CARB HELP!!!

Hello. I've read and read through these posts and can't seem to find the correct help.

1982 maxim 650

Fuel keept flooding back into my airbox. Not like a little trickle. It looks like someone stuck a gas nozzle on the front side of the carbs and squeezed the trigger.

Now, all that I've done..

Took carbs off and cleaned. When in the carbs I found 110 Main jets and 41 (for some reason) pilot jets.

The jets were a little dirty but not bad. There was some gunk on the bottom of the float bowl but the floats, needles, and seats all looked fine.

Got it all back together and put it on the bike. It fired up but was going through a tank in like 50 miles and I also found a gas puddle in the bottom of my airbox.

Was checking around online and was told to check needles, seats, and floats. Nothing appeared out of place again so put it back on bike. Still DUMPING fuel. I got a needle and seat kit. Replaced the float bowl gasket at the same time.

I set the float heights to the once mentioned on another post 17.5mm (or as close as I could) with the new needles and seats installed. I checked the plugs and they looked ok.

Before I reinstalled the carbs back on the bike I rocked the carbs gently and listened for the floats and needles. They all sounded to be moving freely.

I installed the carbs back on the bike once again and it's STILL pouring gas into the airbox.......

With all of the XJ650 knowledge floating around here surely someone has had this happen or can give me some advice. I love this bike, I really do. But this thing is already driving me to my wit's end, not to meantion, making my garage stink like spilled gas.

 

Sounds like you did a dry set on the floats did you then do a wet set on each to confirm that your fuel levels are where they need to be? This is where I would start for your issue as it would definitely cause your symptoms

 

check your oil level too you may have gas in there

 

Yes a dry set with the float bowls off. Do you have a diagram or technical specs for what they shold be at?

After checking float heights wet would I have to drain fuel out and then take float bowls back off and adjust tines and do it all over again?

 

I already have the stuff for an oil change. I want to try and at least get it running before I theoretically have to do 4 more oil changes.

 

Yes, fill bowls with fuel, measure via the clear tube method which hopefully someone can post a link to as I'm not so good with linking. Get your reading, if in spec ok, otherwise drain fuel, pull bowl and adjust float tang up or down as necessary. Tedious yes, but very much worth it to have bike running properly and keeping fuel out of your crankcase where it can damage much more expensive components

 

Yes. But you do the wet set before putting the carbs on the bike. You have to make some kind of rig to hold the carbs level in all directions, have a fuel source, some clear tubing all dome way to indicate the mm level on each carb. Search for wet setting carburetors and you will find a very good set of instructions. Hopefully, someone will post the link.

 

Look at this link

http://www.xj4ever.com/setting fuel levels.pdf

 

I thank you for the info. A wet float adjustment is the better way of doing it? I may have to try and get some clear tubing and such.

Does it matter how I have the tubing angled off the carbs as long as it's straight up and down next to the carb?

 

No.

Where did you get the needles and seats from?

 

A company called alphamoto. The needles looked to be the same length and the seats looked to be about the same except they didn't have the strainer screens but I went in line fuel filter.

 

The needle and seat can have different lengths which is why float height can vary from one manufacture to another. Did you after replacment recheck float height? 17mm was where I did the dry set measured from the flange of the body without the bowl gasket .

 

You mean the inner part of the flange that the gasket sits flat on right? ( as you stated, measured without gasket)

 

Yes the flange the gasket & bowl sit on , some where in my archive of old bike magazines I had a picture of using the Honda measuring tool . I lost it some where along the way , a 6" scale in metric does the trick too.

 

Yes, it was after I replaced the needle and seat I set it to the 17.5 mm

 

The .5 mm might be to much . One other item did you put floats in container of fuel to see if they float or not ? A bad float can cause flooding even if it looks ok might be the problem stranger things have happened

 

I thought factory spec is the 17.5?
I did not test the floats like that.

 

Do the needle valve seats have an o ring on it? It may be letting gas by. Just a thought.

 

Yes, a metal washer at the topening and a rubber o ring at the tip like the old ones

 

17.5 mm float height is just a place to start nothing more

Setting the fuel levels