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Old July 9th, 2011, 08:57 AM   #1
haze5736
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Leaking fuel from carbs

Like the title says, I'm leaking fuel from the carbs when running. Seems to stop after turning off or at least slow down where the drips go away. I had a raw fuel smell prior so I pulled the carbs off and cleaned them so the only dis-assembly was the float bowls. Would the bowls be the suspected area for leaking? It's a 98 and I reused the gaskets. They looked ok, but maybe they need to be replaced?
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Old July 9th, 2011, 08:59 AM   #2
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It could be that your intake boots are loose or just old and hard. Check the intake boots (the rubber pieces that go from your cylinders to your carbs). First check the clamps and tighten them up if they're a little loose.
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Old July 9th, 2011, 09:10 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by k-os View Post
It could be that your intake boots are loose or just old and hard. Check the intake boots (the rubber pieces that go from your cylinders to your carbs). First check the clamps and tighten them up if they're a little loose.
The boots look good and are tight. There were no traces of fuel around the boots.
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Old July 9th, 2011, 09:49 AM   #4
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So you know that it's leaking from the bowls? Are your bowl drain screws all tight? Did you clean off the gasket surfaces before you put the bowls back on?
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Old July 9th, 2011, 09:57 AM   #5
haze5736
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So you know that it's leaking from the bowls? Are your bowl drain screws all tight? Did you clean off the gasket surfaces before you put the bowls back on?
Pretty sure it's from the bowls. Doesn't do it cold. Once it starts warming up I can see the joint between the bowls and body start to get wet. I will have to take it apart and double check the gasket. Will the gasket be ok after 13 years and being removed more than a few times?
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Old July 9th, 2011, 10:01 AM   #6
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Unless it got damaged from previous owner/dis-assembly I think it should be fine. I just got done doing a couple jetting changes on my 1988 Honda Hawk 650 and it still has the original bowl gaskets.

You could get some RTV Gasket Maker and lay a light bead on the surface and re-assembly and see if you still see the same issue.
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Old July 9th, 2011, 11:18 AM   #7
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where exactly is the gas leaking from? can you see that the area is "wet"?
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Old July 9th, 2011, 11:31 AM   #8
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where exactly is the gas leaking from? can you see that the area is "wet"?
After it cooled I wiped everything down. Then I started it again and watched it as it warmed up. There was nothing while cold. After a while it started warming up and the first place I noticed anything was at the joint between the bowl and body. It eventually made its way forward and dripped off the forward most bowl screws.
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Old July 9th, 2011, 11:46 AM   #9
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sounds like your float bowl gasket needs to be replaced.

may want to put some other new parts in there as well... just buy a rebuild kit.
http://www.jetsrus.com/carb_rebuild_...L_18_2639.html
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Old July 9th, 2011, 12:58 PM   #10
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sounds like your float bowl gasket needs to be replaced.

may want to put some other new parts in there as well... just buy a rebuild kit.
http://www.jetsrus.com/carb_rebuild_...L_18_2639.html
I agree, must be the gasket. I took it off one last time and tightened all the screws as much as I felt comfortable. It got better, but the bowl to body seam on the left side is weeping ever so slightly. So I'll buy the kit. That's a pretty good price from Jets R Us. I was quoted $32 just for the float needle from my local dealer. Anyway, I just ordered 2.
Thanks.
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Old July 9th, 2011, 01:02 PM   #11
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good move on buying 2. sounds like it's something to do with the fuel in your area or something that the PO used that attacks/deforms the rubber parts? Be on the lookout for even more parts that may be subject to fuel contamination like your gaskets.
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Old July 9th, 2011, 01:13 PM   #12
haze5736
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good move on buying 2. sounds like it's something to do with the fuel in your area or something that the PO used that attacks/deforms the rubber parts? Be on the lookout for even more parts that may be subject to fuel contamination like your gaskets.
Great. I already payed too much for this bike. My own fault for rushing a purchase. Oh well, you live and learn.
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Old July 9th, 2011, 01:22 PM   #13
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Not saying you will have other problems, just be aware of things that might happen.

I've had gaskets go bad in fuel systems before due to age and sometimes it was only one gasket go bad.... fuel petcock gasket at the tank/petcock junction, fuel petcock "on/off" gasket inside the petcock, flattened o-rings inside the carb passages, etc. We have ethanol in all the fuel sold in Hawaii, so that could be the contributing factor, but with one known failure on your bike, just be on the lookout for other potential problem areas.

it's crapshoot w/ used bikes. I have over 3k invested in a used dirt bike that I'm still in the process of rebuilding and it only is worth 1- 1.5K on the used market. hope you fare better than that.
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Old July 14th, 2011, 06:02 AM   #14
haze5736
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Still leaking

I installed the repair kits and it's still leaking.
One of two things must be happening.

1. The bowl mating surfaces are not clean enough. In this case I will get a can of carb cleaner and soak the bowls overnight to get them sparkling. I will then reinstall using a thin film of gasket sealer on both sides of the gasket.

2. Possibly the leak is higher up than I think, dripping down somewhere I can't see and settling on the bowl screws. The question here is, are there any points higher than the bowls that I should suspect for leaks? By the time the carbs are removed they've been twisted, turned and wiggled so much there is no way to find the point of origin.

I really can't stand the thought of removing these carbs one more time. But I will do it this last time and if it still leaks it will go the repair shop.

Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
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Old July 14th, 2011, 10:04 AM   #15
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pictures?
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Old July 14th, 2011, 02:51 PM   #16
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Don't just soak them, clean the mating surfaces with a bristle brush or a toothpick. Make sure theres no big pits or anything. Use a little silicon grease on the gasket to make sure you get a goo seal. And now that this gaskets are soaked with gas, they might have expanded. Let them dry in the sun for an hour to shrink back to size before reinstalling. Also, the gaskets only go in one way if it wasn't obvious. The angles on each side are a little different.
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Old July 19th, 2011, 06:44 AM   #17
haze5736
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No more leak

I picked up a set of used carbs from an '05 for $50 and of course the leak is gone and no more fuel smell. Runs like a champ. Just need to synch them. I will be taking the old ones apart to see if I can solve the mystery.
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Old July 19th, 2011, 06:52 AM   #18
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Old July 19th, 2011, 07:34 AM   #19
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I like that solution, just buy new carbs

on the serious side, keep the old ones. even if you cannot fix them, there are members here who tear the diaphragms/ mess up slides or get worn needles or whatever. you can sell those diaphragms since those are normally like $100 each and help out a fellow ninjetter. That way, you can make up the $50 you bought the used carbs for and someone gets a deal on diaphragms. win win situation here. plus you have spare parts in case you mess something up or want to mess with jetting down the road
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