I was tweaking the richness screws on my 4barrel Holley Street Performer Carb. that is on my 302 Maverick. It had been really hard to start lately despite the warm weather. So I took it out for a drive and when I came back down my driveway I stopped to look at my parts car and the engine sputtered out. It would not start again. I was in gear with my foot on the brake and the nose of the car was pointing downhill a medium slope. With everything turned off, I looked under the hood to see what was up and the carb was making gurgling noises. I took off the air filter and gasoline was pissing into the front two barrels!! I quickly loosened the idle speed screw to no effect and couldn't think what to do. The fuel seemed to be coming from the acceleration jets that work when you pump the throttle. I loosened the front float chamber screw and gas came pouring out of that too. Now I have the thing parked and the gas is cleaned off the intake manifold. I really have no idea what to do next. I have never adjusted the floats, and the fuel level has always been normal, just below the sights. Was I just siting on an incline too long? Any advice from all y'all Carburetor pros?
Should I hit it with a hammer to get it unstuck? there is also a kind of gurgling grinding noise at the front of the engine, it seems to be coming from the area of the electronic distributor or the front of the carb. I got it running again, but its running poorly.
I usually smack the bowl with the plastic end of a screwdriver. If it is hot enough the gas could be peculating.
I don't know the word peculate. Could you mean percolate? like a coffee maker? The gas that ran out onto the intake manifold started boiling away into space. I was a little worried about having an explosion at that point! Could the carb be dribbling gas into the intake when the car is off, making it super rich and hard as nails to start? It used to rev right up no problem! Maybe I should finally get a rebuild kit.
The gurguling sound most likely is fuel dripping into the intake,if you look down the carb throat just after you shut it off you shoud see it no problem.Sometimes a chunk of crap lodges itself in the needle and seat (the flat screw on the float bowl) and you have to remove it and clean it.
Gas falling on a hot intake will boil off rapidly (as you noticed) Sounds like your primary float may be set a bit high causing gas to drip into the carb when parked or on an incline...this will cause a hard start...or you have a worn out/stuck needle and seat as mentioned above...Improper timing will also cause a hard start.You say you hear grinding noises coming from the distributor??? Pull it and look to see if your cam is eating your distributor gear.If it is...what kind of cam are you running if it isnt stock???if its a roller you need a steel gear not the old sintered iron type like our cars had originally.The steel roller cam will eat an iron dist gear in short order.Good luck!!!
Double check your fuel pressure. High pressure is hard on needle n seat of carb. Good time to replace gas filter too!
If it's run rich too much, you'll need fresh spark plugs as well. Fuel fowled plugs are a bitch to spark.
I have a Holley that did this to me. I was driving about 35 or so and the engine died. When I pulled over it cranked slow. I opened the hood and found that the carb was on fire under the breather. Why? I don't know. I got the fire out quickly. When it was out the carb was gurgling and spitting gas, just like you describe. I'm not saying your carb cought fire, but the desciption matches what mine sounded like.
