Floats

[untill62]

I have had carb issues for a long time. Dirt Digger helped a lot by having me change my float level, because of fouled plugs. So this time , as i said I cleaned carbs, replaced couple float valve that the little spring in float was not working. I don’t think that would have been an issue, but wanted all to be the same. Put carbs back on with new boots front and back. That made installation much easier. Turned on gas, it started right up and then i saw to carbs leaking. The bowl gaskets were not sealing. So i installed new, but my question is, why did the gas overflow out the bowl gaskets. Should’nt the floats have turned off the gas before it got to that level?
I was wondering if the floats themselves go bad after lol these years. They are original. They are the old, material, kinda like a cork, but not. They seemed fine though.
Maybe because it was about a month between the time i cleaned them and filled them, the valves needed to be exercised first.
This morning i am going out to turn on gas again to see what happens, with new gaskets and after i exercised float valve by hand when i had bowls off. Thanks

 

[dirtdigger]

Tap on the bowls with a screw driver handle see if it makes the leak stop. If not pull the floats and see if they actually float.

 

[untill62]

Tap on the bowls with a screw driver handle see if it makes the leak stop. If not pull the floats and see if they actually float.

Thanks it worked.
Another issue. I have a set of mercury sync tool, but the mercury just tried using it. Haven’t in maybe 7-10 yrs. seem like there is a lot of air bubbles in it and in one the mercury doesn’t even move.not sure if i can do anything with it or not. Do know if i should put a little air in the tubes to loosen mercury, if that is an issue, or invest in vacuum gauges? Any other way to sync them cheaply? Thanks

 

[dirtdigger]

I have never liked the mercury, they dont respond fast enough like the needle gauges do. But the needle gauges need to have an adjustable damper to make them good for syncing and diagnostic purposes.

 

[untill62]

I have never liked the mercury, they dont respond fast enough like the needle gauges do. But the needle gauges need to have an adjustable damper to make them good for syncing and diagnostic purposes.

You mean just the 4 gauge kits on the market. I think anything that works is better than the non solid stream I have now.

 

[amc49]

If they run ethanol in your local fuel you can expect needle sticking issues if you do not drive the bike on a regular basis. I run into it here if bike sits like a week or longer, up to all 4 needles can stick either open or shut depending on whether you run gas out of the bowls or not.

Bike carbs are wide open to the atmosphere as far as venting is concerned and as compared to cars and the ethanol then lets the fuel dry up in bowls at like a 5X faster rate than it did before. The residue from it is stickier than straight fuel is too.

 

[untill62]

If they run ethanol in your local fuel you can expect needle sticking issues if you do not drive the bike on a regular basis. I run into it here if bike sits like a week or longer, up to all 4 needles can stick either open or shut depending on whether you run gas out of the bowls or not.

Bike carbs are wide open to the atmosphere as far as venting is concerned and as compared to cars and the ethanol then lets the fuel dry up in bowls at like a 5X faster rate than it did before. The residue from it is stickier than straight fuel is too.

Ya know when i bought the bike back in 1974(long,long time ago), i would leave it sit over winter and just change oil and filter in spring and good to go.
I have started a couple of years ago, using gas without ethanol in all my small engines and older engines. I guess like you said, if I’m not going to use it for awhile, i should run until bowls are empty, or drain them?

 

[amc49]

I even empty the tank now if it is going to sit like over winter. Once you've seen the damage that phase separated fuel can cause you start doing things proactively to stop it. We can't get fuel here in D/FW Texas without there being ethanol in it, I'd have to drive at least 100 miles to do so.

The problem is temperature changes make the tanks breathe in and out every day and they eventually pull more water vapor in doing it. Here where the legal ethanol amount is 10% and in actuality can be up to 20% you get water in fuel in about 5 minutes if using it to wash parts out in the open like I do and the day is very humid. Which can be most of the time.

 

[dirtdigger]

I wont buy fuel with ethanol. I will leave the station if thats all they have. I run 91 octane in everything and most of the stations around here the 91 is ethanol free but you have to watch.