T
Texasgs
Guest
This leak has been acting up off and on for months. Just when I least expect it a steady drip from the #1 carb. So I lightly tapped on the carb and no luck. Then I think, its a no brainer, put a new needle and seat in the carb. I popped the bowl off and installed a new needle and seat, presto no more leak. But remember I said it was an intermittent leak, and about one week later it was back. Now I am wondering if the float is sticking, or if the carb body in becoming porous, and I even started looking around for a new carb body. I had just accepted the fact that old #1 carb had gremlins that I didnt want to take the time to deal with, the carb had to be trash.
So Saturday morning I was headed up to my shop to pull off an 82 1100E aluminum swing arm for one of the GS board members, and on the way the carb started leaking BAD. I stopped about 5 miles from the shop when I noticed the gas smell. It was a rapid stream of drips. I folded up a couple red rags and wedged them under the carb bowl, then made a dash for the shop. I got the swing arm off the parts bike and it was picked up, so I decided to take a look at the carb leak. I pulled off the bowl, and held up on the float, and turned the p ck to prime, and here it comes gusto fuel. so I shut it off. I have learned the lesson over and over you have to see exactly where the leak is coming from to fix it, so I got a light, and got down on the floor, on with the P ck to prime, and here it goes again, BUT it wasn't coming from the needle. Before when I saw the fuel was dripping off of the #1 bowl, I just assumed it was the #1 needle or float.The float looked good so I changed the needle, and seat. The leak, was coming from the fuel transfer tube that goes between the carbs. It was dripping down the side of the #1 bowl. So I got a pair of needle nose pliers on the tube, and rotated it back and fourth, and the O rings seated and the leak stopped.
I have been screwing with this so long, and has condemned the carb as junk, it is a relief to find out what is up for sure. I know someone on this site sells an O ring kit, does it have the O rings for these fuel transfer tubes that connect the carbs? As usual it's a little tiny O ring that has been haunting me for months. Good excuse for me to throw those VM33's I have had on the shelf for 20 years on the bike? Maybe I don't know for sure, the stock jetted carbs run pretty good.
So Saturday morning I was headed up to my shop to pull off an 82 1100E aluminum swing arm for one of the GS board members, and on the way the carb started leaking BAD. I stopped about 5 miles from the shop when I noticed the gas smell. It was a rapid stream of drips. I folded up a couple red rags and wedged them under the carb bowl, then made a dash for the shop. I got the swing arm off the parts bike and it was picked up, so I decided to take a look at the carb leak. I pulled off the bowl, and held up on the float, and turned the p ck to prime, and here it comes gusto fuel. so I shut it off. I have learned the lesson over and over you have to see exactly where the leak is coming from to fix it, so I got a light, and got down on the floor, on with the P ck to prime, and here it goes again, BUT it wasn't coming from the needle. Before when I saw the fuel was dripping off of the #1 bowl, I just assumed it was the #1 needle or float.The float looked good so I changed the needle, and seat. The leak, was coming from the fuel transfer tube that goes between the carbs. It was dripping down the side of the #1 bowl. So I got a pair of needle nose pliers on the tube, and rotated it back and fourth, and the O rings seated and the leak stopped.
I have been screwing with this so long, and has condemned the carb as junk, it is a relief to find out what is up for sure. I know someone on this site sells an O ring kit, does it have the O rings for these fuel transfer tubes that connect the carbs? As usual it's a little tiny O ring that has been haunting me for months. Good excuse for me to throw those VM33's I have had on the shelf for 20 years on the bike? Maybe I don't know for sure, the stock jetted carbs run pretty good.
