Over, under, more, less...whatever........
You are correct, and I'm sure not at all confused. A 'dropped' float level will result in 'more' mm being measured from the carb body.
I know you know all that (I question the 18mm part, but you DID say 'max')..but for the casual reader....
'Dropping the float' means making the float lower when the float needle is seated. It being lower makes the fuel level lower in the float bowl. 'Lower' meaning reckoned in the orientation of an installed carb.
'Under spec' meaning the the float line you are measuring to is
under (below) the specified measurement (float is lower in the bowl than it would be if it was set to the spec'd mm), having nothing to do with the actual measurement number. It's all semantics anyway, as the procedure to adjust the float generally involves having the carb upside down..or at least sideways, so 'under' becomes the new 'over'!
Neat!
K.I.S.S. (the last 'S' for 'Sir!')
Here's a quick write-up on it:
Some webpage wrote:
Measure the height from the bottom of the float to carburetor-body gasket surface. When checking the float height, the float should be resting, but not depressing, the spring-loaded float valve pin. This can be done by tilting the carburetor until the float tab just makes contact with the valve pin. If adjustment is needed, bend the metal tab on the float arm until correct height is obtained.
The important part about this is the '..resting (on), but not depressing...' the pin. If you simply turn the thing upside down and let the floats
rest on the pin, it WILL be depressed!
You will find that the PWK floats have a mold line that will be parallel to the carb body when the float level is adjusted to spec (see below). Simply adjust the tang so that mold line is not quite parallel no more..and you will have a float 'level' that is 'under spec' (again...sits
below the specified number). With the carb upside down, the needle to your left, the mold line will be sloping 'up' from left to right.
Do pay attention to a couple of things:
1. When you adjust the tang, do NOT tweak the float arms. Both floats should be 'the same', one not lower or higher than the other.
2. Ensure the floats are away from any carb part, float bowl or carb body. No part of either float should touch
any part of anything that would inhibit its free movement up/down.
3. Don't hamfist the bowl on (and in the process mess up what you just checked under #2). That brass tube may seem to be obstructive until you get the hang of 'scooping' the bowl onto the carb body.
4. When you put the carb back in the boots, make sure the locator tab cast into the carb body on the downstream side is correctly aligned to the corresponding slot in the receiving boot. It's easy to have it 'off' a bit, which will lead to the carb leaking even AFTER you have fixed whatever may have been leaking on the INside.
BTW... a PWK 28 float spec is 19mm. The 35-39 PWK is spec'd at 16mm. I didn't check, but I believe the Kaw manual specs 16mm. At least that's the number I recall.
From some pdf that looks
official:
Not that it matters, as I've not used a mm number to check it for years.
Easy peasy!!
**edit**
It occurred to me that if the choke has no effect on idle speed, it does not necessarily mean the choke circuit is not working. Maybe it's
always 'working'. That is by far a more likely scenario..either the plunger being bad and not sealing off the fuel, or the assembly being so full of crud it doesn't seal. Both of those are fairly common situations.
Ever try starting your bike without pulling the choke up? Maybe it starts as well if you don't as if you DO.