Amal “Premium?”

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Triton Thrasher

Triton Thrasher

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Is an ordinary Concentric now called a Premium?

Latest email from Emery’s Norvil.

Amal “Premium?”
 
Perhaps they're Wassells and t'other Amals, perhaps?

Mind you Premiums show dearer than Premier?
 
When I read that ad today, I immediately thought it was referring to a new carb that gives premium mileage range, as in miles per gallon!!
 
I have purchased a pair of the aluminum premier carbs for my Atlas project, all I can say is I'm not very impressed. First problem I have is one of the ticklers just pisses fuel until I turn the top and push back down, don't know why it would come loose. Second thing is the bowl plug gaskets leak fuel also, at first i thought they must have forgot to tighten them. But when I checked them they were tight and seeping the next morning.
Already worried that one tickler is going to pop up and start leaking when i'm riding. How hard is it to change out one of those ticklers.
 
Hortons Norton said:
I have purchased a pair of the aluminum premier carbs for my Atlas project, all I can say is I'm not very impressed. First problem I have is one of the ticklers just pisses fuel until I turn the top and push back down, don't know why it would come loose. Second thing is the bowl plug gaskets leak fuel also, at first i thought they must have forgot to tighten them. But when I checked them they were tight and seeping the next morning.
Already worried that one tickler is going to pop up and start leaking when i'm riding. How hard is it to change out one of those ticklers.
Click to expand...
My new non alu premiers also had leaks at bowl drain plugs. Tried new gaskets but still leaked. Perhaps a burr or other issue on the threaded plugs or carb bowl itself. Solved it with Dowty washers.
The ticklers pop up to close and open as they are pushed down to depress the float, which lifts the float valve of its seat.
My new carbs had one tickler that was a bit sticky trying to push it down. Advice was to try rotating the extended tickler body to where it went up and down smoothly. Seems to help. I beleive to dismantle there is a longish roll pin in the tickler sticking down into carb against the float metal tab. This can be extended or pushed deeper up into tickler to change how far it opens the float when pressing down. Never messed with it myself.
 
Thanks, that's what i'll do is use those type seals. I'm hoping that the one sticking cures itself with use? but i know now to keep on eye on it, lol. I'm going to get it registered tomorrow and get a plate for it. I finally have all my paperwork in order and can take it for a ride. Legally!
 
Hortons Norton said:
Thanks, that's what i'll do is use those type seals. I'm hoping that the one sticking cures itself with use? but i know now to keep on eye on it, lol. I'm going to get it registered tomorrow and get a plate for it. I finally have all my paperwork in order and can take it for a ride. Legally!
Click to expand...
Many have reported some issues with machining swarf or debris in new Amals, such that the pilot jets can be clogged at first use. Best to fully dismantle and perform thorough spray through with carb cleaner or brake cleaner, wd40 etc. I find spraying into the hole for the removed air mixture screw while holding a finger over the air hole on air filter side of carb body, you should get a good spray out the two tiny holes in carb throat. If not a good spray, remove air mix and pilot screws and blow straight through both those holes. Also try spray directly into each of those two tiny holes (one at a time) from top of carb with long spray straw carefully placed. Should get a good spray out the other tiny hole. Also spray into pointy end of removed pilot jet to get good pattern out the small peripheral holes.
This kind of process may need repeating again in a few weeks is debris still present in the carb.
 
Hortons Norton said:
First problem I have is one of the ticklers just pisses fuel until I turn the top and push back down, don't know why it would come loose.
Click to expand...
The spring should hold the pin clear of the float unless the pin is sticking somehow. The pin would have to be a very slack fit in the button to alter the setting between the button and the pin.
Could it be the float sticking causing the flooding.
 
