So I'm having trouble with my dads softail Springer carb. It was rebuilt by someone else amd they couldn't get it to run. I took it apart and cleaned it good and still cant get it to run.

Here is where i stand.

Gas goes from tank through gravity pingle petcock to the carb, ive taken line off carb to make sure gas is flowing and it is. Carb has gas pouring out at times but when i turn the gas off and back on it stops. Bike cranks but wont start. If i spray some starter it will pop. When gas is in the carb bowl from when it pours out it will try and turn but wont start. Plugs are good and dry as a bone. It seems like the fuel mixture is not getting into cylinder head. When i turn throttle fuel mixture sprays out of the carb slightly.

Open to any suggestions.

 

What carburetor do you have? Sounds like a lack of fuel and possibly your float level is off..

 

I measured the float level and it was in the recommend range. Cv carb i believe.

 

How long has this bike sat? When was the last time it ran? Does the accelerator pump work..? Did you consider taking the carb to a reputable Indy for a rebuild case it sounds like o said earlier.. a fuel problem..

 

not following explanation at all.
are you sure you are seeing the petcock positions correctly? of note, some petcocks are serviceable so has some one been in there? the rubber could be installed incorrectly or some one made a new one from non compatible material and it has swollen and restricting the fuel.
have you checked the amount of fuel in the bowl? using the correct method of setting the height?
when i start up a machine after working on it, i use a large feeding tube syringe to monitor flow before installing the tank. that way, i know how much fuel the dry carb takes (plunger removed) and the amount that is being used.
if you are using starting fluid, DON"T!!! spritz a little gasoline inside the carb throat. starting fluid can cause a sizeable amount of damage.

 

Bike sat for awhile, not sure how long exactly but it was a long period.

petcock works proper, i take the line off the by the carb and flow is good and shuts off when i turn it off at the petcock.

I measured the float on the angle that was required. I was hoping to troubletroubleshoot it and get it right to save the couple hundred bucks the mechanic would charge.

 

If the carb has gas flowing out, the float valve isn't shutting off all the way. Have you pulled the float and valve? The rubber tip on the valve might be worn and not seating all the time, why shutting off the gas till it stops leaking from the carb could work, reseats the valve when you turn the gas flow back on. Then the float might be sticking closed. I've run into this when a carb sat a long time with old gas in it, crud built up on the float valve needle and seat and it stuck. Also, have you checked that the plugs are sparking? Just pull one and hold it against the motor so you can see the spark. Don't hold it with bare fingers... I've tried starting fluid once on a Harley when it was too cold to start, but it wouldn't even cough on that, either. In my experience, if they'll start at all, they'll start on gas.

Almost forgot, the low speed jet can clog and they won't idle, but with that you should still get some firing even if it doesn't start.

 

Yeah i think the needle is new, not sure if the seat has been cleaned good so ill double check that. Plugs are good as well, tested them and got spark.

Is the float needle seat able to be taken out on these carbs? Ive seen people use brass cleaner on them but idk about doing that in the carb.

Only other thing i havent done is check the mixture jet( im sure thats not proper name) as it needs that cap drilled out. Could that be a possibility?

 

So drilled out the cap and took that needle out, tip was a little black so cleaned it and put it back in. 1 3/4 turns after closed. Bike kicked over for about 2 seconds then cut off and wouldnt do it again.

Im stumped. Checked float again and valve is clean and seat is clean.

 

Needle seat is part of the carb body. Last one I cleaned, I just wiped it out with a Q tip soaked in WD40 and it took the green crud out. Lucky on that one, a really clogged up carb just about has to be soaked in carb cleaner. Still wouldn't run till I pulled the low speed jet and cleaned it, too, was completely clogged. If the bike kicked over for 2 seconds - I'm assuming that means it ran 2 seconds - there's gas in the carb bowl, and that will usually let them idle over a minute after shutting off the petcock. I'm wondering if for some reason the carb is super rich and flooding after it cranks over a few times before it catches. I've seen that, too. Could be way too lean also, from an intake leak. That's easy to diagnose when it's running, just spray some wd40 around the seals and if the rpm picks up, you have a leak. When it won't run, harder to figure out. With the motor cold, sitting long enough to be sure it isn't flooded (I shouldn't admit I'd do something like this, but I've hurried the process by pulling the plugs and touching a torch to the plug hole - dries out so quick you don't want your face too close ), you can squirt some heavy motor oil on the intake seal area - yeah, messy - and quickly hit the starter with the enrichment **** pulled. If it's just an intake leak, should fire before it sucks the oil in and gets air. These are kind of last things to check when it won't start, sounds like you've done the easy stuff. Figuring out why it won't start can be harder than trying to find out why it isn't running right.