Solex Carburettor

rovermech

New Member
My Rover P4 80 has a solex carburettor and after a run out and then parked up I think the heat from the exhaust manifold is evaporating the fuel in the carburettor because the next morning the car won't start, when I remove the carb top the carb bowl is dry, if I remove the air filter pipe from the top of the carb pure petrol down the carb it stars first time, my question is should this carb have a heat shield, was one fitted when the car was built, I have made & fitted one & it seems to have solved the problem, but can any P4 80 owners tell me if they have had the problem & do they have a heat shield fitted.
Thanks for any reply's
 
Hallo, I had 80s some years ago and drove them for many miles. They always needed lots of turning over to start when hot, but they always started reliably enough and I don't remember float bowls drying out, even in the hot summer of '76! As I recall there should indeed be an aluminium heatshield fixed to the water pipe that runs by the carb.
 
I had a 80 & yes the petrol would evaporate out of the carb if it was left a long time especially after a run in hot weather. I had this issue when touring Germany one summer. The carb filled quickly when the engine is tuned over long enough on the starter without resorting to dismantling it to fill with petrol. Rover recognised this when this engine is fitted in Land Rovers by putting a priming lever on the pump so it could be operated by hand to fill the carb under these circumstances but on the 80 there is no room . Modern fuel with ethanol are more volatile and evaporate more quickly. I don't recollect a heat shield on my 80 , but the FBHVC recommends exactly what you have done to help running on fuel with ethanol.
 
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