This guy is the best virago teacher from my point of view,very good videos!, I really appreciate your desire to help others, more people like u, man! Saludos desde Mexico Steve!
Thanks man and glad the videos are helpful 👍. It’s easy to miss some of the important little things when looking at a manual so I figured making videos might help folks by being able to see the steps. Muchas gracias una ves mas y All the best ! Steve
Struggling with trying to figure out the front carb issue. No gas in the bowl or hose. Rear cylinder runs fine. Appreciate the lesson on how this works I will check the floats when I get home.
Your videos are priceless for Virago community! I've almost rebuilt my carburetor but encountered a mysterious problem. I cannot set float height in both carburetors. It always floods, even if I set it to close earlier than in the spec. I've opened it, blew air into the fuel inline and it shuts correctly when I barely touch a valve seat. Both floats move unrestricted, and smoothly. I've tested them - they are not leaking. But when I close the cap and fill the carburetor with fuel, it spills through the pilot jet (probably) hole inside the carburetor. I've run out of ideas about what went wrong. :/ It looks like floats don't block fuel even if entirely covered by fuel. [EDIT] I managed to set it. It appears that my floats had to be set way out of all suggestions on all YT videos. They are set quite high when carbs are open and upside down. So the advice for other people - if you see/know that someone was messing around with your carbs previously, don't assume that the parts inside (like floats) are not already bent in a weird way. Additionally, I've used a repair set and I think that changing valve seat assembly also changed float settings.
Hey ! Sounds like you got it figured out 👍. Yep, the floats are very delicate and if someone had really gotten them out of adjustment it is sometimes hard to figure out what is going on with them without putting fuel in to them on the bench and slowly adjusting the tab so it blocks off correctly.
Thanks man ! I’ve not worked on an xv535, but I would say the float adjustment and everything would be very similar as normally the float is adjusted so the fuel fills the bowl completely, but not so high that it will overflow into the intake on most carb engines 👍
Hey ! If you have the carbs off the bike, I would try removing the bowl and then hold up on the float (softly) till it blocks off the fuel inlet, then put a little fuel in to see if the float valve is sealing. If it’s sealing off with the float lifted, then it sounds like the float tab needs to be bent a bit more to get the float to block off sooner. Either that, or the float has a hole in it and has filled up with fuel and won’t float properly anymore.
Wilian Amaral , hey man! I used a piece of yellow/clear 1/4” OD weed eater fuel tubing...not the whiteish type as it doesn’t stretch when heated a little on the end to expand it to fit on the carb and doesn’t bend very well. I think it might be made of silicon, but not 100% sure
Hey man, if it just started doing this at the first startup of the season, but didn’t do it before, I’d say the float may have just gotten stuck after sitting for a few months. If it doesn’t straighten out, it might be worth it to pull the carbs and give then a little cleaning….then check the float height while the are on the bench 👍.
If Im getting to much fuel and gas dumping out of the breathers. Would it be safe to say this could correct my issue? Picked up an 82 yamaha virago 750 the other day
Hello, yes, if the float heights are set too high, you can get fuel running down into the cylinders as well as spits of fuel blowing back out the carbs. It could also be that the carbs are dirty as well that will cause this (the cylinder makes like a hiccup now and then and will blow the fuel out the intakes). It could also be other things not carb related like the valve gaps are too tight or too loose so the intake valve is not closing fully or at the right time and fuel gets blown back up the carb. Hope this helps and all the best ! Steve
I am also having this problem with my 85 XV1000. I have flooded the engine 3 times. 1 - 2mm float height makes a big difference. At 18 they flood but not at 20. I am probably going to set them at 21. At 23, the engine was starved of fuel.
@@dubwicht1 👍. Yep, from what I’ve found, the float height would almost be considered a critical setup parameter for these carbs with how they did the emulsion tube air ports. It’s virtually impossible to tune one with the fuel setting too low in the bowl and just fills up the cylinders (and eventually the oil) with fuel if too high like you said 👍.
Hey man ! Yep, the angle the carbs are held at will definitely affect the setup 👍. For my 750’s the motor is pretty level on the bike so I set my carbs in the vise so they are both at the same angle (the two combined are level). That way it mimics how they are when mounted to the cylinders.
Hey man ! Did you find the air/fuel mix needle? It’s toward the front of the carb on the bottom where the carb connects to the rubber boot on the stock 1st Gen carbs. If it has never been adjusted, there would be a small round aluminum disk (about 1/4” diameter) that covers the hole where the needle is. This disk has to be removed by drilling a small hole in the center of the disk and then prying it out. Be careful as the top of the needle is immediately under the disk so you have to go easy and feel when the drill bit goes through the disk and stop or you’ll damage the flat head screwdriver slot on the needle. If the disk has already been removed, a small flat head screwdriver can be put in the hole and will engage into the slot on the needle top.
