[DeTomaso] Pantera Won't Start but has fuel, spark, good timing etc. Baffled and need Advice

[Colin Bradshaw]

If the float chamber needle valve is stuck the carb will over fuel. Excessive overfuelling will bore wash particularly if you are opening throttle wide to keep it running or drive through the problem. After a short drive the fuel excess in cylinders washes the bore of oil and lose compression follows. The by product of this is the more you spin it over the worse the situation is and you will get fuel at the base of the carb coming back along the butterfly spindles. Especially if you been pumping the throttle trying to get it to run.

It happened to me whilst on a short journey whilst driving steady at 70 mph and the car just died as if I switched ignition off...It would not restart even after over an hour wait and just stunk of fuel with signs of leakage at base of carb which quickly evaporated on a hot engine so was hard to detect. 
The car was trailered and all that was needed was new float chamber needle valves and to reset float levels. All been fine for two years since.

I add this happened after the car has been standing for several months and although it started first turn the problem came to be within 20mins.
Good luck
Regards
Colin Bradshaw UK

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