The Bendix/Zenith
I'm running pukes gas thru the filter housing onto my gear cover.
My plugs read good...as in chocolate brown or a shade lighter.
Do you think maybe I have the idle screw too rich?
Seems like I've read here before about Bendix being notorious
for puking gas. Is it an all too common occurance? Any solutions
besides going Linkert or CV?
S&S..?? Never! The filter is too common and recognizable,
and modern.
Post by fourthgear on Mar 14, 2006, 9:16pm
DJ
I know you may have checked this, but is the float OK , not sticking or out of
adj.?
Post by King on Mar 15, 2006, 7:03am
DJ
I agree, check the float. Mine was doing the same thing and I set the float about
1/16 lower than the stock specs I think 5/16 vs1/4 but I'm away from my data
right now so maybe some one else could confirm this. Anyway that cured the problem.
Another thing to check is the rubber cover on the accelerator pump. Mine has
split a couple of times and also just come out of its hole causing spillage.
It hides behind the air cleaner and can get ignored.
King
Post by dj on Mar 15, 2006, 10:04am
I will recheck the float. When I rebuilt the carb, it took me a couple of tries
to get the thing to work at all. I mean, a steady stream of gas leaking! Maybe
I need to set the float just a little bit lower.
I installed a new accelerator pump when I rebuilt, and the boot is fine.
You guys are probably right-on about the float. Thanks.
Post by jackmoghrabi on Mar 15, 2006, 5:34pm
Hey DJ,
A while back I had the same problem with my Zenith/Bendix. I bought a rebuild
kit and installed a new fuel needle valve, accelerator pump, gaskets, float return
spring and what not. I adjusted the float per spec. The carb still leaked a nice
steady full stream out of the overflow hole in the fuel bowl! I took the carb
apart about three times, very perplexed. Finally on the last try I took the brass
float in my hand and I shook it next to my ear. Wouldn't you know I heard fuel
sloshing around in the float! And what's also interesting is that when I immersed
the float in a cup of water, looking for the stream of bubbles to pinpoint the
hole or holes, there was none! And the float didn't even sink to the bottom of
the cup like I expected her to. Part of her dipped below the surface (where the
fuel settled and made her a tad heavy) but the other half of the float had enough
buoyancy to stay afloat. I think the brass float had aged to an extent that the
brass just became porous enough to let fuel in, maybe on a microscopic level.
Anyway a new float fixed her.
My lesson is to shake the float first thing.... I would have avoided a new rebuild
kit I didn't really need and being more perplexed than I'd like to be....Good
luck. JackMO!
Post by sleeper on Mar 16, 2006, 9:21am
Quote: " And the float didn't even sink to the bottom of the cup like I
expected her to. Part of her dipped below the surface (where the fuel settled
and made her a tad heavy) but the other half of the float had enough buoyancy
to stay afloat"
Exactly, & when float is "hinged" we know where the heavy end will
be, right ?? opposite the hinge hanging down w/xtra gas/weight inside..
Post by dj on Mar 17, 2006, 6:24am
JackMO....
I will definitely keep that in mind when I open the bowl up. Haven't had time
lately because of trying to move to a new house and work. I've already got the
bike in the garage there, and getting time to actually ride it or work on it
is scarce right now. Thanks for all the advice everybody.
Post by King on Apr 5, 2006, 2:22pm
DJ
Sorry to be late getting back with this but I just found my notes
on the subject. A while back my Bendix was weeping gas as you
describe and I posted a 'cry for help' on another site that deals
with Shovelheads. The responders gave good info on the valve
seat/needle and the height of the float. First off, there are
a lot of bad Bendix rebuild kits out there with improperly seating
needles. The best needle is the one with a rubber nose cone where
it seats on the fuel inlet port. The next point is that the consensus
among the Bendix aficionados is that the float height should
be 5/16" not 3/16" as mentioned in the Harley
manual or the truly bogus 1/8" in my tech sheet from Zenith. I disassembled
the carb made sure the needle and seat were OK and reset the float height @ a
'fat' 5/16.
NOTE: the 'float height' is measured as the gap between the rear of the float
(the point furthest away from the needle arm) and the gasket surface when the
carb body is in the inverted position.
The adjustment is made by carefully bending the tab that acts on the needle.
Be sure when doing this that an even application of force is applied to the tab
so it does not distort. I used pliers with jaws wide enough to cover the whole
tab. Also, when the adjustment is complete check to see if any roughness has
been created on the surface of the tab that contacts the needle, if so buff it
off with very fine (400 or 600) grit sandpaper. This is a good idea in any case
especially when the carb has not been serviced for a while and some crud may
have built up on the tab or base of the needle. When installing the pivot pin
and spring check to be sure nothing is binding and the float has a free range
of motion. It is also a good check to suck on the inlet tube when the needle
is seated to see if it holds.
That routine cured the problem and it has not resurfaced in 3 years.
Good luck
King