Have you ever attempted to remove the bowl while the carb is still on the bike? I don't know how many times I took the carb off the bike but its tiresome.
Hey man ! Yep, I’ve taken the bowls off to change jets (even with the original bowl screws vs. replacing them with Allen heads). It is a little less hassle, but a couple of the screws are kinda hard to get to. Here’s a link to another video on the channel where I take the bowls off while the carbs are still on the bobber: ua-cam.com/video/Ddd2JQn85Z4/v-deo.html . There’s also a video on the channel for how to take the carbs off and put them back on that shows a couple of tricks to making it easier. All the best ! Steve
I've adjusted my float bowls now I'm stuck as to why the bike still drops in rpm or even stall sometimes when I lean it far enough to the right(not left) or when I rock it side to side or front to back. And I'm thinking it might be that the two floats in a carb are not at the same height and so are causing this problem, but I doubt that is the case. Maybe you have some ideas.
@@countbaker5595 , it actually could be that the individual floats have been bent so the level changes if leaned over, but I wouldn’t think the motor would react very fast to the change. I’ve had the petcock strainers up in the tank start getting blocked up with crud at the bottom to the point that the reserve level wouldn’t allow fuel to come down. Might be something to check as well if you haven’t. I’ve also accidentally adjusted the throttle cable too tight so when I turned the bike to the left the rpms would go up, but that sounds opposite to what you are seeing.
Thanks man. I’m sure there are several techniques to get the bubbles out...the main thing is to make sure there aren’t any as it throws off the fuel level in the tube. I see you have a UA-cam Channel as well, if you’ll post up a video on your technique I’ll have a look to see how you do this. I’m always up for learning something new 👍. All the best ! Steve
@@StevesDIYs Hi mate. My post wasn't meant to criticize yours, I'm currently working on my carbs, the float gave up. Will make a follow-up movie and let you know. Greetings from Thailand.
@@sisaketmike , Thanks man, no worries 👍. Yep, send me a link if you do make a video of the process…I always like to learn new things 👍. All the best ! Steve
This guy is the best virago teacher from my point of view,very good videos!, I really appreciate your desire to help others,
more people like u, man! Saludos desde Mexico Steve!
Thanks man and glad the videos are helpful 👍. It’s easy to miss some of the important little things when looking at a manual so I figured making videos might help folks by being able to see the steps. Muchas gracias una ves mas y All the best ! Steve
Struggling with trying to figure out the front carb issue. No gas in the bowl or hose. Rear cylinder runs fine. Appreciate the lesson on how this works I will check the floats when I get home.
Your videos are priceless for Virago community! I've almost rebuilt my carburetor but encountered a mysterious problem. I cannot set float height in both carburetors. It always floods, even if I set it to close earlier than in the spec. I've opened it, blew air into the fuel inline and it shuts correctly when I barely touch a valve seat. Both floats move unrestricted, and smoothly. I've tested them - they are not leaking. But when I close the cap and fill the carburetor with fuel, it spills through the pilot jet (probably) hole inside the carburetor. I've run out of ideas about what went wrong. :/ It looks like floats don't block fuel even if entirely covered by fuel.
[EDIT]
I managed to set it. It appears that my floats had to be set way out of all suggestions on all YT videos. They are set quite high when carbs are open and upside down. So the advice for other people - if you see/know that someone was messing around with your carbs previously, don't assume that the parts inside (like floats) are not already bent in a weird way. Additionally, I've used a repair set and I think that changing valve seat assembly also changed float settings.
Hey ! Sounds like you got it figured out 👍. Yep, the floats are very delicate and if someone had really gotten them out of adjustment it is sometimes hard to figure out what is going on with them without putting fuel in to them on the bench and slowly adjusting the tab so it blocks off correctly.
Thanks, Steve!
Thanks man and glad the videos help some 👍. All the best ! Steve
Awesome video, very well explained
Do you know if it's the same procedure for the XV535?
Thanks
Thanks man ! I’ve not worked on an xv535, but I would say the float adjustment and everything would be very similar as normally the float is adjusted so the fuel fills the bowl completely, but not so high that it will overflow into the intake on most carb engines 👍
Hey I can’t seem to figure out why the float bowl is just leaking lots of fuel every time I put fuel in it to check the level please help!
Hey ! If you have the carbs off the bike, I would try removing the bowl and then hold up on the float (softly) till it blocks off the fuel inlet, then put a little fuel in to see if the float valve is sealing. If it’s sealing off with the float lifted, then it sounds like the float tab needs to be bent a bit more to get the float to block off sooner. Either that, or the float has a hole in it and has filled up with fuel and won’t float properly anymore.
Hey Steve! Which diameter hose did you used to attach to the float bowl?
Wilian Amaral , hey man! I used a piece of yellow/clear 1/4” OD weed eater fuel tubing...not the whiteish type as it doesn’t stretch when heated a little on the end to expand it to fit on the carb and doesn’t bend very well. I think it might be made of silicon, but not 100% sure
@@StevesDIYs thank you brother!
