Carb. float stuck, WTF!

[Pete in PA]

After my GREAT ride Sat. (posted in the pub) I came out Sunday morn. to ride and had a puddle of gas under the bike.

Since over the winter I had the fuel unit out of the tank to adjust the sending unit I figured the O-ring was leaking. Took tank off and dry as a bone.

I took off the airbox and hooked up my aux. carb sync. tank and the #3 carb was leaking gas. Because of the downdraft head design of out bikes the extra gas first fills the cylinder. Lucky I knew this and didn't crank the engine.

I put it in top gear and forced it through the compression stroke by hand so as not to bend a rod. Then I cranked it and it was fine.

Now on to the carbs. I took the float bowl off and found it spotless inside, no dirt or gunk. So I pulled the float pin and took the float out and the float valve. spotless, no hole in float. I felt the rubber tip, still soft, looked down in the valve seat, nothing. Sprayed out seat with carb cleaner and reassembled.

I filled the bowl on the table and no leaking. So I put the carb. bank back in, reassy. the bike and go rideing Sun. afternoon. Everything fine.

This morn. I check bike, start it up, fine.

So now what :?: Do I trust it and keep riding? Any ideas?

All I'm thinking is a small piece of debris I didn't (couldn't) see stuck on tip of float valve.

Also, don't know how much gas ran past rings into oil. I pulled dipstick and looked and smelled fine.

I'm not due for an oil change, I think with riding the gas will evaporate out of the oil and be fine.

This is my worst failure on the bird. (not bad) Just glad I know how to rip my bike apart. This could have been a trip to the shop where they would have hit the starter button and bent my con-rod.

[jrdxx]

I think an oil change would be cheap insurance and offer additional peace of mind.

You probably disturbed some sediment when you tweaked your sending unit. Just keep an eye on it for while, and keep on riding.

[kg4fku]

If you can tap the outside body of the carb and make the float work then you probably have a slight varnish build up in the bowl. Take off the bowl and remove the float. Clean the hinge area and the pin. This is not an uncommon thing to happen to any carb that has sit with fuel. Next time pt gas stablizer in it or drain the gas out. Varnish makes the insides sticky and gummy. Thats why the float is sticking and making it overfill.

[CBRXX]

This happened to my old Maxim yesterday too. Turned the petcock to "prime" to allow the carbs to fill, and walked away for a minute. Of course, by the time I smelled gas, there was a big puddle under it. Since it is in my basement, the whole house smelled like gas all day. Good thing I left to go for a ride.

I do keep Stabil in it, but it has just sat too long and the carbs dry up. I usually try to run it more often, but the winter was so rough here, that I hadn't really run it since October. Normally, they stick closed, and I need to tap the carbs with something to get the gas flowing, but it also solved this problem.

Steve

[JJP XX]

When I store my bike, I fill up the tank, put in Stabil, run it until I smell it in the exhaust, then shut off the petcock and let the bike stall on it's own. When I do that, come Spring, the bike starts relatively easy and I've yet to have a problem.

:grin:

[Northman]

Hmm, never had this problem with my FI.............. :poke:

[JJP XX]

Hey Pete,

Next time we see Chris, you distract him and I'll get my much needed parts from his bike.... :outtahere: How dare he pick on the non FI bikes! :wink:

:grin:

[Northman]

You'll have to catch me, first! :twisted:

[Pete in PA]

I think you would be easy to catch with no engine in your frame. :razz:

Parts swap at North's place :!: :!:

Thanks for the input guys, I'll be riding today again, I'll just keep going and see if it behaves.