So, I was driving my 12a with a 48 ida and it started to idle a little low and run weird. I popped the hood and noticed what looked like a leak around where the carb met the intake (first attached photo)

So I replaced the all the manifold gaskets (I should add the engine to manifold gasket was replaced about a month before this issue and has run good) and I replaced the fuel filter and did an oil change. Everything went pretty well. I went for a startup today and my tach RAN to 5 grand.

I pretty quickly shut it off and checked my throttle linkage and my carb idle screws had not been touched.

I tried to fill the new fuel filter by turning the throttle a bunch when I put it in (maybe a bad idea), and I didn’t see any gas spray down the throat nor the filter fill. So I thought maybe it would have no gas and wouldn’t really start, but now I think maybe I had too much gas in it and that’s why it was running so high. I also noted after starting it leaked a little gas from what looked like the filter and I tightened it up even more.

I tried restarting and it did the same thing and I let it sit for maybe 5 seconds and it went to 4.5 grand instead of 5 this time and I shut it off and figured I’d post on the forum for a little guidance.

Sorry if this post is redundant, I tried searching but the threads I found didn’t seem exactly like my situation. So my thoughts are a big vacuum leak, but I don’t exactly know from where that could be because its got new gaskets and everything is nice and tight. Either that or the butterflies got stuck open but they look closed to me. The other attached pictures are as it sits now.

Where it seemed to be leaking

Currently after high start 1/3

2/3

3/3