CARBURETOR PROBLEMS.....FLOODING.....

[GETFURIOUS]

FIRST A LITTLE BACKGROUND.....

MY BIKE IS STORED OUTSIDE AND COVERED UP.....(2001 B-12).....

IT SAT FOR A YEAR.....I STARTED IT UP ABOUT EVERY TWO OR THREE WEEKS AND LET IT RUN FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES.....I ALSO KEPT THE GAS TANK FULL AND OCCASIONALLY PUT IN FRESH GAS.....

HERE IS THE ISSUE.....

HOWEVER.....WHEN THE SNOW CAME LAST WINTER.....MY BIKE WAS NOT STARTED FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS.....(NOV./DEC./JAN.).....WHEN THE SNOW FINALLY MELTED AND I COULD GET ACCESS TO THE BIKE.....I NOTICED THAT WHEN IT RAN.....IT HAD A MISS BOTH AT IDLE AND WHEN YOU GAVE MORE THROTTLE.....

WHEN I SHUT THE BIKE OFF.....IT LEAKED FUEL INTO ONE OF THE CYLINDERS OVERNIGHT.....

SINCE I HAD PURCHASED A CARBURETOR JET KIT AND NEW FLOAT NEEDLES FROM DALE WALKER OVER THE WINTER.....I DECIDED TO INSTALL THEM.....

WHEN I TOOK IT APART.....ONE OF THE FLOATS WAS DEFINITELY STUCK.....

I CLEANED AND REBUILT THE CARBURETORS.....SET THE FLOATS.....PUT THEM BACK ON THE BIKE.....USED A FRESH TANK OF GAS.....AND I STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH FUEL LEAKING INTO ONE OF THE CYLINDERS.....

I TOOK THE CARBURETORS BACK OFF.....RECHECKED THE FLOATS AND REINSTALLED THEM.....HOWEVER.....I STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM.....

DOES ANYONE HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THIS ISSUE.....I WOULD LIKE TO GET MY BIKE BACK ON THE ROAD A.S.A.P......

THANKS.....

[Wrider]

Check your fuel lines.  It sounds like they could be corroding and a piece of rubber breaking off from there can lodge your floats open pretty easily.

[GETFURIOUS]

Check your fuel lines.  It sounds like they could be corroding and a piece of rubber breaking off from there can lodge your floats open pretty easily.

THANKS.....BUT I REPLACED THE FUEL LINES DURING THE REBUILD.....

[Red01]

For this to happen, you have to have at least two problems.
1) Fuel petcock is in "prime' position, or the vacuum petcock is not shutting off fuel in "on" or "reserve"
2) Fuel leaks from carb into intake manifold - usually a float issue.  While pretty rare, I have seen sunk floats before.  When they're sunk, even new float needle/seat won't help.  If they're sunk, you can hear fuel sloshing inside.

[GETFURIOUS]

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION WRIDER AND RED01.....

I AM GOING TO TAKE MY CARBURETORS OFF OVER THE WEEKEND AND CHECK THE FLOATS AGAIN FOR PROPER ADJUSTMENT.....AND IF I UNDERSAND YOU CORRECTLY.....FOR FUEL PENETRATION INTO THE FLOATS THEMSELVES.....

AS FAR AS THE PETCOCK GOES.....I RECHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS IN THE "ON OR RESERVE" POSITION WHEN THE CYLINDER FLOODING FIRST OCCURRED.....I ALSO REMOVED THE FUEL LINE HOSE FROM THE PETCOCK FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND IT DID NOT SHOW ANY LEAKAGE IN THE "ON OR RESERVE" POSITION .....

HOWEVER.....I DID NOT TRY IT WITH ANY VACUUM DEVICE ATTACHED TO SEE IF THE VACUUM DIAPHRAGM IS THE CAUSE.....BUT IT WILL.....

I AM ALSO THINKING ABOUT REPLACING THE STOCK PETCOCK WITH A "MANUAL" PINGEL PETCOCK.....(ANY THOUGHTS?).....

I WILL POST MY FINDINGS AFTERWARDS.....

[B6mick]

Hi there, seems an issue I've just so tackled myself on my friends B12.
Tricky little phuckers, same deal changed everything, and it still flooded, new needles, and seats, factory pro stage 1 kit, new fuel lines.
So what Red01 said

[GETFURIOUS]

SO.....SINCE THE DAY THAT I SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO TAKE MY CARBURETORS OFF OVER THE WEEKEND.....IT HAS RAINED EVERY DAY.....

I AM WORKING OUTSIDE AND I WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE WEATHER TO COOPERATE.....

I WILL POST THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BIKE AS SOON AS THERE IS A LASTING BREAK IN THE WEATHER.....

IN THE MEANTIME.....KEEP THE GOOD SUGGESTIONS COMING.....THANKS.....

[banditv]

have you thrown the gas in the tank out and put fresh stuff in it, drained the float bowls etc etc. sounds like water in the fuel to me.
even tho its stored under cover, you still end up with condensation in the tank, which settles in the bottom of teh tank and ends up in the carbs, as soon as you crank it  and open the vac fuel tap.

[rider123]

I see by your pic that you have a second gen. I had a cylinder seeping gas and it turned out to be a mal adjusted float height. Be sure that all the floats are 13mm +- 1 mm. I don't know who the hell adjusted them but some were as low as 11.5mm. No wonder it was seeping fuel. Anyway now all good at 13 and seeping gone. Make sure if you take the carbs off that the floats move freely by standing the carbs up on their side and wobbling them back and forth. They should move freely. If one is sticking you will see it right away. Also make sure all the jets and emulsion tubes are snug. A loose jet or tube will surely wick fuel.

[bandit1987]

Had the same problem with my 2001 B12. Fixed all problems with a new gravity-fed Pingel petcock.