1972 e-type v-12
Two years ago I replaced the stock needle & seat carb valves for grose valves which solved my hot soak starting problems. Last week it started, ran poorly, then died. Long story short, it was the grose valves that had all stuck shut at the same time. Inspite of multiple attempts to get them to stay unstuck with fresh gas and solvent gas additives, the still stick.

I need to replace the needle and seat valves but do not know whether to go with stock [hello hot soak problems] or grose [hello sticking problems].

Can anyone help here? Are the grose valves prone to sticking? Are they all metal or do they have soft parts like neoprene. Are there stock type valves that resist the hot soak problems?

Thanks, Bill Wynn

Submitted by SW03-09811 on Thu, 10/04/2007 - 16:04

I've had a couple of (XK) cars, with both standard and grose valves, suffer this problem. In my case it was specifically attributed to having coated the fuel tank inside with a commercial sealer/rust inhibitor. That sealer ended up dissolving in the presence of some common CA fuel additives and forming a sort of fuel-borne adhesive which routinely glued-shut the float valves. At the coating supplier's recommendation, I tried flushing the tank with MEK and recoating it with their "improved" product. The problem did not go away.

I finally got tired of having to whack each float bowl, to free the valves, each time I tried to start it (if it had not been run for a day or so). When it began gluing the starting carburetor, too, I gave up and installed a new fuel tank. The problem went away IMMEDIATELY and I no longer had to open the bonnet to start the car.

I'll eventually have the original tank cleaned at a radiator shop and hold it as a spare.

If your tank interior has never been coated, my apologies...., you have a similar problem but a likely different cause.

Good luck,
Dick