I need some advice on specific settings...

[Rusty McNeil]

I need help.

I've spent all morning researching all the posts and stickies and just get more and more confused.

I've seen about three different methods of measuring float settings, and a slew of different numbers.

I'm confused how a setting of 1.125 equivocates to 15, 16, 17mm's since an inch is like 25.4mm's.

Are the mm's measurements all referring to wet measurement and the Inches in Dry measurements?

If I understand correctly with both the wet method using a clear hose, and the dry measurement method using calipers; they both get richer/higher level as the number decreases?

Is that correct?

Can you perform a "wet check" on the bench or do you need fuel pressure?

When they are talking about the little round casting mark on the metering block lining up with the edge of the float, which round casting mark are they talking about?

There are three on mine, one of them lines up with the semi-circular indentation in the upper edge of the float, and the other ones is nearer the bottom edge of the float. The third you can't see is behind the float.

I've looked at the picture in the sticky already, I don't have any casting marks that would be a half moon, they are all fully round.

And lastly and most importantly;

What would be best for me for a float setting?

My normal operation altitude is 50' to 1000" above sea level, although the bike gets run hardest in the hill country where it's around 2000' to 3500' all the way to Big Bend National Park where it's up to 8000' feet but just cruising out there cause of smoky the park ranger.......

I'm running a UFO exhaust, a trimmed air box lid with stock filter, and two coils cut out of the springs.

I was running 170 mains but I'm thinking of either going back to stock (mikuni 152.5's) or even leaner with D.J. 160's

Thanks in advance.

Rusty

 

[maleko89]

Rusty, do the wet check first. Just attach your clear tube, open drain screw and turn key on and off a few times to keep bowl primed. Shoot for either 16 or 17 mm distance. It's important all four carbs read the same...just like when you sync. This is measured from line on the body down to the fuel level. This means that the smaller this measurement the richer you are.

For dry, you are basically measuring from inside carb body to top of float with the carbs upside down...thus closing the floats. Measurement should be about 1.125 inches which equates to approx. 17 mm wet measurement. It might be easier to measure as Ragingmain explains in a latter post. He's basically measuring from other side of the float. I don't rely on the casting marks as they aren't all perfect from carb to carb. I use a digital caliper to measure. Those casting marks aren't actually the 1/2 moon...1/2 moon is in reference to the float cutout.

Now, for your settings. Go for 17 mm wet...ie, 1.125 inches dry. This will get you the best mileage and works best for stock engines. My altitude is approx. 800 feet above sea level so think my settings would work for you too. I'm running 4-2 Mark's exhaust. I think you should drop your mains to 152.5 and re-evaluate by seeing how it pulls on top. 170 is way to big IMO. When running Morley's kit with stock needles the biggest I had were Mikuni 165's in there. Now, with stage 7 needles I'm at Mikuni 155's. With stock air box and carbs I had Mikuni 147.5's

Hope this helps!

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Rusty, do the wet check first. Just attach your clear tube, open drain screw and turn key on and off a few times to keep bowl primed. Shoot for either 16 or 17 mm distance. It's important all four carbs read the same...just like when you sync. This is measured from line on the body down to the fuel level. This means that the smaller this measurement the richer you are.

For dry, you are basically measuring from inside carb body to top of float with the carbs upside down...thus closing the floats. Measurement should be about 1.125 inches which equates to approx. 17 mm wet measurement. It might be easier to measure as Ragingmain explains in a latter post. He's basically measuring from other side of the float. I don't rely on the casting marks as they aren't all perfect from carb to carb. I use a digital caliper to measure. Those casting marks aren't actually the 1/2 moon...1/2 moon is in reference to the float cutout.

Now, for your settings. Go for 17 mm wet...ie, 1.125 inches dry. This will get you the best mileage and works best for stock engines. My altitude is approx. 800 feet above sea level so think my settings would work for you too. I'm running 4-2 Mark's exhaust. I think you should drop your mains to 152.5 and re-evaluate by seeing how it pulls on top. 170 is way to big IMO. When running Morley's kit with stock needles the biggest I had were Mikuni 165's in there. Now, with stage 7 needles I'm at Mikuni 155's. With stock air box and carbs I had Mikuni 147.5's

Hope this helps!

Thanks a ton Mark, you're a lifesaver!

I had thought I put the 160's in a long time ago, but discovered when I tore them down the 170's were in there, it's ran great all this time, turning 11.39 with my fat ass on it, but the size alone tells me that 170 is too big from what I've learned on this forum from you and Shawn, you especially, and that there might be a little more HP in there to be had by going leaner.

