VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Leaky rebuilt Carter W-1 carburetor

I just finished rebuilding the carburetor on my 1940 Chevy using a kit. Everything seemed to go well and the car runs fine but the carburetor leaks quite a bit at two or three of the plugs (low speed jet, disk check passage plug, nozzle passage plug). I have taken the carb back off and re-tightened the jet and all the plugs to no avail.

I'd appreciate any advice on how to stop the leaks.

Thanks!

Did you insert new copper gaskets under the head of each plug as required during the rebuild?

:) :grin:

Yes I did replace them. The new ones were an exact match as far as I could tell.

Using a hammer and a screwdriver gently tap the screwdriver with the hammer as you turn the screwdriver. The plugs should tighten down a little more and the leaks should stop. The head of the plug must be seated tightly against the copper gasket or there will be seepage.

:) :grin:

I'll try it, although the tops of the two plugs were in poor shape before I even started. Is it possible to find replacements for the plugs and low speed jet?

Yes, it's possible, but you will have to do some looking. Or, if you have spare carburetor (which is always a great idea) you can use the plugs from that carburetor.

:) :grin:

I had the same issue and was beyond myself trying to stop the seepage until a carb specialist told me to use plain old pipe dope thread sealant when I put the plugs in. He said low strength lock tite would work OK as well. I happened to have some pipe dope on hand which fixed the problem.

Thanks for the tip. I'm looking forward to trying both approaches over the weekend!