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Technical How to stop stromberg 97's from leaking

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by hotrodnomader, Sep 13, 2013.

  1. hotrodnomader
    Joined: Feb 10, 2011
    Posts: 1,751

    hotrodnomader
    Member

    I have some Large logo Stromberg 97's on my flathead. I bought kits from Speedway motors. How do I get them to stop leaking ? Its not like gas runs out of them, but they constantly seep/ghost. My once nice looking carbs and intake are now stained brown from gas.
     
  2. Yep. Me too. I checked floats and float level a couple times. Tried a couple different top gaskets. Seems to leak the most when sitting a few days. I have no idea why. Thought that's the way they are supposed to be.


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  3. wearymicrobe
    Joined: Jul 27, 2007
    Posts: 265

    wearymicrobe
    Member
    from San Diego

    Large logo's tend to leak a little bit.

    To keep mine from doing it during the rebuild I will tape a piece of 500/1000 grit sandpaper to a bit of glass that I have in the garage and then wet it and sand all in the flat interfaces. To eliminate all of the gouges where the seal touches. If you have any screws that are stripped enen in the slightest I will fix the thread or drill them out and put a capture nut underneath if it is appropriate.

    I have also found that not all 97 rebuild kits are the same. I bought 20-30x sets of rebuild kits at a swap meat once and darn if they are not better at keeping them from leaking then the speedway rebuild kits I have used in the past. I think the factory master rebuild kit is the best that I have seen though.
     
  4. Wet sanding the mateing surfaces flat is a must, a few circles accross the paper and you can clearly see the distortion. These are very old aluminum bodys that have been pinched down by the screws many many times over many many years. Always check this when your carbs are apart.
     

  5. You might try the Ford Barn. They have some real experts on old 97 Carbs. There are at least two experts that rebuild carbs for a living and sell parts.
     
  6. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 20,405

    alchemy
    Member

    Or, you could send them to Uncle Max for the treatment. Besides truing the surfaces, he's got special jet plugs and gaskets to prevent seeping down below. We all hate seeping down below.
     
  7. Petejoe
    Joined: Nov 27, 2002
    Posts: 12,263

    Petejoe
    Member
    from Zoar, Ohio

    Yes, before installing the parts with new gaskets. Get yourself a piece of glass and sandpaper. Lay the sandpaper flat on the glass and move your mated surface areas on it until you see a nice flat surface. A lot of times the throttle linkage pivot holes are worn and you will need to bush the hole for a good fit.
     
  8. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    Don't sand too much. If the front of the top is low from being screwed down hard against a disintegrating gasket, sanding enough to get flat will distort the whole thing and leave it too weak to seal anyway.
    Get the top onto a flat plate so you can see your problems, then gently metal work it (BANG! BANG! but more gently...) flat or even to a point where those front covers are VERY slightly down. Flat plate and some gasket material are your tools here. You can also work out minor cases of mashed air cleaner area, as on carbs that have been dropped.
    Helicoil kits are available fro the screw holes, 10-can't remember which pitch, and they come with some suitably short coils of thread.
     
  9. F-6Garagerat
    Joined: Apr 12, 2008
    Posts: 2,652

    F-6Garagerat
    Member

    The size of the Logo really has nothing to do with it. They just leak.
     
  10. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    And bushing...reaming for new bushings can very easily get the shaft out of alignment, and there's no reason to do it...Strombergs are bushed stock on both sides, and the bushings are available easily again since the new Stromberg people have the bits. These drive into the original holes in the base casting.
     
  11. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,175

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    oh ya, how do you stop a old Harley motor from leaking too? somethings are just traditional.
     
  12. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    Just stop ENABLING your leakers! How do you expect the poor damn machines to reform if you dump in MORE every time they leak??
     
  13. Old Harley used the waste oil system. They had two tanks. One tank was for gas and the other tank was for oil. They had no oil pump. The oil circulated through the engine by gravity and dumped on the ground. When your Harley was not dripping oil you were out of oil. A lot of farm tractors used the waste oil system too. A lot of young people do not know about the cool waste oil system but it worked.
     
  14. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    Early form of GPS...the machine was at on end of the oil trail, home at the other, so you were never lost.
     
