Carb leaking

[NateDN10]

Hello! I am having a problem with my Honda HRM215 mower with GXV140 engine.

I partially took apart the carb this weekend to clean it. I took off the float bowl and removed the main jet, and cleaned them. Now it's leaking from between the carb and air cleaner. Specifically, there are two holes (circled in red in the picture below) where fuel comes out if I take the air cleaner off.

Here's a picture with the gasket on that goes between the carb and the air cleaner. The red line shows an unsealed path between the hole where fuel is leaking and open air.

And here's another picture showing the same path on the air cleaner side:

Why is fuel coming out of this hole? It seems to leak any time the throttle lever is not in the "off" position.

Thanks!

 

[Chris142]

What's with the orange silicone? I'm guessing that the float level is too high or has a piece of silicone in it.

 

[mechanicx]

I'm not familiar with the GXV but if it's like the GCV carb then taking the air cleaner bolts off de-torques the carburetor assembly (one of the reasons I don't like Honda carb design). I think my GCV has a plastic spacer between the air cleaner and top of the carb.

It looks like the gasket on the carb is missing the sealing bead at the bottom, but the air cleaner appears to have a channel in the same are that would make it impossible to seal anyway.

I'm guessing this hole is an air bleed and for some reason your float needle/seat is not preventing fuel from over flowing. I don't think fuel should be should be that high.

Does the engine flood too?

 

[mechanicx]

I think now it is an air bleed and your carburetor is flooding because there's some issue with the float needle.

 

[nitehawk55]

Take bowl off and clean up the gunk that has likely developed from it sitting .
When the float/needle and seat get old gas crud they will not seat and the carb will flood over .

Same thing happens with cars that sit over the winter too , had to pull the needle and seats out of a friends hotrod with a Holley carb because it was flooding out too . A little carb cleaner , some compressed air and done !

And yes....what is it with all that orange gunk ??

 

[NateDN10]

The orange RTV is because I thought the leak was from the float bowl at first. I'll check the float needle. Thanks!

 

[hemitom]

If its leaking gas that high up it must be because the float is stuck. i'm not to familiar with the honda carbs so i'm taking a guess at this.

 

[NateDN10]

Success. I cleaned out the float bowl and manually made sure the needle valve was working and that the float wasn't stuck, and put it back together. No leaks! In hindsight I guess the REV was a bad idea. Thanks!

 

[mechanicx]

Good work!