Farmall M carb drip plug

[Andrus Burr]

The drip plug on the bowl of my 1947 M is, guess what, dripping. How can I fix it? How do I even remove it properly? And what is a drip plug for?

 

[D Slater]

If engine is run to operating temperature and drips after shutting of the needle and seat is leaking or getting past it some other way. If filter material is okay under the metal piece holding it in, it doesn't need out. It's to keep the intake and pipe from building gasoline level if a problem with carburetor fuel control. On a cold engine that is shut off fuel can fall back down and drip some.

 

[redforlife]

Don't try to fix it. It's suppose to drip there. That is, if there is gas immediately above it.

Above that hole is just the air flow passage that continues through the carb. This passage goes upward through the middle of the actual carb bowl.

If dripping here, tractor has been choked and not started to run. Or the float level of gas in the carb bowl is set to be to high. Or the float needle valve is sticking open.
Over choking and the tractor don't start is the most likely and ussual cause for the drip. If it drips like this while not trying to start, then the reason is one of the other two.

 

[the tractor vet]

When ya have and UP DRAFT CARB after shut down ya have gas still going up till the engine stops and what is going up now falls back down into the carb and drips out the weep hole , they all do it , yep it is annoying . I just did a carb for a friend for his grandson's W D 45 , went out installed the carb and made the fine tune settings . When done he and i stood there enjoying a cold Barley pop and it had a half dozen drips . Right away he says the needle and seat are leaking o9r ya got the float wrong , Nope it's just want is falling back down . It stopped dripping and all was well . Then the tractor sat for several months and he went to move it and it ran out of gas and here he comes again with the carb is leaking . SOOOO to prove to him it was NOT the carb i put it on my home made TEST stand and hooked up the gallon and a half tank filled with gas and turned on the gas . I had a catch pan and in the pan i had put down brown paper , even if the gas evaporates it stains the paper . I left it hanging for three weeks and he calls asking where the carb is and i told him and for him to come in and look to se if it leaks . I also had my float level sight gauge hooked up to show float level. Took it back out and put it back on . HIS LEAK was at the sediment bowl NOT the carb .

 

[Andrus Burr]

Thanks guys, your responses have been great,...and funny too! Now I know a little more about updraft carbs.
Thanks again,
Andy

 

[rustred]

ya thats funny.. i knew all that stuff when i was like 7 years old. had to crank the w6 to start it , dont laugh as it was way before i was 10 years old. choke it and gas would leak out . geez now grown men are all worried about some gas dripping out the bottom of the carb where ihc put in a drain hole for the gas to leak out. when your sucking your mcdonalds drink up a straw the remainder falls back into the cup when u stop sucking. plus all this nonsense about cranking a tractor. you get told what will happen so u follow the rules.

 

[the tractor vet]

Plum don't do cranking , nope no way . learned my lesson back when i was about 9 or 10 . i was working alone back on the far east field at my uncles with a Oliver O C 3 crawler dragging a four section spike tooth harrow over qa field that had taters in it getting it ready for winter wheat . . The Oliver throttle would NOT stay in wide open unless ya had you right HOFFIE planted against it . As the south end of the field i hit a dead furrow and my foot came off the throttle and KILLED IT . I was over a mile from any adults , the battery was eljunko the starter did not work . Now you either parked it on the barn bridge or ya crank started it . THE OLDER people had no problem giving a couple quick jerks . So i figured i could do the same . Put it in neturel and set the throttle where it would hold and with a Monkey grip and Pulling up like they all did it almost started on the first flip . SO we tried again and that is when she kicked back and sorta ran backwards for a little bit throwing the crank out nailing me in the right elbow ( still have the LUMP on the elbow) then it came out and nailed me above the right eye splitting my head open . Even as a young Pup i had a temper , bleeding like a stuck hog i went and picked up that crank and threw it with everything i had and i watched it going thru the air and did a swan dive into the back irrigation lake into the deep end that was about 25 feet deep on a 10 acre pond . It was about a 1/2 mile up to the farm house and me bleeding like a stuck hog plus madder then a wet hen . My aunt about flipped out seeing me coming up thru the yard . My white tee shirt was a mix of brown dust and blood . Once she calmed down and got me cleaned up she said i'll run you on home , Nope i ain't done with the field i stalled the tractor , we need to go get uncle Earl. . Everybody was south of the main farm digging taters . So Aunt Mary got me in the car and we drove down to where the were digging and she told Earl i stalled the tractor . So the digging operation come to a stand still and uncle Earl comes up to the car and asked what happened i told him the crank tried to eat me . He laughed and said ya going to finish if we get it started and i said yep , He said i'll just give it a couple flicks with the crank and you can get back with it . I told him NOPE AIN't ah going to happen when he asked why i told him the crank is now at the bottom of the pond best bring a chain and a tractor and pull start it . SO they pulled the W D 45 off a tater wagon and we pull started it and i finished the field . I still have the scare and the LUMP and if anybody needs a crank for a O C 3 Oliver get you SCUBA gear and i can show you about where to look. The next weekend now the O C 3 has a new battery , a NEW starter , a new Generator and it now has LIGHTS that work and the throttle is now fixed to stay where ya set it . In my years of tractor repair if it needed a crank to start then find someone else i DON'T DO CRANK START . Even a pull start lawn mower if it takes more the two pulls it is HISTORY .