Carb Float Repair

[Black N Gold]

Hi Folks, I'm new to this board - and by the looks of it, this is a gold mine of knowledge....
Question: I have a 83 Yam Vision XZ550 twin, Mikuni  36 carbs- with a broken carb float - the local shop says "discontinued, or unavailable" - would you like to buy a new bike today? ... so,, does anyone have resources to find this type of item- like salvage yards, or ... is there a method to repair / glue / shrink over / form, etc...the two broken pieces, so that the carb float will again function...?
Thanks ahead of time....

[jschmidt]

Welcome to heaven, bro...

http://www.partsnmore.com/
http://sudco.com/

One of these places can help you but you'll probably have to call to get the listing. Repair is always dicey. But I'm certain you can get new floats for your carbs.

[Bjorn Toulouse]

You might try looking on Ebay for a used carb set. You'll have a lot of spare bits that way.  


Rex

[jschmidt]

You might try looking on Ebay for a used carb set. You'll have a lot of spare bits that way.  


Rex

True. Cheap too, except that every set I've bought off ebay needed floats.

[thatguy]

If you solder brass floats they become too heavy to do their job.Yep I did that.

[Jes_VFR]

try www.motorcyclecarbs.com
they have rebuild kits for the 81-83 yamaha's
so If there is a possiblity of getting a new float, they should be able to help you.

[thatguy]

Oh and I forgot these guys are the king of NOS Yamaha.
 http://www.yamatopdog.com

[jschmidt]

Your bike is an XZ550RK, specifically.
Year = 1983
Size = 550
Desciption = XZ550R Vision

The Yamaha part # for the float is 28V-14985-00-00

Unfortunately (and unusually) this part is only used on one Yamaha for one year.

The carb part numbers are:
28V-14900-00-00 CARBURETOR ASSEMBLY  
28V-14901-00-00 CARBURETOR ASSEMBLY 1  
28V-14902-00-00 CARBURETOR ASSEMBLY 2

The first number is probably an assembled pair. Again, this carb set was only used on one Yamaha for one year. To put this in perspective, most Yamaha part numbers fit approximately 10-25 bikes.

Given this info, I'd bet a carb parts supplier (like SUDCO) would be your best bet. Are these carbs BS series?
 

[Black N Gold]

Thanks for the leads - I'll have to google on salvage yards as most of the "carb" references mentioned are pretty dry for the parts I need for the one-year only Mikuni....it's a BD36, not even the Vision in 82 share the same carb....
Has anyone had failed or successful attempts to repair a closed cellfoam ( not brass & not poly molded) float before?
The float has split into 2 pieces, right at the metal tang piece - nice clean break lines....

[Bjorn Toulouse]

Has anyone had failed or successful attempts to repair a closed cellfoam ( not brass & not poly molded) float before?
The float has split into 2 pieces, right at the metal tang piece - nice clean break lines....

The problems with attempting repair are, changing the weight of the float and is the repair going to be gas-proof in the long term.


Rex

[jschmidt]

The rest of the carb kit: http://www.xz550.com/keyster.html

However I don't think the float is fixable. Hate to say that.

[rodm850g]

Black& Gold,
I have a lead on a set I PM'd you about earlier today, drop me a line off line to
Rodm850g@nc.rr.com  and I can give you a phone number to a felow I gave an 83 to......I'm pretty sure he's done nothing with it since I gave it to him.......On a trip back from Pigeon Forge the damned thing ate a nozzle in the carb...you know the one when you throttle it goves it a shot of gas....any way I got one from a VW and made it work....God luck
Rodm850g

[Black N Gold]

Thanks Folks for the input - still searching and researching  -has anyone understood what type of plastic foam went into these molded floats? Is it likely to be a polyurethane?
Does anyone have a contact at Mikuni in Japan?
If I can't find a nos/used float, I'll have to show some field expediency and "make one" or make-do...
Stuff like JB Weld should hold up to gas exposure, but it doesn't like bonding to polyethylene or low surface energy materials...if I have to glue the two parts back together...
Has anyone tried to use a high-ratio shrink tubing -like an overwrap - light but strong -  is this stuff gas-proof?
Any ideas would be appreciated, I can try almost anything, including being patient!

[Bjorn Toulouse]

There is a Vision carb set, '82 model year, on Ebay now.
Search item #300201633215


Rex

[Black N Gold]

Hey- JSchmidt...
seems like you have a solid handle on the parts numbers - and it seems like both the 82 and 83 Mikuni carbs and floats are indeed different part numbers ( and shapes) - and one float will not work in the alternate year's bike... may I please ask if you can confirm this? the 82 is a "J" model year...and all your info on the 83 is right on ! Thanks, Man !...

[jschmidt]

I have a couple of vintage XS650s so I have a program that finds part numbers and models using the same parts. It's very valuable. It does say that the float was only used in that one carb in that one year and in no other Yamaha in history.

Anyway, anyone who wants such a program for Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki or Yamaha can get one from zedder.com for about 25 bucks. You can check to see if your bike is listed, and these programs are current through roughly the mid 90s. Recommended.

If you just want to know about one part for Yamaha, post it up here with year and model. I'll be happy to look some up until I get overworked.

[kitkat]

The only stuff i have ever used which is absolutely impervious to gasoline (as in i have a patch of it on the *bottom* of a 6 gallon tank that has held for years now) is something called Seal-All. Here's a  link: http://www.eclecticproducts.com/sealall.htm You might have trouble finding this stuff locally--all Home depot etc seem to carry anymore is the large corp adhesive lines. Might try Ace hdwe--or find it online from some vendor or other.  It's definitely something worth having on the on-board toolkit.  This stuff got me home a couple of times over the years since i discovered it on a trip down in AZ 25 years ago. You can actually use this to *stop* oil leaking from a cracked case for example--without draining the oil even! It'll stop any gas leak you can get it on too.  Pretty cool goo.  I haven't used it on a carb float before, but if i needed to try and mend one this is the first thing i'd reach for.  Good luck.

[jschmidt]

You know, I had another idea. You can really use any float that will fit. But then you won't know the proper height to set it at. That problem is solved by the use of a float height guage that runs off the bottom of the float bowl. They're more trouble, but actually more accurate.

It's basically a fitting with a short hose and a clear graduated tube. You screw it into the drain plug hole and hold it next to the carb as you fill it with fluid. It'll work on a bench or on the bike. The fluid rises to the level outside that equals the level inside.

[jeffmccracken]

Found the Seal All at Amazon.com for $1.18 a tube

http://www.amazon.com/Eclectic-Products-380012-Seal-Adhesive/dp/B0000AXYZG

With shipping, 5 tubes ran $11.98 delivered.

JeffM