Wet Setting Floats - Yes or No

I know the job is a PITA.....but my question is this bike only has 17k....original float valve assemblies with OEM original float needles.....everything is clean really good.....did the whole nine yards with new fuel tube & throttle shaft O-Rings.....

Is it really necessary to wet set if the tangs have never been touched.....I know this because I am the original owner.

I know there probably some wear & tear but I can't imagine the float settings are that far out of spec......if at all....

Are not the factory original settings going to be intact.....I can believe the float settings are going to be far off from one another......

I know I have gone the eight yards.....just not sure about doing the ninth yard ( wet setting )......

 

It sounds like you already have the carbs off of the bike. Considering that you've already done 3/4 of the work that's involved you should go ahead and finish the job. Wet set the floats. You won't know what you'l find until you do. It's a false-economy to put the carbs back on without checking that the fuel level is correct. It's also (in my opinion) a false economy to clean 30 year old carbs, and not replace the float needles and seats. Even though they still seal fine...how much longer until they don't? Then you're back to doing the most difficult part of the job again (removing and re-installing the carbs).

 

so are you saying that 30 year old float needles should be replaced due to wear & tear on the rubber piece of the float needle...the seats are brass are they not......why replace them......

Yes I agree with replacing the float needles only if they are torn up a bit ( due to whatever reason )...... But visibily, they look in great shape & they travel up & down in the float valves with no impedment.

I guess I was looking a shortcut which may not pay off later if I have to pull them off again in the near future.....

They are alot of other 30 year old parts inside these carbs that are not getting replaced......Why are you suggesting the needles & seats.....

Because of the rubber content on the needle ?????

 

I just did my carbs too and when I pulled out the needles two of the rubber caps just fell off. Of course mine were sitting for ten years but definitely better to find bad in your garage than on the side of the road. As far as checking float height, its so easy to check, why not? Then you'll know if you need to dive in deeper our not.

 

With any luck, you may find the levels within spec, then you wouldn't have to adjust the float tangs. On the other hand, if they are out of spec, it would need to be done anyway. Either way is a win win..

 

Yeah, having just rebuilt my carbs I know how big of aPITA this can be. I only had one that needed adjusted, the rest were suprisingly good. I bet I had the bowl off at least 8 or 9 times before I was happy with it.

At a minimum I would check them. That is not hard to do at all.

 

Absolutely. It's part of "normal" maintenance; and will allow you to discover any potential issues before they become major headaches.

Gotta check the valve clearances too; were they done at 3K and every 5K since?

 

Big fitz,

Valve Shims were done in 2010....no miles have been put on the bike since then...

IrrateDave, the rubber tips just don't fall off due to exposure to gas......they must have been exposed to chemical dip at one time.....

All I am saying, if one uses the original OEM float needles & float seats or chooses to buy original OEM replacements ( quite expensive $ 64 / apiece ).....than it may not be necessary to re-adjust....

The aftermarket needles that are much less money are 1mm longer which would require an adjustment of the tangs to set the float levels...

Per Chacal's note:

OEM Hitachi FLOAT NEEDLE VALVE ASSEMBLY NOTE: the OEM float Needle that comes with this set is approximately the same height as the factory Yamaha needle, and it may not be necessary to re-adjust the float level height after installation.

 

it may not be necessary to adjust them but you might as well check them just to make sure, so you don't have to pull them off again later if they happen to be off.

 

maverickbr77, truer words have never been spoken.

 

Original owner? 8O Wouldn't be too many like you on this board would there?

 

What to do if you want to check the fuel level, but the ^&%*$# screws in the bowls won't come out?

I suppose I could pull the whole bowl off and hold a small glass bowl in its place. If I did so, is there any reason I couldn't use water instead of gas, assuming I blow out the passages afterwords? Rather not have that much petrol sloshing around in the open, makes me kinda ill.

 

Water and gas have different densities so would give different readings. That said you could use a glass or gas resistant plastic container as long as the setup was stable so nothing could move around causing odd readings.

Have you tried screwing your bowls to a board upside down and heating them with a butane torch then trying to remove the screws?

 

Wet setting on the bench is not a PITA. It's easy.

Just do it.

 

You could pull the bad bowl off, and replace it with the adjacent good bowl with working drain screw, check the level and and then repeat. Then, get the drain screw out or order a new bowl. That's what I did

 

Good idea. In my case I've got ONE bowl where the screw comes out.

But won't gas (cause yeah, I can see the point about density) just run out the 3 open bowls? I suppose I could use some rubber bands to hold the floats up, though I'd have to be careful not to bend em.

I may try the "screw em to a board plus heat" idea. Though if I can get the job done once. I doubt I'll need to do it again; if I put more than a few thousand miles on the bike, I plan to do a fuel injection conversion.

 

Yeah, you'll need to have all bowls installed to prevent fuel from spilling. So, you'll need to work in steps, replacing one bowl at a time. Kind of tedious, I know, I only had one frozen drain on mine.

 

Setting the carbs up on a stand (or just long alen head bolts into some of the float threads) in a tinfoil cooking pan full of gasoline almost sounds like the more pleasant option. That way I don't need any of the bowls on, and can see exactly what's going on and fix it without all the draining / removing / reattaching.

 

you wouldn't be able to isolate them in a tinfoil pan.

 

I'd just need separate wells for each carb- cut down pop cans should do. Which means a lot smaller surface area for gas to evaporate, so is a good thing anyhow.

