Uh-oh...flooding

Ok, here goes:

I removed all of the '71's original fuel system, all of it. It was rusted and totally unusable. I replaced it with the complete fuel system minus carb and fuel pump, from the '75 49-state 318 Duster I parted out.

That starts with the gas tank, which has one fuel line outlet and one vent port top center front. Also used the factory steel lines.

I installed the charcoal canister(3 port) in the factory location. Vent line from the tank is attached to the TANK port, Carb vent(it has one) is attached to the other large port which I think says CARB or BOWL, and the last, smaller line is attached to a ported vacuum source at the bottom front of the carb.

I am using the steel lines from pump to carb.

The carburetor is a 2280 with external bowl vent, as found on a 1984 Dodge D150.

The choke is electrically assisted, with a single-stage controller power by a tee from the alternator field.

I am using the factory '71 cap, my memory of that info wasn't correct obviously.

Those 2280s have a metal plate on the top of the airhorn, under which resides the accelerator pump linkage, power valve actuator and the bowl vent valve.

The bowl vent is supposed to have a rubber stopper that seals off the bowl vent at certain times, mine was missing. and I'm assuming I left it off when I overhauled the carb a couple years ago.

In fact I'm still trying to understand how this particular bowl vent functions, because from looking at my spare 2280, the bowl vent appears to be closed most of the time by a spring loaded arm.


I don't think it's starving when this episode occurs, at least it's not the main problem, because it's kicked gas out over the top of the carb at least twice.

The most strange part of it, is that until last night when I let it flood out and die, it's never spun more than three revolutions to start even after having heat soaked.

And, once it's running, it's a joy to drive. No stalling or flooding or anything.

I'm going to pull off the airhorn and see what I find this afternoon.

Thank you for the help.