Topic: felt washer for float valve alternative?

[crashmaster]

I need to replace the felt washers under the float valves. Don't feel like felt anymore, that's for sure. Honda part number 16188-259-004. Anyone know of an alternative readily available, like hardware store or? It's a 9mm washer.

[newday777]

For what bike are these for??
Never heard of felt washers under the float valves.

[Don R]

 I've had most of them apart and don't remember anything like felt there. There is a washer but I've only needed them when I dropped one and usually had parts carbs around.

[crashmaster]

Sorry - 72 CB 750K. Seems like it would be a fiber washer and not a felt washer?

[newday777]

Those are Fiber washers, Not felt.
Do you not have the old fiber washers? Reuse them unless they are busted??? What happened to yours?

Unfortunately Honda has discontinued the individual fiber float valve washers. They are available only in the carb gasket kits, 4 kits needed to do the set of carbs though.

https://www.southsoundhonda.com/--xpartsstream#/Honda_Powersports/CB750KA_(76)_750_FOUR%2c_JPN%2c_VIN%23_CB750-2540001_TO_CB750-2575894/CARBURETOR/b3d05c73-22e7-4620-b018-132301d96b6e/2956d6f0-ff36-4614-8698-9bd31eb1e621/y

I don't know of any from a hardware store to fit in the space.
I probably have some extras but I'm on a late season ride about on my goldwing to see my grandkids in Vegas at the moment and headed to Florida on Monday, probably won't be home in NH until the 15th-20th to check my carb parts.
There are some on feebay but for stupid money. The cheapest guy has 3 @$10  each with shipping (he might combine shipping?)
The next guy has 2 @$12 ea.

I checked the inventory of my friends NOS parts business and he didn't have any of that part number.

[crashmaster]

Thanks Stu. One of them was so brittle it broke when renovating my carbs. The other three are intact but I thought I would swap them all out, thinking if one was that bad maybe the others aren't far behind. I did see the items you show on eBay. Thought there might be an alternative. Thanks a lot for the help!

[Don R]

 It doesn't help find them, but I've seen them made of soft aluminum also. I've had to dig through my junk carb parts to find one myself. I'll check to see if there are any left.

[crashmaster]

Thanks Don

[crashmaster]

I ordered a single carb gasket kit. I need a float bowl gasket anyway.

[HondaMan]

You can use either the fiber ones or the soft annealed aluminum ones that come in some kits, or with aftermarket float valves. Both work fine. I prefer the metal ones in my own bike because the wet-dry-wet-dry cycles of the bowls drying out when parked tends to damage the fiber ones with modern fuels: first it lets the valve itself become slightly less tight (as the fuels attack the fibers and break them down, long-term) and then they can (and often do) crack when the float valve is removed because they have stuck to the carb's body. The metal ones won't do either of these things, and end up lasting much longer (like, 20+ years in mine since I installed them in 2000).

[crashmaster]

Thanks HondaMan. Do you have a source for the metal style washers - without buying a kit?

[HondaMan]

Thanks HondaMan. Do you have a source for the metal style washers - without buying a kit?

I buy the float valve 'set' (1 per carb) at PartsNmore or vintageCB750. I think they are (or were) $10 per carb, #48-5009.

When you set the float level with these valves, you'll find the springs are stiffer than the old ones. For that reason, set your float level to 25mm instead of 26mm (OEM soft-sprung valves) to get the same resulting float depth when running at speed.

[crashmaster]

Thanks HondaMan - great info!