mopar56
Well-Known Member
When rebuilding a holley 600cfm 1850 and replacing the fuel transfer tube seals the holley kit comes with o-rings and seals, what is better o-rings or the seals? Or dose it matter?
Holley 1850 fuel transfer tube seals??
- Thread starter mopar56
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I like the seals. Much more positive seal.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
I've rebuilt literally hundreds of 1850's, never had a problem with the O rings...
But there's a trick to installing them..... Don't push them fully on the tube or seat them fully in the cavity... Just barely start them on the tube then insert the tube into the cavity.... That way the O ring rolls due to contact on the inside & outside... If you just fully seat the O ring they often get pinched & leak...
But there's a trick to installing them..... Don't push them fully on the tube or seat them fully in the cavity... Just barely start them on the tube then insert the tube into the cavity.... That way the O ring rolls due to contact on the inside & outside... If you just fully seat the O ring they often get pinched & leak...
mopar56
Well-Known Member
Ok, I didn't actually see the seals or know what they were for until I was searching the net after, I had only noticed the o rings and used them, I did roll them down the tube but I used some soapy water so they wouldn't pinch, I suppose I could pre fill the bowls with fuel thru the vent tube then tilt the carb back and forth to look for leaks? Failing that, remove and install the other seals.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
Filling the carb doesn't do much... They are on the pressurized part of the fuel system, outside the float bowls..
The last time I had one apart of rings were the only thing available.
I use spit to lube them up. Always readily available. lol
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
We're doing carbs here... Not ****....
mopar56
Well-Known Member
Well I think I'll just leave in the o-rings, and see how it goes, worst case I change em out! Confidence is high! Lol
They worked well for a really long time.
mopar56
Well-Known Member
Sorry to resurrect this old thread but I thought I would give a little update of how things went this summer and I have a question. So first the Holley was a epic FAIL! Lol, as soon as I started the truck ( my 56 Dodge with 318 ) it started running poorly which I discovered was due to flooding, I tried adjusting the floats and watching for fuel to come out the side bowl screws, it eventually diluted the oil with fuel badly and being as I just wanted to drive this old truck for the first time in the 40 years it had been off the road I just said f@#k it, ripped it off and put on the Eddy carb that I new worked and changed the oil. Anyway summers over, the truck is tucked away in the garage for the winter and I thought now I have a little time I'd take another look at the Holley. I pulled off both the bowls and inspected the float levels, if I'm correct when you invert the bowl the float should sit leval, one was not the other was close so I adjusted them. I could not see anything else that looked out of wack. Maybe one of the floats was just hung up the first time I installed it? Looking back i wish I had thought to tap the bowls with a screw driver but I didn't. So with that said I'm am re-installing the bowls and noticed one of the transfer tube o-rings was pinched/damaged so I thought maybe this time I'll use the tube seals that look like the ones in the photo in the start of this post but assuming that the lip of the seal goes toward the lip on the end of the transfer tube I can not get the tube to seat in the bowls deep enough to tighten the screws and seat the bowls almost like I'd need a shorter transfer tube? What am I missing here? I'm going to tag Rob here because he said in my original post the he preferred the seals over the orings but anyone feel free to answer. @RustyRatRod .
The lip on the seals goes to the OUTSIDE of the holes in the float bowls. Is that what you were asking? The tubes are no different in length.
mopar56
Well-Known Member
It is yes, so do you install the seals on the tube and push in or install in the bowls first? If i put on the tube first then they bulge out and don't want to go in the holes in the bowl, if I put them in the bowls first the tube dosnt want to go in even with dishsoap as lube they seem very tight?
mopar56
Well-Known Member
BTW, i went to a local auto parts store today to get some new o rings which they didn't have, they did have the seals though....32 bucks!! Fortunately i still have the two new ones from the kit i never used but being how expensive they are i don't want to damage them!
I had no idea that they had transfer tube seals. I only remember the o-rings and lubed them with vaseline... no leaks, but that was about 25 years ago.
I put them on the tube first, LUBE them with some penetrating oil and they go right in.
Vaseline works great too!
mopar56
Well-Known Member
Ok, thanks, I'll try again tomorrow.
They're a tight fit. With no lube, they will distort.
I did this 2 days ago when I put my Holley back on and changed the jets while I was there.
They are a tight fit for sure. I used a smear of clean engine oil and the tube pushed in just fine.
I had the tube seated in the rear bowl and then seated the seal in the front bowl and carefully slid it in, making sure it didn't try to push the seal in and distort it.
They are a tight fit for sure. I used a smear of clean engine oil and the tube pushed in just fine.
I had the tube seated in the rear bowl and then seated the seal in the front bowl and carefully slid it in, making sure it didn't try to push the seal in and distort it.
mopar56
Well-Known Member
Ok, maybe the dishsoap wasn't enough? I'll try a bit of three in one oil tomorrow i attached a few photos for clarity of how I have them orientated but I'll insert on the tube then in the bowls.
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mopar56
Well-Known Member
Update, no way I can get the bowls to seat with those seals, I tried 3 in 1 oil, grease, dish soap, I tried putting the seals on the tube first and pushing in the bowls, then I tried pushing the seals in the bowls first and trying to insert the tube, there is literally a good 1/2 inch of space to cinch up and I'm afraid the fragile aluminum tube will bend, I tried pushing on the carb with my body weight against the carb and the workbench, I actually thought of using a cargo strap to ratchet the bowl to the carb, there is NO way it should be that hard so I just went back to the o- rings, ( new ones ) and it just slipped together. Weird but anyway it's back together, I went through it all again I'll either throw it back on in the spring or I might try it in the next few weeks and just find a nice day to run and tune it, if it don't work I'm done with Holleys and I'll stick with Edelbrock.
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