QuestionQUESTION: Hello again Gary:
I asked you recently about my 1985 Honda Prelude that will not idle cold. We intend to check out the base plate and the electric choke tomorrow, weather permitting.
I started the car an hour ago and had to continue the same old patting of the gas peddle. After a few minutes I quit and it went dead. I tried to restart it but no dice. A strong odor of gasoline was present. I lifted the hood and on the top of the engine below the air cleaner was a lot of raw gas. I did not try to restart it and will examine the area in the morning. What could cause such a thing to happen? Please let me know your opinion so I can start looking where you say. Thanks, Frank
ANSWER: If the carb. floats are sinking the fuel can come out of the throats of the side draft carburetors. I have seen OLD fuel cause this same condition in this body style Prelude. A fuel or moisture saturated charcoal canister could be the culprit. I think you are experiencing the harsh reality of side draft cv carburetors that need to be overhauled.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Gary:
My son took the air filter cover and air filter off a few minutes ago and when he starts the engine, gas starts pouring from both carburators but not through the throats.
There are two places where a small rubber hose fits on each carb just to the side of the throat of each carb. It forms a "T" when it connects to one place between the carbs. When he takes the two hoses off from where they are connected near the carb throats, gasoline gushes out BOTH the carbs at the same time when the engine is running. We are at a loss at what the problem may be. Thank you for your help because we surely do need it. Frank
P.S. Since we are at a standstill about the leak, he just checked the electric choke and it is not getting any voltage. He has checked every fuse(inside the car and under the hood) and all read good. If we can find why it is not getting any voltage perhaps that will cure the "hard start" problem.
Please reply to this at YOUR most convenient time and again,we certainly appreciate you.
ANSWER: It really sounds like you have described the carb floats sinking. When they sink the needle and seat inside the carbs don't shut off the fuel coming into the float bowl. They overflow with fuel and it pours out of the carbs.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Good morning again,Gary.
It crossed my mind that you mentioned about the carb floats sinking in a previous reply(about it not wanting to idle until the engine gets hot) but I rather dismissed it on this latest problem because I thought that it would be unlikely that both carburators would have the sinking problem at the SAME TIME(as I mentioned, it is leaking gas from both carbs).
My son is an ASE Certified Master Mechanic but he is too young to have ever worked on a twin carb Honda.
I wonder if there may be a company you could recommend that sells rebuild kits for those carbs and if there is any place he could get hold of instructions on exactly how to rebuild them. I have seen him work on many different automobiles and he has put many hours in on this 1985 Honda, including things such as CVU steering rack,alternator, water pump, trans shifter cable and on and on but he has never tackled the carbs on such a vehicle. Please reply at your convenience. Thanking you very much, Frank
Answer I did mention that old fuel would cause this complaint. Is the car a daily driver? Is the fuel in the tank more than a few months old? The floats are the same age and have been exposed to the same amount expansion, contraction, heat cycles, and fuel over the past 24 years. I stand by my diagnosis considering your complaint. Pull the carbs and have a Honda motorcycle tech rebuild them if your Son is unfamiliar with this type set up. They are rather simple once you have them off of the car. I bet he can handle it. I'd recommend a Honda service manual by Helms if you can find one. It has everything you'll need.