It may be an amazing time saver, or an amazing boondoggle. Either way, I promise pictures of the idiotic stunt.

 

take the bowls off.....flush & dry them good.....
..heat the area where the bowl drain screws are with a propane torch and those bowl drain screws should back out.....

It worked for me.......replace with protuding allen head bowl drain screws....better & easier to get off in the future.....

 

adrian1...bought the bike new in 1982 in Colorado...great place to ride.....have had the bike ever since......negelected over the years.....a renew interest since I am not much interested in laying out 15 to 20k for a Harley.....I have always like the XJ Maxim Series since they first came out in the 1981 timeframe.....also like the styling of the VMax series......

 

ok your just using the pan as a catch all for overflow and such.

 

Sebwiers i presume you have studied sticky number 8 in the XJ chat section?

 

Not "might as well." NEED to check them; then if indeed they are fine, you move on. You can't simply assume that because no parts were replaced, or the parts that were replaced were "identical" OE parts, that the adjustments will have "held." We're dealing in millimeters here; there's not much difference between in and out of spec.

Floats need to be wet-set, or at least wet-checked, as specified. Period.

 

Well, I wet-setted the floats today...all 4 checked out ok.......at 3mm......these were the OEM original float valve assemblies & original needles....No twanging necessary....

 

Make yourself a carb stand out of 1 1/2" pvc pipe and fittings. This will allow you to do this wet setting job on the bench with a remote gas tank. If you don't have a remote tank, get one. You'll need it when you synch the carbs later. They're only about $40 bucks and you'll use it all the time.

Do the recommended service and take the time to do it right. The bike will run so much better if you do. I couldn't figure out why I was overrevving at stop lights and then bogging away from the green. Float settings were off due to new needles. After I wet set the floats (which took over an hour after I had the carb bank off), the engine ran fine.

Once you set the floats correctly, you shouldn't have to mess with it for a very long time.

 

jpacman,

Why would I do that when the setup I just did worked fine and much cheaper...????

 

There are a few of us.

 

I agree. My setup is very similar, even the red gas can feeding through the vent. Cheap and works.

 

How do you shut off the fuel if feeding through the vent? This seems like a good idea, I don't really want to shell out 40 bucks for a remote tank....

 

it will shut off when the bowls fill .......or clamp the line with a pair of needle nose vice grips......pretty simple.....huh....and cheap remote tank.....forget the PVC carb stand too......if you have two extra intake boots....screw them to a 2x4 & mount carbs......put board in vise & level......alot better than spending a bunch of money on PVC & fittings......

 

I don't have 2 extra intake boots! That's a great idea though any other ideas for leveling the carbs?

would a 1/4 ID fuel line fit in that vent? Great idea!

I might just use my bike's gas tank, that would be the cheapest route wouldn't it? or is that a huge PITA?

 

I just used about a 2' piece of vac line from remote gas tank to the fuel rail.....vac line cheaper at Autozone than fuel line.....& it is only temporary anyway......I forget the size I purchased......just take your U-shaped fuel that is on the bike now & match up inside diameter to the purchased vac line

 

biggs,

is that odometer correct...only 80 miles on your bike.....interesting.....

 

I'm guessing that pic was taken back when his bike was new.

 

Midnight,

unless he turn his odometer over with all of that riding.....

York, Pa I see........me class of '74......York Suburban....small world.....

 

There was only 90 miles on it the day I took that picture. That would have been May of '83.

 

If I think of of I'll take a picture of my recently created ghetto, AKA auxiliary, fuel tank. It's a two liter bottle with a shut off valve JB Welded into the cap. A hole in the bottom, which is now the top, for filling and for tying some line through it so I can hang it.

 

Not ghetto enough. Mine is a vodka bottle.

 

PET (what 2 liter bottles are made of) is permeable to gas vapors, and will dissolve (over time) when filled with gasoline. Don't use it! If it's all you have to use, then at least don't store ANY fuel in the thing.

A better choice is a 1 gallon milk jug. They are made from HDPE, the same material that plastic gas cans are made from. Look for the #2 on the bottom.

 

I used a parmesan bottle. Don't know if it out ghettos but out rednecked.
Don't know what kind of plastic that is.
(man.......kmoe knows everything........ 8O )

 

Thanks for the heads up k-moe. I don't store gas in it anyway but that didn't even cross my mind.

 

Would you kindly have a notarized copy of that statement sent to my address so I can show it to my son?

A quick guide to recycling codes for plastics

http://www.quantumbalancing.com/recycle.htm

That will tell you what type of plastic your chosen container is made of.

Please note: at the bottom of that page there is a table that lists the properties (in lay terms) of each plastic. When the table refers to gas permeability/impermeability, they are talking about the gaseous state of matter, and NOT about gasoline.

 

What kind of shut off valve did you use on the 2 liter bottle/vodka bottle? I have an empty bottle of gin here, would be perfect! Don't know how I'm gonna connect a fuel valve though....

 

It's a generic plastic shutoff, I think Briggs and Stratton uses that type. Hardware stores sell them for lawnmowers and stuff.

 

if the bottle is above the carbs, the valve is open, if it's below the carbs it's off
and i don't even have a valve

 

Mine is the deluxe version. :lol:


I can screw the cap down, close the valve, and not have it stink up the place.

 

When you have to drain them to adjust floats, where are you putting the drained gas? What kind of container?

 

Back into a regular gas can I filled the bottle from.