Carb spraying?

[Rocketman]

This morning, I noticed something rather disturbing.
It was a cool 55 degrees, and I had just started 'er up for the ride in to work.  Still using some choke, as my Valkyrie always needs choke (more so than my last Valkyrie).
I pulled up to a stoplight, and saw a shot of vapor expelled from the right side carb bank.  A few seconds later, I saw it again.  Looked like it was coming from the point where the engine intake tube meets the carbuerator on the middle carb on the right side.  I tried to stare at it and be sure about that location, but it didn't happen again before the light changed (quite a while).
It looked like a small squirt from a misting sprayer.  Very short-lived.
I know I have intake O-rings leaking, but that's lower (if my eval of the location was correct).  I have also heard an occasional sound from the right side that sounds like a little "pfft".  Those sounds seem to happen when the engine is warm, and are rapid fire, soft, and repetitive.  This is the first time I've ever SEEN anything.
Any ideas?

Mark

[DFragn]

Hadn't heard that one before. Sounds like your misting the fuel mixture. Check your upper intake boots & clamps. If your o-rings are leaking you prolly should replace them.

[Rocketman]

Replacing the o-rings is definitely on the docket, I just haven't gotten around to it.
I couldn't see anything from a cursory check of the upper intake boot/clamp.  I'll check it out more when I am not standing in the parking lot at work.

[Madmike]

Any chance you got a bad intake valve??

[Rocketman]

Any chance you got a bad intake valve??

Very possible.  I've gotten that suggestion from some other folks locally, and that's the next thing to check after I change the O-rings.  Or, more appropriately, I'll check 'em no matter what.

Mark

[Thunderbolt]

Take the choke covers off and tighten the upper clamps on those tubes.  Most everyone has tightened the lower ones and forgot the top ones needed it also.  If that fails to help, when you replace the o-rings, take them off and examine closely.  My Interstate seems to backfire on a carb or two when cold.  When warm, no problem.

[Madmike]

Any chance you got a bad intake valve??

Very possible.  I've gotten that suggestion from some other folks locally, and that's the next thing to check after I change the O-rings.  Or, more appropriately, I'll check 'em no matter what.

Mark

Do a compression test and you will know. Easy to do, if you don't already have a tester they are fairly inexpensive at any auto parts store.

[Dennis Klinefelt]

Every few years I replace the caps  on the intakes.....they split from the heat me thinks..anyway...I now wrap them in black duct tape to help them last longer......Rock on dennis

[Rocketman]

Every few years I replace the caps  on the intakes.....they split from the heat me thinks..anyway...I now wrap them in black duct tape to help them last longer......Rock on dennis

What do you mean by the caps?  The boots that connect to the carbs?

Do a compression test and you will know. Easy to do, if you don't already have a tester they are fairly inexpensive at any auto parts store.

Got one, and I'll check it out.

Take the choke covers off and tighten the upper clamps on those tubes.  Most everyone has tightened the lower ones and forgot the top ones needed it also.  If that fails to help, when you replace the o-rings, take them off and examine closely.  My Interstate seems to backfire on a carb or two when cold.  When warm, no problem.

I'll poke around up there and see what I can find.

[Dennis Klinefelt]

I did a de-smog years ago...and put vacuum caps on the intakes where the vacumm hoses use to go....every now and then one will develope cracks and suck/relase air...hope this helps...

[Rocketman]

I did a de-smog years ago...and put vacuum caps on the intakes where the vacumm hoses use to go....every now and then one will develope cracks and suck/relase air...hope this helps...

I understand now.
I was talking about the intake tubes between the carbs and the head.  Thus the confusion.
Thanks.

[Rocketman]

OK, so I've finally had some time to work on the Valkyrie.  Went to our Houston wrench party Saturday, and attacked this issue.  I didn't have enough time to do all the suggestions (didn't do a valve adjust, or a compression test), but this is what I did do:
Pulled the intake runners to replace the o-rings.  O-rings looked OK, if a bit flat, but obviously were leaking.  The inside of the boots leading from the carbs to the intake runners were wet.  The mating surface from the intake runners to the heads were gooped up (wiped off very easily, not dried on).
When I pulled the middle intake runners (#3 and 4), I found that there is a vacuum line connecting the two, then "t"-ing off and heading upwards into the unknown.  I am not confident that line is SUPPOSED to be there, rather than those vacuum ports being capped off, but that's a separate topic.  The important part is that the "t" was snapped in half.  Replacing that "t" seems to have solved my problem.  It may be too early to tell, as the problem was intermittent, but I haven't heard the popping/spraying noise since then, and I've put several hundred miles on 'er.  She also seems to be running stronger, and requiring less choke to start in the morning.

On a side note, shifting is much easier if the shift lever is not flopping around loosely, and electronics tend to work better if they have power applied. (those were the other tasks handled Saturday).

Mark