My only jets on hand are the stock mikuni 152.5's and the DJ 160's, so I'll try the stock ones like you've suggested.

Thanks again, and I'll let you know how it turns out....

 

[veebooster]

Mark,
FYI....I have the Morley kit, HMF headers, and stock needles. Operate around 800 ft. I have Mikuni 167.5 mains and it still breaks up at high rpm on cold days. Thinking of going to 170's.


Dale #2592

 

[maleko89]

Thanks Dale. Have you tried shimming your needles a tad?

 

[veebooster]

Yup.....got 2 washers in there now! Still gettin bout 38-40 mpg unless I'm heavy handed.

Dale #2592

 

[maleko89]

Ah, cool...try the 170's!

 

[veebooster]

I'll let you know how it turns out when the big thaw comes!unk:

Dale #2592

 

[lankeeyankee]

Mark is the man when it comes to Float Adjustments..
He even has quick releases on his float bowls... whats your record Mark for adjusting floats?

 

[maleko89]

Don't know, never timed myself. I can down a rootbeer float in under a minute though.

 

[lankeeyankee]

Don't know, never timed myself. I can down a rootbeer float in under a minute though.

Post it on youtube I bet you will be the next star, Promise me when you become a youtube star you will throw me a burrito

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Finished the carbs last night, up till 3:00am, they 're racked, bench synched, and ready to install.

I used Marks recomendation of 1.125" as my setting. Thank you again Mark and everybody else in this thread with all this great info.

I measured the "before" float settings and they were all rich, in the 1.08-1.06 range

Installed the original 152.5 mains, my carbs are completely stock now except for the two coils cut out of the slide springs....i'd put that back to stock also if I could....

I used Starrett dial calipers and used both methods shown previously in this thread to compare, and they both are fine. I trust measuring off the carb body more than the metering block since there is more consensus/Information on what the numbers are supposed to be and what are good settings when measuring there.....

I was suprised ing how effin sensitive the adjustments are on the tab, and how hard it is to move it "just enough" but not too much, took many tries on each carb to get it perfect......

I wouldn't trust the visual method of setting the floats at all, if we're really saying that 1.105 is rich and 1.125 is lean, then it's completely impossible to SEE that little of a difference now matter how close you try to do a "line of sight" measurement.

But then again that's coming from a guy tho that never jacked with the float levels before when rebuilding carbs, figuring if it worked before and I hadn't messed with it then I should leave it alone, So the casting mark method may be "close enough" and certainly they would be better than my former method of ignoring the whole issue.

I'm still wondering if I'm doing the right thing, the bike has run excellent the way it was, There wasn't an internally stock engined Vmax, with the original carbs of any jetting that I've gonna up against that it wouldn't beat.......

But all the conventional wisdom says my jets were too big.

Should I be expecting more power now?

Rusty
__________________

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Finished the carbs last night, up till 3:00am, they 're racked, bench synched, and ready to install.

Getting ready to install them after I get primed with a few beers....

I used Marks recomendation of 1.125" as my setting. Thank you again Mark and everybody else in this thread with all this great info.

I measured the "before" float settings and they were all rich, in the 1.08-1.06 range

Installed the original 152.5 mains, getting rid of the DJ 160's, my carbs are completely stock now except for the two coils cut out of the slide springs....

I'd put that back to stock also if I had any springs.....

I used Starrett dial calipers and used both methods shown previously in this thread to compare, and they both are fine. I trust measuring off the carb body more than the metering block since there is more consensus/Information on what the numbers are supposed to be and what are good settings when measuring there.....

I was suprised ing how effin sensitive the adjustments are on the tab, and how hard it is to move it "just enough" but not too much, took many tries on each carb to get it perfect......

I wouldn't trust the visual method of setting the floats at all, if we're really saying that 1.105 is rich and 1.125 is lean, then it's completely impossible to SEE that little of a difference now matter how close you try to do a "line of sight" measurement.

But then again that's coming from a guy tho that never jacked with the float levels before when rebuilding carbs, figuring if it worked before and I hadn't messed with it then I should leave it alone, So the casting mark method may be "close enough" and certainly they would be better than my former method of ignoring the whole issue.

I'm still wondering if I did the right thing, it ran excellent the way it was, and there wasn't an internally stock engined vmax with original carbs of any jetting that I haven't beat, and I've gone up against a lot of them at our Bandera rides.

But conventional wisdom says I was too rich...

I wish my DynoJet Wideband Commander A/F guage was working, I got tired of replacing O2 sensors at $100 bucks a pop once a year.

Should I be expecting more power now?

Do jet kits not really have ANY value, even on a bike with a pipe and dyna 3000?


Rusty
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