Leaking Carbs 79XS1100 Special

[cywelchjr]

Are you sure the vent is clear? That is exactly what will happen if the vent line is clogged, and early or late, while the vent is in a different place, it can still get clogged and if it does, the needle valve will NOT close and the carb will overflow. The only way to know is with the bowl off, blow into the vent line on the early carbs, or vent hole in the intake bell area on the late carbs and it should blow freely into the bowl area. If it doesn't, if it's restricted or blocked, that's your problem.

[Kevin11]

A "Doh" moment...possibly?

Cy-

I have a strong suspicion that you are right.... I cleaned the fuel and vent T's between carbs 1&2 and between 3&4. Time to split those bad boys apart...again! I'll be able to test and update everyone tonight after work!

Thanks again, everyone!

[Ken Talbot]

Is there any chance you have the fuel lines connected to the upper "T" fittings between the carbs, which are float bowl vent lines, instead of the lower "T" fittings, which are the fuel supply for the bowls? It has been done before...

And of course, Cy was typing away much faster than I, and even got a reply back by the time my theory got posted.

[Kevin11]

Gentlemen - Thank You!

Ken, you hit it right on the nuts.

Cy, as soon as you mentioned the vent tube being blocked, the symptoms made more sense. When I'd drain the bowls after each failed test, relatively little fuel would drain from the leaking carbs. The vacuum created inside the carb body with no venting, forced the gas to shoot straight for the only place it would go, out the main nozzle.

Being a first-timer in carb disassembly/reassembly I did indeed accidentally swap the vent and fuel T's. The bigger T in the vent ports are longer, and would seal themselves to the inside of the carb body. For the newbs (like me) reading this tale of woe:

Big T = fuel T
Smaller T = vent T

Tested on the bench to make sure...and voila! No leaking! Also, threw them on the bike last night (after plugs and oil change) and rode 'er around, and it was all the sweeter! NOW I know what it feels like to ride with clean carbs, and it's oh-so-sweet. #1 is running rich, but at least I have a good starting point!

A big thanks to everyone on these boards!

[jkoeringMN]

Being the primary rider of this bike, I can't thank you guys enough. You guys are a huge help and its awesome to know that there is a place like this to come to for assistance.

Thanks for everything

[GLoweVA]

+1 on that!

I learn something new from this site everyday about my 80G.
It just makes me enjoy being an XS owner that much more to know that there are others out there that share the same enthusiasm about these bikes.

I plan on riding mine until the wheels fall off.
and I'll probablly put them right back on and ride some more.

[jkoeringMN]

Would a mod mind marking this thread as [Solved] in the thread title? I can't figure out how to do it on my end. Thanks again guys

[cywelchjr]

No need to. You're posting that the problem is solved does the trick. It many times helps others who come along later to see the chain of events that led to the solution, it can sometimes make it so they find the answer without having to ask (not always, but sometimes).

[Aches n Pains]

Enjoyed reading through the post again. Problem solving is always a challenge and sometimes it takes a while to find this type of problem.

Bet you're now one of the best carb guys on the board. Pass it along to the next round.