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ZS Float Bowl Plug Leak

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MadRiver

MadRiver

Jedi Knight
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Howdy gang:

I hope everyone is well!

I've got a quick question about leaky float bowl plugs. The float bowl plugs on one of the cars on my TR-250, as well as one of the plugs on my wife's TR6, have started to leak. I'd rather not pull the carbs to fix the problem, so my question is this. Can I simply unscrew the bottom of the float bowls with the cars in place so that I can easily remove the plugs, or do I have to remove the afflicted carb?

Words of wisdom and insight are most appreciated.

B.
 
It's been done. Does the 250 have adjustable jets ?
If you can manage to do all that without upsetting the float settings, I believe I'd also replace the sealing gasket on the top of the float chamber.
On the other habd if your wife's car has the typical plug you may be able to just pry it out and replace the O-ring. A little silicone lube makes the O-ring replacement a little less hazardous to the plastic fingers that it has to slip over.
 
Bill, I have had no problem pulling the plug from the bottom and replacing the "O" ring with a no 13 "O" ring from the plumping department at Lowe's. 2 years and counting for no leaks, plus a whole pack for $3 or $4.

Wayne
 
just make sure they are not Rubber, it swells with hydrocarbons, Buty works, or go to NAPA and ask them for the hydrolic O ring assortment box to size them up,. when I rebuilt my PDWA they had o rings the size I needed

Hondo
 
What you want are Buna-N (a.k.a. Nitrile, or NBR) o-rings (the most common material for o-rings). Butyl is very different and totally incompatible with fuel, do not use it. If you want to pay a bit more you can use Viton o-rings. With gasoline they are not any more chemically resistant than Buna-N but they do have a higher temperature rating. The hydraulic seals Hondo mentions are most likely Buna-N.
 
Any sourcing recommendation from the Big 3 on the proper / best o-rings?

Oh, and what do y'all think about the ability to re-use the plastic plugs or are they really a one time install?

I have the TR8 carbs off and the float bowls haven't been leaking but seems like false economy not to renew everything at this point.
 
Bill, My 250 has a screw in brass plug and my TR6 has the plastic pop-in type plug. The screw in type might be a bit tricky/awkward to get a screwdriver in there at the right angle and get leverage on it. The TR6 one is easier to pop in/out as its just a press fit. Some fuel will come out so be careful.

While I'm not super excited about having a press fit plastic plug being all that separates the fuel from the exhaust, I haven't had any problems re-using them on my 6 when I renewed the carbs. I would say that if you break one of the little tabs off that I'd be reticent about re-using it. As for where to source the o-rings, I've always just used the ones that came in the rebuild kit. Tom, I've got 2 new kits if you need them in a hurry. Just remember where you got them :smile:
 
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