VL acts like it's running out of gas....but

[wideglide38]

Right, also ordered 2 of the 70 cent gas caps, they should be here any day now.

Where'd you send your order? I want to order those $12.00 tanks!

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Rich, yes you do see the leather gas cap seals in the early parts books. The way I figure it, they stopped using them around 1930 when the gas caps went from top vents to side vents, with no change in part number of course. You can't run the cap seals with the side vented tank caps as the seals block the vents. I'm guessing they moved the vents to the sides as water was getting into the tanks when it rained, and pitting through the tank bases.

[frichie68]

Dear Rich, yes you do see the leather gas cap seals in the early parts books. The way I figure it, they stopped using them around 1930 when the gas caps went from top vents to side vents, with no change in part number of course. You can't run the cap seals with the side vented tank caps as the seals block the vents. I'm guessing they moved the vents to the sides as water was getting into the tanks when it rained, and pitting through the tank bases.

Thanks, Steve, I knew you'd know. Those doggone simple things are sometimes tough to track down-especially when they're intermittent.

[downunder vl]

Hi Rich, Glad to see that you are sorted. I fitted double seals to my tanks and don't have any leaks at all. I made cork rings that fit around the filler neck on the tank to absorb any drips and made nitrile seals for the caps. The one thing that I did do to allow the tanks to breathe was to grind a fine slot adjacent to the breath hole in the top of the cap. My caps had a rim around the edge of the centre dome about 3/8" wide. The nitrile was about 1/8" thick and is quite rigid so it didn't compress into the fine slot that I had ground in. Just an idea if you get fuel running out.
Phill

[frichie68]

Hi Rich, Glad to see that you are sorted. I fitted double seals to my tanks and don't have any leaks at all. I made cork rings that fit around the filler neck on the tank to absorb any drips and made nitrile seals for the caps. The one thing that I did do to allow the tanks to breathe was to grind a fine slot adjacent to the breath hole in the top of the cap. My caps had a rim around the edge of the centre dome about 3/8" wide. The nitrile was about 1/8" thick and is quite rigid so it didn't compress into the fine slot that I had ground in. Just an idea if you get fuel running out.
Phill

Good ideas, Phil. No problem with dribbling as I don't fill the tanks-unless I know the bike will be vertical for the next few miles while the gas level drops down a bit before parking on the jiffy stand.

[frichie68]

I'm baaaack....... Probably should have started another thread but this one shows the history.
To reiterate the problem:
'35 VLD runs good for the first 5-up to 10 miles or so, then fluffs, pops and shuts off. If moving at a fair clip, I can declutch and as it slows down for 15 or 20 seconds it will often restart by letting the clutch out.
After quitting the 1st time, it usually runs only 2 or 3 miles before stalling again.


Gas cap vents clean, good flow from either tank through the filter.
Neoprene fuel lines replaced with new.
Replaced condenser.
Replaced plugs & wires.
Replaced coil with new.
Went through carburetor-twice, replaced float with new (nitrophyl).


After doing/changing each of these items and every other check I can think of, test rides indicated no change of any kind-better or worse.

I'm obviously missing something.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Rich, it sounds fuel related, unless the front cylinder is nipping up and then releasing on cooling, but that is unlikely to be so reproducible. If you have a 1/8" fuel inlet valve on the carb bowl, replace it with a 9/64" one. That long idle passage from the carb rear to the low speed needle can be partially blocked by old gas deposits, and a Number 42 drill pushed in by hand can work wonders. At the tanks, the internal mesh filters at the outlets can get blocked by ice in super-cold weather, and are always blocked by tank sealers. You have to drill or punch holes in them coming back up the outlets. Please let us know what fixes it for you.

[36 knuck man]

I agree, sounds like fuel related, since choking keeps it running, I had prob with a pan doing same thing, raised float so bowl would fill up more and bingo, thanks, Larry

[frichie68]

Dear Rich, it sounds fuel related, unless the front cylinder is nipping up and then releasing on cooling, but that is unlikely to be so reproducible. If you have a 1/8" fuel inlet valve on the carb bowl, replace it with a 9/64" one. That long idle passage from the carb rear to the low speed needle can be partially blocked by old gas deposits, and a Number 42 drill pushed in by hand can work wonders. At the tanks, the internal mesh filters at the outlets can get blocked by ice in super-cold weather, and are always blocked by tank sealers. You have to drill or punch holes in them coming back up the outlets. Please let us know what fixes it for you.

"1/8" fuel inlet valve on the carb bowl" (Where/what is that?)

"long idle passage from the carb rear" (Is that the one blocked off with a screw?)

No screens/mesh filters in these rebuilt tanks.

[T. Cotten]

Rich!

You didn't mention bubble-testing the manifold.

....Cotten
PS: Beware that there are at least three varieties of "nitrophyl" floats on the market that swell if you hit the wrong fuel pump.

[frichie68]

Rich!

You didn't mention bubble-testing the manifold.

....Cotten
PS: Beware that there are at least three varieties of "nitrophyl" floats on the market that swell if you hit the wrong fuel pump.

Is there a problem with Starklite's floats?

[T. Cotten]

Since you asked,...

They are three times too heavy to start with (the one at the bottom in my previous post #31), and they swell in modern fuels (attached shows one stuck coming out of the bowl).

.....Cotten
PS: A heavy float makes for a rich condition. Vacuum leaks make a lean one. You must have a big one.
PPS: Even lighter molded "nitrophyl" floats such as Tedd Cycle's can 'bloat' (second attachment). Pulled two different varieties out of bowls last week....
PPPS: Wonder what the summer blends will be like this year...Whoah! (Apologies to the Van Halen band and Mr. Roth: "Hot for Teacher" etc.,)

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Rich, the fuel inlet valve is 1284-33. The long idle passage is blocked off with two 1263-24 plugs, one in the rear flange and one vertically above the low speed jet. And yes, low float level or a float catching the sides of the float bowl would also produce your symptoms.

[T. Cotten]

Folks,

A float would have to stick with the valve nearly closed to starve out, which is most unusual. Normally they flood when they stick.
And a Starklite float that is three times as heavy as a normal float (on the left in the attachment) would run very rich at the proper 1/4" setting, for it would let the fuel level in the bowl rise much higher than it should. You would be forced to trial and error a deeper setting, probably between 3/8" and .410".

If a lean condition persists inspite of what should be an overly rich one, there must be air coming from somewhere.

After servicing countless carburetors, I have yet ever to encounter a blocked idle gallery, even with barn derelicts. I have, however, encountered many where there was a blockage at the idle bleed into the bore.
Usually it is blasting media, as shown in the second attachment.

....Cotten

[frichie68]

Interesting to note at this point that the (heavy) Starklite float has been on the machine for only the last twenty six miles. Those miles were enough to produce exactly the same symptoms as the previous float that has been on it for many years... a (gasp) cork float.

Seems to me that would indicate something other than a float problem.