Triumph Repair: 76 spitfire 1500, screw threads, screw down

Question
Are there any other suitable carberators for a 1500 triumph.If not how important is keeping oil in the damper. Mine does not hold the oilfor any time period at all.

Answer
Hi Ron,
The oil is necessary to dampen the movement of the piston. It takes the place of a accelerator pump in a conventional carburetor. If it is loosing oil too fast then you need to remove the needle assembly and put a new "O" ring on the 3mm adjusting screw.

To remove it you need to remove the side set screw in the piston and use a tube that fits over the needle (I use a 4 inch piece of brake line) and first tighten the 3mm adjusting screw to it's stop then turn the piston up side down and using the piece of brake line as a punch (so as not to damage the needle) and drive the assembly out of the top of the piston tube. When you get it out you will see that a locking washer is what held the adjusting screw down. The reason you MUST first tighten the adjusting screw all the way is so that the strain of hammering on the unit will not damage the adjusting screw threads. After replacing the "O" ring you can drop the unit with the adjusting screw down into the upper tube and align the grove in it's side so you can put the set screw back into the side of the piston. then you need to find a drift that fits close inside the upper tube and drive the locking washer down in on top of the 3mm adjusting screw to lock it in place. The 3mm adjusting screw will now be harder to turn to adjust mixture but should not leak oil any more.
Howard