Gas Pouring out of Overflow Tube - Bowls or Petcock?

[Jim Moore]

Hi folks,

My bike has been running great. I started it today. Gas immediately started POURING out of the carb overflow tube. I assumed it was a stuck float. I have the carbs out now. The floats and needles seem to be working perfectly. My first question, can something else go bad with the carb and cause the bowls to overfill? Is there any possibility that a float was stuck, but I fixed it by wrasslin' around with it?

Something else I noticed. The bike over fueled and leaked with the petcock in ON or RES, but the bike seemed to run fine for a long time (several minutes) with the petcock in OFF with no overfueling. How long does it normally take to run the bowls out of gas? Can a bad petcock cause an overfueling condition?

Thanks in advance,

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

Do you have a good fuel filter?

[Motofool]

Is all about how well the needle turns the flow off when pressing against its seat and how much pressure the float puts on the needle.

The petcock can be open and non-controlled by vacuum and still the needle valves and floats should keep the fuel from flowing into the bowls beyond the correct level.

Yes, it is common for the floats and needles to get stuck (mainly when the bike falls on its side) and resume proper work after some tapping or vibrations.

Any bike can go for a couple of blocks after you close the petcock; they can easily idle for several minutes.

[Jim Moore]

OK, thanks guys. I do not have a filter installed. Maybe something got stuck in there and is holding the needle open. I'll blow some compressed air through the fuel hose and see what pops out.

One more clue. It was cold here for the first time yesterday. Could that have caused an issue?

[Motofool]

No, temperature is not a factor in that problem.

It was cold for me as well and mine is working perfectly.

[Jim Moore]

OK, I fixed that problem. i don't know what it was,m but taking the carbs off, messing with the floats and putting them back on has cured it.

Unfortunately, my fourteen year old float bowl gaskets were not up to the challenge of resealing the bowls. Now I'm looking for a set of float bowl gaskets. Anyone have a set handy? Recommendations for a rebuild kit?

[Motofool]

Any gasket material that resists gasoline will do.

The purpose is just avoiding splashed water and dirt from leaking in.

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

Originally Posted by Jim Moore

OK, I fixed that problem. i don't know what it was,m but taking the carbs off, messing with the floats and putting them back on has cured it.

Unfortunately, my fourteen year old float bowl gaskets were not up to the challenge of resealing the bowls. Now I'm looking for a set of float bowl gaskets. Anyone have a set handy? Recommendations for a rebuild kit?

There is a factory fuel filter installed that you should remove and replace because if you haven't it is likely warped at best.
I sealed my smashed o-rings w/ gasket maker (make sure you get the gasoline friendly type even though it should really matter that much). Be absolutely sure you dont let any get into the floats though. You can put a tiny amount on the o-rings to seal the bowls and then after screwing the bowls put it on the outside. I think that is best. If you get any of the gasket maker in the float bowls you are gonna have the same issue (see my thread).