Fuel issue

Clem
It didn?t even register. In fact, at my age I should?ve known better than to ask a dumb fool question.
In my defence, I?m a pretty good Mini/A-series mechanic, having built my own race engines for over 30 years but when it comes to Laverdas I ask stupid questions first in the hope that it may save me a few unnecessary minutes/hours.
Anyway, I have now got to the stage where the float spindle is fouling on the fuel hose and won?t come out. This means I must destroy the fuel hose clip so I can remove the float/needle and see what?s wrong.
Now it?s this task that I having trouble with as access is so tight.
Looks like the whole bank will have to come off. I can see myself buggering everything if I?m not careful
All the best,
Tim
 
Laverdas are a whole lot easier/more accessible to work on than Minis.
Why do you need to destroy the clip? Just unscrew the union and move it out of the way.
 

Attachments

  • Mini med small.jpg
    Mini med small.jpg
    98.1 KB · Views: 189
TStanb said:
Clem
It didn?t even register. In fact, at my age I should?ve known better than to ask a dumb fool question.
In my defence, I?m a pretty good Mini/A-series mechanic, having built my own race engines for over 30 years but when it comes to Laverdas I ask stupid questions first in the hope that it may save me a few unnecessary minutes/hours.
Anyway, I have now got to the stage where the float spindle is fouling on the fuel hose and won?t come out. This means I must destroy the fuel hose clip so I can remove the float/needle and see what?s wrong.
Now it?s this task that I having trouble with as access is so tight.
Looks like the whole bank will have to come off. I can see myself buggering everything if I?m not careful
All the best,
Tim
Click to expand...

Do yourself a favour and remove the carbs from the bike, makes servicing a whole lot easier, quicker and a lot more accurate.  You may need to remove the "dome" from the centre carb to clear the frame tube.  Remove the fuel lines via the banjo bolt, gives enough access to check and evaluate all you need to know. 

If float valves are replaced, float heights must be checked/corrected.  Differing thicknesses of the fibre sealing washer can change heights dramatically.  Not unknown to find 2 of them in there...  Btw, float valve hex is 9mm, you will need a rather thin box/ring spanner.

piet
 
Little piece of shit lodged in the seat.
Mind you, how the the hell anyone could do this in the dark by the side of the road, beats me.
I?m not 100% sure but I think it is a remnant of the old fibre washer that I must have failed to clear properly!  :-[
Thanks all!
 

Attachments

  • 943DC164-C1F6-4EBF-AFFC-DBC647A77E80.jpeg
    943DC164-C1F6-4EBF-AFFC-DBC647A77E80.jpeg
    59.4 KB · Views: 151
  • 9583D663-8B55-4254-835D-A2034686604A.jpeg
    9583D663-8B55-4254-835D-A2034686604A.jpeg
    76.3 KB · Views: 153
Yep. That's all it takes! Not that hard to remove a float bowl in situ, then rotate the fuel inlet enough to remove the float pin and float, run some fuel through and replace. In the dark might be trickier if you haven't done it before  :D
 
I knew a bloke who had a similar issue with an old scooter at the side of the road in the middle of the night. He could smell fuel so figured it must have been leaking from somewhere. He didn't have a torch so he lit his cigarette lighter to try to see where the fuel coming from (he was pissed at the time). You can guess what happened - the scooter was suddenly engulfed in a fireball that singed off most of his facial hair. At least he was able to keep warm near the burning scooter until help arrived.
 
Shit in the carb , you want too stop doing that , how you get a earthakit    down a pilot jet amazes me
 
I have to admit that I had the use of the headlights from the few passing cars so a bit of cheating. In my case the needle had "let go" at the crimp so the needle unit expanded shutting the fuel. I caught the bits and squeezed the crimp with pliers, pretty sure it is still in the bike. Just south of Sarina it was, a Cairns to Bris trip. It always feels good when you get going again after shit like that.
 
you are going to need one of those tiny washers, under that float valve seat, I suggest you check all three. remove and clean all jets, needles etc, and use carb cleaner and compressed air to blow through all ports/channels, worth doing while you have them off the bike.
can someone now please post a Dellorto diagram of how to set the float height, and don't forget to balance the carbs, by eye is not good enough,  by ear is very slightly better, quality carb balancing kit needed here.
CLEM
 
CLEMTOG said:
Maybe when you fitted new seats and float valves you missed a fibre washer under the new seats?
Click to expand...

You's a wise old bird, Clem ..  :-*

CLEMTOG said:
My instant reaction was that if fuel is coming out of the vent then it is definitely running into the cylinder, and the air filter if you have one, under these conditions you should not start the engine, <snip>
Click to expand...

And again  :D.  Tim, please be aware of this!  Hopefully it will all have evaporated by now, but ..
(And it wouldn't hurt to check that there's no petrol in the engine oil, too).
 
CLEMTOG said:
you are going to need one of those tiny washers, under that float valve seat, I suggest you check all three. remove and clean all jets, needles etc, and use carb cleaner and compressed air to blow through all ports/channels, worth doing while you have them off the bike.
can someone now please post a Dellorto diagram of how to set the float height, and don't forget to balance the carbs, by eye is not good enough,  by ear is very slightly better, quality carb balancing kit needed here.
CLEM
Click to expand...

Yep, checked that. In fact, I was already aware of this danger as when I ordered 3 new kits from Mr Slater last year, one of them arrived with a fibre washer missing, so I had to order one seperately. He let me off the cost of the washer but charged me ?5.95 for the postage,...the wily old fox!  :D
 
I think I know what happened...
When overhauling the carbs last summer, two out of the three fibre washers just dropped out into my hand but one was virtually welded in position and it took a great deal of poking with a sharp pointy thing to get it out...in many rough bits.
I reckon I must?ve poked some of the broken up washer back up the hole and after a few moments running it fell back down and wedged between the needle and the seat.
I got all the way to the MoT station and back though and only noticed the problem when I got home (about 24miles all told). It was running fine too
 
In only 24 miles the difference that Ged from GCS?s Engine overhaul and new rubber, has transformed the bike from what I remember 6 years ago
 
I will re-enforce Craig's re-enforcements of my suggestion.

when you have the bike very nearly fully assembled and carbs fitted and ready to run, Please remove all plugs, disconnect the ignition systems from their electrical supply, and crank the motor for a good few revolutions with some rag over the plug 'oles. you are doing this to be sure that the cylinders are dry. A bent or shortened rod does not stop the motor from running, but at some point not very long afterwards the rod will break when in the "getting stretched" cycle of a downward moving piston, and snap! that usually means scrap crankcases and very often scrap barrels and cylinder head, it has even been known to bust the starter away from its mountings if the RHS rod lets go! so beware.

Before you rebuild any part of the carbs , the last thing you are doing is squirting with carb cleaner and blowing everything with compressed air. Toilet DucK bog cleaner is very good at cleaning the loose brass items. If you have never fully stripped the carbs before, just do it, but do one carb on its own, it will give you a pattern to copy of your memory fails, using the other two unopened carbs. They do come off the rails that form the "bank" very easily, just undo the bolts of the top rail  (one carb at a time for starters), removing either left or right carb, and the countersunk screws of the face plate, nothing else to remove, slide the carb away from the spring loaded throttle operating parts and see how easy it really is.
CLEM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top