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Message started by srdugan on 07/19/09 at 19:58:50

Title: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/19/09 at 19:58:50

I am experiencing an occasional gas leak on my '86 Savage from a tube protruding from above my carb, just above the choke as seen in the pic. I had assumed this was a breather tube for the fuel delivery system, but I am unable to locate it specifically mentioned in the Clymers manual.

When I have trouble, the bike begins to sputter at idle and spit -pour- fuel out that tube. I can throttle through it, usually, and if I'm riding it doesn't appear to be leaking.

Anyone else ever have this issue? I thought the first time maybe I over filled the tank and filled the breather tube, but I ran through a tank of gas (toward the end of which, it didn't behave this way) and when I refilled I was careful not to fill it as full as the prior tank, but still experienced the same. :-/
http://www.emmanuelfellowship.com/videos/Tube.jpg

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by Savage_Amusement on 07/19/09 at 21:03:19

That should be pointing up and inside the frame opening just above the top of the carb. There are one of those tubes on each side.

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by serenity3743 on 07/20/09 at 10:15:13

They are called vent tubes and should run horizontal along the frame underneath the seat.

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by Serowbot on 07/20/09 at 10:26:59

What they said,... It's a vent tube. The end of it should be higher than the float level in the carb, pointed up,... it attaches to nothing...
If your bike is running crappy at the time you see it leaking, you may have a stuck float, or clogged float needle seat in your carb...
Or,... it could be a leaky petcock vacuum diaphragm... very common problem with this bike. To test,... clamp off or block the vacuum line running from the backside of the petcock to the right side of the carb, it usually has a chrome spring cover,... then switch the petcock lever to prime. If you ride like that with no problems, it's your petcock that's bad... If there's any gas in that line, you know right away that it is the problem. Should have no gas in it at all..
Also,... when running on prime,.. you will have no reserve, so don't run out of gas...

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by PhilM on 07/20/09 at 10:58:59

Does it happen when you first start the bike after its been sitting for a while?

It sounds like the same problem I've had a couple of times. Mine was caused by the floats in the carb bowl that were sticking and not rising up and closing the valve properly, and so the gas kept flowing.

You can easily remove the bowl off the bottom of the carb and take a look at the floats. Just doing this fixed it the first time for me :-?, but it came back soon after and I ended up taking the carb off, removing the top cover and giving it all a good cleanup. No problems since then.

I've put an inline filter in the gas supply from the petcock now to hopefully catch any more crap heading for my nice clean carb.

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/25/09 at 11:42:17

Thanks for the help. I relocated the tubes along the frame under the edge of my seat, seemed to help initially, but it came back. I'm guessing it's the stuck float you mentioned, PhilM, because it's so random - but only at idle.

I have never torn apart a carburetor before... :-/ is it newbie doable? Or is it worth it to take it to someone who knows what they're doing? What should it reasonably cost to have someone do it?

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by bill67 on 07/25/09 at 12:26:42

Did you try Sea Foam in it,I would try that first before taking it a part.

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/25/09 at 12:50:42

Haven't yet, but I can. S'pose I can try the simpler solutions (no pun intended) first.

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/25/09 at 18:43:30

I tried the Sea Foam...after reading a plethora of posts for and against it...I added about 3 capfulls to the gas tank which was about 1/4 full - a little more concentrated than the 1oz per gallon that it suggests. I gotta say, I noticed almost an instant effect on the engine idle.

I then took it out for a 5-10 minute ride, got up to highway speeds, turned around and came home. Seemed to be running smoother. I got back in my garage and let it idle all by itself - which I could not do before cuz it would kill. Didn't even have to blip the throttle. Not only that, I was able to roll back the idle screw and reduce the rpm considerably without it killing. And all the while, no gas out the vent tubes!

I did all this before I added new gas, so it was only a result of the Sea Foam. Granted, the vent tube issue has been a bit erratic, so perhaps it was just coincidence...but the idle issue is no coincidence, which leads me to believe - contrary to many opinions on the forum - the foam does SOMETHING.

I'll keep y'all posted

Thanks Bill67 for the suggestion!! :)

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/26/09 at 03:41:01

Not only that, I was able to roll back the idle screw and reduce the rpm considerably without it killing.

Remember, the idle speed isnt just to keep it running. Its to keep the cam oiled. Too low an idle speed will kill the heads cam journals. They are just aluminum.

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by bill67 on 07/26/09 at 07:27:29

Sea Foam must sell good here,Last year wal mart had it for $6.50 this year $8.70

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/26/09 at 19:45:17

Yeah, it was about $9 here in Omaha too. But BOY has it made a difference! Rode a bit today: great idle, smoother throttle, less backfire and NO GAS OUT THE VENT TUBES!! ::) I couldn't be happier!

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by FreeSpirit on 07/26/09 at 21:21:18

I believe seafoam works,from what I read here on the forum,and from magazines,etc.

But why does it work?
What exactly dose it do?

Does it just clean things up? :-/

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by savagedml on 07/26/09 at 21:33:26

I hear it's MAGIC! :-?

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by FreeSpirit on 07/26/09 at 22:19:22

7970717C6E6E7469786F1D0 wrote:

I hear it's MAGIC! :-?

