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**CatatonicBug** · 09-25-2009, 11:07 AM

#1 thing, if your carbs flood, the float needles are not doing their job. No matter what else is turned on, those needles are supposed to stop the flow of fuel once the carbs are full.

Did you get fuel in the airbox, or into the oil? How do you know the carbs flooded?

**Yahman** · 09-25-2009, 11:41 AM

If as you said, you turned the fuel off and then let it run until the fuel was low in the float bowls, the one or more of the floats may have hung up on the inside of the float bowls when you turned the fuel back on.

Larry

CA · 09-25-2009, 12:12 PM

When I came out in the morning it had already overflowed. I know it came through the airbox because the whole left side was covered in nasty gasoline white residue and it had been dripping out the bottom of it....I am not sure about the oil...

Your right about the float needles, except if the float is not floating the needle cannot turn off. A few of my floats are in rough shape.

Could someone have been messing with it and twisted the throttle repeatedly...its chained up outside and I dont live in the best of neighborhoods...

thanks.

**Bigfoot** · 09-25-2009, 12:19 PM

So i believe have on of three things possibly wrong....petcocks, octagon, or floats.

If the petcock was in the off position, yes, yes, and yes. If the petcock was in the prime position, then it is probably just a stuck float or 2. (most likely in my opinion.)

Turning the throttle with the bike off should not effect the floats at all.

**foreda** · 09-25-2009, 02:20 PM

Check Oil!!

Be sure to check your oil. If there is gas in the oil, you want to change it before you ride it again. A tell tale sign is your oil level in the sight glass may be higher than normal.

CA · 09-25-2009, 02:44 PM

Well even if the petcocks were on, then wouldnt it be a problem with the octy??

I guess a sure fire way to check the petcocks would be to take the tank off and just turn them on and off just check the flow.

From the comments above, it seems the floats would be the real culprit...i think I am just going to order 4 new ones and be done with it. A few were known to be rough.

I needed to make an order from mikes xs anyways

**CatatonicBug** · 09-25-2009, 02:48 PM

As bigfoot said, it's all 3 things. If the fuel gets past the leaky Petcocks, it should be stopped by the Octy. If the petcocks and the octy are leaking, then the float needles should stop the flow. If fuel keeps coming, all 3 are not doing their jobs.

**bikerphil** · 09-25-2009, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by CA View Post

i think I am just going to order 4 new ones and be done with it. A few were known to be rough.

I needed to make an order from mikes xs anyways

I'm pretty sure the brass floats MikesXS sells are the wrong ones for our 78-79 carbs. Another member IIRC has tried them and said they are different and won't work. You might have to source them from somewhere else. Your floats can be submersed in near boiling water to see if they are leaking. Look for air bubbles.

CA · 09-25-2009, 03:16 PM

yes I had boiled them a while back. One definitely didn't work a while ago and it seems that a few were on there last leg as they had a partially collapsed side.

Hmm, I sure hope its not all the above. I guess I'll do some research about rebuild for the petcocks and a new octy...guess ill have to do some testing as well...any test for any octy?

**Bigfoot** · 09-26-2009, 08:19 AM

If you had it on prime, instead of off, then that bypasses the octy and rules out problems with the petcock. Put some fuel in the tank, turn the petcocks to off, and see if it leaks while you are watching it. If it still leaks, then yes, you have problems with all of them. Depending on how bad they are, sometimes just taking the petcocks apart and cleaning them does the trick. The octy can be rebuilt. Don't rermember where but I got a rebuild kit a few years back, worked like a charm.

**DiverRay** · 09-26-2009, 08:33 AM

georgefix on ebay has the rebuild parts that fit. Most of his stuff is "buy it now" and at a resonable price. The best part, they all seem to work well.
Do a search on carb floats, as there are ONE type mikes sells that will work. They are the plastic type, but they do fit. I just can't remember what model they came off of....

**trbig** · 09-26-2009, 09:09 AM

I would suggest getting the neoprene floats that come on the later bikes. You might be able to find a used set on here from someone reasonably. They don't ever tear up or leak.

Just a thought.

Oh... and... twisting the throttle with the bike off will do nothing. It takes vacuum and a draft to get fuel to flow on these carbs.

Tod

CA · 09-27-2009, 09:15 AM

Weird!!!

So I go out this morning to check the petcocks and see if they are leaking. I notice that I left the petcocks on Run; straight down. So I think to myself, well crap I must be totally outta gas because everything leaked out. But to my surprise there was plenty of gas in there. THen I began to think well if there is gas in there, then my octy has to be working or it would be empty. THe bike was dry free of gas leaks. I did the fire test to the oil and it did not lite (Im a pyro). So I started it and it fired right up. Ran it for about five minutes and no gas leaks. Ran fine. THe only thing was the gas residue was burning off so it was smoking a bit around the bottom of the engine.

I am so stumped. Perhaps I left it on prime unwittingly? I guess the carb floats are still suspect and will probably need to be changed?

But this is really good news since this is my only vehicle whatsoever and now I have a ride till I find a car.

Should I be worried about the carbs? I think I may go ahead and buy new floats. and change them once I get the car. Ill just leave the petcocks in OFF!

Now just to fix the damn headlamp! (very important, I know)

**trbig** · 09-27-2009, 09:45 AM

Could have also been just a random piece of debris stuck between one of the float valves and a seat.. and it passed it through.

But yeah, since they are guilty until proven innocent... turn the petcocks off each time.

Tod

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