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General Category => Maintenance => Topic started by: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 05:07:36 PM

Title: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 05:07:36 PM
Hey guys, I've got a '92 FJ1200. It's been running rough so today I decided to take off the carbs and clean out the bowls/ jets. I took the assembly off and proceeded to do my cleaning without much of an issue. I put it all back together, hooked them back up, put the tank back on, and figured I'd see how it sounded. I hit the start button, and gas started to leak from the general are of the carbs. I pulled the tank back off and checked everything I could without removing the carbs again, and it all seemed fine. I didn't have time to continue working so I parked it and figured I'd dive into it again tomorrow. I'm really lost as to what it could be. I searched the site but didn't seem to find anyone with the this exact issue. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Josh
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: Travis398 on February 15, 2011, 05:32:10 PM
Assuming you assembled everything correctly I would guess a stuck float. A few taps to the bowls with the back side of a screwdriver usually works.
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 05:47:06 PM
That may be a rather optimistic assumption..lol I'll give that a try. Thanks man
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: andyb on February 15, 2011, 05:50:16 PM
Stuck floats are common as ... common things.

Easy fix.
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: racerman_27410 on February 15, 2011, 06:06:45 PM
92 has a fuel pump.... you did connect the fuel line? (sorry had to ask)

no splits in fuel line?

this is the reason why i like the Uni pod filters.. without the airbox in there it becomes much much easier to service the carbs.(and tap on float bowls  :good2:)


KOokaloo!
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: SlowOldGuy on February 15, 2011, 07:05:06 PM
A few things can cause the leak you describe.  Sometimes after a rebuild, the fuel pump models will leak on the initial filling of the float bowls.  Usually this is fixed by just cycling the key.

It cold also be a stuck float as has already been mentioned.

A third cause is a kink in one of the overflow hoses.  On the fuel pump models, this will pressurize the float bowl and shoot fuel up every circuit into the carb throat and out the air jets into the air filter.  Make sure all the hoses are routed smoothly around to the rear of the motor.

Hopefully it's just an initial filling leak.

DavidR.
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: ribbert on February 15, 2011, 08:00:41 PM
I carry a 12' length of steel rod in my bag at all times to tap the fuel bowl of the offending carby when it starts leaking.  Has worked a treat for the last 35,000k's and takes 30 secs on the side of the road. I will however look at a permanent fix when I o'haul the carbs. The interval between leaking episodes can be 50K's or 5000K's.  A big rev through the gears sometimes works too.

Noel ( '93 )
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: FJmonkey on February 15, 2011, 08:17:04 PM
Quote from: ribbert on February 15, 2011, 08:00:41 PM
I carry a 12' length of steel rod in my bag at all times
Noel ( '93 )
I hope you missed the " for inches and ' for feet character. Other wise we need to see a picture of the bag on your bike that carries a 12 foot rod.....Then again.....maybe we don't..... :bad:
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 08:22:17 PM
No I didn't disconnect the fuel line, I just set the tank on a box next to the bike. I'll also have to check the overflow lines. There's a good chance one could be kinked. I'm hoping it's that or the float. And I HATE that damn air box... it made the whole process 10 times harder. I also noticed that I need new boots connecting the carbs to the airbox, as at least two have some nasty cracks in them. Would that have any adverse effects on how the bike runs?
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: racerman_27410 on February 15, 2011, 08:36:26 PM
Quote from: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 08:22:17 PM

I also noticed that I need new boots connecting the carbs to the airbox, as at least two have some nasty cracks in them. Would that have any adverse effects on how the bike runs?


besides drawing in unfiltered air ?    no.

uni dual pod filters... Randy has'em ...get some and never dread carb work again.   :good2:


Kookaloo!
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 08:39:10 PM
I'll be honest...I'm really new to the site and have no idea who Randy is...lol
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: racerman_27410 on February 15, 2011, 09:47:56 PM
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=69.0 (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=69.0)


KOokaloo!


Frank
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 10:04:32 PM
Oh cool thank you. I've been wondering where to go for parts. Much appreciated man

Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: Kopfjaeger on February 15, 2011, 10:23:43 PM
i hated the airbox till i used the fj files section and just removed the rear subframe. makes life so much easier.
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: kosage5511 on February 15, 2011, 11:14:45 PM
new member, 1st post, go easy.
my 84 would produce a 4" puddle via one of the carb overflow tubes every night.
found problem wasn't needle or seat. the problem was the o-ring seal between the seat and the carb body.
replaced all 4 and not a drip!
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: Klavdy on February 16, 2011, 05:54:06 AM
Quote from: jmt476 on February 15, 2011, 08:39:10 PM
I'll be honest...I'm really new to the site and have no idea who Randy is...lol



That's O.K mate, I have no idea who is randy,,,
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: andyb on February 16, 2011, 07:36:50 AM
Quote from: kosage5511 on February 15, 2011, 11:14:45 PM
new member, 1st post, go easy.
my 84 would produce a 4" puddle via one of the carb overflow tubes every night.
found problem wasn't needle or seat. the problem was the o-ring seal between the seat and the carb body.
replaced all 4 and not a drip!

Extremely common.  Also they're frequently a right bastard to get the seats out, as well.  On my FJ, I had the same issue with those rather than the seal at the needle tip itself.

If you want new orings, the slow one himself says:
QuoteNeedle seat o-rings.  Stock is 7mm ID by 1.5mm X-section, but I use a slightly larger 7.1mm ID by 1.6mm X-section
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: jmt476 on February 16, 2011, 07:24:28 PM
Well...the verdict is in. A simple case of idiot owner.haha I totally forgot to re-connect the fuel line to the pump...when I was asked about the fuel lines I forgot about that one.lol BUT it runs. Unfortunately still kind of cruddy. I feel like it's better though. It still takes forever to warm up (nothing new) but it kind of starts to sputter out when I give it gas but when I give it a lot of gas it acts better. It still backfires and i actually saw flames come out of the muffler once. I took it up the road and again it started off sputtering and then all of a sudden it ran PERFECTLY. More power than i've ever felt from it. That lasted for all of about 3 seconds and then started bogging down again. It went back and forth like that the whole time. All I can think of is that just cleaning the bowls and jets wasn't enough. I guess I'll need to have the carbs completely torn down and cleaned. Thoughts?
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: RichBaker on February 16, 2011, 07:31:36 PM
You are correct.... the only way to get these clean is to use compressed air to blow all the crud out. Blow thru all the passages in the carb body. Blow thru all the jets.
Carbs are one of the reasons I bought a compressor.....
Title: Re: Gas leak...no clue why
Post by: SlowOldGuy on February 16, 2011, 09:18:27 PM
Quote from: jmt476 on February 16, 2011, 07:24:28 PM
All I can think of is that just cleaning the bowls and jets wasn't enough. I guess I'll need to have the carbs completely torn down and cleaned. Thoughts?

The idle circuits are still dirty.  The stumbling you're experiencing sounds a lot like lean idle mixture.  That circuit goes all the way to the mixture screw.  If all you did was clean out the jets and float bowl, you probably missed crud somewhere else in the circuit. 

Best advice is to start over, fully disassemble and clean everything.

DavidR.