They keep leaking ...and leaking ...and leaking

[DGXSER]

Phil,

One word...Vents. Based upon your suggesting you replaced to plastic floats, that would indicate you have the older style of carbs. The upper Ts are vents to the bowls. Make sure those paths are clear, and that you do not plug them with anything except maybe a filter.

If you are plugging them into an airbox, make sure it is the right airbox. All of the air boxes have those nipples on them for the air vents to go to, but the newer ones (80 and up) they did not drill the holes in them so it is a plug and not a nipple, hook the vent hoses to them and they no longer vent.

[natemoen]

I would think the same as dg, especially since they don't leak when the bowl is a little loose.

[rockman]

Phil,

One word...Vents. Based upon your suggesting you replaced to plastic floats, that would indicate you have the older style of carbs. The upper Ts are vents to the bowls. Make sure those paths are clear, and that you do not plug them with anything except maybe a filter.

If you are plugging them into an airbox, make sure it is the right airbox. All of the air boxes have those nipples on them for the air vents to go to, but the newer ones (80 and up) they did not drill the holes in them so it is a plug and not a nipple, hook the vent hoses to them and they no longer vent.

Thanks - I'll check that out tonight.

[rockman]

Phil,

One word...Vents. Based upon your suggesting you replaced to plastic floats, that would indicate you have the older style of carbs. The upper Ts are vents to the bowls. Make sure those paths are clear, and that you do not plug them with anything except maybe a filter.

If you are plugging them into an airbox, make sure it is the right airbox. All of the air boxes have those nipples on them for the air vents to go to, but the newer ones (80 and up) they did not drill the holes in them so it is a plug and not a nipple, hook the vent hoses to them and they no longer vent.

Yep, that was the problem. Thx, Phil

[DGXSER]

No problem! Even a blind nut finds the squirrel every now and then....uhhh...something like that.

[xs11bobber]

Wisdom over retries

• I put in the viton tipped needles and seats.
• I took the metal washer off as stated.
• Reassembled carbs with good floats (ALL boil tested)
• I set all float heights to 1.012" with my caliper from the gasket surface

I there anything I missed?
I did put the rubber washer from the old seats on the new ones for a little added protection. I also noticed my floats were all set way higher than the Clymers recommends before I adjusted them, but I am confident that it wont lead to any catastrophic failures.

[DGXSER]

Floats good....check

Float needle valve seat installed....check

Gasket on float needle valve seat good and seat is tight.......check

Float height adjusted to whatever setting you want to try it at......check.


OK, now your ready to begin the test. First round would be the PROM bench test. With the carbs on your bench floats staring up at you, hook a fuel source to the fuel Ts. Now blip (lightly lift quickly opening and then letting close) the floats to let just a bit of fuel flow out. Dry up all the fuel with paper towel compressed air or whatever is available. Check that no fuel is flowing out. Now...go fix a nice sandwich of your favorite variety and eat it. Afterwards, check again that no fuel is seeping or leaking past any of the floats or seats.

Test one.......passed???.....ok...Test two.

Test two, put bowls back on carbs, turn them right side up, set them up nice and level and even. Hook fuel to the Fuel Ts, and verify that the floats float up and stop the fuel from flowing into the carbs.

Test two......passed????......ok.....Mount those bad boys on your machine!!

[xs11bobber]

HA! Get THIS!

Bench tested like I was told and everything checked out good. I put the bastards on the bike and I STILL have fuel leaking from the back of the carbs... So instantly I'm POed .

I continue to hook up the throttle cable and tighten the carb boot clamps and even put the clutch cable through that little keeper on #4.

I crank it... just cranks, fuel still leaking

I crank it w/the choke out one "notch"... just cranks, fuel still leaking

I crank it w/full choke... SHE FIRES!! Fuel leak stops.

I now cannot get the fuel to leak, but am worried it will come back to haunt me. Should I be worried?

I'm also getting a fuel/air mist from #4 carb only and a slight popping from the exhaust. I tried leaning it up a bit and managed to decrease the popping, but maintained the mist.

Thank you so much to everyone of you guys (ladies included) for helping me out so much on my never ending venture to restoration of not just 1 but 2 bikes.

[wingnut]

What may have happened is when you drained the fuel out to mount the carbs one of the floats hung up, or down as it were. Once you got it to fire up the engine vibration loosened the stuck float and now its working just like it did on the bench. I've experienced this a couple of times. Now when it happens I tap the fuel bowl with a screw driver handle and it usually frees up the float. Next time you are messing with float levels adjust the down stop tang so they don't drop so far. Glad you got some heat out of it.

[3Phase]

So the fuel leaks appear to have stopped when the bike started? Keep your fire extinguisher handy.

Will the fuel leaks return? Maybe yes, maybe no, maybe they're still leaking a little. Until you're satisfied the leaks are fixed, keep an eye on the engine oil level and check it frequently to make sure it's not getting gas in it!

For the mist in the #4 carburetor: Does it do it at all RPMs or just at idle?

Make sure the float valve is set correctly and isn't flooding the cylinder; float bowl vent could be plugged and flooding the cylinder; intake valve #4 in the cylinder head might be out of adjustment (too tight); a bent/burned #4 intake valve or a bad valve seat.

[SFSPECBIKER79]

check gaskets, that they arent binding floats, causeing them to not, close off needle valves , good luck

[skids]

I would try some fuel system cleaner like Techron. The float pivots can get some corrosion in there and MAYBE the cleaner can help with that. If you continue to have problems, you might consider reducing agrivation by installing an inline on/off valve on each side.

[DGXSER]

Could have been a stuck float, or some gunk in the fuel line that cleared out now. Perhaps the misting is from the high fuel level and may only continue until you get the fuel level down in that bowl.

I would agree to watch oil level and see that no fuel is getting in there. Also, verify that fuel leakage does not return tomorrow(or next time you run it).

[skids]

Misting out of the carb inlet is likey due to after-fire in the pipes. Excess fuel in there? You may clear that up when the carb is right.

[xs11bobber]

I recall trimming the new bowl gaskets when I installed them. I DIDN'T do the bowl tap test to try and stop the fuel the last time because I was about at my witts end with the leaking and the right thing to do sometimes escapes us at that point.

3Phase... you scare me. I've got the mist at all RPM's and seem to have a sticky throttle because a slight blip on the bars results in a half second burst in RPM's. At first I thought weak tension on a throttle return spring, but I watched it and it appeared to be working properly. Would that be an excess fuel symptom?

Almost wondering if it'd be easier to just take it to the yammy shop and have them tinker @ $60/hr. and have it all synched up and what have you. OIE!