4160 leak

88 BFN 454, holley 4160.
forward port booster will not stop leaking when running and leaking down after shut down. It was doing this prior to rebuild also.
First off i am running the boat on a trailer, and tossed a bubble stick on the deck and made it level(i dont know where it sits in the water) but the carb is a hair out of level.
I first noticed it and set the forward float as low as humanly possible because i thought at first float was too high.but it still leaks.
ok. maybe the needle and seat are leaking. hooked a hose up to the feed and blew through it turned the bowl upside down, couldn't find any leaks.
Even threw the old needle and seat back in just to check.
took metering plate off and cleaned the sh$t out of it blew all the passages out.
still leaks.
Now everything points towards the needle and seat to me because after I throw it back on it wont leak for a few minutes of running. After i move the throttle around a little and then let it back to idle it will start dripping again. So its acting like the needle/seat is working fine for a little while but once it gets exercised a little it stops seating again.

I guess my biggest question is i never payed any attention to the orientation of the carb when it sits in the water. how level is it. maybe i have to change the trailer tongue before i proceed any further. I hate admitting defeat but I am a click away from a Quickfuel.
someone talk me out of it.

What Tim sez,
also
IF one or both primary idle fuel orifices are clogged, and you or someone upped the idle setscrew to make it run afterward,( common) it is now idling off the transition slots. A few minutes after running, fuel will perk up to the booster because the transition slot is aerating the fuel from the main jet and main air bleed. Causing a dribble from a booster or both, much like you described.

IF you can't make the engine die solidly by closing the idle mix screws, then the above situation likely applies.

IF the secondary return rod is now sloppy when the primary is on the idle stop, and one can rotate the secondary throttle plate 1/16-1/8" before it hits the rod, its another indicator that the idle has been opened to make it run, causing the above condition.

Sounds like my 4160. I picked up a reman unit last summer and it worked great right out of the box except it was dripping from the front boosters. That was until I adjusted the front float. I had to set it way lower then spec. Worked great till last week, when I noticed it dripping again. I cleaned the life out of it and lowered the float again ans got it to stop dripping. Moral of the story, its a crap shoot. If I have it apart again I'll take a picture of the float height.

This issue is close to my heart, I've had it 4 times over the last two years!!
First: floats needed adjusting by a LOT, bent tabs back making the needles shut at 1/3 height
Second: perished metering block gasket causing bad seal, purchased Holley 'trick kit' and replaced
Third: blocked holes/channels below the boosters, cleared with compressed air
Forth: lumps of ***************e blocked the needles, came from sealant in the fuel tank, fitted inline fuel filter

Check all the above and you might be on to something :)

the gasket issue is something I have dealt with many times. Next time you have yours or any holley apart i dare you to put a straight edge up to the metering plate mounting surfaces, its enough to make you cringe.
I have removed the mounting bolts and shes back on the bench, Ive never had this much of an issue with a holley before now.
I know I'm getting clean fuel, theres a brand new Raycor before the pump. so nothing new has been introduced
There's got to be something left in there somewhere.

solved my leak.

We decided to go with the M-750. I'm considering it the start for this winters overhaul. of the 454.
I have to say the fit and finish is far superior to the Holley, and the sight glass in the bowl is genius. I had a few boat jobs that had to be finished before the 4th weekend and in the name of progress and lack of time to work on my own stuff I bit the bullet. When i found it through a canadian dealer for under $550 off ebay i pulled the trigger and just had to cross fingers with shipping, and it went through customs with no delays, It came in just a few days.

Took it on the lake this weekend. It ran great. Out of the box it needed minor adjusting and had a bog off idle. turned out **acc pump** wasn't operating right away from the factory settings. then all was well. In other words we had a good first run of the season.

Stock at the moment, but as i said. overhaul this winter is in order and i believe a few more ponies will follow. It was the same price as the 650 too.
You can say I'm crazy but I ran a 750 on a performer intake on my 351, It was the best thing I ever did to that boat. The 750 and Manual secondaries allowed me to tune so It was running on primary circuit right up to plane and cruise speed. about 25Knts. I almost never ran on the 2nd circuit. with that boat. The BFN on the other hand will be hitting those quite often.