1972 mercury 1150 carb leak?

[74sidewinder]

just started the mercury on muffs today everything seems to be good expect I have a intermittent carb leak? Upon first start the primer went hard and engine started up great, I let it run for a bit then shut it off to go grab a drink. I came back 10 minutes later and it kept cranking no start, I went to prime the bulb and it wouldn’t get hard I noticed fuel leaking from the bottom of the middle carb. It was leaking in a weird spot right where the linkages connect the butterflies at the bottom of the carb. Is there o-rings that seal there? Or is that from the needle not fully seating? No gas is coming out of the carb opening. Every other part of the carb is dry expect there. I checked carb diagrams and can’t seem to find any kind of seal there. About an hour later I went to prime the bulb and it gets hard quick.

Im leaning towards a needle not fully seating any other ideas before I start tearing it apart?

 

[jimmbo]

The shaft does not have an o-ring or any other seal, other than a very close fit. A high fuel level can have fuel spilling into the carb throat, and since the shafts are vertical in these carbs, it can drain out through there. You probably have a leaky inlet seat on that carb, or what used to happened on my inline 6. The float that would get cockeyed in the fuel bowl and get stuck. A few gentle love taps with a plastic or rubber hammer usually freed it

 

[74sidewinder]

Thanks I ordered gasket kits for the carbs, gonna take them apart tonight and see what’s going on

 

[Chris1956]

If you have the older style foam floats, I would recommend you replace those with the hard plastic floats, as those resist alcohol in today's fuel. Also. make sure the little springs on the floats are intact.