Before any of you go and tell me I need to do the "tube test" to check the float level, I am aware of that, but I ask that you please humor me for the time being…

So as many of you know, for more than a year now, I've been having problems with the way my R* runs. It's been down on power, getting *crap* mileage and even sounds off. I've checked, fixed, corrected everything possible with the exception of one thing; the float level.

I'd altered the float level more than a year ago, because I'd been having other problems, which I now believe was due to a leak in the intake. I made the adjustment to the float based on Weislake's eyeball method shown in the first photo below:



And here's what mine looked like before I did anything to it:



And here's mine after:




Until recently, I didn't fully understand the significance of the float level; and with all else fixed, but the bike still not being at 100%, it was the last possible culprit I could think of.

So the other day, I put it back to the original position; or so I'd thought. I'd gotten the adjustments mixed up and instead of raising it, I lowered it even more; effectively raising the float level when the carb is right side up. I took the bike out for a ride not knowing I'd done it wrong, when low and behold, the bike ran great! Better than it had since all this began!! I was thrilled as you could imagine, that is until I went back and double checked the before and after photos from a ways back.

So my question is this, does it make sense that the bike runs *better*?? I would have thought it would have ran worse or am I compensating for some other as yet to be discovered problem???

What are you thoughts? And yes, I will do the tube test this weekend.

FYI- Running a 37.5 pilot, 167.5 main and clip on 4th groove with PMS at 2.5 turns out.

That's what i used to set mine and it works fine for me. The factory setting was found to be set to high

As an after thought if it's running good I'd leave it alone for awhile and see how it does.

Your second pic, has it to low.
To be at the proper 04 and later setting(Yamaha changed it for the early bikes in 2000??, you would need the the float as it sets in the pic, to come down(this would be raising the level, since the carb is upside down).
Your second pic has the float setting lower, then the 99-03 stock setting.
Move your green line, to the top edge of the float seam, like in Odo's pic, instead of the bottom. Line the arrow up, about a nickles thickness down, from the top of the short tower, the arrows are pointing at. That won't quite be half way down from the top of the short tower.
Make sense?

Sorry, the pics were slow loading, and I was fast typing. The last pic, looks better......"where it is now????". The pic with the green arrow running kinda ollygaggle. Even the last pic, is still low though, It is pretty much, the 99-03 setting, if you realign your arrow.

you may have had a piece of shit in the bowl thats gone now. the truth of the matter is, as long as those jets are sitting in liquid gas(supplied by an elec fuel pump for this carb) the float level may not make a big difference because the pump refills it so fast, it is only when u get 2 close to either too high or too low that a problem will develop. did u blow air thru all the circuits in the carb? I also noticed u have the maxair PMS screw, is the sealing Oring still in there?

sidebar,
i jetted my bike last week, and i set my float so low the bowl only half filled, but it still ran pretty good, idle was good but unstable.

What is the tube test?

JaredJ wrote:
What is the tube test?

That's how Yamaha recommends checking the float level.
A tube is placed on the bowl drain, and looped up the back corner of the carb(the manifold side, not front and back on the bike necessarily). The bike needs to be upright, either held, or placed on a lift that keeps it vertical. You want 4 to 5mm, above the bowl to carb matting surface, at the back corner, not in front where it's easy to read.
Open the bowl drain, and the fuel will fill the tube to the level in the bowl. If you turn the key to on, the pump will refill any that has evaporated, or if the bowl was empty.
The downside to this correct method, is if it's wrong, then you have to back track, to change it. It can eat up a lot of time, about the 3rd or 4th tweak.

If you can get the Odo dry set figured out, it works great, IMHO. The tube works to double check.
http://weislake.com/sig/mucker/carb/carbfloat/carbfloat.htm

First off, stop being so paranoid How are you to really know the correct float level for YOUR particular carb based upon a suggested sight line. I am betting that if you now attached a float tube you would find that you are sitting on the high side of the 2-4mm updated setting for the float, which is where it works best with a pumpless setup in my personal opinion. As already suggested leave it alone and try it for a while and see your results over time. And for now, just go enjoy what you've been missing

Rod

If she's making music, just leave that damn float alone and drive the shit out of it.

OK guys… [I knew I should have taken a photo] …. So it's about a dime's width *below* the arrow in this photo.



And I'm only paranoid because of experience. I'd already got the bike running good and thought all was well, only to find out it was way too rich but compensating for a leak in the intake.

But since I'd already taken care of that, along with rebuilding the carb with new o-rings, including the one in the PMS as well as a new float needle and seat. But no, I did not blow compressed air through the carb.

i agree, if u are running well, no carb puke or gas smell in the barn, mileage is good, warms up nicely, leave it. from what i gather, a low setting wont reach the idle jet.
If Erbman chimes in, he knows best.

a dime is like 2 or 3 mm, at worst you are closer to the 04 and up setting.

for those who dont know:
Odo's method rocks, follow up ODO's method by clear tubing hooked to the bottom of carb drain pipe, open the valve and turn on fuel pump, recheck a couple of times by turning key on and off, which will fire up fuel pump. you can see the fuel level.

you can pull the bowl without removing fuel tank. i have an 8 dollar advance auto allen/screwdriver mini set that has a flexible cable drive handle direct from china. an LED headlight, a mirror sitting on a rag, or better yet a magnetic mirror. just pull air gafilter. it is hard to see and hard to get a hex to open the carb drain bolt, unless you have lost or moved fuel pump on the other side, then u can rach in from the back door, but B4 i had a small hex that i cut off to fit in small corners just for that.