#2 carb leaking on 78 standard

[GoRacers]

My #2 carb is dumping gas out of its pod filter when the bike sits (petcocks need to be repaired, they flow gas at all times, no matter the settings).

New float valves and seats, new bowl gaskets. I've had them apart twice to make sure the valves are installed correctly. Float is good, tested it in boiled water. Float levels were not adjusted and the bike runs smooth and strong. I assume the float is sticking?

Running out of patience and ideas.

[Tat2demon]

Make sure the gasket isnt catching the float.

[Nightengale]

Gasket

alot of people here have had the bowl gasket being too big on the inside and causing the float to stick, if so that is as easy as taking off the bowls and triming the gasket so the floats clear with no hang ups. have you tried tapping the side of the bowl to see if that frees the stuck float. i had one of my floats sticking and tapped it a few times and have never had a problem with it since. also make sure that the floats are moving freely.

[GoRacers]

alot of people here have had the bowl gasket being too big on the inside and causing the float to stick, if so that is as easy as taking off the bowls and triming the gasket so the floats clear with no hang ups. have you tried tapping the side of the bowl to see if that frees the stuck float. i had one of my floats sticking and tapped it a few times and have never had a problem with it since. also make sure that the floats are moving freely.

Floats all move freely. I did tap the bowl with a screwdriver handle before coming in from the garage today, ill update this tomorrow with whether or not there is fresh gas on the floor.

I like the idea of pulling the bowl and trimming the gasket's inside edge.

Thanks for the ideas so far. Love how fast this board moves.

[Schming]

Floats all move freely. I did tap the bowl with a screwdriver handle before coming in from the garage today, ill update this tomorrow with whether or not there is fresh gas on the floor.

I like the idea of pulling the bowl and trimming the gasket's inside edge.

Thanks for the ideas so far. Love how fast this board moves.

If you've got that much fuel on the floor better check the engine oil level and make sure the crankcase isn't filling up with fuel and thinning out the oil.

[bikerphil]

You can also carefully bend the float bulbs slightly inward so there is no chance of them catching on the side of the bowl/gasket. You might want to also make sure that the thin fiber washer under the needle seat is not damaged and leaking.

[GoRacers]

Tiny bit of fuel on the floor this morning, not sure if it is the accumulation from yesterday finally dripping down off the case, or if it is fresh. I'll see if there is more when I get home from work.

If you've got that much fuel on the floor better check the engine oil level and make sure the crankcase isn't filling up with fuel and thinning out the oil.

Once I finish finding and fixing the leak, I'll change the oil.

You can also carefully bend the float bulbs slightly inward so there is no chance of them catching on the side of the bowl/gasket. You might want to also make sure that the thin fiber washer under the needle seat is not damaged and leaking.

I will probably try that when I take them back off to check the gaskets. I'll look at the washer also.

Thanks everybody.

[mack]

Floats

Did I read correctly that the floats weren't adjusted?

[GoRacers]

Did I read correctly that the floats weren't adjusted?

I did not adjust them. The bike runs great before and after, so I figured I didn't need to touch them.

[mack]

Floats

My money is on #2 needs to have the float height adjusted up.(so when flipped over it will shut the fuel flow off sooner) All manufactured items arent identical. It's a good habit to get into when working on these bikes to check everything back to spec when interchanging parts. Be it from another bike or over the counter OEM or NOS stuff. So much is made in Tiwan or China where quality control is non existant. If the floats are brass set the to 25.7mm (from the gasket surface w/o the gasket installed)to start then adjust up until the leak test shows it's at the right height.The other issue you'll find that if the brass floats are originals, they may have been repaired a time or two so the boyancy and symatry may be off a bit as well.

[GoRacers]

My money is on #2 needs to have the float height adjusted up.(so when flipped over it will shut the fuel flow off sooner) All manufactured items arent identical. It's a good habit to get into when working on these bikes to check everything back to spec when interchanging parts. Be it from another bike or over the counter OEM or NOS stuff. So much is made in Tiwan or China where quality control is non existant. If the floats are brass set the to 25.7mm (from the gasket surface w/o the gasket installed)to start then adjust up until the leak test shows it's at the right height.The other issue you'll find that if the brass floats are originals, they may have been repaired a time or two so the boyancy and symatry may be off a bit as well.

Great points there.

Ill adjust the float heights and trim the gaskets tomorrow, before i watch golf.

[GoRacers]

Ran it for 2-3 minutes today, no leak so far. Ill see if it leajs any overnight.

The float looked like it was rubbing the bowl, and all four were set almost 1/4" high.

Need to change the oil and ride it now.

[GoRacers]

No more leaks! Thanks guys.