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sticking carb floats......

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  • #1

    sticking carb floats......

    I've been through my carbs several dozen times at least trying to get this bike running right and I'm really close after last winters work including valve adjustments, cam chain replacement, and a new fuse box but the one problem I can't seem to correct is sticky floats. See my sig for details on the bike but long story short I put in all new floats from mikesxs and I've tried adjusting them every way I can think of and I still get #4 sticking occasionally. I know its the float because a few taps on the bowl will free it and everything goes back to working again but I can't for the life of me figure out what its hanging up on.

    Any tips or advice? Anybody come up with a way to figure out where the floats hitting the bowl?
    Thanks-
    1979 xs1100 Special -
    Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

    Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

    Originally posted by fredintoon
    Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
    My Bike:
    [link is broken]
    Tags: None
  • #2
    A couple of things that have caught me in the past...

    The float bowl gasket on one of mine was extended past the side of the bowl and the float would stick a bit...
    It was pointed out that when the bowl is on... it flattens it even more and will catch the float sometimes... so I trimmed it up and no problems...

    Also... the tang on the float will sometimes get caught causing the float to stick...
    81 SH Something Special
    81 frame, 80 tank and side covers, 79 tail light and carbs, 78 engine, 750 final drive mod, Geezer rec/reg, 140 mains, LH wheels
    ☺

    79 SF MEAUQABEAUXS
    81SH Nor'eas tah (Old Red)
    80 LG Black Magic
    78 E Standard Practice


    James 3:17

    If I can make at least one person smile, or pee their pants a little, or maybe spit out their drink; then my day is not wasted.

    “Alis Volat Propriis”

    Yamaha XS 1100 Classic
    For those on FB

    Comment

    • #3
      What Kat said is right on the money. I put plastic floats in mine, and 'rounded' the tabs so they wouldn't catch on the seat. I also take a wired pipe cleaner and run it through the 'tunnel' in the float where the pin goes through, and I clean the pin itself well so it doesn't bind there. Also, if you look at some floats they can slide side-to-side a little more than is comfortable. I've even thought about putting little tiny washers on the pin to keep them centered on the bowl, but haven't actually done that one yet. Every once in a great while I'll get one that sticks, but so far a sharp wrap with the back-end of a screwdriver has freed them up.
      I think I have a loose screw behind the handlebars.

      '79 XS11 Standard, Jardine 4/1, Dyna DC1-1 Coils, 145 mains, 45 pilots, plastic floats - 25.7mm, XV920 fuel valves, inline fuel filters, speed bleeders, Mikes XS pods, spade-type fuse block, fork brace, progressive fork springs/shocks, manual petcocks, 750 FD, Venture cam chain tensioner, SS brake lines

      Comment

      • #4
        I agree with what both have said and the only thing I would add is to run some Seafoam. Make it a strong mix to make sure you have all the crude out of your carbs. Dumb questions part here: What shape is your fuel tank in? What about your filters? It doesn't take much crud to make the floats stick.
        2 - 80 LGs bought one new
        81 LH
        02 FXSTB Nighttrain
        22 FLTRK Road Glide Limited
        Jim

        Comment

        • #5
          One other issue I have run into is fuel line. If your runnign automotive type rubber fuel lines, they will tend to get scraped up by the fittign son the carbs and petcocks and little pieces of rubber will scrape off and get into your carbs causing the float valve to hang open. Use motorcycle fuel line, or I have been using lawn mower fuel line successfully.
          Life is what happens while your planning everything else!

          When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

          81 XS1100 Special - Humpty Dumpty
          80 XS1100 Special - Project Resurrection


          Previously owned
          93 GSX600F
          80 XS1100 Special - Ruby
          81 XS1100 Special
          81 CB750 C
          80 CB750 C
          78 XS750

          Comment

          • #6
            +1 on the small washers to center the float. I fought the sticking float problem on the XJ650 for a month. Used 440 thin washers one on each side to center the float. Fixed the problem.
            wingnut
            81 SH (Daily Ride)
            81 650XJ (Brother in laws bike, Delivered)
            81 650XJ Jane Doe (Son's Ride)
            82 750XJ Project bike (Son in law's future ride)
            81 XS 400

            No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another; and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him.”

