Daves55Courier
Well-known member
I had quit using the '55 Courier wagon regularly many months ago (due to the economic downturn). It has sat without being started at all for 6 months at least. It has a 223, I-6 with a Holley 1904 and fuel pressure regulator.
Many of you may have followed this saga which began a few years ago, leading to the installation of a fuel pressure regulator, which fixed the problem of the carb flooding out due to the oversized orifice in the fuel inlet housing that is supplied in the carb rebuilt kits.
The first regulator I had lasted 13 months. Now this second regulator has failed also, causing the recurrence of un-stoppable flooding. I have now surmized that the rubber diaghram inside the regulator had become distorted due to the engine not being operated for extended periods of time. The deterioration may be caused by the drying effect of ethanol that occurs as the fuel level decreases over a long period of time.
I did also notice that thru the many months of using both the first and second regulators, that the regulator does not function properly at first when the engine is started after having set for two weeks or more, but you could coax it into working properly by cranking the pressure down to 1/2 pound and slowly crank it back up to 1-1/2 pounds of pressure. Theoretically, the regulator would continue to function properly ever afterward, as long as the engine was run daily. It seems very detrimental to the regulator to allow the engine to set without running over extended periods.
It is important to note that if you use the fuel inlet housing that comes in the Chinese manufactured carb rebuild kits, the hole in the housing is so much larger than the original part, that you can only allow a maximum of 1-1/2 pounds of fuel pressure to the carb.
This may be asking too much, but I would like to run the engine, trouble-free, without the use of a regulator.
As I see it there may be 2 possibilities:
A) Get an old Holley 1904 carb with an original inlet fitting and needle that is in good enough condition to use. That should eliminate the flooding without the use of a regulator. This option is probably less viable.
B) Revamp the fuel pump so that it only delivers a maximum of 1-1/2 pounds of fuel pressure. Can anyone assist with a procedure I can use to modify the existing fuel pump, or is it possible to order a pre-modified pump, or is there someone who specializes in modifying them that I could send my pump to?
Many of you may have followed this saga which began a few years ago, leading to the installation of a fuel pressure regulator, which fixed the problem of the carb flooding out due to the oversized orifice in the fuel inlet housing that is supplied in the carb rebuilt kits.
The first regulator I had lasted 13 months. Now this second regulator has failed also, causing the recurrence of un-stoppable flooding. I have now surmized that the rubber diaghram inside the regulator had become distorted due to the engine not being operated for extended periods of time. The deterioration may be caused by the drying effect of ethanol that occurs as the fuel level decreases over a long period of time.
I did also notice that thru the many months of using both the first and second regulators, that the regulator does not function properly at first when the engine is started after having set for two weeks or more, but you could coax it into working properly by cranking the pressure down to 1/2 pound and slowly crank it back up to 1-1/2 pounds of pressure. Theoretically, the regulator would continue to function properly ever afterward, as long as the engine was run daily. It seems very detrimental to the regulator to allow the engine to set without running over extended periods.
It is important to note that if you use the fuel inlet housing that comes in the Chinese manufactured carb rebuild kits, the hole in the housing is so much larger than the original part, that you can only allow a maximum of 1-1/2 pounds of fuel pressure to the carb.
This may be asking too much, but I would like to run the engine, trouble-free, without the use of a regulator.
As I see it there may be 2 possibilities:
A) Get an old Holley 1904 carb with an original inlet fitting and needle that is in good enough condition to use. That should eliminate the flooding without the use of a regulator. This option is probably less viable.
B) Revamp the fuel pump so that it only delivers a maximum of 1-1/2 pounds of fuel pressure. Can anyone assist with a procedure I can use to modify the existing fuel pump, or is it possible to order a pre-modified pump, or is there someone who specializes in modifying them that I could send my pump to?
