1953 TEA20 carbuerator issues

Hello. Thanks for letting me join. I am new here. I have a 1953 Tea20, gasoline, made in Coventry, England. I have had more problems with it than its really worth in my opinion. I am slowly working on it to improve its running or at least decrease the down-time. I am not a mechanic. The latest issue is my carbuerator. Its a Zenith 24T-2. It continously floods. The sequence of events is such that i had it running the other day with no problems, started fine-ish and after i was done i parked it, and turned it off. I did turn off the fuel shut-off. Now when i went to start it up it wouldnt. It is cold here currently (-6C). I used the choke while trying to start it. It wouldnt turn over. Tried but very sluggish. When inspected i found the carb to be flooded. There was gas coming out of the seal between top and bottom of carb. I disconnected the air intake hose and there even fuel in that. I did some research and found that the float could be a likely culprit. I am trying to understand the system so i can trace where the problem is or if there are multiple problems to deal with.
So questions -
1. When it does run and i am done should i first turn off the fuel supply from gas tank to run it out of gas then turn it off? Or should that matter?
2. If i do the above should the motor consume all remaining gas from the point of the fuel shut-off going into the carb? This doesnt seem to do this, so would my shut-off not be working?
3. Is just a carb kit advisable? or should i also replace the float?
Help is appreciated as i am getting very frustrated.
Thanks.

Just my 2 cents. Order a carb kit. When you take the carb apart you can then see if you need a new float. All parts are available on this site. If the
float has any gas in it then replace. It sounds more like the fuel needle isn?t seating anymore causing the carb to continue to fill. Make sure you follow
the specs for setting the float travel. I?ve had similar problems with TO30 carbs and either the needle/seat were worn or the float was not set correctly. I
added a link for the zenith carbs.
Untitled URL Link

Ok thanks. I had to walk away from it today or I tend to lose my mind at this stuff. I was thinking of the carb kit. I will start with that and go from there.

Times two on the carb kit , it is a simple thing to fit .
Look at the float very carefully and see if it has a pin hole in it , if you put it into some hot water a steady stream of bubbles will tell you it's leaking . The fix is a quick dob of solder on the leak once everything is dry .
Next time it floods try rapping the body of the carburettor with a plastic screwdriver handle or light piece of timber . This will dislodge a stuck float most times .
Grit and flakes from the fuel tank often cause this type of problem , a good thing to do is remove the tank and clean it thoroughly with compressed air . At the outlet of the TEA tank there is a small upright filter [ an invention of the Devil himself ] take this off if it's still there and throw it at someone you don't like much . Clean out all the bits of bronze gauze it leaves behind otherwise no matter how clean the carb is the seat will continually foul .
Is there a fine mesh gauze disc at the top of the fuel bowl ? Often this is missing and it should be replaced as it saves lots of frustration .
Clean out the fuel line with a bicycle cable and air to make sure nothing is stuck inside it as well . If you feel you want to fit an inline fuel filter use one from a[u:f4bc9a1435] gravity fed[/u:f4bc9a1435] engine , like a large motor bike or garden tractor , anything without a fuel pump . If you don't there might not be enough head pressure from the Ferguson tank to get past the filter element .
When reassembling don't tighten the top of the carb down like King Kong would , it's easy to warp the top or strip the threads in the alloy .

Sounds like it is flooding.

Since there was gas up to the carb gasket, it may have even been high enough to enter the engine. Be sure to check the oil for gas contamination. If it got this way with the fuel valve off, then good chance the valve is bad. Try removing the sediment bowl, see if gas continues to drip. If so, the valve is not closing.

Common causes for flooding are, in order, trash in the needle valve, defective needle valve, or sunk float.

When you get the carb apart, look for rust flakes in the bowl. If there is rust in the bowl, chances are the tank is rusty. It may need to come off and be cleaned, but it may also be beyond cleaning and need to be replaced if original.

Give the float the "shake" test. Feel for fuel inside. If there is, replace it.

Look the needle valve over for damage. If it looks good, put it back in, put the float on, turn the top upside down with the weight of the float resting on the needle. Give it the suck test, suck on the fuel inlet fitting, put your tongue over the hole. It should hold vacuum. If not, the needle valve is leaking.

Questions:

1. When it does run and i am done should i first turn off the fuel supply from gas tank to run it out of gas then turn it off? Or should that matter?

It matters if it will be stored for a while, say more than a couple months. But if used regularly, no you can leave fuel in the carb. But do always close the fuel valve, even for a shut down of more than a few hours.

2. If i do the above should the motor consume all remaining gas from the point of the fuel shut-off going into the carb? This doesnt seem to do this, so would my shut-off not be working?

No, it won't get every last drop out of the carb. That can be worse than leaving it full, as that left over 1/4 inch or so will evaporate and leave behind residue, especially if running E10. To get it all out the plug would need to be removed. You could install a wing type drain cock for easy and complete draining.

3. Is just a carb kit advisable? or should i also replace the float?

Open it up first, evaluate the parts needed. Parts are readily available. You said gas was leaking around the bowl gasket when it was flooding. Be sire to check the surfaces for flatness. That seal is critical, especially where the idle fuel is drawn up the small port near the venturi.

Akalyn, just to confuse you a little more, you said it's cold there. If your battery isn't up to the task, you may have a weak spark. A weak spark will of course cause a no start or hard starting problem. If it won't start it can flood! Do you have a good volt meter? you can measure the battery to see. A fully charged 6 volt battery should read 6.4 or 6.5 volts. Twice that for a 12 volt.