Suzuki 2 Strokes

Hi all,

I'm repairing a '72 GT380, and the carbs are giving me some problems. The first issue is that they are constantly overflowing. I had read online that this is usually caused by punctured floats so I'm gonna coat them in POR-15 and see if that helps, although I'm concerned that the added weight of the coating would cause the floats to keep sinking.
Also, the entire float chamber keeps on forming a rough, dull white/gray surface, which I believe is wearing off and clogging some of the jets (though that might have been rust in the gasoline from before I cleaned and POR-15'd the inside of the gas tank.) I don't know whether or not I'm wasting my time working on these old carbs, so any opinions or advice you can offer would be great.

Cheers,
Max

New floats are still available from your Suzuki dealer. You need part number 13252-11010

Thanks man! I'll get some new floats, there's a dealer not too far off. What of the white and gray buildup inside the carbs? Should I have a go at coating them with POR-15, or would I end up regretting that? I could also buy a shiny new set of carbs, floats included. I just want to make sure I'm not replacing something that could be fixed.

I am confused about the white/grey deposits you are experiencing. I have only seen that on old carbs of a bike that was stored outdoors. How long did you let the tank dry after the POR-15? Did you drain out all the excess?

I gave the first coat of POR-15 a full day of fresh air and sunlight to dry, then another full day for the second coat. There didn't seem to be any excess, as I turned the tank over periodically to coat the entire interior. This bike was stored in a drafty barn in Wisconsin for almost 30 years. What was the solution for the carbs on that old bike you mentioned?

Lime-Away, after a trip through the dishwasher. I think you are seeing dissolved POR-15. 24 hours is NOT long enough for that stuff to fully harden. Why 2 coats? I never heard of doing that. And there is always excess. So if it was puddled and didn't fully cure............................... I don't have a can handy, but I could swear it says 96 hours minimum before adding fuel. I generally leave mine for a couple of weeks and force dry it with a heat gun. A hair dryer will do.

I actually did use a heater as well, for about 5 hours or so. On the POR-15 can, it said it would require 6-8 hours to dry for each coat, and it recommended multiple coats. I had also removed the fuel tap and propped up the tank in a position where anything inside would drain out, but nothing did. Is Lime-Away a pretty common product? I mean, would Canadian Tire or Home Hardware have it? I don't have an automatic dishwasher, I guess a bucket of hot soapy water will work alright.

White/grey deposits are signs of moisture. Aluminum will oxidize or rust when there is moisture on the surface.

Isn't aluminum oxide regarded as a protective coating? If there's too much, would some of it flake off?