Fuel leaking through the bottom, after going down. 1990 FJ1200

[movenon]

"However, the thin hose(on the very right side of your pic) for sure had fuel dripping out."

If that the case the larger hose on the right side should also be leaking fuel.. The carb all the way to the right is your #4 carb. From what you are telling me that is the suspect of your leak. I don't know if I would waste to much time trying to clean your tank. You might cause more problems that want to get into. You might consider putting a new fuel filter in.
I am thinking your # 4 carb needle has stuck open or float is holding it open and is leaking. If its leaking try the tapping trick on the #4 carb bowl after you get gas in it.

Now not to confuse things. When there is no power on the bike your fuel pump should prevent fuel flow down to the carbs and if it is leaking then the check valve inside the fuel pump has a problem.

With the engine OFF if you remove the fuel line from the pump going to your carbs only a small amount of fuel should come out and then stop.

The fuel pump shut off is a safety feature. If it wasn't there or didn't work then the only thing stopping fuel from dumping into your carbs and engine is the needle and seats in the carbs. If the the needle and seat fails / stuck float then you get unrestricted fuel flow into the carbs and engine as you are probably experiencing.

Try to tap the #4 carb bowl and get it to stop leaking. Then there is nothing lost buy tapping on the front of the fuel pump to see if you can get it to seal.
The valve inside the fuel pump is a small spring loaded disk and could get stuck or cocked. When we say tap, that doesn't mean beat the crap out of it, just tap in a vibrating rhythm. As was suggested in the past a small steel rod is nice for this.

And no you can't go in and fix the shut off valve in the fuel pump, it's in a crimped sealed unit. Once inside you would probably never get it back together.

First thing is to get the carb from leaking. When that happens then until you are convinced the fuel pump is working properly, each time you park the bike I would recommend that you manually turn the fuel off at the petcock. Other wise you risk a needle and seat failer again causing the problem you have currently.  Not to mention a fire hazard. Or if your bike is out in a parking lot leaking 5 gallons of gas on the ground and some tree hugger calls the hazardous response folks / fire dept  and they kindly hand you a bill for there services after they clean up the fuel.  Stranger things have happened..
George

[red]

and another thing. is it alright to use the seafoam? because i read in the owner's manual to not add any additives, as it may cause clutch slippage. and if so, where do i put it in? in the tank, into the oil filler?

itsdrock,

The Seafoam additive is only for the fuel, either in the tank or in a separate (temporary) fuel can, with a gravity-feed line into the carbs.  Seafoam may save you from having the carbs dis-assembled, if the problem there is just a gummed-up needle-and-seat.  Let the fuel-and-Seafoam mixture flow into the bad carb for a while, shut off the fuel, then let everything sit overnight.  If that stuff does not get the float and needle-and-seat working again, you will need to get the carb cleaned (inside) by hand.  In the morning, let the fuel flow again, and tap on the bad carb for a bit.  Hopefully, the needle-and-seat will break loose (if it was stuck) and the float will work normally again, shutting off the fuel that had been leaking through the carb.  As a new owner, carb repairs are what you do when all else has failed.  Maybe you will want to have the carb repair work done by an experienced tech, one who can balance the carbs after the job is done.  I'm just trying to keep things as simple (and cheap) as possible for you, by saying to try the Seafoam first.

Oil additives may or may not cause the clutch to slip, but that does not apply here.  Use only normal oils (petroleum or synthetic), to the owners' manual specs, in the FJ.

Cheers,
Red

[itsdrock]

i took a very close look at those hoses. tried running some fuel trough to the carbs without starting the engine. i turned the switch to ON with the petcock on, and i heard the pump make it's usually noise for about 2 seconds. and as soon as i turned it to ON, i could see fuel dripping out of that thin hose as i said before. Then i i tried with the valve off, same thing, same hose. I even tried by disconnecting the fuel line from the petcock. and still when i turned the key i could see little drips coming out and stop once i turn the switch to off.
I could for sure see that none of the thicker hoses were leaking. ONLY the thin hose on the very right side, on the right of carb 4, was leaking.
Is there anyway to drain out the fuel that's already in the carbs? i tried tapping on the 4th carb on the bottom as you guys have said, but it's kind of awkward because there's not a whole lot of room in there and i'm not sure if it worked.
Also, this might sound dumb but i can't get the cartridge out of the oil filter casing. I kept trying to loosen it with the nut, but the cartridge inside won't come out. Is there a special step you take to get it out, am i missing something?

