Squirter GS500! Vaccum leak or Ignition related?!

[piresito]

Hi!
Bike history: Been sitting for 3 years, owner said that previously it run badly, like if it needed spark plugs.
There was a drop to the right side, which damaged the right side engine cover, and scratched the igniiton rotor screw too.

Adjusted valves, cleaned and rejeted carbs, replaced one missing vaccum port cap, new spark plugs and....
Bike is runnig like shaZam!!

Idle is erratic, hangs in a high rpm and falls down slowly, if I turn the throttle fully and fast, it will die. Funny thing is squirts of fuel mostly from the left carb air jets. When it "squirts", the battery box gets all wet!! 

Whould this be a vaccuum leak or can it be ignition related(due to that right hand fall...)?

Yesterday disassebled the carbs again to hunt for a problem, so far I've got two possible causes, would it be defective top caps or defective carb boots, I've attached some pictures to get your opinions on them.

Top caps, is this clearance normal (I can fit the tip of a 0.20 blade from the feeler gauge in there) so the diaphragm rubber acts as a gasket or it should be thighter?:















The top caps has some irrgular surface in them, like there was a saw in there:








Then there is this "openings" in the carb boots, they dont apear like they go rough all the rubber:








Now, where should I "point the gun"? Boots, top caps or ignition? How would you suggest I diagnose each?



Thanks!

[adidasguy]

First guess:

1. Stuck float in left carb causing flooding
2. Missing the o-ring under the cap at the vacuum port? The diaphragm does act like a gasket.
3. Left carb not assembled corecctly

Check your plugs. That will tell you if lean or rich.
Do the WD40 thing to check for air leaks.

[piresito]

Hey! Thanks! 
Looks like this bike wont go to the rodízio anytime soon... 

I checked both floats with the clear tube after assembled. They were spot on. I guess a stuck float would let fuel go much higher in the tube than the bowl gasket height, right? I think we can rule that out.
Those sneaky Orings were in their place...I checked them before and after carbs assembled, just in case...
As far as assembly goes, I've checked and rechecked everything, both sides look like they are assembled the same way.

It seems that you suggest that the squirting comes from a too rich/flooding mixture, right? Could that cause an hanging idle too?
When I checked plugs they where light brown/greyish coloured, but I guess at the moment I can't trust on that reading because I played with the choke and throttle a lot...

To do, reassemble carbs, let the bike warmup, spray wd40 in suspected areas and check plugs!

[piresito]

Solved!!

Aperantly, mixture screws needed one more turn out.
After unscrewing half turn, bike behaved 100% good, and just needed one more half turn to make the plugs brownish/pinkish.

Bike is running great now, but had a pot-hole between 4-5Krpm when smoothly opening the throttle. If I opened it "WOT" it wouldn't have that problem.

I traced the issue to a lean condition at that range (duct tape at the air filter), so I raised my needles to the 3rd groove and the acceleration became smooth in all the rpm range.

Bike now seems ok, but, shouln't the needles 3rd groove be wayyyy too much for a stock exhaust, stock airbox/filter without restrictor, and 125 jets?

[oz353]

i do suggest replacing those carb boots... i had a set with a similar crack in both and would occasionally have hanging idle. i sprayed and sprayed but noticed no rpm change so i let them be and kept riding

took a long trip and somewhere along the way i noticed alot of popping and more frequent hanging idle. i looked at carbs while reving and noticed the boots separating at those "not all the way through cracks"  i purchased some crazy blue sealant (not permatex) and stuck it all over the boots and made it home. i do not recommend trying that method as it is very difficult to properly remove all that sealant when you replace the boots.

[piresito]

i do suggest replacing those carb boots... i had a set with a similar crack in both and would occasionally have hanging idle. i sprayed and sprayed but noticed no rpm change so i let them be and kept riding

took a long trip and somewhere along the way i noticed alot of popping and more frequent hanging idle. i looked at carbs while reving and noticed the boots separating at those "not all the way through cracks"  i purchased some crazy blue sealant (not permatex) and stuck it all over the boots and made it home. i do not recommend trying that method as it is very difficult to properly remove all that sealant when you replace the boots.

Thank you for your suggestion, although all the idle problems are gone. Neiter squirting WD40 or carb cleaner would change anything...it really just needed one more turn in the idle mixture. I guess I should count 3 turns out from "lightly seated", and not gorila tightened... 
Bike runs 100% now, it just seems strange that it needed to raise the needle to the 3rd grove to get it pulling constantly trough the whole rpm range!