Search has done no good.... Carb overflow problem

[blownbayou]

I have a 1984 200es that I have ALWAYS had to change the carb every 2 years (Amazon version)..... Well the other day the bike started running rough and back firing. I pull into the shop and start digging. Not too long after that, I smell the gas and see it leaking out of the overflow tube on the bowl. I pull the carb and open it up. Inspection was clean (some nasty on the bottom of the bowl) and looked alright. I figure why not buy another one. Fast forward to last Saturday.... Install the new Amazon carb and LEAKING OUT THE BOTTOM!!!! My petcock also had a drip when closed I noticed (3/4 tank dripped to 1/8 tank in a week). I ordered a new valve assembly and it is waiting to be put on. Now to the question...... Could a faulty petcock cause your carb to overflow?? I was thinking the floats in the carb control the flow... Is that correct?? Or is there too much fuel dumping in and the floats cannot handle it??? The valve is about 3 years old and it had some crud in the filter. I have to lean towards the valve, but my instinct tell me the floats protect from overflow.

Please shed some light on this!!

Thanks

[Dirtcrasher]

No, the float valve in the carb controls fuel flow, the petcock has nothing to do with it.

I'd try to find an OEM carb, rebuild it, install another inline gas filter and be done with the issues.

99% of carb issues are just dirt and contamination. Which is why I always run a small clear inline filter and I usually tear the OEM filters right out of the tank and rely on the inline ones I can replace ever so often...

[Fullsizechevy9]

I have a 1984 200es that I have ALWAYS had to change the carb every 2 years (Amazon version)..... Well the other day the bike started running rough and back firing. I pull into the shop and start digging. Not too long after that, I smell the gas and see it leaking out of the overflow tube on the bowl. I pull the carb and open it up. Inspection was clean (some nasty on the bottom of the bowl) and looked alright. I figure why not buy another one. Fast forward to last Saturday.... Install the new Amazon carb and LEAKING OUT THE BOTTOM!!!! My petcock also had a drip when closed I noticed (3/4 tank dripped to 1/8 tank in a week). I ordered a new valve assembly and it is waiting to be put on. Now to the question...... Could a faulty petcock cause your carb to overflow?? I was thinking the floats in the carb control the flow... Is that correct?? Or is there too much fuel dumping in and the floats cannot handle it??? The valve is about 3 years old and it had some crud in the filter. I have to lean towards the valve, but my instinct tell me the floats protect from overflow.

Please shed some light on this!!

ThanksValve will not make it overflow your float controls that as it rises to the correct level it shuts the needle valve closing off the flow that being said i have bought cheap carbs off amazon and could never get them to stop overflowing i even tried adjusting the float you could try to bend the little tab if its metal to adjust the float i have had the amazon carbs be set to high and overflow i always hold the carb level and adjust the float to where it is level when it shuts off the flow not to high not to low i put some gas line on the carb and blow through it and push the float until it shuts off my air going through and have it to where the float is about midway when it shuts off the flow hope that makes sense and helps im sure sombody else will have some more advice for you

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[blownbayou]

Dang..... I was thinking if it is a float problem, then a new carb would clear that up. Just find it funny the new carb is doing the same thing as the old one. Guess I need to find an OEM carb and rebuild it.

[shortline10]

When the petcocks go bad the rubber seals turn into bits of crap that cause the float valve to stick open .
Almost every machine that goes threw my shop for carburetor service gets a new petcock for this very reason .
Since you have a new petcock coming pull your old one apart and inspect , I bet you’ll see the wafer seal hard and falling apart .
Wouldn’t hurt to run an in-line fuel filter so it eliminates debris from entering the carburetor .

[blownbayou]

I inspected the petcock and the seal was a brick..... Could it be a piece of trash came from the petcock and lodged into the new carb's float?? Looks like I am pulling the carb apart BEFORE I install the new petcock.

[Fullsizechevy9]

Dang..... I was thinking if it is a float problem, then a new carb would clear that up. Just find it funny the new carb is doing the same thing as the old one. Guess I need to find an OEM carb and rebuild it.Like they said could be trash clean it and try it until you get your stuff you need i would blow through the carb with gas line and slowly close the float and see where it is when it closes off your air flow should be about level if closes off the flow to high that could be your problem i had that problem before with a new amazon carb i adjusted the float level and it was good

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[Fullsizechevy9]

I inspected the petcock and the seal was a brick..... Could it be a piece of trash came from the petcock and lodged into the new carb's float?? Looks like I am pulling the carb apart BEFORE I install the new petcock.I would clean your tank good if you didnt do that before you installed new carb

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[blownbayou]

All GREAT info here!! Thanks for your insight and will try to remember to update.

Thanks

[Fullsizechevy9]

All GREAT info here!! Thanks for your insight and will try to remember to update.

