Might be stupid question , but here goes

[cobrarob]

I have a small fuel leak in the rear carb feed of my 351 in my SPF cobra , opposite end of the enngine from the distributor , the leak has been very difficult to isolate

The leak falls directly on to the intake manifold and as we all know the manifold gets pretty hot , I have been driving the car like this for quite sometime and it just dawned on me that gas and heat might cause a fire , but to date it hasnt , good for me

I intend to have this fixed immeditely if not sooner but for now am I crazy to drive the car or is a fire unlikely

Told you it was a stupid question

[tcrist]

If you have a fuel leak, do not drive it until it is fixed. You have been lucky so far.
But that is just my opinion.

[mdross1]

You are one lucky cat,get the leak fixed asap.If a fire does erupt you will not be a happy camper.

[Bill Bess]

Some very small leaks are hard to find, especially if the leak is a "seeper' and doesn't appear while the engine is running, but shows up on the manifold after the motor have cooled down.

Spray the area with carb or choke cleaner after the motor has cooled and is off, wipe up any tracies of gas residue and then start the motor and look for the source. It's most likely a gasket or something on the carb. Take your time, once you find it...fix it.

Good Luck ,Bill

[DSM351]

If it is a Holley, replace those little white circle gaskets Nylon) under the float bowl bolts. You might as well do the paper gaskets while you are at it. I would use the blue ones for replacement.

[redmt]

Originally Posted by cobrarob

I intend to have this fixed immeditely if not sooner but for now am I crazy to drive the car or is a fire unlikely

Told you it was a stupid question

I agree. It was a stupid question.

[Kramer]

The only stupid part of that post is that you are driving that car with a fuel leal. PLEASE _ TAKE IT FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS SEEN A COBRA FIRE, get this fixed before you drive the car again..!!

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by cobrarob

I have a small fuel leak in the rear carb feed of my 351 in my SPF cobra , opposite end of the enngine from the distributor , the leak has been very difficult to isolate

The leak falls directly on to the intake manifold and as we all know the manifold gets pretty hot , I have been driving the car like this for quite sometime and it just dawned on me that gas and heat might cause a fire , but to date it hasnt , good for me

I intend to have this fixed immeditely if not sooner but for now am I crazy to drive the car or is a fire unlikely

Told you it was a stupid question

Depends how much you like your car, if you really like and want to keep it, your crazy to drive it that way another mile.......
Years ago, my wife's car developed a fuel leak at the carb on her way to work,all of 8 minutes away, as she pulled into the parking lot,it caught on fire, luckily another employee saw the smoke as she pulled in and got a fire extinquisher and put it out,saving the car with very minimal damage..........


Pull the carb off and go thru it with new gaskets and then try it again.....fuel leaks on any car is just a accident waiting to happen.....

David

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers (not in this case). As stated above, clean the area and start the car, check for the leak with your hand...feel around all the fuel line fittings, as that's where you'll most likely find the leak. If so, just shut it down and tighten these or this fitting. I had this issue myself and had to really tighten the crap out of the fitting between the fuel pump line and the two-way splitter (some aftermarket parts are not the best quality these days). Also the two carb inlets have a tendency to leak if not tightened properly. Tough to get to if you have a turkey pan. Good luck.

[Sawdust]

Cobrarob
DON'T take a chance of a fire! I've seen a fire under the hood and it's not pretty!!

Sawdust

[BAsque1]

I had a Volvo 123 GT which develop exactly the same problem, don't even think about continuing the driving. If your insurance investigates the possible fire you miht end up with no pay. Lets hope that you don't get to that point. Get it fixed ASAP ,man.
Good luck!

[anchor2]

I recently had a small fire due to a leak. Cobrarob take a look at this thread it my help you.

Had a small fire yesterday

[cobrarob]

Thanks for all the responses guys and the information

I fixed the problem today , just a misaligned gasket where the fuel line connected to the carb

Then I went for a long drive

[Jamo]

Glad you had the guts to ask and it was an easy fix. Much better than reading the following on your gravestone:

"I meant to ask..."

[Sawdust]

Excellent Cobrarob!
Glad to hear the problem is fixed!!

Sawdust

[Roscoe]

[crASH]

Originally Posted by Roscoe

Roscoe's photo reminds me of an engine fire we tried to extinguish a long time ago with an extinguisher that was "mostly" fully charged. The fire had just started, so it was barely visible when we arrived. The "mostly" full extinguisher gave up before the fire did... and the car looked like this Porsche before the fire department finally arrived.

[Roscoe]

That's why a fire system is mandatory. Little extinguishers only go so far. After that it's hot dogs and marshmallows.

Roscoe

[crASH]

Amen to that. Now that I think about it (30 years ago) it WAS one of those flashlight sized extinguishers. Those things might've cooled off our shorts if we dropped a lit Marlboro in our lap while driving, but forget about snuffing out an engine fire.

Ash

"crASH"

[Rich_ACC]

Dodged another bullet, glad to here it's fixed. do you carry a fire extingusher?? If not its a cheap investment.

Rich