Author Topic: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1  (Read 1827 times)

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Offline Prospect

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Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« on: September 05, 2021, 11:07:41 AM »
Very intermittently, when I'm riding around in my k1,  the #1 carb starts overflowing. While riding, I shut off the fuel and the overflow condition stops. After riding for about 2 minutes and I have used the remaining fuel in the float bowls, I turn the fuel on which seems to fix it.

I opened the #1 bowl this morning and everything looks ok. The fuel stops flowing when I raise the float (as it should) and flows again when I release it. The float moves easily.

I'm beginning to suspect that the float somehow gets caught on the prongs in the down position. Not sure.
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1969 CB750  Sandcast #256
1971 CB750K1
1972 CB750K1
1975 CB400F
1975 GL1000 Goldwing
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Offline goodtryer

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2021, 11:18:18 AM »
I don't know anything about the round-tops so not sure if this is a possibility but on my CB500 I had a float that was catching on the head of the screw that holds the float valve retainer. Had to give that screw another 1/4 turn to give it clearance.
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Online newday777

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2021, 11:36:49 AM »
It can be sticking float, bad float valve, float not set properly and a cracked brass vent tube in the bowl.
Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
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Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
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Offline TwoTired

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2021, 01:30:53 PM »
Is your fuel tank clean?  Any Sediment in the bowl?  Filter intact?
Lloyd... (SOHC4 #11 Original Mail List)
72 500, 74 550, 75 550K, 75 550F, 76 550F, 77 550F X2, 78 550K, 77 750F X2, 78 750F, 79CX500, 85 700SC, GL1100

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Offline Prospect

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2021, 01:36:54 PM »
It can be sticking float, bad float valve, float not set properly and a cracked brass vent tube in the bowl.
That's the thing. I can't see if or how the float is sticking. I'll try and get a better look at the vent tube. The float height is set properly.
Current Bikes

1969 CB750  Sandcast #256
1971 CB750K1
1972 CB750K1
1975 CB400F
1975 GL1000 Goldwing
1954 Harley Davidson Panhead
1957 Harley Davidson Panhead

Toronto Canada

Offline Prospect

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2021, 01:37:53 PM »
Is your fuel tank clean?  Any Sediment in the bowl?  Filter intact?
Tank is clean and no sediment in the bowl. I don't run filters anymore.
Current Bikes

1969 CB750  Sandcast #256
1971 CB750K1
1972 CB750K1
1975 CB400F
1975 GL1000 Goldwing
1954 Harley Davidson Panhead
1957 Harley Davidson Panhead

Toronto Canada

Offline TwoTired

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2021, 01:44:04 PM »
Is your fuel tank clean?  Any Sediment in the bowl?  Filter intact?
Tank is clean and no sediment in the bowl. I don't run filters anymore.

 Isn't there is screen in the fuel tap?  Can't really rely on the gas pumps giving clean fuel all the time.

Also look for dimples where the float tang contacts the float valve pin.

Have you checked the fuel level in the carbs?

Cheers,
Lloyd... (SOHC4 #11 Original Mail List)
72 500, 74 550, 75 550K, 75 550F, 76 550F, 77 550F X2, 78 550K, 77 750F X2, 78 750F, 79CX500, 85 700SC, GL1100

Those that learn from history are doomed to repeat it by those that don't learn from history.

Offline PeWe

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #7 on: September 06, 2021, 12:52:55 AM »
- If something can hook into the float or vice versa.....
- Bowl gaskets are stock style, not too wide?
- Or just a bad float valve.
- As written earlier, fuel level  measured by clear tube procedure.
Real fuel level not always same as "correct" float setting.

My CB750 K2 has my old carbs my K6 used for 90.000km, same float valves. Only rubber gaskets and main jet changed  at their comeback 2 1/2 years ago.

I have seen a few floads when parked on sidestand.
Blew the overflow hoses free, a wire thru the not cracked overflow brass pipe in bowls ensure to guide ev overflooding fuel right via the hoses.

I do not know if the vent hoses will affect this. Good idea to ensure the vent is open and working. Only 2 hoses then transferred internally to the outer carbs.
« Last Edit: September 06, 2021, 06:23:12 AM by PeWe »
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Updates of the CB750 K6 -1976
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180468.msg2092136.html#msg2092136
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http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168243.msg1948381.html#msg1948381
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http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180088.msg2088008.html#msg2088008
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Offline ekpent

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #8 on: September 06, 2021, 04:54:10 AM »
 Does your K1 still have the original brass floats ? If so remove it and give it a shake and see if it has a pinhole that may be causing it to not work right. Plastic floats can be substituted if it has a problem.

Offline Prospect

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #9 on: September 06, 2021, 06:01:10 AM »
The floats have been changed from the brass type to the plastic type. I don't run overflow tubes on these carbs but perhaps I should. I'll take the float bowl off again and have a better look at the brass vent pipe. I'll check the float tang and valve pin again but as I mentioned earlier the fuel stops flowing properly when the float rises.

