quote:Originally posted by Joe 1974 L #6656:
Hi Mikael,
I have a Holley question, my holley which sits for a while (sometime 2-3 months at a time while I am away working) has to be removed from the car and the balls that block the accel pump are always stuck, any idea's. I am thinking about going back to the stock carb. it never let me down.
This is normal for a Holley. As the fuel dries, it condenses into a varnish. The varnish will eventually dry into a glue.
This is also happening to the needle and seat in the carb. Those will tend to dry in the open position and sometimes the float will dry in the full down position along with them.
The design of the accelerator pump diaphragm, not only will dry with the ball stuck, but in addition, the diaphram itself needs fuel in it to keep the material from drying out and cracking. That material will eventually fail.
There are those that will take a half a cup of fuel and dump it down the throat of the carb and start the car that way. They take no consideration of the issues I just described. Many will say they have been doing this for years with no problems. They need to define the term...problems. This is nothing more that playing Russian Roulette.
Holleys cannot safely be let to go dry with gasoline in them. Webers with the glass ball needle and seat are a different story. They don't use gaskets on these items that dry up.
The safest thing to do with the Holley, is to prime the carb with an electric fuel pump for two or three seconds, then let it sit for a while. That can lubricate the needle and seat, float, and pump diaphram enough but this isn't going to work forever. Eventually they will all leak and leak big time.
Better to find someone to start and run the car about every 10 days while you are away.