I'm having fule spitting out of my exhaust after my first start up of the season, would this be my issue?
Hey man, if it just started doing this at the first startup of the season, but didn’t do it before, I’d say the float may have just gotten stuck after sitting for a few months. If it doesn’t straighten out, it might be worth it to pull the carbs and give then a little cleaning….then check the float height while the are on the bench 👍.
If Im getting to much fuel and gas dumping out of the breathers. Would it be safe to say this could correct my issue? Picked up an 82 yamaha virago 750 the other day
Hello, yes, if the float heights are set too high, you can get fuel running down into the cylinders as well as spits of fuel blowing back out the carbs. It could also be that the carbs are dirty as well that will cause this (the cylinder makes like a hiccup now and then and will blow the fuel out the intakes). It could also be other things not carb related like the valve gaps are too tight or too loose so the intake valve is not closing fully or at the right time and fuel gets blown back up the carb. Hope this helps and all the best ! Steve
I am also having this problem with my 85 XV1000. I have flooded the engine 3 times. 1 - 2mm float height makes a big difference. At 18 they flood but not at 20. I am probably going to set them at 21. At 23, the engine was starved of fuel.
@@dubwicht1 👍. Yep, from what I’ve found, the float height would almost be considered a critical setup parameter for these carbs with how they did the emulsion tube air ports. It’s virtually impossible to tune one with the fuel setting too low in the bowl and just fills up the cylinders (and eventually the oil) with fuel if too high like you said 👍.
What angle is the carb on? Wouldn't the incorrect angle mess up the test?
Hey man ! Yep, the angle the carbs are held at will definitely affect the setup 👍. For my 750’s the motor is pretty level on the bike so I set my carbs in the vise so they are both at the same angle (the two combined are level). That way it mimics how they are when mounted to the cylinders.
@@StevesDIYs Thanks Steve.
Cant find the air mixture screw. Bike is running too rich
Hey man ! Did you find the air/fuel mix needle? It’s toward the front of the carb on the bottom where the carb connects to the rubber boot on the stock 1st Gen carbs. If it has never been adjusted, there would be a small round aluminum disk (about 1/4” diameter) that covers the hole where the needle is. This disk has to be removed by drilling a small hole in the center of the disk and then prying it out. Be careful as the top of the needle is immediately under the disk so you have to go easy and feel when the drill bit goes through the disk and stop or you’ll damage the flat head screwdriver slot on the needle. If the disk has already been removed, a small flat head screwdriver can be put in the hole and will engage into the slot on the needle top.
Have you ever attempted to remove the bowl while the carb is still on the bike? I don't know how many times I took the carb off the bike but its tiresome.
Hey man ! Yep, I’ve taken the bowls off to change jets (even with the original bowl screws vs. replacing them with Allen heads). It is a little less hassle, but a couple of the screws are kinda hard to get to. Here’s a link to another video on the channel where I take the bowls off while the carbs are still on the bobber: ua-cam.com/video/Ddd2JQn85Z4/v-deo.html . There’s also a video on the channel for how to take the carbs off and put them back on that shows a couple of tricks to making it easier. All the best ! Steve
@@StevesDIYs Sweet! I will check the videos out. Thank you Steve.
No problem 👍. Have a good one !
I've adjusted my float bowls now I'm stuck as to why the bike still drops in rpm or even stall sometimes when I lean it far enough to the right(not left) or when I rock it side to side or front to back. And I'm thinking it might be that the two floats in a carb are not at the same height and so are causing this problem, but I doubt that is the case.
Maybe you have some ideas.
@@countbaker5595 , it actually could be that the individual floats have been bent so the level changes if leaned over, but I wouldn’t think the motor would react very fast to the change. I’ve had the petcock strainers up in the tank start getting blocked up with crud at the bottom to the point that the reserve level wouldn’t allow fuel to come down. Might be something to check as well if you haven’t. I’ve also accidentally adjusted the throttle cable too tight so when I turned the bike to the left the rpms would go up, but that sounds opposite to what you are seeing.
Mate, you're making a few mistakes. The bubbles will get out easily using a different technique. best of luck. .
Thanks man. I’m sure there are several techniques to get the bubbles out...the main thing is to make sure there aren’t any as it throws off the fuel level in the tube. I see you have a UA-cam Channel as well, if you’ll post up a video on your technique I’ll have a look to see how you do this. I’m always up for learning something new 👍. All the best ! Steve
@@StevesDIYs Hi mate. My post wasn't meant to criticize yours, I'm currently working on my carbs, the float gave up. Will make a follow-up movie and let you know. Greetings from Thailand.
@@sisaketmike , Thanks man, no worries 👍. Yep, send me a link if you do make a video of the process…I always like to learn new things 👍. All the best ! Steve