Super E Carb Float

[1957flhchop]

I have an S&S Super E on my '73 FLH and I noticed that when I leave it parked for several days a little bit of fuel seems to have drained out of the fuel line(they are clear). At first it looked like it was leaking a tiny bit around one of the connections. I replaced the fuel line and checked the connections. But, it happened again. I am thinking the fuel isn't quite shutting all the way off in the carb when it is leaned over. I have had it blocked so it sits straight up and down for 3 or 4 days and it hasn't leaked a drop.
That being the case, it should be a simple matter of adjusting the float, shouldn't it?

I know to most of you this is probably a no-brainer. I just wanted somebody to either second my notion or tell me "that's not right" before I mess with it. I get nervous as heck about messing with carburetors because of my less than stellar record working on automotive carbs(usually have them apart more than once before everything is just right).

[Mongrel505558]

Not necessarily. Is the carb wet with gas around the bowl gasket or anywhere on the carb body? Can you smell gas when the bike is parked? If the motor is running well I wouldn't mess with the float. If the level is too low you will run lean. If you see that a little bit of fuel has drained out after several days that's not a show stopper.

That said, if you really want to check the float the S&S Super E floats are easy to adjust and instructions are available online. If you're going to do this, you might as well go one step further and remove the float needle to inspect the tip for wear and the seat for crud. If the tip is not worn clean everything up and put back together.

[panheadrider1961]

Weather condition at time of noticing humid? Tank vent cap not clogged? Cross over line to tank with vent cap not weak and going in a vacuum collapsing closed , Vent on carb face not restricted , vent from bowl to outside air vent tiny office not clogged ,remove gas line from carb place in jar catch gas if suspecting petcock failure

[1957flhchop]

It behaves the same regardless of weather conditions. Nothing clogged or otherwise restricted that I can see. The petcock shuts off as it is supposed to. No leaks on the outside that I can find since I replaced the old fuel line. No gas smell.
If I leave it sit for a week or so, the fuel disappears in the line between the bottom of the petcock until it is at a level in the line basically parallel to the top of the bowl.

[Mongrel505558]

If a week goes by and the only problem is air in the line between the float bowl and the petcock, which will fill up as soon as you open the petcock, and it's running well and not making a mess, then I wouldn't be too concerned about it. If it gets worse you'll find the cause. I'd trade most of the issues I've dealt with with my old bikes for that one any day.

What it does sound like is there may be a small leak in the line or the fitting after the petcock allowing air into the line. This is displacing fuel or allowing fuel to slowly evaporate in the line. I know you said you replaced the lines, but the gas has to be going somewhere. If the line was completely airtight after the petcock fuel would be suction-bound in the line with the petcock closed.

[RooDog]

That's why I don't run see-through fuel line. Not to mention that it quickly hardens from contact with the gasoline and its additives, becoming brittle, and subject to cracking and breaking. A fire hazard?

It's just simply good practice to turn off the petcock when not in use, and then this all becomes a non-issue....
....RooDog....

[1957flhchop]

Well then. I guess I won't worry too much about it. Thanks guys.

[dontsink]

What I do at home for shutdown is close the petcock. The engine runs for a couple of seconds before dying. Then I know that the petcock closes correctly and the carb is emptied.

[kitabel]

Just a thought?
The float level, meaning one of the controls that determines when and how the carburetor circuits operate, for a bike under way is...
not the same as with the bike on the stand

If you lower the float to reduce the leak, the engine will be harder to start, the circuit timing will change, etc. generally toward lean.

What the float is doing when the bike is on the stand is different for H-D flathead (carburetor on the left) and OHV (carburetor on the right) engines, so they use different bowls.

[1957flhchop]

If you lower the float to reduce the leak, the engine will be harder to start, the circuit timing will change, etc. generally toward lean.

I was wondering about that. Definitely don't want that as it starts like a champ right now.

[Mongrel505558]

I noticed on my '68 Electra-Glide that the first time I open the petcock after the bike has been sitting overnight I hear a faint gurgling sound for about a second as fuel fills the float bowl, so the same or a similar thing is happening to that bike, and it has no effect on anything. Bike kick starts very easily. I don't get the gurgling sound from my panhead.

[RooDog]

Much like the old Vincent Price movie, "The Tingler", gurgling is bad, it is very bad, and the Gurgler must be found and exorcised. Jim, do you have a local Voo Do practitioner you can call on?
... RooDog....

[Mongrel505558]

Much like the old Vincent Price movie, "The Tingler", gurgling is bad, it is very bad, and the Gurgler must be found and exorcised. Jim, do you have a local Voo Do practitioner you can call on?
... RooDog....

I'll probably be seeing my buddy Ray at my gig tonight. Perhaps I can get him to come over with his python Miles and shake things up.

[RooDog]

Who do that voo do that he do so well?

[Andygears]

Nobody asked the question “How far over does a bike lean on the kickstand to make the inlet needle push sideways and slowly leak gravity fed gas, no tank pressure, past and over time empty the fuel line?

You have the answer, don’t leave it leaned over far, put a board or block for the kickstand in the garage.

Andygears