Fuel leak

[Chris in Japan]

Hello again!

A brand new brass float for the Linkert in my 47F should be arriving shortly, but in the meantime I was willing to win understanding of the reasons why my carb is over-flooding fuel constantly.

I inspected needle and seat in the carb (as good an unexperienced eye can do) and I didn't see any lines, dents, corrosion looking suspect. I sucked the valve and seemed quite closed to me...

That is why I became suspicious of the - I guess coated cork - float and ordered a brass one.

I was also "disappointed" with the shutter valve in the tank. Tight closing it could not avoid the carb of over-flooding heavily (bowl looks wet and the small "lake" builds up against the front tappet base).

All remark on this subject is appreciated!

Many thanks and kind regards.

Chris

[Sargehere]

Too bad you've alreaedy ordered a brass float. The best, hands down, Linkert floats are "Durable" floats from:
Liberty Motorcycle Specialties Inc
118 N Washington St
Lacon, IL 61540
309-246-3509

Cost about $40, and will never "sink," as brass floats are wont to do, eventually. Tom Cotten is on this board. He's been in business since 1979, and knows Linkert carbs every-which-way. His floats are made of some dense, gas-proof foam that he has to turn out on a lathe, hence the price. But they're the best.
You can email Tom: Liberty@npoint.net.

Because, if your valve and seat are checking out, not being able to blow air through when the bowl is held upside down and the valve is closed, but still leaking, it sounds like your float is sinking.

You may also need to replace the tank valve if it won't close. Even a well-working float can't be expected to hold back a tankful of gasoline. There is an "alignment tool," a long rod-type device, that goes down into the tank throuh the top of the valve, and gets the valve in the bottom aligned with the shaft. That's the first thing to check out.

[Chris in Japan]

Do I understand you properly, Gerry? Brass float may also leak and sink? Indeed sad to learn only now about those from Tom... I was not aware of them. I will keep it in mind for the 48FL (next in the pipe line) or for this 47F if fails - hopefully not!

[Sargehere]

Just be very careful with the brass float. They are soldered together from very thin brass. One weakness is near where the screw goes through. When adjusting the float height (1/4-inch from the rim, as in the books) and slightly off center, don't be in a hurry. Take the screw pivot out and remove the float and bend the tines that hold the needle valve carefully, and install it again. Pushing it, in the float bowl, is a sure way to hole the float. Make the tines as close as possible to the groove in the valve, without binding on it. Treat it like the little machine that it is. Good luck!

[T. Cotten]

Sorry to get into this so late...

Brass floats do not need to have a hole in them to sink.
They are larger and three to four times as heavy as a cork or original Armstrong rubber, requiring a lower setting by trial and error, at the expense of your reserve volume.

Reserve volume is why carbs have a bowl, and why some competition bowls were enlarged.

Brass floats don't float in the first place (attached).

If your local fuel is mild,
a cork or other common composite of original density will do.
If your local fuel is digestive from injector cleaners and other proprietary additives,
or you might travel and sample various brands,
then only the very latest industry standard for material will do.

I am replacing free of charge any of my floats of the previous generation of material that swell in size.

Thanks to the AMCA for this important forum,


....Cotten
liberty@npoint.net

[Chris in Japan]

Thanks, Cotten...

It seems then I bought I nice piece of s***!

How can I test if my cork float is really dead before going for a replacement?

Many thanx!

[Lonnie]

Ignoring the trial-and-error method of getting the correct float height when using one of the brass floats, the situation I had was that the ones I used ended up with pin holes or some other situation, perhaps a leak where the screw is. They all worked for awhile, but all developed leaks. I could easily tell because when I removed them and shook them I could hear the gas sloshing around. I reckon that is what they call a dead giveaway.

I have Tom's floats in 4 Linkerts - I set the float height like the book says. Problem(s) solved! I even carry a spare in the event a buddy on a ride encounters a problem. I've recommended them to several friends who installed them. We are all quite happy.

Re the price, I consider it one of the best investments I have ever made!!!!

[droptopford]

Chris,

I don't have any experience with the Liberty Floats from Mr. Cotten. I have only heard good things about them though. Next time I need a float, I will absolutely try one of his.

