The engine stalls after running a few seconds. The spark plugs are sooted. When the carbs (strombergs) are removed there is a lot of liquid fuel in the manifold. The engine and carbs have been overhauled, ignition timing is set to 5 degrees btdc, float levels are set at 17mm and I have removed the secondary manifold throttle blades. I think there is something wrong with the chokes but they are correctly assembled according to the picture in the Haynes manual. Any suggestions very welcome.

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Thu, 06/24/2004 - 09:58

Brian,

The only way you could have fuel accumulating in the manifold is if the jet is overflowing. It either has to be that the fuel level is too high or the float is sinking. Could be stuck valves also, or a leak.

When I rebuilt my ZS's on the '72 a couple of years go, I had that problem with one of them. Turned out I had not tightened the Grose jet properly. I put on a new washer and tightened it properly, no more leaking or overflow.

An easy way to see what's going on is too remove the dash pots and pistons and look straight down into the jets with a flashlight. Disconnect the coil/ignition and turn the power on. Look down the jets and see if you can see fuel. It should be down the jet a couple of mm. If it is at the top or if it's overflowing, you found the source of your problem. Also, wait a few minutes. If you have a slow leak, it may take a few moments for the fuel to spill over.

Hope that helps.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'72 E-type 2+2
'70 XKE FHC

Submitted by DavidBarnes71@… on Wed, 06/23/2004 - 20:47

My '68 with Strombergs had simular symptoms but only with one carb. The first time it did it the float was full of fuel. From time to time it will do the same thing especially if it has been sitting a couple of weeks. Seems the needle valve will stick. Try gently tapping side of carb with a hammer that has allways has solved my problem since I replaced the float.