Puddle of Fuel coming out of the overflow tube!!!

[kipper]

Any thoughts?

I went to the gas station today and proceeded to fill my bike up. I had the petcock set on reserve and as I pumped the fuel I noticed a puddle forming unde the bike, it was coming out of the overflow tube. I shut the fuel petcock off and contiued filling the bike. After filling the tank I turned the fuel on and fired he bike up t ran fine. I rode about 1/2 mile home and when I got there I turned it off and fuel started dripping from the overflow tube.

I noticed through the fuel filter (clear) as the bike was idling it would suck all the fuel out of the fiter and then refill the filter just before it was about to die.

I am thinking the float may have a hole in it?

What are your thoughts?

TIA,

Kip

 

[nine lives]

Float probably stuck. Remove the bowl and check things out and clean. Doubt you have a hole in the float.

 

[Brew]

Yep just tap the float bowl with a mallet or screw driver handle. This happened to me also...:2thumbs:

 

[KnotSo]

Floats sticking, easy fix.

 

[makithapn]

sometimes if you shut the fuel off and run the bike out of fuel
the float will drop back down,allowing what ever is in it to fall out.
just a quick fix on the road

 

[kipper]

Thanks for the quick reply's. I think I am going to call the dealer in the am and get a new float and needle and seat just to be on the safe side.

 

[nine lives]

 

[kipper]

Well, had a job to do today so I called the dealer and they said they dont normally need to replace floats but he would look around and see if he had one. Well, I didn't hear back from him so I stopped by there after the job. He couldnt find one and was adament that the only things that need to be replaced are the bowl gasket, needle and accelerator pump. I pulled the bowl off and the needle out. I noticed a small piece of trash on the needle shaft (not the seat surface). I removed it and tested the float (the fuel line was still connected) by dumping te fuel out of the bowl and watching the bowl fill and stop filling when the float reached the top. I am at a loss. I fired the bike up and it dripped a few drops from the overflow tube and ran just as it was supposed to, the filter stayed full and it ran perfect. After about 15 minutes and a few trips around the nieghborhood, I let it sit and idle and watched the fuel filter do the same empty out and then fill up while the bike an just fine. When I shut it off, a few dropscame out of the overflow tube and that was it.

Could I have the float adjusted too high? What could it hurt to trim the float down some?

TIA,

Kip

 

[V]

Try the float adjustment, nothing to lose. May be able to look it up on here or S&S website. But somebody will prob just spill it out their brain real quick

 

[kipper]

Yeah good point !! There are soo many knowledgeable folks on here. I would have blown this thing up long ago without them.

 

[kipper]

Puddle of Fuel Round 2, onlyno puddle...

Ok folks, so I get to thinkin and I figure out I set the float too high when I was in the carb last weekend. So I go back and set the float to the correct height and all is well. Until today. I pull the bike out, turn the fuel on and fire the bike up. It spits and sputters and wont start. I check the fuel filter and it has some orange fuel in it... not good looking stuff... Anyway, I also notice there is not much in the filter. So I disconect the output side of the fuel filter and some of the nasty gas trickles out and then the fuel begins to flow through the filter and a good pace and it's nice and clean. I plug the two lines back together and fire the bike up. It runs ine and I take it for a 10 minute ride. All is well the fuel filer stays full of clean fuel.

Any thoughts on what may have caused this??? Also, I opened both fuel caps before I disconnected the filter thinking it may have had a vaccuum hold on it. No difference..

TIA,

Kip

 

[LamboV12]

Hey Kip - I'll chime in and don't know if this will help or not... 06 K9. Same deal, she would take a pee on shutdown. Sometime about a teaspoon, sometimes less, sometimes nothing at all.

Took the float apart several times and still did it. Later changed to Mikuni carb and still did it. So that means not carb, but tank venting. I had an aftermarket flush mount cap, switched back to stock and still leaked gas. Blew on the cap, and it did vent. Then remembered something I read here. Don't know if you have it on 03, but on the right rear of the tank, underneath there is a small screw which is a plug. It's there for CA models that use it to vent to a charcoal canister. I pulled the plug and ran a 90 degree fitting with a small house. Ran the house under the tank and down into swingarm area. What this did is added an "extra" vent. Since then, she has yet to pee on me again. All is good.

With respect to the "orange" not sure what you meant, but the tank liners are either green or orange and the orange ones seem to go bad quickly. I just relined my tank because I was getting small orange chips in the petcock strainer - might be a contributing factor to your problems..

I'd send you photo of vent line, but she is being painted right now..

 

[kipper]

Thanks !! The new line is white. The Orange is something with the fuel, almost like it is a small puddle of old fuel. Sounds weird as hell but it is what it is.

I rode it to the shop today and about three miles down the road it starts running like shit and I pull over after it stalls out. The filter is dry so I disconnect the output side of the filter and the fuel starts to flow through the filter so I connect the two lines and go on my merry way. It is almost like it's getting some air buble in it.