[bubbahotep]

I had to remove a broken sight plug from my fuel bowl (front) and noticed I had no tiny spring on the float. The float does have a thin metal tab that the float adjust screw pushes on. Is a spring required?

Maybe 20 years ago I took the carb apart and can't recall if it had a spring. All original new, not a used item.

[techinspector1]

http://www.holley.com/data/TechServi...ded%20View.pdf

[bubbahotep]

Holley website never had this carb listed as it's sold. It has different fuel bowls and floats. The bowls have the fuel lines going up into them at a 45' angle and the floats are about 1" fat, 2.5" long. If you google 4160 fuel bowl it's the most common image.

http://www.holley.com/data/products/.../large34-2.jpg

[cobalt327]

Side hung float bowls used the spring.

[ericnova72]

Center hung floats do have a spring, but it isn't a coil type spring like shown in the side hung bowl pic that Cobalt posted. It is a single loop spring with two 1/2" long legs, the loop fits around the float pivot pin and levers between the float arm and the float mounting bracket.

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by bubbahotep

Is a spring required?

If I'd have clicked your link I'd have seen you had cathedral bowls, my bad. The spring keeps the float from dropping every time that a bump is encountered. It's not absolutely required for the carb to function, but there's no reason not to use it and good reasons TO use it.

If yours is missing, you can get a replacement in Holly Carburetor Float Kit #20-105. Costs $9, doesn't come w/the float, obviously. If you just need a couple springs, PM me w/an addy and I'll get you out a couple, gratis.

[bubbahotep]

Thanks everyone. I knew the spring type but not the float name and every site I saw showed the spring. Every holley book I have matches my carb and shows the spring. Holleys website is the only place that DOESNT show my carb although it seems to be a common configuration.

[cobalt327]

I don't know why yours would have been left out, but if you were having a problem with the carb running rich for no apparent reason, that could very well have been the cause.

Every time the carb is jounced or tipped, w/o a spring the float will momentarily drop. This allows more fuel in every time this happens. Over a course of a set of stutter bumps or pot holes, this will allow the carb bowl(s) to fill to the point of overflowing through the vents into the engine and could cause stalling or at least very rough, pig-rich running conditions.

[bubbahotep]

Cobalt: sometime in the 90's I had changed the power valve and apparently I left the spring out. Oops. I've had random stumbles from the carb at hard stops over the years and always thought it was just a fact of life. I wouldn't doubt some sputters were from this. Sputters were always at low speed usually with no throttle, just idling to a stop or around a corner. Every now and then I'd get a near stall when going from reverse to drive and would blip the throttle.

yesturday I pulled the secondary bowl off and saw it had the spring.

I guess the plastic sight plugs earned their keep although I'll never use em again. If not for one breaking i wouldn't have seen this.

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by bubbahotep

I've had random stumbles from the carb at hard stops over the years and always thought it was just a fact of life. I wouldn't doubt some sputters were from this.

Good catch on your part, regardless of how they were left out to begin with. A lot of guys wouldn't have noticed, so you're ahead of the game, IMHO. And I would agree the symptoms you mention could be caused by the lack of the spring.

Good job.

[cobalt327]

Here are several views showing the correct orientation of the return spring to the float and bracket:

[bubbahotep]

Cobalt, great thanks for taking apart those carbs. According to Bill Clinton they are still virgins.

Ive attached 4 images of MY floats which are NON METAL. I thought I mentioned this and I KNOW I mentioned this to Holley. From the pics you can see that the bracket is the same but the rest is different. There is no way to get a spring on these floats. These plastic (or whatever they call it) floats have thick plastic that covers the entire mounting rod. I think the float spring is for the metal floats only because of their weight?

I took pics to show the parts as well as they way it mounts inside the fuel bowl and put the hotrodders name on there for safe keeping

[ericnova72]

.

I've never seen that style of center pivot float before, all I have seen are the black nitrophyl and the soldered brass hollow floats. Only ones I've ever seen made like yours were side pivot, and I only ran into them once. Do you have any idea of the age of your carb, I'm just curious??

[bubbahotep]

Originally Posted by ericnova72

.

I've never seen that style of center pivot float before, all I have seen are the black nitrophyl and the soldered brass hollow floats. Only ones I've ever seen made like yours were side pivot, and I only ran into them once. Do you have any idea of the age of your carb, I'm just curious??

Bought it brand new from Summit in 90ish. Damned old and pretty much straight out of the box. I changed the power valve back then and that was it. These floats are marked HOLLEY as you can see in the pics and they appear identical to the nitrophyl. Remember this is a 3310-c carb which was a 4160 with minor differences.

On the possible chance that I was intoxicated back then I've never seen the original floats and I usually save everything. Theres no evidence that I installed those things.

[bubbahotep]

WOW, just found a website that Ive read many times and it has BOTH my floats and the nitrophyl. The nitrophyl does not show the spring either:

http://www.hangar18fabrication.com/blowthru.html

heres the pics:

http://www.hangar18fabrication.com/i...move_float.JPG

http://www.hangar18fabrication.com/i...led_float2.JPG