There's a whole lot of people that believe in it for sure!
Seems like I read it's been around since the 40's,or maybe before then. :-/
I'm definitely going to get some. ;) :)

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by savagedml on 07/26/09 at 22:35:16

I'm not getting any tonight, but I hope to get some in the near future. ;)

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by serenity3743 on 07/27/09 at 08:55:20

I wish I could get some after this many years of marriage. Wait, maybe ya'll are still talking about SeaFoam. ;D

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/28/09 at 10:35:27

OK, update...
Filled up my bike yesterday, added 1oz/gallon of sea foam. Ran great for about a half hour ride on the interstate. Then parked it for the night.

this morning, back to same ole gas-out-the-vent-tube-at-idle issue...
still seems to run smoother at road speeds, but sticky float (?) evidently still an issue... :'(

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/28/09 at 10:37:18

AND NOW MY SMILEY'S NOT WORKIN'...ANYTHING ELSE?!?!

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by FreeSpirit on 07/28/09 at 11:07:13

I'll give you something to read...while youre searching for the answer. ;)
There may be something helpful here,maybe not,but its good info.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/sea-foam/

(And...ignore the 2 posts before yours :-? :)

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 07/28/09 at 11:34:38

Thanks FreeSpirit, I appreciate the article!

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by FreeSpirit on 07/30/09 at 11:46:34

Let us know how your bike does!

If you've gotten the problem fixed ...or not. :)

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by Oldfeller on 07/30/09 at 12:06:36

SeaFoam supposedly has its roots in the marine industry where users used it to clean up carburetors from one season's storeage to the next.

It then got popular with truck drivers and other working stiffs who just needed to get their stuff running again without spending time working on it.

Farmers (occasional use farm equipment) are big users of SeaFoam as well. Farmers are also big internet equipment based E-group types, just like we are -- they share tips and tricks on their combines and tractors and stuff to a very large degree. All farmers are mechanics !!

Motorcycle guys picked up on it and it works well for older multi-carb bikes as a way to avoid the "rebuilding/rebalancing" monster for as long as possible.

You CAN put in too much Seafoam and get various flavors of plug fouling related issues (I have done this and speak from first hand knowledge) as Sea Foam has various petroleum distillates in it (read this as light oils). Too much and you are running a two strokish gas mix of oils & stuff that can foul a four cycle bike's colder plug.

People that claim SeaFoam ate their rubber carb parts likely had aged out rubber crap to begin with and all the SeaFoam really did was clean the crap off the outsides of the corroded and split rubber parts. Too many folks have used it correctly and successfully for me to doubt it.

Read the bottle, put in the correct amount. It does help!

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 08/06/09 at 19:03:16

Ok, update...

After all this, figured it was a stuck float due to carb gunk. Sea foam seemed to help initially, then got sticky again and spittin' gas out vent tubes. But only at idle.

Friend of mine invited me on a Sat am cruise with a group of Harleys. I figured, maybe it would burn out some of the gunk to go for a couple hour cruise at highway speeds and since it only spits at idle, cruising should be fine, right?

Wrong.

After only 65 miles I was into my reserve and once in the reserve it started to spit gas at highway speed. Ran bone dry 10 feet from gas station pump :o

Friend and broke off of group and returned home. Next day, I was telling some friends at church, and a guy says, "well your carb bowl has a drain plug. Just flush some gas through it and knock the crap out...here give me your key, I'll go do it for ya."

:-?

He did it. It has been running great all week. I added a couple more ounces of sea foam with tank fill today. I'll Keep checking mileage to see if there's any improvement. Any other suggestions for better gas mileage?

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by Bryan on 08/18/09 at 20:41:11

I've got the same exact problem, but I hadn't seen your post (guess I should've searched "gas leak" instead of "fuel leak" :D ).

I tried the same thing with Sea Foam. It worked for a bit, but the problem came back.

2C2D3B2A383E315F0 wrote:

Next day, I was telling some friends at church, and a guy says, "well your carb bowl has a drain plug. Just flush some gas through it and knock the crap out...here give me your key, I'll go do it for ya."

:-?

He did it. It has been running great all week.

So what exactly did he do, other than remove the drain plug?

How's your bike running now? Has the problem returned? I'm doing everything in my power not to have to take the carburetor apart right now. Someday, yeah, but I've got enough on my plate at the moment...

Title: Re: Gas Leak
Post by srdugan on 08/19/09 at 10:23:08

He didn't "do" anything really, just removed the plug and let the gas flush through the carb (maybe put the petcock on "prime" position??) and hopefully carry with it some of the gunk.

Ran great for a week. After next fill and foam treatment it stuck a little again, but much less than other times. After a short ride it quit. Perhaps each time it's foamed it clears out a bit more (??). Next time it sticks, I'll try flushing thru the drain plug again.

It can't be my imagination that it's sticking/leaking less, cuz it's reflected in my gas mileage - just checked today and I'm back up to 46mpg. Would like to see better than that still, but this is much better than it was! I'm sure a full carb cleaning would improve it greatly but, i don't have time right now for full dismantle/cleaning either.