Leaking Carb

[Anonymous]

Nothing similar found in archves ....83 GS550L twin carbs. 8500 miles initial problem was eratic idle and only running on 3 cylingers cleaned and rebuilt carbs some time ago but just recently reassembled everything. now leaking fuel from around the "pipe" - fuel crossover?-between carbs. floats not adjusted when clening done. noticed "pipe" spins freely. no o rings or the like offerd at the time new jets and gasgets purchased and did not remove any. This was running before service - found stuck slides and clogged jets. any clues or is it time to start over? apreciate any help you could offer.
Thanks

[tfb]

Sounds to me like you need new O-rings for the fuel pipe/ T-piece that feeds into the carbs. You might also have a split where there fuel hose pushes onto the T-piece, but it really does sound like the O-rings.

The annoying thing is, I'm sure you'll have to pull out the carbies, to separate them to remove the T-piece and change the O-rings... :x

Mike.

[Anonymous]

tfb - thanks for the info. at lest now I can justify trying some of the tricks I've read on dealing with the install of the boots. Maby get my time down to a couple hours each LOL

[tfb]

One trick to easing the carbies out of old, hardened inlet manifolds and airbox boots, is to heat them with an electric heat gun (not a hair drier, which has greater ignition risks; use a heat gun with a brushless, ie. magnetic induction motor, therefore no sparks) to soften the rubber.

In any case, you will definitely want to play it safe and remove the fuel tank out of the way, drain the fuel from the carbies, etc.

Either that, or do it all on a warm day, or in a heated garage. A bit of warmth makes a lot of difference.

Whenever I have removed carbies from these older inline-4 jap bikes (a few times now) I have also bent up special tools from 1/8" rod or something like that (with sharp edges filed and sanded off) to poke and prod the manifolds into doing what you want them to do, as you ease things out.

Mike.

[Anonymous]

I don't know what kind of carburetor you have so am not sure which type of fuel pipe you have. Is it the type that is cast aluminum with o-rings? If not, then it is likely an aluminum pipe clad with rubber type material with ridges to keep it snug and the fuel in. If it is the latter, go to Walmart or Autozone and buy some "Liquid Electrical Tape". This stuff comes in a small can with a brush in the lid. It is liquid rubber that is not affected by gas. Stir it good. Stir it good again. Then brush some on the ends in a couple thin coats. After drying, wrap the ends in teflon tape. The Liquid Electrical Tape is used for building up the worn surface and the teflon tape for sealing. Use about 8" of tape and double it over so it is about 1/4" wide when wound. It will fit very snug into the opens but it compresses. This will cure your leaking problems. The alternative is to find NOS fuel pipes and this can be a chore.

[Anonymous]

I have pretty much the same issue on my GS1100 carbs. The aluminum crossover pipe spins freely and back and forth. So when I turn on the fuel, it keeps overflowing there and dripping down. I was thinking of yanking the carbs off and letting them dry abit and cleaning them off. Then apply either JB Weld to the space around the hole, or some good strong resistant Epoxy. Otherwise if I let the bowls fill with gas, then turn off the petcock it runs sweet. I'm still looking for a good set of carbs for it.