Fuel Leak (Carb or Petcock Problem)

[Lou N]

All,

New to Hondas and today after washing the bike I noticed a small puddle of gas on the ground. The petcock was open after I had run the bike, so I'm assuming that the fuel was overflowing from one or more of the carb float bowls. Is that a symptom of a bad petcock or a problem with one of the carbs (sticking float or something else)? BTW this is a 72 CB 750 that supposedly had the carbs rebuilt recently.

Thanks,
Lou

 

[dcwp]

I've had this problem with floats that need to be adjustet. Take a look at where the gas is puddling. Is it under the float overflow drain tubes? Or right under the carbs?

You might try to reproduce the problem by opening the petcock and letting it sit for an hour or so. Then just check to see if there is gas around the petcock, my guess is the petcock will be dry indicating a problem in the floats. Next step is to look at the carb for gas. There are overflow/breather pipes about halfway up the body - are they wet? If yes, your floats are just a touch off. It is also possible that a seal is leaking so look for gas elsewhere on the carbs.

One last thing to think about is where and how you're parking. My daily rider is adjusted just a tiny bit off. If I park perfectly level, no problems. If the bike leans too much though, I get just a couple of dropfrom the overflow.

 

[Lou N]

dcwp,

Thanks, I'm pretty sure it's leaking from the overflow tube(s). I'll track it down and take a look at the float(s).

Lou