[Johnybravo]

Hello, new to the forum here and just bought a gently used VTX1300C six months ago. It's been in storage for a little over a month now. Bike had been running perfectly until today when I went out to crank it up. It started normally and then fuel began to pump out of the black rubber hose next to the aircleaner adapter housing. The black hose in question is just above the small stainless steel screen mesh filter and idle adjust knob. This is obviously an aftermarket aircleaner setup, so the manual is no good to me here. Does anyone recognize this airfilter setup, this hose and where it comes from and why it might be leaking fuel? The engine quit and I do believe it is now flooded. Stuck carb float maybe?

Thanks folks!

 

[Hiramsaint]

That's an overflow for the bowl which really isn't a bowl because it's on top. I believe it relieves air pressure as the rubber piece raises and lowers-not sure on that one though. There is also no float. Take the top off of the carb-4 screws- and see if the rubber diaphragm is torn. It's an issue that has been happening due to crappy gas and the age of the bike. There's a spring under there but the cover shouldn't fly off.

 

[chris112166]

hmmm well there goes my thought i was gunna say stuck float(open) causing a surplus of gas to come out the carb no matter the throttle position haha and the bowl is the bottom of the carb(where that screw is right behind the hose in the pic) and your float is the plastic "balloons" inside of the bowl
Hiramsaint not trying to shut you down just informing Jonnybravo of the pieces of the carb

 

[Hiramsaint]

There is a bowl on the bottom and that screw drains it but it's not a float and bowl set up. The hose in question goes to the top of the carb. I believe it allows air to escape as the diaphragm raises. There really shouldn't be any fuel up there unless the rubber diaphragm is torn. I'm no carb guru but there are plenty on here who know far more that I do. Hopefully, they'll be helping you out shortly.

 

[chris112166]

ahhh thats what that hose is for haha

 

[exharleydude]

ahhh thats what that hose is for haha

TWSS ( hopefully without the ha ha's )

 

[cbm105]

Can't make out what kind of Air breather set up you have, but it likely should not have any connection to fuel coming out that hose. If you could get a more frontal photo viiew of the Air Breather set up might be able to ID it. It is definitively an after marker type with the filter on the Crankcase vent hose, etc.

 

[Vinish]

The VTX1300carb has a float chamber (aka a “bowl”), a float, a float valve, etc. - likemost carbs do. Consider that page 5.8 of the service manual section oncarb disassembly mentions the “float chamber” and “Remove float pin, float, andfloat valve. Check the float for damage.” Yep, the VTX carb has a float and a bowl.

The rubber hosein question is an air vent to the diaphragm chamber portion and it issurprising to have fuel come out of this. A badly damaged diaphragm could be a culprit for the fuel leak.

 

[IndyX]

Yes carb has float, see pics.
http://www.vtxcafe.com/showthread.php/79735-Pictures-of-a-1300-carb

You said bike has been sitting did you leave the petcock on while it was sitting?
Bad petcock will allow fuel to flow without vacuum.
Check your oil make sure it isn't smelling like gas.

 

[Johnybravo]

Thanks folks, yes, I found an exploded view online of the carburetor last night and it definitely has floats. The diaphragm, as mentioned, is most likely the culprit here.

 

[Johnybravo]

Yes carb has float, see pics.
http://www.vtxcafe.com/showthread.php/79735-Pictures-of-a-1300-carb

You said bike has been sitting did you leave the petcock on while it was sitting?
Bad petcock will allow fuel to flow without vacuum.
Check your oil make sure it isn't smelling like gas.

Yes, fuel petcock was left in the normal position so it might also be flooded due to a bad petcock. Will explore that aspect first by shutting off the fuel and seeing if it will clear out. Thanks for all the good assistance here!

 

[SPARKY5151]

Leave the petcock on (open) and with the engine off remove the fuel line (larger diameter line) on the bottom of the petcock, have a rag ready to catch any gas in the line, if fuel continues to flow for more than a few seconds then you have a bad petcock (probably a torn petcock diaphragm) if so shut off the petcock and fuel flow should stop.

 

[Johnybravo]

Leave the petcock on (open) and with the engine off remove the fuel line (larger diameter line) on the bottom of the petcock, have a rag ready to catch any gas in the line, if fuel continues to flow for more than a few seconds then you have a bad petcock (probably a torn petcock diaphragm) if so shut off the petcock and fuel flow should stop.

OK, I'm trying to follow the logic flow here. If the float mechanism is working properly, shouldn't the float needle shutoff any leakage once the float bowl is filled to normal height?

This is a good picture of the hose in question, trying to figure out how a leaking fuel petcock could get fuel into this hose.

Thanks!

 

[SPARKY5151]

Yes, under ideal circumstances it should but if the petcock is leaking it can fill anything that is lower than the tank. Why, head pressure, just as they build a water tower to give good flow at your faucet, that tank, with ~ 4 gal. of fuel in it actually has, under the right conditions, enough power to over come the float needle valve, lift it and fill the carb, cylinder and crankcase full of fuel, or, if there is contamination in the needle valve seat. That is one of the reasons that motorcycle manufacturers put a petcock on the fuel tank and with some bikes you better remember to turn it off when you finish riding, hence the reason for the vacuum diaphragm on our petcocks.

 

[Johnybravo]

OK, a leaking needle valve seat makes some sense. That chamber where the hose is attached appears to be an atmospheric vent below the vacuum piston. I'm guessing a leaking needle valve could flood that chamber with fuel somehow? Will try shutting fuel off at the petcock first and try starting the engine to clear it and see what happens next.

 

[FRNKCAT]

Are you sure its coming from that hose???????
Float bowl screw could have backed out or? and its draining from outlet tit behind it...
loose bowl screw? or bad seal in bowl??
Should not be any fuel in that hose/line at all!!! Gravity would not allow it IMO....



.

 

[Johnybravo]

Are you sure its coming from that hose???????
Float bowl screw could have backed out or? and its draining from outlet tit behind it...
loose bowl screw? or bad seal in bowl??
Should not be any fuel in that hose/line at all!!! Gravity would not allow it IMO....
.

Agreed, that is what is confusing me. Yes, the fuel is coming from that hose, I can't quite figure out how fuel is getting in there.

 

[SPARKY5151]

Gravity IS the big problem and you have ~ 4 gallons of fuel "UP GRAVITY" from the carb! Even the bottom of the tank is above the carb and the top of the tank, where the majority of the fuel is, is a foot above the carb if not more. With a possible / probable hole in the main jet diaphragm and given the small diam. of the needles and that the carb is in the idle position which closes off most of the jet passages, the fuel has to go somewhere if the petcock is passing it. Test the output of the petcock as stated above, it is not hard to do and will only take a few minutes, hell you don't even have to remove the tank or anything else to test it, and, if the fuel is leaking into the carb, the last thing that you want to do is to try and start the engine in case the crankcase is full of fuel or a cylinder is hydro locked!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hiramsaint]

Sorry about the mis-information on the float. I'm glad that others who know way more than I do about carbs are able to help you out. That's reason #2 why I won't put a jet kit in mine.

 

[mooneydriver]

The VTX1300carb has a float chamber (aka a “bowl”), a float, a float valve, etc. - likemost carbs do. Consider that page 5.8 of the service manual section oncarb disassembly mentions the “float chamber” and “Remove float pin, float, andfloat valve. Check the float for damage.” Yep, the VTX carb has a float and a bowl.

The rubber hosein question is an air vent to the diaphragm chamber portion and it issurprising to have fuel come out of this. A badly damaged diaphragm could be a culprit for the fuel leak.

Amen....atriot: