HELP! Carb leaking... what to do?

1982 XJ 1100. Far right carb leaks from both vents over the jets... once the petcock is turned on.

The bike runs and sounds fine, it even has new spark plugs and new jets. Just started doing that recently. I don't ride it very often, so I always shut the petcocks off when I pull into the garage. When I go to ride it, i turn both petcocks on, start the bike, then after a few seconds the far right carb starts leaking gas from the air pod. Once it starts leaking, it sounds as if that cylinder is choking, upon giving it more gas you can really hear it in the right exhaust. I also noticed that if I ride it while manually adjusting the petcock to accommodate the carb... eventaully the problem disappears after a couple minutes, then I can leave the petcock on and it would never leak, even after parking it to stop by at a friends house and starting it up again a couple hours later. So, It only seems to have the problem after long periods of time of non-operation.

What is the problem here?

 

It seems like at least one float valve would tend to stick opened when it has dried up when the bike has sit for several weeks, but then it would start to operate properly when some fuel lubricates the float valve seat.

I'd think that it would stop doing this if you'd polish your float valves seats (taken for granted that the float levels are properly set, aren't they?).

 

quebecois59, yes float levels are properly set indeed, the bike runs like a dream. What do you recommend to polish the valves?

 

You have a sticking float on that carb, try come fuel system cleaner like SeaFoam or whatever. It might work. You can also try draining that carb to flush out the crud.
Most likely the carbs will have to come out to clean the bowls and floats. The float pivot pins like to gum up and cause your problem, check those also.

 

If I remember well, some use autosol and the pointed end of a golf tee put in a hand drill to gently polish the float valve seats.

But like mlew suggested, you may start with draining this bowl, it may just be a tiny particle causing the problem. You may also use some Seafoam, it uses to work great with this kind of issues.

Do you have an in-line fuel filter?

 

I have always liked a cotton swab and some auto-detail scratch remover to polish the seats when I'm cleaning carbs. Very fine and light abrasive without the danger of shedding like some double or quad aught steel wool. If the floats are sticking open, sometimes a light rapping with a rubber or wooden mallet will help shake a bit of grime out and seat the float seal again.

 

Steel wool is for refinishing furniture. It WILL "shed."

Scotchbrite needs to become your new best buddy in the garage.

 

I've become a convert to Scotchbrite pads due to this site. If that doesn't take off the junk, it may be the junk isn't supposed to come off.

 

The stuff comes in all different "grades" like steel wool. They just don't carry it at the grocery store; they do at home improvement or hardware stores though.

 

i use scotch bright in work every day id swear by it but a nice alternative is is plastic bristled pipe cleaners like things it doesn't shed and polish the area but i dont think youll be able to get one small enough

 

This morning I wet set the floats on a 89 Radian that I'm working on and learned something that no one has mentioned. Don't drink a lot of coffee. When you hear the gas trickling out of the float bowls, you'll do a "Pee-Pee Dance" that will make a 4-year old proud.