Leaking Carbys

Hi folks , new 82 z1300 owner with a carb problem. Bike wasnt ridden for some time when I picked it up. Ran fine on the way home but when I stopped there was fuel leaking out of the carbies. It looked like one was filling up and overflowing back into the airbock. Pulled the bowl off and checked the float, appeared fine, refitted and all seemed ok until I road it again and still leaking fuel . any ideas would be appreciated .

Dukesy wrote: Hi folks , new 82 z1300 owner with a carb problem. Bike wasnt ridden for some time when I picked it up. Ran fine on the way home but when I stopped there was fuel leaking out of the carbies. It looked like one was filling up and overflowing back into the airbock. Pulled the bowl off and checked the float, appeared fine, refitted and all seemed ok until I road it again and still leaking fuel . any ideas would be appreciated .

Hello, Dukesy, and WELCOME to KZr!

Would suspect float valve malfunction, for whatever reason, but often due to not being perfectly clean, accompanied by an obstructed overflow circuit.

As gasoline may have intruded into the crankcase, would sniff-test and examine the oil to determine whether it has become contaminated with gasoline. And if so, would not run the engine until first resolving the overflow issues and then changing both oil and filter.

Good Fortune!

Thanks Patton , may have solved it. Took the carbys off and float bowls. The floats seemed to top out on the carby body before they fully shut the fuel off, so adjusted them down slightly, took it for a run for about 15kms and no leaks, But now its idling a bit high ... didnt appear to be any fuel in the oil, thats a worrying thing that I didnt think of, but an oil change is on the cards anyway .

You'll want to set the float level with what's called the clear tube method. The spec for fuel level should be in the manual. You basically attach a clear hose to the carb bowl drain and the use that to measure the fuel level inside the bowls.

If the float heights aren't right (and all the same) you'll have some cylinders running rich and others lean. That's why the idle changed when you fixed the overflow situation.

Thanks Topper. I'm still getting my head around these things. Ive been a Guzzi man all my riding days so I'm used to Dellorto pumpers. I've booked it into my local mechanic to balance them, ill let him know.

Hi Folks , I found this article from a guy who's rebuilding Voyager. He set the tab that contacts the float valve at 5mm, which gave the right fuel level. This seems to be the simplest way of setting float levels that I've seen. Any thoughts ?

What you're seeing in the second pic is the clear tube method. It's really the only way to do this. The tabs on my carbs are set differently in each carb (when measured like in the first pic).

I suspect it has a lot to do with the kind of float. The floats in my carbs are hollow metal and they get slightly bent and deformed easily and may each have different buoyancy. Maybe the floats in your '82 Z1300 different I don't really know.

And in any case you need to set your floats to the spec for your bike. Not the spec of a Voyager.

Topper is absolutely correct. Setting the float level is fine for getting in the cheap seats at the ballpark, but it does not tell you what the fuel level is. The only way to measure the fuel level is to use the clear tube method. Ed

So, the clear tube method it is. Ill set them dry first and then check. I wonder how the factory did it. Wouldn't think they would clear tube every bike that came off the assembly line.

Cheers.

At the factory, everything was brand spankin' new & any variance probably fell within the accepted tolerances.

Yeah, agree Martin. I just thought there'd be some sort of dry setting with these things, a starting point at least.

Again, my experience is with Dellorto's and any variance in the floats with those you can adjust out with mixtures and balancing. Will see how it goes.

There's a lot of talk about the cam chain adjusters too which has got me nervous. should I be concerned ? Mine looks original, should I be replacing it with an aftermarket manual one, or one from a different bike ?

setting your float height is a good idea. However, your leak will likely still be there. You need new float needles and seats. Make sure that you don't have too much oil in your engine. Too much oil would be fuel that overflowed into the block. Not good.