Fuel in Carb Float

[cwccartier]

So I took the carbs off of my 425 for a cleaning and noticed one of the floats has some fluid inside of it. After doing an initial ebay search it looks like a new one will run about 15-30$. I was thinking about repairing it. Find the leak and solder over it. Anyone have experience with a repair like this? Will the extra solder affect the floats performance drastically?

Also are these mikuni carb float fairly generic or are they specific to the carb model?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

What year? CV or VM carbs? I'll bet they're CV carbs. Check the part number cross-reference to see how common they are across models.

Sure, they can be repaired if you're good with solder. It won't affect the performance. You might want to pick up one or two extra just in case. Also check the parts wanted and parts for sale sections here.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Steve]

I have done it successfully.

Took a couple of trys to get all the 'bugs' resolved, but it worked.

Make sure your floats are impeccably CLEAN around the hole.

If you can't find the hole, heat the float with a heat gun or small flame, but have a fire extinguisher handy if you use the flame. As the air heats up inside the float, it will make a little blowtorch out the hole. Keep it warm and pressurized until you are POSITIVE that all the fuel is out of there, then let it cool. An ice cube on each side of the float will help cool it. Re-clean the area around the hole, spply a little bit of flux. Use a soldering iron to heat the hole, apply your solder.

NOTE: if you spend too much time heating the float to solder the hole, you will pressurize the air inside again. When you seal the hole and the air cools off, it will collapse. Heat the work area as quickly as you can. Again, keeping one side of the float on ice will help stabilize the temperature.

.

[cwccartier]

I believe the model number is BS34SS but I can't find any identifying mark or serial number on the carb housing.

[chuck hahn]

For the best result its easier to unsolder the two halves, clean them really good and redo the entire seam. I used to have a small butane pen torch that worked well for redoing the seams. I will see if i can find a picture of it and post.

[chuck hahn]

This isnt the exact one i had but you get the idea. They are cheap, easy to hold and refillable. Oh and if youve ever sweated copper pipe then this is just like that except one factor..the floats are thin so be easy on the heat. Get them just hot enough for the solder to flow and work the torch back and forth to draw the solder around the seam.