Gas pouring out of carb

[backison]

Hi all,
First of all, I'm new to the forums, this is my first post.
Just purchased a 1984 spree nq50. I was told it ran great but when I went to put fuel in, it all just poured out. It seemed like it was coming out of the carb and maybe somewhere else and no longer starts.
Could it be the Petcock?
Or is this a carb rebuild job?
Also I couldn't stop the gas from glowing out is there a shutoff valve?
I'm by no means experienced with this type of work but willing to get my hands dirty.
Love the forum!
Thanks for any help or suggestions!!!
B

[swimmingfree]

the thing thats at the tank with 2 house to it is the gas shot off ... yourr seems to be stuck oopen if the tank is going dry if its just a little (about a cup) its the carb you need to look at...
swimmingfree

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Two mechanisms prevent fuel leakage;
1. The petcock threaded beneath the tank is supposed to open only upon application of vacuum to the smaller hose. A failed petcock is likely in your case.
2. Inside the carb is a float valve that keeps the fuel level below a limit. That has failed on your bike too.

Fuel system issues are common considering rubber lines, rusty steel tanks and 30 years of neglect. Fortunately you can find dozens of threads to help execute the affordable remedies.

[backison]

First off, thank you.
So it sounds like I should try to fix the carb first?
I guess if the carb is allowing fuel to flow that could create enough of a vacume to pull the fluid though the petcock?
Should I rebuild or just find a new carb?
B

[swflcarl]

Wheelie-Man... has pointed you in the right direction.

The petcock on these scoots (the on / off fuel valve) is not turned with your hand... but instead it is turned on when the piston is moving. The moving of the piston sucks air down the intake side of the carb... which you will notice has a hose that goes up to the the petcock screwed into your gas tank. As the piston is going up and down (running or not), this will open a passage and allow gas to flow to the carb bowl. You will note this other tube on the petcock that runs to the carb.

I have bypass many petcocks that have become inoperable over time... (this means that they flow gas all the time). In these cases I am solely relying on carb float with rubber needle to shut off the gas once the carb is full. If the float is not working correctly, then overflow will happen, and momma will see gas on the floor - no bueno.

As Man of Wheels has pointed out (correctly).... your petcock is free flowing or broke (as gas pours out without you pumping the kick start or electric starter) and the carb float valve, needle with rubber tip, and inlet seat (the back up system) is not stopping the gas from coming intp the carb (thus resulting in the carb overflow port being utilized).

As mentioned no less than 10k times here on the forum... open the carb and check the float adjustment, rubber tipped needle (stopper), and seat (where the rubber meets the road or where the rubber stops the gas inrush). In most cases, the rubber tipped needle just needs to be replaced or the seat just needs to be cleaned / polished. The polishing can be accomplished by 'chucking' up a q-tip with some rubbing compound and shoving it in the hole (as my lady friends would say).

Trust me hit the Wikispreedia for help... the information is there for you to discover.

[backison]

I thank you for all your input.
And I look forward to learning more about these
Little machines. I just got my first last weekend.
And I've got a sickness and the only cure is more
Cowbe.... I mean... Honda spree.
B

[Pancake Sauce]

Basically, if your spree is just sitting on its stand not running or anything and you try pouring fuel into the tank and fuel starts pouring onto the ground, then its your petcock AND your carb float mechanism failing. However, if your piston is moving (running or not) before any leakage occurs then it is most likely just your carb float mechanism at fault and your petcock is functioning properly by blocking fuel unless suction is applied.

Also, I have noticed some spree petcocks can alternate between functioning and not functioning if they have gunk built up in them, so it could very well be an intermittent issue. As for the carb, I recommend the first course of action is that you remove the bowl, float, and float needle (assuming the parts aren't missing) and use a Q-tip to spin in the recess that the rubber-tipped float needle is supposed to clog (prevents overfilling the carb bowl). Make sure the float needle doesn't look too damaged, as it needs to make a solid connection to prevent overfilling. That SHOULD fix your problem, but the petcock could be removed and flushed or replaced if it has malfunctioned as well.

Recommended safety measures:
-Be careful not to strip bolts or threads on the carb because it's soft metal. Tighten it enough so it won't rattle loose and that's all she needs.
-Be careful not to switch the main mounting bolts that hold the carb (holds carb to intake manifold opposite of airbox) because putting the long bolt in the short bolt's spot can crush and ruin the carb body (crushes the bystarter chamber).
-Download a pdf spree service manual for a good reference on how things fit together.
-Take pictures or record a video of whatever you plan to work on for a reference at any point you might forget where/how something fits.

[backison]

So I know this is an old post if mine but finally got around to replacing the float valve and giving everything a good cleaning and seems that no fuel is pouring out the carb so far. I did notice stalling at idle speed and it also stalled driving when I pulled back the throttle all the way from top speed.
So happy to finally be getting closer to a reliable ride.
It was snowing here a bit this morning and I'll admit I should have put gloves on because my hands were freezing but I was just happy to get going fast enough that that was a problem.

[patthesoundguy]

Glad you got that right running. I'd go set the idle air mixture and idle speed as the manual lays out, that may fix your idle and racing issue.