Topic: stuck float valve nipples

[saw750]

i assume those lil nipples on the end of the float valve are sprung - what do you do if they are stuck and wont move??

[Frostyboy]

I wouldn't mess about with em, get some new needles & seats.

[ras]

nipple = pin

I'm experiencing this same issue (stuck spring/pin on a float valve).  Does anyone know how the engine behaves when the pin does not allow itself to be pushed in?
I'm slowly trying to track down why my 1991 nighthawk will not start and this is something I just found.

[lucky]

The float needle has a little spring loaded pin in it sticking out.
Are you talking about the little spring loaded pin or are you talking about the needle
stuck in the seat?

Is the little spring loaded pin stuck in the up position or the down position?
It could be stuck with old dried up fuel.
Put it in a metal container with some brake cleaner and soak it. See if that works.

The float needle assembly is THE MOST important part of the carb.
If they have never been replaced - they should be.

[ras]

Thanks for your interest in helping.

On carb #4, the float needle is stuck in the 'out' position. The float valve itself is not stuck in the carb body. I can easily pull the whole float valve out and inspect it (the rubber tip looks fine).  So, I'm talking about just the spring-loaded needle here.

I've uploaded a video of my findings to Photobucket.com that shows everything, but this forum is not allowing me to share the link. Any ideas how I can share it?

I can order a new float valve on Ebay, but what I'm really interested in finding out if this stuck pin is a big contributor to why I can not get my Nighthawk 750 to start.  After I tried starting it last night and it wouldn't start, I disassembled the carbs (again )  and found float bowls #1 and 2 had plenty of gas in them, but #3 and 4 were dry. Then I found my stuck float valve pin.

[ras]

After re-reading, I just want to clarify I'm speaking about the spring-loaded pin that pokes out the end of the float valve that comes in contact with the plastic float. Not the black rubber cone that controls fuel flow, but the opposite end of that.

[lucky]

If it was me I would order 4 new float valves. You do not need seats, just the valves.
When you look at the rubber tips sometimes they look ok but if you look at them with a magnifying glass and spin them in your fingers you can see that they are not concentric.