Floats or needles?

I slapped my carbs back on the bike. (81 440-a2)Got it to start with very little problems, and not exhaust smoke either! BUT as the bike is running, it drains gas from the right carb at a good rate, boggs ajd dies. I loosened the drain screw and determined it couldn't be be the overflow pin, so it had to be tue float system. Could my needle be sticking down? Do I gotta bend the tang?

Thanks in advance!

Don't bend the tang.

You can clean the float valve needle and orifice without removing the carb from the bike. I would recommend doing that as a first step. Use some carb cleaner on a Q-tip; don't use anything abrasive. If it still overflows after that, do the clear tube test so see if the fuel level is set correctly. Ed

Thank you! Here I was, about to rip the carbs off again. Lol

I have tomorrow off, so I'll see what it is then.

I had enough time to tinker before work. Cleaned the float needle reciever with cleaner and a q-tip, and bent the tang just ever so slightly, just for good measure. TADAH! It started with a little bit of choke, and once running well, I could take the choke off. It was sitting a bit high on the rpms (around 2k) but left the idol mix adjustment for tomorrow. I actually drove it up and down my driveway a bit, and got some good throttle response from my patched diaphragms! Although, after a solid 30 minutes of running and about 15 minutes of driving it, I came to a stop, amd it bogged and died.

Ideas?

Also, there was a drop of gas every 60 seconds or so from the overflow tube.

I suggest you run the clear tube test to see where the fuel level is set since you bent the tang. Here's some info on the overflow problem.

Fuel coming out of the overflow hose (the little hose on the bottom of the carb) is the common symptom of the 3 possible problems described below. Remember – NO SMOKING or other activities that could ignite the fuel while working on carbs!

The float valve is not sealing. This may be (and probably is) just a matter of some minor dirt in the float valve and is very simple to remedy and can be done with the carbs still on the bike. Turn off fuel; drain carb by loosening big brass screw near bottom; and remove the 4 little screws on the bottom of the carb bowl. This will enable you to remove the carb bowl. You will then see the float. If you carefully remove the float you will see a stubby little needle that mates with a brass orifice; together, these two pieces are the float valve. Assuming there is no obvious damage to the needle or seat, use a Q-tip and some carb cleaner to clean the seat of the orifice and the needle. Be careful not to bend the tang that is attached to the float. This tang is the piece that the bottom of the float valve needle rests upon, and it determines the fuel level in the bowl, so bending it will change the fuel level. With the float valve cleaned it should no longer leak. To prevent a reoccurrence a quality inline fuel filter should be installed between the fuel tank and carbs. If there was damage the needle and seat should be replaced as a set; they are available.

The brass overflow tube inside the carb bowl is damaged. When you remove the carb bowl you will see a brass tube attached inside and rising toward the top of the bowl. This is the overflow tube and it leads directly to the overflow nipple on the bottom of the carb. Normally, the fuel level within the bowl rises somewhat close to the top of this tube. If the tube becomes cracked or separates from the bottom of the carb bowl fuel will flow through it and out through the overflow hose. Checking the condition of the tube is very easy after you have removed the carb bowl from the carb. Simply hold the bowl level and fill it up near the top of the tube with water of alcohol and see if it leaks. A slight crack in the brass overflow tube can be difficult to find. You can connect a rubber tube to the overflow nipple, fill the bowl with water, put finger over the open end of the brass overflow tube and blow in the rubber end and look for bubbles. If it does the best remedy is to replace it although some folks have found creative ways to repair them.

The fuel level is set too high. This condition occurs when someone has bent the float tang as mentioned above. This condition can be checked using what is referred to as the “clear tube test.” The test involves attaching one end of a clear piece of flexible tubing to the carb drain hole and holding the other end of the tube above the bowl/carb joint. When the fuel is turned on it should rise in the tube to a level 2.5 – 4.5 mm below the bowl/carb joint. If the fuel rises higher than that level it may run into the cylinders or over the upper end of the brass overflow inside the carb bowl (mentioned above) in which case it will run out the overflow hose. This condition is corrected by removing the float and gently bending the tang to raise the float valve needle position. Doing this may take several tries before achieving the desired fuel level.

Correcting each of these three conditions involves removing the carb bowl. This task can be made easier if a short screwdriver bit is used, and depending on which carb you are fixing a mirror may help you locate the screws on the bottom of the carb bowl. Also, it is not a bad idea to have a new carb bowl gasket available in case the old gasket is damaged while removing the carb bowl. Ed