Carb question

[agent52]

Hello All,

Just joined the group and have a carburator question. I own a 79 XS 1100 Special and just had it restored. Carbs, brakes, tires, new paint and everything else I could think of. I am the original owner and couldn't stand seeing setting in the garage anymore without the TLC it needed. The problem is that since I had the carburator rebuilt it idles fine but if you ride for about a half an hour the bike starts to smoke a little, but it is a gas smell. I pull the plug on the carb #2 and the plug is drenched with gas. If you dry the plug off the bike is fine for about another half hour. The other 3 plugs seem fine so I think I have narrowed it down to the #2 carb. I had a compression check on all cylinders and it was great. Anyone with any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Larry

[DiverRay]

Larry,
You will need to take the carbs off and DO THEM YOURSELF. Most of the "mechanics" working in dealerships are too young to know what a carb is, let alone how to properly work on one.
My guess is the float has a pinhole, or the needle is bad. Both items should have been check when the bike was worked on. If you read the "Tech Tips" on the left side, or do a search for "carbs", you will find all the information you need to fix it properly.
You can try taking it back to the shop, but you must be sure they fix it properly. some of the people here have tried, and some shops/mechanics are great, and some arn't worth the air they breath.
As a note, if the shop put in K&L brand carb kits with jets, you have a problem!!
Ray

[audijunky]

Yeah what Diver said, you may also want to check the float height in relation to the other 3 carbs, If it is different match it up to the known good ones. DO a search on float height if it is different, should tell you how to adjust it.

[agent52]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The float should not have a hole in it because I had them replace the floats when they did the rebuild. The shop I took it to is usually pretty good at older bikes. I was going to take it back in but they have now been sold to someone else. I was thinking that maybe, even though I washed out the tank before it was painted and reinstalled, that some junk may have gotten into the carb from there. I guess I will just have to pull it apart and see.

Thanks again,

Larry

XS1100
1800VTX R

[skids]

I am leaning againt the pinhole in the float, because it runs good after drying the plug. If the air vent to the carb body is clogged, or, if the fuel valve leaks, it can cause the problems you describe. Later model carbs have o-rings that can split. Flakes of rust or (?) can lodge in the needle valve's seat.

Sometimes, in the later possibility, you can flush out a particle. You can open the bowl drain and put the petcock on prime to flush it out.

[agent52]

Thanks Skids,
I will try to flush this weekend but if that does not work looks like I will tear it down. This bike is in excelent condition it just sat in the corner of the garage for about 12 years. The guy at the shop where I had it overhauled said for a 79 1100 it was in the best shape he had ever seen. This carb thing just had me stumped a little bit. Thanks for all of the input guys.

[audijunky]

Hey agent,
You a fan of Hit Man?