Tips on How to Fix a Leaky Carburetor

If your car has a leaky carburetor, there are many things you can do to fix the problem. Leaky carburetors, waste gasoline, rob the car of power, and are quite dangerous, so it is always best to fix them right away. Usually you do not even need to buy a new carburetor, and the repair can be done with just a simple set of tools.

The first thing you will want to do before doing any repair is get yourself a repair manual for your specific vehicle. They will tell you the specifications of every nut, and bolt, the size you should gap the spark plugs at, and more.

Before you do anything else with the carburetor, you should always check to see where it is leaking from, that why you can get an idea of what exactly is wrong with it. If you can figure out where the leak is coming from, try your best to tighten up the bolts, or nuts near the leak. If you can, and the leaking stops, that means that the carburetor just vibrated loose from years of shaking, and just needed to be tightened down. It should be ok for a while, but check on it every once and a while to make sure it did not vibrate loose again.

To take off your carburetor, you will first want to detach any electrical wires that are coming off of it. Make sure you mark them with electrical tape and a wire, and put the same mark where they go, that way you will not forget where the wire is supposed to go. Now pinch the gas line going to the carburetor off with a clamp, or keep a pencil with a broken tip nearby while you take off the gas line to the carburetor. Now unscrew the hose clamp that is by the carburetor and gently pull it off. Now shove the pencil in the end of the gas line to stop the gasoline from pouring out. Now disconnect the throttle cable. You should now be able to take off the two bolts that are holding down the carburetor, and lift it out of place.

Now you have the choice of rebuilding the carburetor, or buying an entire new carburetor. Rebuilding it is probably the best choice, because you might only need to replace a gasket to get it to stop leaking. Once you have the old carburetor rebuilt or a new carburetor. Replace the carburetor by reversing the process of taking it off. Remember to be careful when you are reattaching the fuel line, because you do not want gas pouring everywhere.