-48,
I am going to submerge one float in gas in a jar overnight then check for sloshing. The boss around the float valve seat looks smooth enough. I also didn't notice any fuel dripping before when I manually lifted the float while still on the bike. The float valve assembly is new (Keyster) and I don't have fuel contamination that I know of. I suppose the Keyster gaskets could have been impeding the sides of the floats so I'll listen for free movement of the floats after I put the bowls back on and before I put the carbs back on.
Hey, too bad there isn't a window in the bowl to see how high the fuel gets! I wonder if the arms attached to the floats could be bent, giving me a higher than normal height measurement? I'll look at them when I pull them out of the test chamber (aka olive jar).
Still fun!
-pb
D.A. newb with yet ANOTHER leaky float bowl QWell I hope it sinks for ya. OK on the new inlet needle and seat - you do have the aluminum crush washer in there right? You are right to check the floats hanging up on the gaskets. Those gaskets both aftermarket and OEM tend to shrink a little. You can carefully stretch them out before you clamp them in and also pinch in the floats in a little if you have to. You can measure the fuel level in the bowl using the bowl drain, a home-made fitting and some clear tubing (see pic below). Kind of academic though, if it's seeping out at the gasket, it's too high. What else you gonna do though, when the temperature stays in the 30's all the time?
Well no sloshing gas in the float which is a bummer. Think I'll check with a local vintage repair guy to make sure I'm measuring correctly and that the gasket seat seat/seal look good. Then I'm gonna put it back together and see what happens. Maybe there was some crap at the needle and I flushed it out while testing it. I'll install the in-line filters and disconnect while I'm at it.
Thanks! -pb
Tentative success!OK where were we? The floats are air tight. Was reluctant to set the float depths to 7/8” (am currently at 1”) because I thought it would only make the leaks worse. So I set a straight edge across the main jet holder and adjusted the floats to just below it - much like the sighting process. This gave me a 1-1/8” measurement which is heresy but I didn’t care. So, with new genuine Honda gaskets I put the bowls on and re-installed the carbs. I also installed inline filters and a quick disconnect on the tank crossover line.
I put a small amount of gas in the tank and set the petcock to reserve. The left side stayed bone dry but the right side began to weep uncontrollably. I began to weep uncontrollably… I got another beer and pulled the leaky bowl and the fuel level looked OK to me (of course I don’t know jack). It was about 1/8” below the gasket line when tilted at the correct angle. So I’m trying my best to determine what the difference is between the left and right knowing that I have the floats set identically. I replace the bowl and then I get this thought to check how tight the bowls fit. Turns out the left (non-leaking) bowl feels nice and tight while the right side is a *little* sloppy. I get another beer, but not one of sadness - now gladness! Pulled it again to work on the retaining clip. The “ears” were already bent so I put the bottom section of the clip in a vice and lightly hammered the vertical arms downward to make them shorter/tighter. Put the bowl back on and no leaks! Again I weep but tears of joy. I test drive it the next day. I just drove through the ‘hood at distances I was willing to push it back from but it ran great and still no leaks. So I’ve got a few variables to sift through as to the remedy but I know for sure one clip needed tightening. Also new Honda gaskets and a float level adjustment. The leak may have been creep & weep where the fuel was climbing the pitted metal bowl and soaking through the not-snug gasket. I will try to post some pics of the float setting. Thanks to all that responded. -pb
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||