breather

[raqumup]

For the POD people, what did you do with the PCV tube (the bigger of the two nipples above the trans) after installing the pods? i finaly got mine running and was on my way home at night and my head light was pointing too low. so i pulled over and adjusted it and i noticed some smoke in the headlight beam and i used my flash light to look for leaks and almost all the way around the valve cover i could see what looked like very small bubbles comming through the gasket (while running). and that gasket is seeping very little but all the way around, and the only thing i can think that would help is the pcv tube but i cant just hook it up to one carb because then that one cylinder will run richer than all the others. the small one as far as i can tell from other threads is just vented to the atmosphear correct?

[petejw]

Attach a small filter to the pcv tube
and hook it up out of the way, (ive put mine between the pods
of 2 and 3 cylinders)
depending on how worn ur rings are, u will
get blow-by(smoke) thru the pcv tube.

If u have the earlier carbs, the vent hoses
can also have filters attached and vented to the
atmosphere.

[raqumup]

im not really inerested in putting a filter on it, i need to hook it back up to the intake some how so that it creates a vacuum in the crankcase. i need this because it is not good to have pressure from blowby in the crank case because it causes seald to leak. thank you for your input though.

[Hired_Goon]

Well, if you don't want to put filters on them then you can go complete overkill like mine. Made from 316 stainless and designed th imitate the vent tubing inside the original airbox.





Original design was made from retic fittings but looked real ugly.

[trbig]

raqumup,

You don't NEED to have vacuum in your crankcase. All having the tube connected to your intake did was burn those blow-by gasses. That tube vent is what PREVENTS pressure building in the case. All the filter does is help prevent dirt and debris from getting up/down that tube (However you were to choose to route it) and into your motor.

I personally routed my tube DOWN over the center stand pivot. It's out of sight there. Some choose to route it in an upward position. My thinking is that moisture can't run UP a tube. I ride in the rain and would worry about routing it up and having it get wet and running down the tube.


Tod

[raqumup]

hired goon, that is exaxctly what i was thinking i had to do, and i see someone else had the same idea. PCV is a good idea. i bet the engine will run better with that system than without. i agree it is not pretty but i might atempt to make one of those 4 to one conversions. i was wondering. did the special come with the fuel line octopus or was it just the xs1100f? and if so, my bike has it and i was thinking of eliminating it and using the sync ports in all the intake boots for the pcv. it would be very easy to make a rough set up and if it works then make it look pretty. what do you think?

[trbig]

I would think that it would require re-jetting if you did that. Your bike would basically act like you had a vacuum leak at those points. I think you could eventually tune that to where it allowed for it but then where are you going to synch the carbs from to get it tuned? If you simply unplugged those and plugged up the synchronyzing tool, it would close those ports off and you would be tuning it to having no vacuum loss there??

You can do what you want, but burning those blow-by fumes was an emissions and EPA thing, not a necessity for the motor to run better. Seems like a lot of work for nothing in return??

All these bikes came with Octos. If you're in the habbit of turning off your petcocks after riding and/or your float needle valves are good, I would highly suggest donating that octo to the nearest trash can. It does do away with one more safety check in case your needle valves fail, but it is very problematic in itself and all those extra lines gives it a very cluttered look in my opinion.


Tod

[AlanB]

Hi Guys,

"Standards" don't have the octy, only the Specials. Standards have the usual vac-operated fuel taps (cocks?)

AlanB

[trbig]

I stand corrected! Thanks Alan.

Tod

[mro]

gasket is seeping very little but all the way around

Valve cover gasket can be a PITA...yours sounds like it's not torqued down properly or missing some/all of the gasket.
Crank case pressure should have very little effect on valve cover gasket unless vent is plugged.
Have a set of pods on the hot rod XS, vent tube routed down behind the tranny, no problems, no leaks.


mro
btw, had a constant valve cover leak problem on the 80 G. Think the cover was warped (never checked).
After changing the gasket several times, last time I had it off the gasket still looked like new, so put a second gasket on it. Did not completely stop all leaking but now only a very minor weep to wipe off about every 500 miles or so.

bt2, nice job Hired_Goon.
I've had little luck making my welds on thin walled tubing look that good.

[Hired_Goon]

Originally posted by mro
bt2, nice job Hired_Goon.
I've had little luck making my welds on thin walled tubing look that good. [/B]

Can't take all the credit. Design was mine but the manufacture was by a mate who makes rails and canopies for boats. I tried his TIG once. Need lots more practice.

Regarding if it's nessecary will always give a different opinion.

IMO, and by my understanding of how the internal combustion engine works, led me to doing it this way.

It only generates a very small amount of vacuum, but IMO that helps the longevity of the engine by pulling out fumes which "should" reduce carbon buildup inside the crankcase. It does mimic the pipe design inside the stock airbox to a certain extent.

Attaching to the intake nipples on the manifold side of the carbs would create too much vacuum. Just as big a danger of sucking the seals in as blowing them out if blocked off.

Just my opinion and lots will differ, But I like the feeling of doing it right.

[petejw]

Nice set up HG,
and wat Trbig said.

The only benefit i see in having the pcv attached to the filters
is that if u do have fumes coming from the pipe, it does cause
a bit of smoke and it does smell, as well as legal requirements by the EPA.

Disadvantage, it can bog the motor down a little bit mainly at idle.

PCV doesnt need vaccuum, its design is to release pressure
from blow-by usually by the piston rings. If the PCV is blocked
it will cause oil leaks from gaskets and seals.

[Hired_Goon]

Originally posted by petejw
as well as legal requirements by the EPA.

This was one of the reasons for doing it. Had to take it over the police pits for inspection to get it licenced. Wanted to make it appear to be right as technically they are not supposed to pass it unless everything is standard in the airbox department.

Passed without any problems.