Gas coming out the air rail..........

[Strider]

Redid the carbs and just put everything back together.  Bike cranks, but gas was coming out the air rail hose (back of carb block - rear stay).  Unplugged the air vent hose and gas is coming out.  It is on the right side - the air rail "tee" between carb 4 and 6.  Pulled the diaphragm out of 2-4-6 and check to make sure stack wasnt full of gas and it is not.  But as soon as I pour gas in the gas line (using a funnel right now since the tank is off) gas comes out the air rail.  Any ideas?  What did I do wrong?  Gas is going from hose to "tee splitter" and then to the two fuel rails (at the bottom of carbs) and air rails are correct.....so, things that make me go Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

I rebuilt everything in the carbs except pilot screws.

[Ricky-D]

The fuel rails are not at the bottom of the carbs.

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[Strider]

According to the manual, they should be....with the carbs in place.  The fuel rails are towards the bottom of the carbs and the air rail is toward the top (where air stacks connect).  This is the way they are connected with the drain lines being at the very bottom.  The connections were different size (I think) for the air and fuel rails, so I dont think you can mix them up.  The bike cranks, but gas pours out  the left side air rail 3 way connection.

[Strider]

This is the connection "Tee 3 way" air rail that the gas is coming out of.....(with hose disconnected)



You can see the fuel rail line underneath (in the background).

[Ricky-D]

That is the fuel rail connection..

***

[Strider]

Man, do I feel like a right idiot.... (sigh).  I went back over the manual, and I guess the top is the fuel rail.  Well, looks like a few days work down the drain....back to pulling carbs....  

Just a FYI - the Valk will run with the rails mixed around - runs like chit, but it will crank..... DAGNABIT!!!!!

Thanks buddy...........well, let me get the tools back out......THANKS AGAIN!  

[rugguy]

Don't redo without new "O" rings......don't ask me how I know. Redeye has good kits......

[Strider]

Ok, I must be missing something here.  I pulled the back bracket off without taking all the carbs off.  The two 3 ways - can only go in one way - with the fuel at the bottom and the air rail at the top.  Am I missing something here?



This puts the fuel going through the screens beneath the floats on the carbs and the air at the top.  Size wise (diameter of the 3 way connections) only allow them to go this way.  The larger of the two - the one I am calling the fuel 3 way - the odd shaped one (Brown)  that only fits on the bottom - is the only one that the fuel lines will go to (OD wise and length from the fuel 3 way that the tank feeds into).  The top one (smaller of the 3 ways - black) fits the two tubes that go to the back stay plate....and dont really connect to anything after that - the tubes just stop at the back plate.

Again, am I missing something?

[Thunderbolt]

Strider before you put the carb bank back in sit it on the bench with a temporary fuel supply higher than the carbs.  I use an old lawn mower tank with a cutoff in line.  Not sure I read into your post what you meant but there are two overflow hoses one from each side that are there in case your floats stick which is kinda what I think you might have.  Point here is use the temporary tank before you install the whole carb bank to make sure none are sticking.  I had that happen on one once and had to take it all back apart as you are doing.  The float needles are a pretty tight fit and if there is any of that powdery residue on the four little corners of the needle or in the tube/seat it can cause it to bind and not shut off when full.
You might be able to dislodge it if you have not already taken it apart again by tapping each carb with something like a 1/2" extension while feeding it gasoline and you will know when you get it by the gas shutting off. 
YMMV, this is just a guess but I did have it happen once, there are other things that could have happened if this is not the problem.

[Thunderbolt]

Oh and for me anyway it is much easier to just take those band clamps off and leave them off until the intake tubes are on.  Then take the screw out and snake it around once everything is seated and screw them back together.  Otherwise you lose a couple into never never land on top of the engine.  I'm pretty sure that top "t" is the overflow, not looking at one at the moment but your pictures help.

[Strider]

Thanks Thunderbolt!  Appreciate it brother.....

I thought some of the float thingies (the ones that look like a plumb bob) were a bit tight when I was putting the float assembly back in.  Everything back off tomorrow and check the floats.  Good idea about bench testing it.  Thanks again!!!

[pago cruiser]

+1 on the "plumb bob" thingie sticking.  They should slide free in the brass housing; if not, someone may have sent you the wrong parts; would not be the first time.

The float valve (aka plumb bob) can also get jammed open by crud in your fuel tank and/or fuel filter.  A few years ago EMGO had a problem with the glue in their inline plastic fuel filter being disintegrated by ethanol in fuel.  The glue would break off in tiny parts, get into the carbs, and if your tiny float valve filters are wonky, the glue particle would cause the float valve to stick open, causing raw fuel to flow out the vent line, onto the cases, and then the ground.  Caused me all sorts of grief on my GL1200.

Note: if you even THINK this might be an issue, and the bike is running but rough, do NOT kill the bike, pull a plug, put the cap on the plug, and hit the starter while holding the plug to the top of the cases...   It's amazing how fast you go from "WTF just happened?" to "Dang, I'm on fire", to "how do I put this out ?" to "I better get this away from the house NOW"...   Funny now... not so much at the time...