Weber carb fire

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Wes Bender
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Re: Weber carb fire

#16 Post by Wes Bender »

Robert, I can understand your desire for wanting to have the repairs done closer to home, but you are really limiting the potential for getting a proper job done in a reasonable manner. I know that those of us in the west have a much different idea for what constitutes long distance, but even in the northeast 50 miles is pretty restricting.
Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.....

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John Clarke
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Re: Weber carb fire

#17 Post by John Clarke »

On the same topic.
What causes these fires? Is it leaking gas? Or valve timing. I did read that The similar Dellorto Carbs were subject to fires. No evidence of this.
And the Mess that Dry Powder Extinguishers make, hinders the investigation
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Brian R Adams
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Re: Weber carb fire

#18 Post by Brian R Adams »

I will wager $100 your fire really started in a K&N filter, not the Weber carb itself.

After I had a K&N start burning after a very mild backfire (cough, really) at highway speed, and I just managed to save my car from incineration, I retired my Webers and bought a set of used Zeniths (and the OEM cannister filters) from Duane Spencer. Best decision I ever made. The engine runs better on properly set up Zeniths than it ever did on the Webers, and with my OEM filters I don't need to worry about another fire.
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Steve Proctor
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Re: Weber carb fire

#19 Post by Steve Proctor »

I recall a discussion of fuel standoff or reversion on this forum at some point. A fuel vapor above the velocity stack or carb intake could very well permeate the K&N and make it flammable, such that a minor belch past the intake valve could start an engine fire. That said, I've run Dellortos on three different cars since 1984 without a problem, but I do keep an extinguisher on board just in case.
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Mike Smith
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Re: Weber carb fire

#20 Post by Mike Smith »

Has anyone had a fire that DID NOT involve K & N Filters ?
Mike Smith (Essex - UK)

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Al Zim
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Re: Weber carb fire

#21 Post by Al Zim »

I do not think the K & N filters caused this situation. Something went wrong in the engine and set the fuel on fire. Replacing the carburetor will not resolve your situation! You must press the adjuster to open the side of the engine where the fire started and look at it closely. Something is worn out. Zim
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Martin Benade
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Re: Weber carb fire

#22 Post by Martin Benade »

A standard 616 “sneeze” will easily cause a fire when the conditions are right.
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Adam Wright
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Re: Weber carb fire

#23 Post by Adam Wright »

Jules Dielen wrote: Sat Dec 03, 2022 10:20 pm Just take it to Paterek. They will do it right the first time. The extra tow fee for those extra 10 miles will cost you less than a dinner at McDonalds. Well worth it if you ask me to take it to a shop with an excellent reputation.

Europa Macchina in Lewisberry comes to mind as well. Top notch.
I think he needs to decide if he wants it fixed easy or fixed right. You probably can't get both.
Personally, i would take the money from the insurance company and take it to people who I respect their work, regardless of the distance. You only want it fixed once, and a cheap fix will devalue the car. And yes, you might have to come out of the pocket beyond what the insurance company gives you to make it right.
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Brian R Adams
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Re: Weber carb fire

#24 Post by Brian R Adams »

Al Zim wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 10:37 am I do not think the K & N filters caused this situation. Something went wrong in the engine and set the fuel on fire.
I never said the K&N caused the fire, it merely provided the tinder which a backfire could readily ignite. K&Ns have a bad reputation on this form of carburetor with a short, direct, individual inlet paths, owing to prominent fuel vapor stand-off. Probably the foremost Weber application guy in SoCal, Augie Delgado, discussed this danger in an article in the De Tomaso Pantera club magazine some years ago. If you see a Pantera or Shelby Cobra with four dual-throat Webers atop a V8 (instantaneous throttle response!) you typically see bare velocity stacks with no filters at all, just sand screens if anything for street use.
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Graeme Langford
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Re: Weber carb fire

#25 Post by Graeme Langford »

A few years back I owned a 65 911 race car. We had it on a dyno after an engine rebuild. Just stacks no filters. I was amazed at how much fuel standoff there was and can well believe that it would soak a K&N filter. Exactly why I have left the original filters on my A
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