Out of Winter Storage Mystery

[JTGS850GL]

Yep, stabilized gas can still evaporate and cause all kinds of issues.

[WingMan71]

OK... I'll drain the bowls too and see if anything nasty looking comes out.

Nobody answered my question about my first idea:

What about pulling the pilot screws all the way out and putting a strong shot of carb cleaner directly in that port through the little red straw that comes on the carb cleaner spray can?

I would think a pressurized shot like that just might be able to clear those passages if they have some crud in them.

Yes? No?

[tom203]

And Wingman....stabiled gas in the TANK isnt gonna go bad but the little amount left in the bowls will evaporate and turn to gunk if there is stabiliser in it or not. Believe that folks!!!

It will slowly evaporate , but not much in 2 months unless it's sitting/baking in 100 degree garage. The trouble with draining fuel bowls (I used to do this years ago) is that floats drop and might stick there when you refill. Mine sits over winter for 4 plus months with no issues come spring. If this snow melts, out of curiosity I'll pull a bowl drain to see how much fuel remains after it's winter nap.

[JTGS850GL]

The trouble with draining fuel bowls (I used to do this years ago) is that floats drop and might stick there when you refill.

Personally I'd rather deal with a stuck float then a gummed up carb. A little rap with a hammer usually fixes a stuck float.

[Fjbj40]

Simple things first. Have you tried the fuel cock in prime yet? In other words are you getting adequate fuel.

Fuel does not evap out of the bowls in 2 months.

[WingMan71]

Simple things first. Have you tried the fuel cock in prime yet? In other words are you getting adequate fuel.

Yes. Tried the fuel petcock in the Prime position. No difference.

Bike is getting plenty of fuel since she runs fine at speed. She just has NO off-idle performance. Nearly dies whenever throttle is rolled on from idling.

Had tons of off-idle performance when I put her up in late December.

[Larry D]

Pull the plugs and see if they are black. If they are, change them out and start freshy fresh. I know it sounds simple but last year my GK wouldn't run for anything after the winter layup. I changed the plugs and she ran like new. It something easy and cheap to try anyway.

[tom203]

Believe it or not the guy that I got my bike from let it sit unused for year and a half - he claimed he doubled dose it with stabil. Fresh gas run in with stabil has always been good to me.

[mrbill5491]

Did you check the air box, make sure a mouse didn't make itself a winter home around the air filter?

[habsdoc]

Think there are fuel problems now??? Wait till "E15" is pushed through. Sounds like you will have to pull the carbs and check through them again.

[chuck hahn]

When you pull them youll likely find plugged pilot jets, the emulsion tubes are all brownish and half the holes clogged, and the bottoms of the bowls will be stained. This is from the fuel sitting and evaporation. Sorry to tell you this but your gonna need to clean the jets and an overnight soak of the bodies..since they are off the bike already...will be in order.

Next time dont believe all the "just run it till it stalls" or the "put some seafoam or stabil in it " crap. The ONLY TRUE WAY to have trustable carbs after a hibernation is to do exactly what the manuals tell you to do. Which is to DRAIN THE BOWLS. And by DRAIN they mean via the drain screws so there isnt that little bit below the main jets still sitting there once the bike "stalls"!!!!! I have 8 bikes and I have also cleaned and recleaned carbs too many times with your same problem after the winter and found the things i described. I drain the bowls now and never a hiccup...ever.

[tom203]

Very few things in life have "only one true way"! Life would be boring ! Try reaching the bowl drains on the lower carbs on a V-6 outboard and you'll wish you ran the stabilizer in during that last dash.
I've had no problems on all sorts of motors with stabil run in. It won't fix clogged carbs but it sure seems to prevent gunk from vacationing in them.

[WingMan71]

It's Fixed ! ! !

IT'S FIXED ! ! !

Here's what I did:

1. Drained the fuel bowls. Gas did not look that bad at all. Just a little bit yellow, but not bad.

2. Removed the tank and drained all the fuel out of it. Same deal. Really didn't look that bad. Just a tad yellow.

3. Next I went with my clever idea that nobody commented on: Basically, I back-flushed the pilot circuit. I completely removed the pilot screws and sprayed a jet of carb cleaner directly into the bottom of the pilot screw hole with the red straw on the carb cleaner can. The red straw is a perfect fit in the hole in the very bottom of the pilot screw port, so I could really get a pressurizes shot of carb cleaner in there. Gave it a couple of shots until I could actually hear the flow of carb cleaner through the pilot circuit into the carb. At first I got a little splash back from #2 and #3 carbs, but then it opened up and started to flow into the carb. I could actually hear it flow.

4. Put the pilot screws all back in and set them all to 2+3/4 turns out, which was were they were set when I put the bike up in December.

Success! Bike runs great again!

Thanks for all the ideas.

Lesson learned: I'll never put the bike up again without draining the fuel bowls, Stabil or no Stabil.

[chuck hahn]

Went to the storage unit and got out the 79 1000S today. Hadn't been started since around September last year. Full 6 months at least. Did the first of spring oil change, dumped in a gallon of gas ( tank was drained as were the bowls ) set petcock to PRIme and fired off in seconds and idled like the day I put her away.

There may not be a "1 true way " as someone stated but there is one RIGHT way. If everyone would just follow the directions in the service manuals so many problems would simply not happen.

[Fjbj40]

Try that for 8 months and see the problems that you will get. The gaskets and o-rings WILL dry out. Fresh fuel, drain the bowls, refill bowls, quality stabilizer and it will work just fine. Been doing it that way for years.

Now perhaps if your bike is stored for just a few months draining the bowls would be just fine. However we do not all live in an area where the bike sleeps for just a few months.

When I put the bike away for a period of more than a year, which has happened, I drain the bowls, tank and put a gallon of 5-10 weight oil, I actually use an inhibiting oil for aircraft fuel delivery systems, in the tank and select prime to fill the bowls. Did that and the bike sat for 2 years. Drained the tank, bowls, added a gallon of gas, sloshed around, drained tank and bowls and she fired up and ran just fine.

Point is there is more than one way of doing things and more than one way of doing things the CORRECT way. Every different situation warrants a different remedy.

Too many people say this is the ONLY way of doing things..........