Puddle of gas under bike?

[Romeo]

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I guess it's got something to do with the float bowls, because I hear that word all the time ;S.

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<div style="padding:10px; background: pink">WARNING: Complete NOOB</div>

OK,

So the old man said my bike was blowing what looked and smelled like fuel/air mixture out the bottom of my bike - from one of the overflow looking tubes. Visible puffs of white mixture comming from under it when it's running. I parked it up tonight and in my haste forgot to turn off the petcock. I came back a few hours later and there was a puddle of gas under my bike about the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

Something tells me this isn't normal? I kind of don't like the idea of having gas squirted over my rear tire when I'm riding either.


Can someone explain the problem to me?<br/>

[Pwalo]

You probably just need to turn your fuel tap off when you park your bike.

It sounds like you have petrol leaking from your carbs (I vaguely remember those things).

That's the trouble with those older Hondas. They can become incontinent.

[Grub]

In a bike that old, it sounds like fuel leaks into the bowl of the carb. That can be cause by several things but the most common are
- a pin hole in the float. This makes the float sink which lets in fuel as it is continually trying to 'fill' the bowl.

- the float valve is past its use-by date. It is worn and/or has a failed seal/seat. That would let gas drible into the bowl slowly.

The idea is that the carb bowl fills with enough gas to do the job, the float rises with the level in the bowl. When there's enough, there is a valve on the top of the float that then seats and closes off any more gas getting in.

Good old Wiki has a full explanation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carburetor)

[Ocean1]

Yup, drop the float bowl and pull the needle valve out. Will likely have a rubber tip (viton) but maybe not, either way if there's visible deformation replace it.

The visible white gas is more of a worry. Unlikely to be the same source as the fuel leak. Trace the hose it's coming from, likely to be crankcase breather. If that's the case, and the vapour is still obvious when the bike's warmed up then you may have damaged rings.

[Weaver]

<!--

I guess it's got something to do with the float bowls, because I hear that word all the time ;S.

-->
<div style="padding:10px; background: pink">WARNING: Complete NOOB</div>

OK,

So the old man said my bike was blowing what looked and smelled like fuel/air mixture out the bottom of my bike - from one of the overflow looking tubes. Visible puffs of white mixture comming from under it when it's running. I parked it up tonight and in my haste forgot to turn off the petcock. I came back a few hours later and there was a puddle of gas under my bike about the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

Something tells me this isn't normal? I kind of don't like the idea of having gas squirted over my rear tire when I'm riding either.


Can someone explain the problem to me?<br/>


What was the out come of all this. My CB200 does this from the right carb only. I've pulled the float valve out and it looks to be in reasonable condition. I don't believe there is a hole in the floats. One would be able to feel the fuel inside them. I have fiddled with the float levels in a hope that it would stop this. May have to try lapping it in then.

Could you fail a warrent on this? You know, having fuel leaking out?

[aff-man]

it's probably the float...

Old bikes tend to have sticky floats looks for corrosion on the carb body (inside, once opened a carb to find it full of white ahit (ally oxide I presume)). As well as the pin which holds the float and check the pin as stated above.

As with a few bikes i've know sounds as if the float is catching. Is it running rich? if so then the float is jammed.