I'll try the clear tube procedure for measuring the correct float height. I can't remember the height for measuring with the bowl on. Does anyone have a reference or a link? I didn't see it in the stock manual.
Current Bikes

1969 CB750  Sandcast #256
1971 CB750K1
1972 CB750K1
1975 CB400F
1975 GL1000 Goldwing
1954 Harley Davidson Panhead
1957 Harley Davidson Panhead

Toronto Canada

Offline Spanner 1

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2021, 08:56:36 PM »
The rubbery, flat bowl gaskets on the early screw top carbs not having a locating 'groove' can easily bow inwards as you mate the bowl to the body and create a very small clearance between gasket and float. Now run the bike with ethanol gas and the gasket expands and fouls the float operation = float valve unable to seat = overflow. Might be that.
A little dab of Vaseline ( harmless to carb ) can hold the gasket in position while matching the bowl to body I have found.
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If your sure it's an ignition problem; it's carbs....

Offline Prospect

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2021, 07:32:06 PM »
I've taken the float off and took out the needle valve for a better inspection. Nothing seems to bind and no dimples were visible on the tang. I out it all back together and I'll see if this solved the problem.
Current Bikes

1969 CB750  Sandcast #256
1971 CB750K1
1972 CB750K1
1975 CB400F
1975 GL1000 Goldwing
1954 Harley Davidson Panhead
1957 Harley Davidson Panhead

Toronto Canada

Offline BenelliSEI

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2021, 05:04:38 AM »
Any chance the float have been spread apart? I had a pair of the later style that were inadvertently opened up. One of the floats was dragging ever so slightly on one side of the floatbowl.

Offline HondaMan

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #13 on: September 10, 2021, 09:57:19 AM »
The floats have been changed from the brass type to the plastic type. I don't run overflow tubes on these carbs but perhaps I should. I'll take the float bowl off again and have a better look at the brass vent pipe. I'll check the float tang and valve pin again but as I mentioned earlier the fuel stops flowing properly when the float rises.

I'll try the clear tube procedure for measuring the correct float height. I can't remember the height for measuring with the bowl on. Does anyone have a reference or a link? I didn't see it in the stock manual.

There's a hint.
Here's a couple things about the unique early carbs (type "A"):
1. They tend to build up a small ridge on the sideposts (where the pin mounts the float pivot to the carb) with the lighter brass floats because the floats bobble quite a bit in use.
2. Since your floats are plastic, they need to be set slightly differently (spelled "leaner") from the brass floats. specifically, the plastic floats must be set to 26mm depth from the surface of the notch in the outisde of the float gasket surface, not from the tiny sliver of a tab inside the float gasket's surface. Those little sliver reference posts are only for use with the brass floats, which ride higher in the fuel than the plastic ones.

If you set the plastic floats at the normal staggered 25 and 26mm for the K1 "A" series carbs, they fill up to 1mm below the level of the overflow tube, so they frequently dribble. This was why Honda switched to the plastic-floated "B" series carbs in the New Factory bikes. By the later K2 all of them had the plastic floats. Of course, the brass floats reappeared briefly in the fabled 086a carbs and F0 bikes, but they dribbled, too, and went away. In hard acceleration and lots of frame motion (like racing and dragracing) the brass floats promote a deeper average float bowl depth than do the plastic ones, so they were often favored by those guys 'in the day'. On the street (like mine) you can expect occasional dribbles.
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Offline Prospect

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2021, 05:04:03 PM »
I think I found the problem. I filed down the side of the posts and float to remove any ridges as Hondaman recommend. I played around with the float height but it looked to be fine. I used my float gauge but then when I used the clear tube method I noticed that the level kept rising very slowly. So I secured the float in the up position and waited. You can notice in the picture that the needle valve is leaking very slowly (see fuel drops on the posts).  I guess I need to find a quality needle valve and seat.

Anyone know what size I need and a good place to source it?
« Last Edit: October 01, 2021, 05:05:40 PM by Prospect »
Current Bikes

1969 CB750  Sandcast #256
1971 CB750K1
1972 CB750K1
1975 CB400F
1975 GL1000 Goldwing
1954 Harley Davidson Panhead
1957 Harley Davidson Panhead

Toronto Canada

Offline Kevnz

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #15 on: October 01, 2021, 05:16:35 PM »
Try lapping the valve into the seat with some Brasso or other metal polish. I have had some success with that in the past. With your setup you will soon see if it has worked.
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Offline grcamna2

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2021, 06:09:18 PM »
The float 'tang' sometimes gets a little dimple on it from sitting in the exact same position constantly.I have smoothed & polished the sliding surface of the brass 'tang' and it has removed the dimple and kept my float valves from leaking.I just thought to add that as a thing to check:it can cause a good float valve to seem like it's worn-out  ;)
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Offline Prospect

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Re: Intermittent Leaky Carb #1 CB750K1
« Reply #17 on: October 08, 2021, 01:38:59 PM »
Problem solved. I was able to source the carb parts but they are made by keyster. I was hesitant to use them so I measured them to see the difference in size.  Overall they work fine and the leak is gone. The first picture in the series is the old piece and the second is new. Slight differences in size.
Current Bikes

1969 CB750  Sandcast #256
1971 CB750K1
1972 CB750K1
1975 CB400F
1975 GL1000 Goldwing
1954 Harley Davidson Panhead
1957 Harley Davidson Panhead

Toronto Canada