Rebuilding carbs - O-rings only or full kit?

[Anonymous]

Brand new 84 GS1100G, 2400 original miles (been sitting in garage for 19 years!), previous owner (second owner) had tank boiled, carbs rebuilt, all fluids flushed and lines cleaned out, put 100 miles on it, then it sat in his garage for another 8 months before I bought it. Of course, gas is leaking once again into #1 cylinder. Should I:

A. Completely rebuild the carbs with new jets, needles, etc.?

or

B. Just replace the O-rings and give the carbs a thorough cleaning?

Yes, I know the petcock needs to be replaced as well, but can I get away with a $12 carb rebuild as opposed to a $112 one?

Thx - KBJ

[HiSPL]

Just the o-rings will be fine. However, if gas is leaking into #1 it means you need a new float needle. That is whats supposed to keep the gas from flowing.

[Anonymous]

Just the o-rings will be fine. However, if gas is leaking into #1 it means you need a new float needle. That is whats supposed to keep the gas from flowing.

So then, one carb kit and 4 sets of O-rings should do it, yes?

Another question -- I'd like to keep everything original. A Pingel would solve the petcock issue, but it's definitely not original equipment. Can the OEM petcock be modded to work better, or are the only solutions replace or rebuild? A search here doesn't reveal an answer other than cutting the tab under the lever to create an OFF position -- that's a band-aid solution IMHO.

KBJ

[HiSPL]

There's really no need to get the whole carb kit. You can call www.carbparts.com to get just the float needle, or any other parts that look questionable. This is much cheaper than going with the carb kits when you just need one or two parts.

As far as the petcaock is concerned.... I have modified mine to work as a manual valve with positions for on, res, and off (prime). What I did was remove everything inside the petcock except for the "barrel" that actually routes the fuel to the proper places. I used JB Weld to fill the hole on the barrel that is used for prime. It is smaller than the "main" hole, and if you play with it a little while its apart you can see how it works. What this does is blocks the passage of fuel whenever the selector is in "prime" position. This allows fuel to flow freely while in the on or reserve positions.

Also you'll have to use permatex or other gasket goo to put the back part of the petcock back on. It used the diaphragm as it's gasket before, but since thats been removed you have to improvise. You should cap off the old vacuum ports on the no.2 carb and on the petcock. Make sure the cap on the petcock is tight and fuel resistant or you could have a nice funnel of gas draining on your engine 8O . I just put more JB Weld in the petcock's vacuum port to seal it.

HTH,
-=Tim=-

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Just a suggestion. I doubt you need to replace a float valve with only 2,400 miles on it. More likely a bit of dirt in the seat or a hardened o-ring for the seat, or a sticking float pin from non-use is causing the fuel leak.
After all those years, any o-rings should be replaced. Hopefully, your diaphragms will be OK.