clear gel in carb bowl?

[AdminGuy]

I'm wondering if this a chemical reaction from metal types, from the gas, or from the POR15 interior tank coating. Any thoughts?

It seems to attach to the brass/bronze.

I'm wondering if filling the pits and coating the interior of my bowl would help?

[Erdos]

I had the same thing happen to me last fall. I thaught it was from whatever was used to seal the cork float I had. So I swiched to one of Cottens. It also turned the aluminum bowl black where it made contact.

[T. Cotten]

Por-15 was good stuff.

But then P4gas came along, and now the "15" stands for fifteen minutes..

(I lost a few thou$and on it and other sealers that now turn to cheese or pigs liver.)

And the "fuel" alone is corrosive of brass, as shown on the swollen viton needle in the attachment.

Add the spectre of illegal dumping, and there is no way of telling what we will find in our floatbowls.

...Cotten

[shawcycle]

Between changing motor oil and gasoline composition this is getting worrysome. With the oil situtation there are still some options it seems. Is there any tank sealer out there still safe to use? When bikes set for extended periods is it better to set on an empty tank? Always tried to leave them setting with a full tank in the past such as over winter months.
Thanks.
John

[mmoore]

empty tanks during prolong idle times still collect moisture and rubber tips on needle valves dry out so I still leave mine full. I havent had a problem but I never use tank sealers so im not sure what would work if you use sealers but my luck has been to use sta-bil and marvel mystery oil in my gas for storage. I do get a little fouling on the first tank in the spring but havent experenced any tank or float bowl deterioration on mine these days with the price of gas so high a lot of fuel that is junk is mixed with good gas to use it up this can happen from your local station all the way back to the refiner so we will never know if its any good . this was a problem for car manufactures not long ago as new cars were having warrenty work done caused by BAD gas so they began requiring oil companies to test and rate the gas the good ones get a top tier rating! since it is up to the oil people to test it I question the reliabity of thier results. this prompted me to put my 68 ironhead on a diet of 85%corn alcolhol 15% gas sold here in iowa. its just too bad it aint 100% alcohol so if i broke down I could have a party. ( I wonder if the open container law would apply?)

[T. Cotten]

"Rubber" needles shouldn't change dimension in the first place. It makes float setting a real pain.
And every time you fill up on a different blend, your volumetric efficiency changes.

Once again, it isn't that any particular sealer, compound, or "rubber" is bad,...its the digestive fuel, folks.

The culprit seems to be associated with ethanol blends, although punctilious ethanol does NOT produce digestive action by itself. The closest name I can find for a suspect additive is "IVD" representing an Intake Valve Deposit detergent or something.

I just hope it is gentler on our children's lungs, kidneys, and livers.

Its curious that the name of this compound cannot be found anywhere on petroleum industry sites. But it is advertized on TV, by Shell and others.

95% ethanol would be ideal for public transportation vehicles, freeing up plenty of petroleum for our vehicles that were designed for fossil fuel. But mixing ethanol with petroleum is a political folly.

Therefore, MMoore's comment about 'pure' ethanol rings ironically of the truth.


....Cotten

[Tom Lovejoy]

Our SS have alot in common, I have had that gel too several times. I sure dont like the sound of this chat as I put sealler in all my machines, most of my tanks were in bad shape and needed alot of work to get use able, hope for the best I guess. Dont know what else can be done, I guess enjoy em while their running :-)

[AdminGuy]

hummmm.... doesn't sound good. I have a screen on the top of my main gas tap. A modernization. I think what I may do is cut the bottom of my carb mount bracket like a HD 45. Make it a fork. THis will enable me to pull the bowl with less work.

So when the old girl starts to sputter I'll know it's not an electrical problem. Pull the bowl. I think I may fill the pits and coat the interior.

I'll give a heads up if my POR15 fails.

Thanks guys.

[Ohio-Rider]

Add my name to the list of those who have experienced problems from POR15. I did brand spanking new tanks with it and in less than 4 months it turned into the pigs bladder that Cotten has refered to. What a mess to get back out of the tanks. And of course the tanks had just been painted.

[mmoore]

has anybody had any good experence with tank sealers??? if so what kind??

[Kojack]

Originally posted by mmoore
I question the reliabity of thier results. this prompted me to put my 68 ironhead on a diet of 85%corn alcolhol 15% gas sold here in iowa. [/B]

I like the idea although the mix isn't available in my part of the country yet. What kind of carb modifications did you have to make?

[rousseau]

hey mmore

Kreem has always worked for me without problems. I use the whole kit with the prep /rinse /sealer. Follow the instructions closely.

[mmoore]

first off
i use a s&s super model B mostly because they have been dependable and easy to work on. a superbowl was added years ago to give me a acelerator pump. to change between fuels I installed a adjustable main jet and used 1 size intermediate jet larger. I ended up runninc A-C plugs as they seem to be a little hotter and stay clean on this mix.(I run a magneto and time it about 2-3 degrees further advanced) I was worried about the intake o-rings deteriorating but this week had them off to replace ( I do this every year) but I saw no difference from past years of straight gas. I'm going to pull the heads as they have a lot of miles on them and check them out. I also do add a little oil to the gas at a rate of 1 teaspoon to a gallon to keep a little lube in that mix and dont see anymore buildup on the valves than normal. but when I get the head off I will see better. to me I think that it runs smoother and cleaner but unfortunatly this year i will have mufflers on it (shorties)and might not see the pretty blue flames out the pipes at night but at least I wont get any ticketts. one last thing I want to point out here other bikes might not be worth the risk depending on the metal used for the heads ,valves and seats so be careful if you try it this old ironhead seems to love it but they were pretty tough to start with and replacement parts are easy to find and not that expensive. I really doubt that I will put ANY alchy in my 34 flathead ever. as pointed out in a earler post its not for every machine. I don't recommend trying this unless you have excellent fuel system and tuning skills Michael J Moore AMI group 70 1979

[mmoore]

hey Rousseau how many years have you used kreem? I have never used a sealer but wanted to buy a new tank and save my original 68 paint job on the old one all the new tanks i see say to use a sealer thanks! if you have any tips or superstitions when using sealers please share them

[Kojack]

That sounds good. I have an S&S B on my ironhead already. All I have to do is wait for the E85 to get here and start tuning. You might want to try Marvel Mystery oil in the gas. They use a little wintergreen oil in it and it makes your exhaust smell nice.

About a year ago I had the tank off that ironhead after I noticed the original tank lining material was flaking. I washed it out with acetone and Kreemed it. I notice now that the Kreem appears to be lifting. The tank didn't have any leaks, I was just using it for rust protection. Maybe using nothing and keeping the tank full is the way to go for now. The problem is that you can't keep the tank completely full and condensate can still form, which will settle to the bottom. I've never seen a motorcycle tank rust out at the top and there's usually some gas in them. I also understand that alcohol added to today's gas can absorb some water. I wonder if this is good or bad?