            A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

            Thomas Jefferson

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            • #7
              I had new floats from mikes xs and gave up on them, went back to the originals.
              '80 SG
              '79F engine

              Comment

              • #8
                Just wanted to post back the fix. I've been over these things a million times, the lines are clear motorcycle lines, inline filter is clean, etc. I finally noticed that the "casting" line on the #4 float was slightly taller then on the other floats so I trimmed the float just a touch, like maybe 1/16 of an inch and its still free after a couple hours riding. I think maybe I finally got it.
                1979 xs1100 Special -
                Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                Originally posted by fredintoon
                Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                My Bike:
                [link is broken]

                Comment

                • #9
                  please pontificate...

                  Psycho could you describe in laymens terms where exaclty on the float your trimmed?

                  Yet I am sitting in my office, not doing work going crazy to figure out why these new Mikexs floats are sticking. Today I went through them again to figure it out. Definitely not the gaskets. Definitely no debris. But before it was my #4 hanging up. When I went in I noticed that that float pin was very loose. SO I switched it to number 3 thinking perhaps the hole would be a better fit. Well surprise surprise the number 3 was the one hanging up this last time.

                  So maybe I have figured it out, funny thing is I just made this connection in my mind. Earlier I was just cursing my carbs, and MikesXS. I guess I will find out when I get home....

                  Also is their a any way to salvage the fuel I always dump out when draining the carbs?
                  1979 XS1100SF (4-1 Kerker, XS Pods, 145 mains, 45 pilots, drag bars, blacked out)

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    I've been putting off pulling the carbs on my special, I have the floats set way to high on it and it runs ok but I know it could be better, when I get that done tonight I'll post a few pictures of where and what I trimmed.

                    That gas you drain out, I drain it into an "oil" pan and then dump it in an old oil jug, then I use the "old" gas for cleaning up parts, or in the lawn mower if I run out in the middle of the yard.
                    Last edited by psycoreefer; 03-25-2010, 01:40 PM.
                    1979 xs1100 Special -
                    Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                    Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                    Originally posted by fredintoon
                    Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                    My Bike:
                    [link is broken]

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Also is their a any way to salvage the fuel I always dump out when draining the carbs?
                      Grab one of your wife's best crystal vases, they hold like a quart plus and the crystal is heavy so it wont tip as you pour the gas in.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        As promised,

                        Here you can see the difference in the texture where I cut the float down


                        Here I'm pointing at the edge I trimmed...








                        I cut down all four, not sure why I had to, maybe poor quality control? All I know is that as soon as I cut that edge down all my "sticky" float problems when away....
                        1979 xs1100 Special -
                        Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                        Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                        Originally posted by fredintoon
                        Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                        My Bike:
                        [link is broken]

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Cool

                          Thanks for that. That will be a big help to many people in the future as they switch. I am getting so frustrated with these plastic floats that I would advise anyone I find against getting them unless they have no other option. If this "cut down" method doesn't work I will probably think about salvaging my old half deflated brass floats. At least they didn't overflow every chance they got.
                          1979 XS1100SF (4-1 Kerker, XS Pods, 145 mains, 45 pilots, drag bars, blacked out)

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            I think I might have 1 good brass float left, I completely ruined one of mine, switched to plastic and then someone else asked to buy two a few months ago. If you want it PM me and we can work out the details.
                            1979 xs1100 Special -
                            Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                            Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                            Originally posted by fredintoon
                            Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                            My Bike:
                            [link is broken]

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Moderate Success

                              Well i cut down my #3 and #4 floats as they were the ones which were sticking. And they are doing much better. Granted I believe I cut them down more than you did. I have just had a moderate problem of #3 still sticking. It got stuck when I didn't realize i was running out of fuel at the house and let them get bone dry so it fell down to low probably. Nothing that it doesn't free up now with a good pounding. So I am content with it now. In a month or so I will probably mess with the hanging tab so it doesn't drop down as far.

                              The difference between carbs 1 &2 and 3&4 really surprises me, it must be the floats aren't manufactured to exact specifications. Very poor quality in my opinion.

                              Do you think there is any long term effect of cutting those floats? Will they disintegrate? Clogs the carbs with little floating bits?

                              So I would call your procedure a fix for the plastic floats. Thanks
                              1979 XS1100SF (4-1 Kerker, XS Pods, 145 mains, 45 pilots, drag bars, blacked out)

                              Comment

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