sorted, he even had the old one rebuilt by someone but made no difference so I doubt they knew anything about them

[j_turnell 134 3 Cars]

Strange, i never had any problems with the carb on my old XS. The solex z2 is the XS carb isn't Miles?

[trogboy 17]

The solex z2 is the XS carb isn't Miles?

 

^^Yes it is.

 

I thought that fuel evaporated from the carb when the engine was sat hot. Lack of cooling airflow allowing the carb to heat up from the latent heat in the engine/exhaust. Boiling off some of the fuel in the float bowl will cause the mixture to be off when you come to start it.

 

That wouldn't sort itself just by leaving the car to cool down fully and I remember that hot starting definitely used to be worse in the summer. Perhaps a hot carb with hot/less dense air in the inlet tract struggles to meter the fuel adequately. Turn it over few times to start to cool things down and it fires up? Just a thought.

 

If you take the top cover off, you can look down the venturies and see if you really do have much fuel dripping out of the carb when you switch the engine off. I'd expect a bit in any case but I'd be pretty suprised if you could hear that to be honest. As John says it's probably just thermal contraction as the different parts of the engine/exhasust cool at different rates.

 

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[N3VRAM 12 1 Cars]

Had nothing but trouble with these carbs! Swapped for a different one three times and always got issues with starting or dropping power when you've got your foot down. We've been using a single Weber for a while now with no issues as well as being a better all-rounder.

[Loose Hand Luke 6]

Fair play mate. My old xs was never quite right either.

My 205 GL had a single choke carb and always started easily.

I'm going to have another play with the Z2 as its still not working right.

[boldy205 74]

Rebuild the carb with new gaskets, )euro carb were very helpful when I did mine ) reset it all to Haynes settings and try that? I know float level is prob not this actual problem, but make sure you set this too.

[Loose Hand Luke 6]

Cheers mate. I'll start tinkering after pugfest :-)