My carb heat air box has a missing grommet on one side of the flapper shaft, and the flapper itself no longer creates a nice seal on the inside of the air box.
The flapper is a piece of fiberglass reinforced silicone rubber sandwiched between 2 pieces of thin aluminum and it's riveted together.
1. it seems reasonable to me that the missing grommet could only have gone through the carb and engine...that's a concerning thought, but it is indeed not there and I imagine it was at some point...anybody experience anything like this or do anything to prevent the grommet from getting pulled up and thru? I would seem reasonable to me to make a top hat style bushing that cannot get sucked in rather than the rubber grommet that goes on both sides of the air box
2. the flapper is tired and not sealing well, is this something that should seal well, should i make a new one or is small leaks here not a big deal?
3. the flapper is fastened to the shaft with 3 screws. It would seem to me that these screws should be peened on the backside like a carb butterfly often is, or safety wired. it has neither of these safety mechanisms - just 3 small phillips head screws fastening the flapper to the shaft. just like the grommet concern, i'm concerned now also about small screws vibrating loose and getting sucked up thru the engine.
Valid concerns, or over reacting? Any advice from experience dealing with sloppy carb heat air boxes?
The flapper is a piece of fiberglass reinforced silicone rubber sandwiched between 2 pieces of thin aluminum and it's riveted together.
1. it seems reasonable to me that the missing grommet could only have gone through the carb and engine...that's a concerning thought, but it is indeed not there and I imagine it was at some point...anybody experience anything like this or do anything to prevent the grommet from getting pulled up and thru? I would seem reasonable to me to make a top hat style bushing that cannot get sucked in rather than the rubber grommet that goes on both sides of the air box
2. the flapper is tired and not sealing well, is this something that should seal well, should i make a new one or is small leaks here not a big deal?
3. the flapper is fastened to the shaft with 3 screws. It would seem to me that these screws should be peened on the backside like a carb butterfly often is, or safety wired. it has neither of these safety mechanisms - just 3 small phillips head screws fastening the flapper to the shaft. just like the grommet concern, i'm concerned now also about small screws vibrating loose and getting sucked up thru the engine.
Valid concerns, or over reacting? Any advice from experience dealing with sloppy carb heat air boxes?
