Help, how do I set these floats? 89 Johnson 110 crossflow

[leaky]

I've never really been confident about these floats. My manual says to install the gasket then "Hold the carburetor body in such a manner that allows the float to hang free. The float should be parallel with the carburetor body" but has no pictures and in searching online, trying to make sense of how to do it and how this calibrates the float I have never gotten the warm fuzzies... have rebuilt them before, ran fine, but never confident the procedure is even applicable to my carbs..


Two pictures attached..I bent the float around a bunch on this carb to try and follow instructions, which is disposable parts as it has not been cleaned and I will replace the float.


I feel like the float position with the carb throat vertical is the only thing that makes any sense but it's completely unrelated to how the fuel level is with the engine running.. I also feel like its no coincidence that the floats come out of the box no where near this contour.


Then in attempting to bend it so its parallel with the carb throats when held horizontal practically leaves no way for the needle to close right, float bottoms out before the needle seats.

Can anyone provide experience on what I should do or shed some light? Thanks in advance!

[leaky]

Here is how I have been running them and they work ok this way.

[powerabout]

something radically wrong there the photo of the float drop is almost the same as the float seated when up side down?
Float drop is about 1" from bowl flange to corner of float yours looks like 1/2"

should be level when upsidedown, there is a gauge to measure it exactly
that would have been way lean at that angle, surprised it would get on the plane.
https://www.outboardbooks.com/

[leaky]

something radically wrong there the photo of the float drop is almost the same as the float seated when up side down?
Float drop is about 1" from bowl flange to corner of float yours looks like 1/2"

should be level when upsidedown, there is a gauge to measure it exactly
that would have been way lean at that angle, surprised it would get on the plane.
https://www.outboardbooks.com/

Thanks! Sorry - look at the orientation of the tool chest in the background (which is vertical :) ).. pictures are oriented wrong.

As far as the pictures of how it was working, left picture is w/ throats vertical, my attempt at the check they state in the repair manual (that I've never been able to understand).. The right picture, the throats are horizontal and the float is dropping, lowest range of motion with the carb in a normal running position basically (ie how the float would be if there was no fuel in the bowl).

If I flip it over so the throats are horizontal but the carb is upside down basically, the float is parallel with the carb body with just a slight ramp down toward the needle/seat - this is how I decided to set it last time I worked on the carbs, basically based on how I thought it work would by looking at the carbs, but never have had a real calibration procedure I trust.

[powerabout]

float drop you can measure and its set with the tang on other side of the float pivot, carb in normal postion with bowl off
Rough guide to float height is float level and top edge is pretty close to the bottom of he carb body, carb upsidedown.
only need 2 photos for those measurements

[leaky]

Cool, ok thanks will go with that drop and height.

[perfmarine1]

467720On OMC you use a float setting tool

[leaky]

467720On OMC you use a float setting tool

Cool - is that the right tool for my engine? 324891?

How do you use it? Funny I own 2 repair manuals that both do a terrible job of explaining this and provide no measurements with no mention of a tool :) - any other engine I have owned this has been well described and straight forward.

[perfmarine1]

Yes ,you hold the carb up side down and set the gauge on the gskt surface.

[leaky]

Yes ,you hold the carb up side down and set the gauge on the gskt surface.

Thanks! Ordered one.

Probably will try the half ass way first (verify indeed my original problem was the 3/4 inch long piece of fuel pump I found that was likely flapping around and clogging the jet intermittently). Then if there is any question will go back and do the floats, don't want to wait until Friday to find out the carb problem was a red herring.

[powerabout]

Cool - is that the right tool for my engine? 324891?

How do you use it? Funny I own 2 repair manuals that both do a terrible job of explaining this and provide no measurements with no mention of a tool :) - any other engine I have owned this has been well described and straight forward.
All OMC manuals list the tools at the start of the chapter

[spybot]

467720On OMC you use a float setting tool

Any chance you could post the dimensions of the tool ? Pretty hard to get hold of one in the UK

[racer]

Tool sets float level to bowl surface on carb when held upside down.

[spybot]

So the tool pushes the float tang via the float to the correct size ?

[leaky]

So the tool pushes the float tang via the float to the correct size ?


I believe you probably just hold the tool against the carb body to measure drop and/or height. Believe its a measuring tool basically, will see when mine shows.

[powerabout]

its just a go no go gauge
you bend the float arm to suit

[leaky]

I set the drop to about 1 inch without the gasket and the height to just a touch of a ramp toward the needle but about level with the carb body.

The engine has never run this well since I owned it, needs a new prop now as it probably will easily turn 6200 wide open if I let it, probably 6500 upon settling in. Isn't the first time I did the carbs, rebuilt the whole engine about 6 years ago, but have found so many permutations of odd problems along the way this might be the first time its nearly been running right (suspect now a link & sync is in order but it runs well at idle and cruise up to wide open so kinda don't care). Always knew it was a little over propped but now its insanely so.

Thanks again guys!