what can i use to check fuel level on bench?

besides gasoline?

Is there a substance that will work? I'm doing this stuff in my kitchen unfortunately, and i'd rather not use gas (even though i just cleaned my carbs in the same kitchen....) Will anything else work? MMO, Stabil, etc? I'd imagine water would be a bad idea, but how about rubbing alcohol?

Thanks in advance

Kellen

 

My wife and I just made vanilla to give as gifts at Christmas time. That meant we bought 1.75 L of Absolut, .75 L of Rum, mix them and added 25 vanilla beans. In December it will be great, but the moral is, use something that will be good for the tank (or normal) and cheaper than Absolut.

 

???

it won't go in the tank. the carbs are off the bike and i'm checking float level. I guess maybe my title wasn't extremely clear. I'm setting the fuel level in the carb bowls after cleaning. The only place the fluid will be is in the carbs and carb bowls. I thought i read in a thread somewhere that someone used something besides gasoline, just trying to see what it is as i've looked all over and can't find the thread for some reason.


thanks

 

Water is WAY too heavy to give a good result.

Alcohol is about 10% too heavy, and the pure stuff is expensive and flamable too.

I found that I can stick the carbs on and off the bike quicker than I can rig a bench setup. Remember, you don't have to put the air box boots back on until you're done.

I put my tank on top of a 5' step ladder with a long piece of fuel hose. Have a 1 gal can on the floor to drain the bowls back into. No problem.

 

genius. the simplest solution is usually the best.

that is what i'll do.... thanks.

 

Just make sure you don't walk through that long fuel line and pull the tank of the stepladder.

No I haven't done this, but I've tried almost every other dumb thing.

 

I've used rubbing alcohol but the results are still unknown, I haven't gotten to the tweaking part to see how close I got. The specific gravity for alcohol is not a great match for gasoline but it is better (no stench or noxious fumes), safer (see fumes comment and think about carcinogens) and cheaper than gas if you are doing this in the kitchen.

 

cool... on the bike does seem easier, as long as i don't have to install the air filter boots as they were a pain.... i might run some rubbing alcohol just to see if i'm in the ballpark tonight though, and then tweak on the bike tomorrow morning.


thanks again, you guys have been uber helpful.

 

Dumb question:

Other than setting the float height as per specs, how do you check the fuel level in the carb bowls, either with the carbs on the bench or on the bike?

OG

 

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=6 ... level.html

OG - Follow the above link for details.

 

I've been using Windshield Washer Fluid. After I get the levels set and checked. I blow-out the Bowls and Bodies with a Hair Dryer and that stuff evaporates pretty quickly.

No danger of fire and if you spill it ... it cleans-up nice and doesn't smell.

 

Thanks Fraps & RickCoMatic.

I now have a recollection of seeing that on the Honda V65 forum many years ago.

 

Yeah, I used alcohol and it caused condensation to form in the float bowls. I then did not use the bike right away. Stuck my floats wide open when the floats corroded to the float pins. Lesson learned.

 

I prefer to use the REAL stuff Gasoline.
Other liquids may not have the same specific gravity as good ol gas and might caue the floats to ride either higher or lower in the bowls.

ait's more dangerous and a big pain in the butt but it is definatly tried and true.

Keep a fire ext handy just in case