[movenon]

OK, I will assume the leak is coming from the #4 carb. At the moment I can not tell you why it is leaking from the choke vent hose and not from the bowl overflow hose also. Perhaps someone else can add some information on that.

On the bottom of the bowl, facing to the outside there is a brass screw.
Turn the fuel off at the petcock and remove that screw this will drain the fuel in that carb. and allow the float to fall.
As it is draining out give the bowl a tap or two.
After draining reinstall the brass screw and turn the gas back on.
Turn the fuel pump back on and see if it holds fuel.

Here is a link for you to study. It is for rebuilding the carbs and will help you understand what's inside the carbs. I recommend you give it a few reads as if you were doing a rebuild.
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=4281.0

I have a question and I don't know it has anything to do with your problem but I will ask you to please check it anyhow.

With the seat off, look down to the front side of your carbs (engine side). Look for the rod that pulls the choke pistons (work the choke).
There is a horizontal rod that connects all the carbs choke pistons. Look at the pistons.... Are they all in the same postion ? Pay particular to the #4 choke piston.
Here is a picture, the rod you see disconnected on the bench is the choke activation rod. On the carbs up at the top side you can see 4 black shinny boots with a brass stem coming out. Those are your choke pistons. They should be all in the same position. Choke off they are all in, choke on the are all out.
Is yours all in the same position ?


Ref the oil filter:
The paper oil filter should just pull out. As you are new to the FJ..... Before you reinstall the oil filter housing take a bit of time and locate a wire that runs up between the filter housing and the engine. This is important, make sure when you reinstall the housing that the wire doesn't get pinched under the housing.
If you look at the wire closely you might even see where it has been pinched in the past....
If that wire (actually it 2 wires) get caught under the housing you will have a very large oil leak and if the wire gets shorted to ground your bike might not start... The wire comes from the side stand safety switch.

For all the members that know more than I (and that's most) please forgive any errors in terminology. Takes a page of information to explain what is done in a few minutes.    
George

[Pat Conlon]

In my experience, leaking from the choke vent hose was caused by a leaking o ring on the float needle seat.

Only way to fix it is to pull the carbs.

[racerrad8]

It is leaking out of the choke vent tube because the needle seat is not sealing or the o-ring is bad. Based on the crash, I would say the needle is either stuck or debris is stuck in the needle & seat.

Drain the fuel bowls by the phillips head screw located on the bottom of the fuel bowls, you access the drain screws by removing the side panels and loosen the screws until they drain.

Once they are drained, bang on the top of the carbs with your fist to try and dislodge the debris.

Cycle the fuel pump a couple of times with the drain open to try and flush the debris. Bang on the top of the carbs while the fuel pump cycles. You should cycle the key several times while doing this to try and get the debris out.

Close the bowl drain screws and fill the fuel bowls by cycling the key when the pump stops clicking. Once the carbs fill up the fuel pump will stop clicking.

If the fuel continues to leak from the offending carb, you will have to remove them and take that bowl off for further investigation.

Just a note, the carb located on the far right side of the bike looking at it from the seated position is the #1 carb/cylinder.

FJmonkey, looks like he is about 50 miles from you, maybe you guys can get together and he can help you out.

Randy - RPM

[Bones]

Just a note, the carb located on the far right side of the bike looking at it from the seated position is the #1 carb/cylinder.

.

So no 1 cylinder is on the clutch side. Mmmm.... I always thought it was on the stator side. We'll there you go, learning all the time.

[movenon]

It is leaking out of the choke vent tube because the needle seat is not sealing or the o-ring is bad. Based on the crash, I would say the needle is either stuck or debris is stuck in the needle & seat.

