Dellorto flooding float issue

mattcfish · 11-24-2012, 05:54 PM

I left about a half gallon of gas on the ground at my last motorcycle club meeting. A little embarrassing to say the least. Glad no one was smoking or a whole line of vintage bikes would have gone up in a fireball.
Turns out one of my floats filled up with gas and doesn't float anymore. I know, I should have closed the petcocks, I almost always do.
What is especially vexing is that this particular float was only 1 year old and not exactly cheap. Luckily I had saved one of the old floats and was able to reinstall it. The only reason I had replaced it in the first place was that it was a little heavier than spec. The question is, are new floats for PHM's as good as the old ones? Is there something in fuel these days that is dissolving them more rapidly? Anyone else suffering from flooding floats?
The interesting thing is that there is no apparent hole in the float. It's just completely full of gas in one of the chambers. The new floats are a translucent white in color, even after one year. The old float, which I'm using now, is a solid yellowish color.
I'm worried about the other carb, it's also got the newer float.

bmwrench · 11-25-2012, 07:05 PM

I haven't seen this happen-yet. I hope yours was a fluke.

hopscotching · 11-26-2012, 01:28 PM

One of the new floats i installed sprung a leak!!! It was replaced at no charge but very annoying to say the least, the replacement seems to be holding up well thou... I have a feeling that if they are to leak it will happen quickly, at least i am hoping

mattcfish · 11-26-2012, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hopscotching

One of the new floats i installed sprung a leak!!! It was replaced at no charge but very annoying to say the least, the replacement seems to be holding up well thou... I have a feeling that if they are to leak it will happen quickly, at least i am hoping

I wonder if the newer floats are even made in Italy. What a PITA, they should last at least a decade or more.

disston · 11-26-2012, 03:10 PM

I don't see a problem. You bought a new part. The part failed in service. They replaced it free. Even building quality and testing everything it would be difficult to have 100% success. (they don't test everything but) I don't think you can expect any better than that. I don't think they owe you anything else.

mattcfish · 11-26-2012, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disston

I don't see a problem. You bought a new part. The part failed in service. They replaced it free. Even building quality and testing everything it would be difficult to have 100% success. (they don't test everything but) I don't think you can expect any better than that. I don't think they owe you anything else.

Mine hasn't been replaced. What bothers me is that mine functioned for at least a year and then failed. That rings of a design problem, not just a faulty part. I think the alcohol used in the gas around here may be too much for the plastic in these floats. Just want to see if this is a reoccuring problem or just a fluke.

disston · 11-26-2012, 03:51 PM

Sorry. I confused the OP with somebody else that had the same problem.

I do think you should get a new part. Maybe you will. But after one year the seller may balk. Alcohol in the gas strikes again.

11-24-2012, 05:54 PM	#1
mattcfish ^OP R90SS/6 Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Bellingham, WA RAIN or shine Oddometer: 153	Dellorto flooding float issue I left about a half gallon of gas on the ground at my last motorcycle club meeting. A little embarrassing to say the least. Glad no one was smoking or a whole line of vintage bikes would have gone up in a fireball. Turns out one of my floats filled up with gas and doesn't float anymore. I know, I should have closed the petcocks, I almost always do. What is especially vexing is that this particular float was only 1 year old and not exactly cheap. Luckily I had saved one of the old floats and was able to reinstall it. The only reason I had replaced it in the first place was that it was a little heavier than spec. The question is, are new floats for PHM's as good as the old ones? Is there something in fuel these days that is dissolving them more rapidly? Anyone else suffering from flooding floats? The interesting thing is that there is no apparent hole in the float. It's just completely full of gas in one of the chambers. The new floats are a translucent white in color, even after one year. The old float, which I'm using now, is a solid yellowish color. I'm worried about the other carb, it's also got the newer float.

11-26-2012, 01:28 PM	#3
hopscotching Gettin ready to go.. Joined: Mar 2011 Location: San Francisco Oddometer: 52	After I did a full rebuild One of the new floats i installed sprung a leak!!! It was replaced at no charge but very annoying to say the least, the replacement seems to be holding up well thou... I have a feeling that if they are to leak it will happen quickly, at least i am hoping __________________ In Dog Beers I've Only Had One!

11-26-2012, 03:10 PM	#5
disston ShadeTreeExpert Joined: Mar 2011 Location: Silver Spring, Md Oddometer: 4,992	I don't see a problem. You bought a new part. The part failed in service. They replaced it free. Even building quality and testing everything it would be difficult to have 100% success. (they don't test everything but) I don't think you can expect any better than that. I don't think they owe you anything else. __________________ Never memorize something you can look up. ---Albert Einstein

11-26-2012, 03:51 PM	#7
disston ShadeTreeExpert Joined: Mar 2011 Location: Silver Spring, Md Oddometer: 4,992	Sorry. I confused the OP with somebody else that had the same problem. I do think you should get a new part. Maybe you will. But after one year the seller may balk. Alcohol in the gas strikes again. __________________ Never memorize something you can look up. ---Albert Einstein

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11-25-2012, 07:05 PM	#2
bmwrench Beastly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2006 Oddometer: 1,461	I haven't seen this happen-yet. I hope yours was a fluke.