ThanksPlay with it im sure you can figure it out thats best way to learn hands on if you have any questions ask they have some really good knowledgable guys here with ALOT of experiance

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[blownbayou]

Play with it im sure you can figure it out thats best way to learn hands on if you have any questions ask they have some really good knowledgable guys here with ALOT of experiance

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I like the air technique... Will be doing that for sure. I bet the amazon carb is adjusted wrong.

[Fullsizechevy9]

I like the air technique... Will be doing that for sure. I bet the amazon carb is adjusted wrong.Its possible i had one the float was set to high and the fuel would flow out the overflow and wouldnt shut the flow off i took the bowl off left everyrhing else in tact held it level with fuel line on it where the gas goes into the carb i slowly blew into it while slowly pushing the float up to see where it sat when it shut the flow off and i bent the metal tab the needle sits on a very little amount at a time until the float was level when it shut the flow off

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[Fullsizechevy9]

I like the air technique... Will be doing that for sure. I bet the amazon carb is adjusted wrong.The more you play with it the more you learn how everything works no better feeling than being able to diagnose and fix your own stuff and save money this is a great site i havnt found a better site for these trikes some smart guys here like really smart quite a few have been doing this their whole life

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[atc007]

All great info above. Whenever there is a leaky carb. Take a Q tip and put aluminum polish on it, put it in a drill and polish the seat in the carb. That will assure a good clean seat for your needle also.

[83ATC185]

Also make sure the float isn't filling up with gas. Not sure how big of a problem it is with the ebay/amazon carbs but i've had two oem ones that the float would fill with gas and cease to live up to their namesake... just something to watch out for.

[blownbayou]

Update... rummaged through my shed and found the original carb!!!! Please point me in the right direction of which rebuild kit to use.

Thanks again!!!!

[Fullsizechevy9]

Update... rummaged through my shed and found the original carb!!!! Please point me in the right direction of which rebuild kit to use.

Thanks again!!!!Look for a shindy rebuild kit probably cam google it or look on egay

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[Fullsizechevy9]

Look for a shindy rebuild kit probably cam google it or look on egay

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using TapatalkG&h atv may have them now price wise idk who will be the cheapest will have to shop around for the best price but from what i have seen g&h has ok prices on most stuff but like i said usually u can find it a little cheaper somewhere else

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[ps2fixer]

Don't buy the cheapest rebuild kit you can find, the jets will be junk and be the wrong size. Stick with the Shindy or JetsRus kits. You want OEM jets only, no off brand, no "like oem" no "oem replacement", or the simple term these sites should all use "aftermarket".

https://www.jetsrus.com/individual_parts/sh_03_027.html

If you want to go cheaper, replace just the jets and source the other parts where ever. The other option is to clean your existing jets really well, but you likely need seals, and maybe a spring or two if they are rusty at all, so pretty much buy the kit and use what you need, or put it all in the carb for best results. Don't forget you still have to clean the carb body and float bowl really well (blow air through all passages to make sure they are free). An ultra sonic cleaner works pretty well for cleaning the carbs after you manually clean them.

The amazon carbs you get are most likely made in China, so you're getting what you pay for. Whole sale those carbs are probably $5 each, that's about the price of one jet for the OEM carb.

Also, if your machine ever sits for much time, say 1+ months you should prep the machine. Drain the gas, run the float bowl out of gas etc. To avoid this extra step, run ethanol free fuel and don't use the pump gas any more since most places it's E10 (10% ethanol). Around my area E0 gas is about $1 more per gal and 90 octane but it can sit in your tank for a year and not cause problems. The E10 fuel absorbs moisture from the air which will separate the ethanol from the gas (settles in the bottom) and ethanol is corrosive so it rusts out tanks, eats rubber seals, etc. I have a 350x carb the float bowl cap was ate through from E10 gas. FYI, your carb is the lowest spot in the fuel system, all gravity based, so the ethanol builds up in the carb pretty bad.

Problem with E0 gas is finding it. I know of 2 gas stations in my area within 50 miles of me, luckily one is only about 10 miles away, the other is about 25. You can test if fuel is E0, E10, etc by putting a sample of the gas in a measuring container and adding a measured amount of water. E0's separation line is exactly the amount of water you added in, the excess is how much ethanol it has + maybe a tiny bit of water based additives. Here's a video to show the E10 vs E0 home test to make sure what you buy isn't over priced E10. Locally they call it recreational fuel, not sure if that's the norm for everywhere though. It's great stuff to run in pretty much any small engine that has a chance of sitting for a fair length of time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEf9Fdvx_Sc&t=12s

[blownbayou]

I always run 100% fuel in my bike..... Bought the Shindy off of Fleabay for a paltry 17 bucks and change. Will adjust my Chinese carb and use it for an emergency spare. Will update in a few days when I get the kit.

Thanks again to all!!!