Hortons Norton said:
Thanks, that's what i'll do is use those type seals. I'm hoping that the one sticking cures itself with use? but i know now to keep on eye on it, lol. I'm going to get it registered tomorrow and get a plate for it. I finally have all my paperwork in order and can take it for a ride. Legally!
Click to expand...
Chuck,
You did a beautiful job on that Atlas.Did you use that head steady on it or was it for your Roadster?
Mike
 
L.A.B. said:
The spring should hold the pin clear of the float unless the pin is sticking somehow. The pin would have to be a very slack fit in the button to alter the setting between the button and the pin.
Could it be the float sticking causing the flooding.
Click to expand...
Today it did the same thing again, although this time it was only a couple taps and it stopped. The carbs really do seem to be a nice setup as the bike seems to run strong. I am still doing the first few miles and trying to keep the rpm at or below 4,000 so no wide open throttle yet. I am about 100 miles into it now. I hope I don't regret not putting the 32's on it. It has 30's.
 
It seems to me from the threads I've read, that if you have serviceable Amals that you'd be money and trouble ahead to repair/rebuild them rather than muck about with poor manufacturing and quality control.

My only issue with the original carbs is the pilot jet buried inaccessibly inside. I know people have drilled out the plug, tapped the hole and plugged it. I've also read that the late premier jets can be installed but at $20 a pop, I wonder at the wisdom of that. Why not just drill out the existing jet, screw in the plug and use a pre-68 jet in the float-bowl surface. Are those jets still readily available at a reasonable price? I have a bunch of them in different sizes so I've never priced them. I have one set of pre-68 carbs and they are easy to clean and seem to work fine once properly set up.
 
Thomasa said:
Why not just drill out the existing jet, screw in the plug and use a pre-68 jet in the float-bowl surface.
Click to expand...

Because the float chamber jet was found to be unsatisfactory for 4-stroke applications.

Rebuilding the Amal Mark 1 Concentric Carburetter | AMAL Carburetters

A detailed guide on dismantling, cleaning, inspecting, and reassembling the Amal Mark 1 Concentric carburetter.
amalcarb.co.uk amalcarb.co.uk

"Pilot Jets​

When first introduced, all carburetters were fitted with a detachable pilot jet screwed into a threaded hole in the bottom of the carburetter body. This arrangement is retained for 2 strokes, but from 1968, was replaced for 4 strokes by a bush pressed into the gallery behind the pilot air screw.
The detachable pilot jet caused problems with some 4 Stroke engines. The remoteness of the jet from the two pilot circuit outlet holes, caused starting and idling problems on bikes with lower manifold vacuums. This could cause stalling during deceleration, due to a weak mixture. The introduction of the pilot bush moved the pilot jet nearer to the outlet holes, overcoming this problem. The bush has a flow rate, equivalent to 20cc/min. Carburetters fitted with a bush, retain the threads originally used to fit the removable pilot jet."
 
I will say with premiers, other than the swarf found in the drillways, they are plug and play carbs. Very happy customer here.
Unfortunately, the ticklers do "stick" in the up position if allowed to snap back from the tickle position. Rotating them frees them up, but it is still a pain. All things considered, IMHO, they are worth the investment.
 
As regards pre-68 pilot jets, I've had to deal with far too many post-67 Amals with plugged pilot bushes. Amalitis we called it. Sometimes they can be cleaned with the bristle from a wire brush or tiny drill bit, carb cleaner and compressed air and sometimes not. Customers were not happy with the "not" scenario and this was way before ethanol gas. Now it's worse. I've worked on half a dozen plugged pilot jets just this spring (not Amals). As a fall-back procedure, I have converted carbs back to the old pilot jet successfully with the bike starting and running well, assuming the rest of the carb and tune was properly dialed in. With carbs that have good slides and bores, I'm reluctant to scrap them because of plugged pilot bushes. It's far less expensive to retrofit than buying new carbs. The one stumbling problem I've had with the screw-in jets turned out to be something else and that bike now runs just fine. Undoubtedly, there are scenarios where the screw-in jets cause difficulties but the retro-remedy is easy to do and if it doesn't work out one doesn't have a huge investment in time or materials.
 
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