Drain the fuel bowls by the phillips head screw located on the bottom of the fuel bowls, you access the drain screws by removing the side panels and loosen the screws until they drain.

Once they are drained, bang on the top of the carbs with your fist to try and dislodge the debris.

Cycle the fuel pump a couple of times with the drain open to try and flush the debris. Bang on the top of the carbs while the fuel pump cycles. You should cycle the key several times while doing this to try and get the debris out.

Close the bowl drain screws and fill the fuel bowls by cycling the key when the pump stops clicking. Once the carbs fill up the fuel pump will stop clicking.

If the fuel continues to leak from the offending carb, you will have to remove them and take that bowl off for further investigation.

Just a note, the carb located on the far right side of the bike looking at it from the seated position is the #1 carb/cylinder.

FJmonkey, looks like he is about 50 miles from you, maybe you guys can get together and he can help you out.

Randy - RPM

Thanks Randy Wouldn't gas also drain from the larger overflow hoses ?  Thanks for the correction on the carb / cylinder #    
George

[racerrad8]

So no 1 cylinder is on the
clutch side. Mmmm.... I always thought it was on the stator side. We'll there you go, learning all the time.

No, there I go again...mixing up the bike & car. In the race car, the right cylinder is in the front so we call it #1.

But, in the bike it is the left cylinder, the stator side.

Guess, what I worked on all day...

Sorry for the confusion.

Randy - RPM

[Pat Conlon]

You crack me up....I was freaking out there for a minute....whew.

[FJmonkey]

itsdrock, PM sent.

[itsdrock]

Hey everyone!! Got my bike up and running with no fuel leaking. FJMonkey came over and helped me out a lot. He gave me valuable knowledge about carbs in general, and what i should do later on, should this happen again. I drained the float bowls and flushed it out. Seems like i got out whatever gunk that was stuck in there. Connected the fuel line checked for any leaks, none to be seen. Started up with no problems, and still not leaking after warming up. Battery's dead though, so i'm gonna charge it overnight. FJMonkey synced all my carbs for me, now she seems to be running like a champ. It's gonna need a new fuel filter in the near future, aside from that everything seems to be in place. 
Also, me and FJMonkey mounted the Renntec engine bars, and i must say, what a sight. Looks great, seems real solid; gonna provide a lot of protection and piece of mind. Shout out to RPM for the bars.
Thanks to everyone for all the valuable advice, and FJMonkey for coming all the way out here to help. I would've been lost without you guys. I feel great to be a part of this community.

[movenon]

Hey everyone!! Got my bike up and running with no fuel leaking. FJMonkey came over and helped me out a lot. He gave me valuable knowledge about carbs in general, and what i should do later on, should this happen again. I drained the float bowls and flushed it out. Seems like i got out whatever gunk that was stuck in there. Connected the fuel line checked for any leaks, none to be seen. Started up with no problems, and still not leaking after warming up. Battery's dead though, so i'm gonna charge it overnight. FJMonkey synced all my carbs for me, now she seems to be running like a champ. It's gonna need a new fuel filter in the near future, aside from that everything seems to be in place. 
Also, me and FJMonkey mounted the Renntec engine bars, and i must say, what a sight. Looks great, seems real solid; gonna provide a lot of protection and piece of mind. Shout out to RPM for the bars.
Thanks to everyone for all the valuable advice, and FJMonkey for coming all the way out here to help. I would've been lost without you guys. I feel great to be a part of this community.

That's great news ! Marks the man   
George

[FJmonkey]

He sure looks like one happy FJ owner. It was nice to meet a new and enthusiastic member and put things better on the FJ. Remember to get your throttle cable issue worked out, that is a safety issue. The rest of you bike looks solid and the bars from Randy are a nice addition. I need to ask Santa for a set.

[simi_ed]

Thanks to everyone for all the valuable advice, and FJMonkey for coming all the way out here to help. I would've been lost without you guys. I feel great to be a part of this community.

That's great news ! Marks the man   
George

Mark, you're a good Egg!