CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

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John Dow
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CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by John Dow » Sun Aug 23, 2020 10:04 pm

Has anyone used one of the carburetor cleaner fuel additives in their T? My Holley NH is acting like it needs a little "freshening" so before I order a rebuild kit I was wondering if this might help. Thanks!!

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RajoRacer
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Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by RajoRacer » Sun Aug 23, 2020 10:31 pm

How old is your gas ? Is it regular pump gas ?


Les Schubert
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Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by Les Schubert » Sun Aug 23, 2020 10:33 pm

I have had good results from Sea Foam


Gonenorth
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Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by Gonenorth » Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:25 am

I would try just shutting off the fuel and draining the carb bowl first. Might be a flake of something or a little accumulated water laying in the bottom causing issues. If that fails to improve the situation, then maybe throw a bottle of STP fuel injection cleaner or similar in there.


John Haynes
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Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by John Haynes » Mon Aug 24, 2020 5:32 pm

I use a product called " Star Tron" . I works very well.


FordFool
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Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by FordFool » Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:36 pm

Sea Foam. Works good. I use it all the time.

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TRDxB2
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Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by TRDxB2 » Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:08 pm

Before you attempt to clean the carb I would suggest that you drain some gas from your tank into a glass jar and let it settle overnight to see. Some for the carb bowl. May have some dirty fuel - if there is an water it too will settle out and you be able to tell. I would also check the filer in the sediment bulb and any other filters you may have. No sense cleaning the carb if the fuel system is dirty
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Topic author
John Dow
Posts: 177
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 10:21 am
First Name: John
Last Name: Dow
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1923 Touring
Location: Leawood, Ks
MTFCA Number: 32344
Board Member Since: 2015

Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by John Dow » Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:56 pm

Thank you all! Great suggestions, I'll give them a try. BTW I have a Reeder aluminum high compression head which is prone to engine knock so I use 91 octane non ethanol gas.


Bruce Compton
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Re: CARBURETOR CLEANER FUEL ADDITIVE

Post by Bruce Compton » Thu Aug 27, 2020 11:23 am

I'm wondering why anyone would want to try a chemical cleaning trick on a Model T carb. Assuming it's an NH there are only a few sources of problems, none of which can be properly repaired with "carb cleaner" . Possible problems in order of probability include: leaking needle/seat, improperly adjusted float, worn or notched mixture needle, worn throttle shaft/throttle shaft bore, leaking float, or plugged air passages. While an ultrasound cleaner might help clean the rust from the clogged passages, but no chemical in the world will help any of the other problems. This is not rocket science and most issues are obvious, and with a little time are quite repairable. The one that most guys don't bother with are the clogged passages and these are not difficult to repair by just drilling out the small brass plug and running a smaller drill or wound guitar string through the passage to clean out the rust. There are three brass plugs to remove; one at the mounting flange, one just above and to the left of the brass Holley NH tag, and one in the cast snout that extends into the float bowl. Some guys replace the drilled out brass plugs with threaded set screws, but I use lead as it's soft, easy to use and conforms to any irregularities in the bore. Spend an hour or two or three and you'll have a carb that will outlast both you and your T while saving the money you would have wasted on magic chemicals.

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