  15. That is kind of a saying at AA. Do not enable the alcoholic. I love to go to the Motorcycle museum in Sturgis. They are going to have a big expansion. The Old Indians and Harleys had mechanical advance for the spark. They are just cool to see. Mrs Sturgis will not go with me anymore. so the dog and I go. It is seven bucks and I can spend an hour there easily. I have never rode a Harley or an Indian but love looking at all of the bikes which includes restored, barn finds and old racers.
     
  16. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    Jalopy Joker, Air cooled engines are supposed to "mark their territory".

    I'm using a pair of the "new Strombergs" that came out around 5 or so years back....I believe they came from England. So far, neither has seeped any fuel' I'm running 3 psi, and so far, so good....

    4TTRUK
     
  17. telecustom
    Joined: Feb 17, 2009
    Posts: 336

    telecustom
    Member
    from Langey, BC

    Speedway kit should be the problem, sanding them a little is also a good tip. I hear English Strombergs perform better then the old rebuilt ones. Nice to know they don't leak too.
     
  18. fortynut
    Joined: Jul 16, 2008
    Posts: 1,038

    fortynut
    Member

    Are you using gasoline with alcohol added?
     
  19. wearymicrobe
    Joined: Jul 27, 2007
    Posts: 265

    wearymicrobe
    Member
    from San Diego

    I find that the largo logo ones seem to be a bit more out of level in terms of casting or wear then the others I have rebuilt. I have only done maybe 30 97's though so not as much experience as some on the board here.
     
  20. go-twichy
    Joined: Jul 22, 2010
    Posts: 1,648

    go-twichy
    BANNED

    the new 97's have a slightly beefyer edge around the top peice. it's all on the inside so you don't see the thicker lip.
     
  21. fab32
    Joined: May 14, 2002
    Posts: 13,985

    fab32
    Member Emeritus

    My '38 is running a pair of the new manufacture Strombergs. Harrison put them on when he owned the car. NO leaks. I've probably owned and used a couple dozen Stromberg 97's in my life and ALL of them leaked (some after multiple rebuilds) so the re-engineering of the new issue 97's has paid off in spades. Do not mistake the England built carbs with the 9 super 7's being sold by Speedway motors. Do a search here for discussion of the short comings of that design.

    Frank
     
  22. SinisterCustom
    Joined: Feb 18, 2004
    Posts: 8,277

    SinisterCustom
    Member

    Fuel stained aluminum intake manifolds from leaky ORIGINAL 97's should be a badge of HONOR.....it shows you actually drive yer shit...and probably know how to work on yer own car...on the side of the road....haha..
    As long as they are not PISSING fuel all over the place...a little "weeping" aint gonna hurt a thing...
    One of mine leaks more than the others....especially after shutting off when hot...but they all "weep". It takes very little debris in the PV to make it stick and fill the bores with fuel, leaking it out the throttle shafts...or having debris in needle causing fuel to leak by accel pump...
    They probably leaked when new....if they were so great Ford would have used them longer than just a few years...:D

    [​IMG]
     
  23. colinsmithson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2013
    Posts: 383

    colinsmithson
    Member

    Fuel Pressure
    Stromberg Recommend 2-2.5 psi
    mine only leaked when I had the pressure a little too high
    Colin
     
  24. arvonian
    Joined: Feb 28, 2013
    Posts: 35

    arvonian
    Member
    from Virginia

    anything you ever read about the 97's says they leaked if ran above 2 1/2 lb of fuel pressure....
     
  25. telecustom
    Joined: Feb 17, 2009
    Posts: 336

    telecustom
    Member
    from Langey, BC

    Shorten the fuel pump push rod,a 59 model pump provides 1.5-3.5 psi.
     
  26. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    I'm using the currently available gasoline,....which has some alky in it. I don't know if "alcohol-free" gasoline is available or not.... Possibly some aviation fuel ?

    4TTRUK
     
  27. Mike51Merc
    Joined: Dec 5, 2008
    Posts: 3,856

    Mike51Merc
    Member

    Hit them on top with a hammer. That's what they did in the old days!
     
  28. flatout51
    Joined: Jul 26, 2006
    Posts: 1,209

    flatout51
    Member

    Mine leak... They are from the 30s... I would probably leak too if I was that old


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  29. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    Bruce, Thanks for the bushing info,... Something to keep in mind.

    4TTRUK
     
  30. Back about 15 years ago when I had 97's on my old flathead powered Deuce I finally got them to stop leaking and it was pretty simple,,,I replaced them with 94's!:D HRP
     

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