David Terry's Journal

Most folks in the MG circle appear to have been servicing their cars for some length of time and possess the ready mechanical skills and experience to thrash whatever ills appear before them. While I'm in my element when it comes to woodworking, I'm playing catch-up with regard to automotive engines.

My ZS dashpot would not hold oil. Every post I have read and every other knowledgable resource tells me that the oil in the dashpot is essentially supposed to stay there. Except for the Zenith-Stromberg. Somewhere along the way, Zenith-Stromberg carbs either did not get that memo or simply discarded it. I have, in fact, gotten very good at filling mine up. That is not necessarily the skill I was aiming for. I don't need a diesel MGB. Obviously, the O-ring in the bottom needed replacement.

Before I pulled mine apart and lost or broke something important, I got a hold of a well worn ZS off ebay. Used it as a guinea pig to make sure I knew what I was doing. I'm a visual person. I have to have my hands on something and see it before it typically sinks in. I'm sure it'll come in handy for other carb related endeavors, too.

When I removed the piston from the carb, I was unprepared for the black gooey film covering the metal surfaces. It looked worse than the donor carb. Once I got the mess cleaned off, I then proceeded to replace the O-ring and reinstall the piston into the carb along with a new diaphragm. Then the most amazing thing happened when I started it up: it ran. RPMs holding steady at around 900-1000 and no noticeable adverse engine performance. I didn't know what else to do so I hopped in and went for a drive.

Clearly, I'm being lulled into a false sense of security.