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Placed new float needle cleaned carb leaking worse than ever not sure what to do float may need adjustment dont know what the adjustments are need help
Double check the float needle seat. Often a piece of debris will lodge itself under the needle. Check your fuel tank/fuel valve for debris or damage to the strainer screen on the fuel valve.
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Hi Shannon:
Possibles:
- Needle valve has been compromised, possibly held open with grit.
Carefully dismantle and blow out all orifices with compressed air.
- Float level set too high. Review the way the float shutoff mechanism works. Make sure the float moves up and down easily and that it still floats as intended. Double check the lever that moves the needle valve. Make sure it is correctly connected to the needle.
Reply as a COMMENT to this post to let me know what you find.
Cheers.
If you didn't mess with the float level at all when you had the carb apart, chances are it didn't get changed, it usually takes some effort to bend the tab on the float. A couple of things to check when you pull the bowl off the bottom of the carb: If for some reason they are hollow floats, make sure that they don't have any fuel in them indicating a leaking float. The next thing I would check for is trash under the float needle, to check this you will have to pull the shaft out of the float pivot, remove the float assembly and then remove the needle, while you do that, look at the viton tip on the needle, if it has a circular groove around it, it will likely need to be replaced, usually about $30. If its just trash, clean it out and reassemble. The other thing that could happen, if you let the thing sit for a long time with old gas in the carb, the float can actually pick up enough weight from fuel residue making it heavy enough where it won't have enough "float" to close the needle valve and allow the fuel to keep pouring into the carb and out the overflow. This happened to me on a Ninja, to the tune of hydro-locking one of the cylinders.
Your carbs need cleaning and setting,, the needle and seats are what controls the flow of gas into the float bowls... the floats movement (up and down) regulate the movement (opening and closing) of the needle and seat
1. remove the hose from the carb and see if the petcock is shutting off the gas and if not clean, repair or replace the petcock. 2. look in the tank and see if it has rust in the tank even a small haze of rust as rust will cause the needle and seat to stick in the carb and make the gas leak. If the gas tank has a lot of rust it may need a tank rubber liner kit added or even a new tank to stop the leaking. 3. if the bike has been sitting for a while it may have trash in the fuel system(carb/petcock/tank). Rust or any trash can cause a leak. Properly clean out the carb and fuel system and add a new filter when done. 4. Improperly adjusted or bad needle/seat or float in the carb will cause continual leaking. Replace the needle/seat/float and adjust the new one when installed. Check your service manual for float adjustments.
Black smoke indicates that your mixture is way too rich. Now, you didn't say what carb you're running, stock or aftermarket. But, what it sounds like to me is the needle and seat in the carb is leaking fuel and overfilling the float bowl. When you're running down the road, you'll using enough fuel so that the float bowl does not overfill. When idling, you don't use as much fuel, the bowl overfills, and fuel flows into the carb creating a very rich mixture. Is you overflow hose that connects to the bottom of the float bowl connected, clear and open? If so, turn the petcock on without the engine running. If the overflow is clear and the needle valve is leaking, you should see fuel start to flow out of the overflow hose. This is very important that it do this. If the overflow hose is blocked and you forget to turn your petcock off, you could wind up with a couple of gallons of fuel in your engine. It will leak out of the float bowl, into the carb past the intake valves, past the rings and into the engine. I've also seen it get into the primary drive case as well. I'd put a new needle in the carb and check the float setting according to the book. it's sets with the carb on an angle if the carb is the original Keihin CV.
Overflow on carb bowl?
Metal float-set too high-pinhole in float.
Plastic float-same answers for metal float.
Foam float-set too high-float is gas soaked, too heavy.
Replace float.
New carb, check float setting,can be set too high from factory.
Check carb bowl and under needle for trash. Any trash in bowl or under needle, clean snd add fuel filter.
You describe a problem with either the float or the float-needle and seat. If the needle is not seating then the gas flows past it. If the float has a pin-hole leak, then it will fill with gas and sink.
On some bikes you can remove the carb bowl without removing the carbs. If so, slide the hinge pin holding the float to one side and remove. The float will drop straight down. Catch the needle since it is now loose. Unscrew the needle seat with a socket.
Clean all metal parts in carburator cleaner...do not get carb cleaner on any rubber part. Shake the float and listen for gas inside or see if it floats in water.
Test the needle seal in the seat by blowing gently thru seat. Needle must seat completly with very little pressure holding the needle in the seat.
Re-assemble with new bowl gasket if damaged. A carb rebuild kit ($35) might be available for 1973 carb and contains all new parts instead of cleaning. Kit might even contain new float and float adjust guide.
Avoid adjusting float level if re-using the old float. If using new float, temporarily install old and measure distance to carb body. Install new and match this measuremnt. Bend tang to adjust.
It is a vent / overflow hose. It drains to the atmosphere / street. If gas is coming out and isn't stopping then a float is stuck.
Turn off the gas and drain the offending carb(s). Next, turn the gas back on and sharply tap the float bowl with the plastic handle of a screwdriver as the fuel bowl refills. The goal here is to vibrate the float to free it up. If doing this process a couple of times does not free the float I would remove the carb(s) and look for any misalignment of float pin, needle or adjusting tang.
Now re-clean with a spray carb cleaner. Clean the air filter then re-mount carb(s). Next, Remove the water trap bowl at the bottom of the petcock, (gas valve). Dump it, clean it and re-mount it, ( not all bikes have a trap bowl ). INSTALL AN IN-LINE FUEL FILTER..
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