Both of my 'linkert-equipped' bikes have brass floats. I was careful (as Sarge described in a previous post here) not to damage the screw hole during installation and although it can be a time consuming process, I made the adjustments as described above also (don't try to make the adjustment with the float attached. The goal is to bend the tab without messing up the clearance of the fingers that cradle the needle). I have had no problems with either brass float (10 yrs on one bike, 13 years on the other).

So...although I'm not recommending the brass float, as long as you already have one, why not give it a try?

Just my two cent's worth. Good luck.

[Chris in Japan]

Thanks, Gentlemen! I see this "brass my work, buy only if you are skillful and lucky... at the same time!"

Tom: I need a rough quotation including freight for one to Europe. I am back from Tokyo since January and live in the small town of Mauren, in Liechtenstein.

Payment could be PayPal. Please PM me the information if feasible.

Many thanks to all!

[T. Cotten]

Droptopford asked:
"So...although I'm not recommending the brass float, as long as you already have one, why not give it a try?"

One reason is fuel consumption, which has become an issue for many of us.

Although none of the several H-D people who took a free float on the condition that they reported gas mileage kept their word, one Chief rider logged several hundred miles with a brass and then a DURABLE, recording every distance and fill-up.

The average mileage increased from about ~27 mpg to ~35 mpg.

Carb floats are like toilet floats: they cycle.
A heavy floats' inertia causes it to cycle slowly, with great amplitude to the wave. This means the lean periods and the rich periods are exaggerated. Very little time is spent at the optimum.
A light float responds quickly, reducing the cycle to as close to a straight line as possible.

And the heavy float fatigues the lever assembly fast, producing unusual wear on new hardware in as little as 2000 miles.
(The extreme example shown was probably worn normally before a brass was installed.)

The volume issue probably only affects those of you who demand throttle response.

There have been at least three different productions of brass floats on the market over the last couple of decades. They vary as much as 2.5g in weight (nearly as much as a whole cork), and vary in material as well.
The lightest were India productions of a very lemony-colored "English" brass with a high ferrous content. These are prone not only brittleness around the screw, but solder-flux corrosion from within.
(I retrieved for reference a batch off the shelf that had been tested for leaks in the '90s. One had visibly breached just sitting there! Pic illustrates one that failed in service.)
The heaviest were advertized as USA-made, although I now seriously doubt it. Identified by two flats on the bottom (as visible in the jar test pic), they used far better brass, but the sloppy solder contributed to enormous weight.
Ironically, there is now yet another composite float on the market advertized by name to be the same material as DURABLES.
However it weighs as much as a brass!

And Chris in Liechtenstein!

The survival of a cork float depends entire upon the fuel that it encounters. No doubt Euro fuel is not as digestive as USA,.... yet.

Otherwise,
Postage is usually under $2, for after all, they are ultralight!
Please post me direct at liberty@npoint.net so that we may avoid any ordering confusions.

Thanks to all,

....Cotten

[droptopford]

Well...I guess that answers that!

[knuckleheadtim]

I found that you have to drop a brass float down so far (about 7/16") to get the fuel level correct in the bowl (5/8 below the top) that it not only take up too much space as Cotten mentioned, it can't drop far enough from the inital low setting to open the needle valve sufficiently at high speeds. The last thing you want to do is lean out on the highway.

[George Greer]

Chris in Japan...

If you get one of Cotton's floats, and set up your float correctly, you will save yourself some grief/troubleshooting time.

I have one on my WLA's M-88, It works, and has not failed.

I would NEVER....go back to a brass float, I don't care who makes them, they don't float or work as well as they are presented to work.

George

[Chris in Japan]

Thanks, George... I understood this a good while ago! I float from Tom should be already on the way.

The question here is what should I do now with the brass one! I am trying to find a scope, even outside of motorcycling field and I am having some creativity problems!

Proposals welcomed!

[T. Cotten]

Chris asked:
"The question here is what should I do now with the brass one! I am trying to find a scope, even outside of motorcycling field and I am having some creativity problems!"

I have asked myself the same question, too many times over.

They may serve as the bottom sail of wind chimes, with throttleshafts, discs, and manifold ferrules strung together for the rest.

It seems I have to split the throttleshafts just right to get them to ring.

Glad you asked.

....Cotten