Not getting fuel

[Leezus]

I am not getting fuel to the engine. I bought this bike because it had no spark. Chased down a short, actually two shorts, got spark, put her all back together, put maybe a half gallon of fuel in the tank, and it tried to fire but I see no gas flowing through the fuel filter. When I take the air box off and spray starter fluid directly into the carbs she fires immediately for 2 seconds then dies. I pulled the fuel line out of the carbs thatcomes from the fuel tank and I suck on the end and it feels really clogged and I never get any gas at the end. Took off the fuel cap to see if it was vacuum locked, still no dice. A little story to see if this makes a difference. I had my tank all apart and my room mate had the petcock and was turning the valve over and over and over. The valve the says prime, fuel, and off. He doesn't know how many times he turned it. Can that just be turned too many times and not letting fuel through?

[formline]

Hello, Do yourself a favor and buy a non vac petcock for your bike. You won't regret it.

[Leezus]

Update to this. I removed the petcock and sucked directly on the big nozzle, still clogged. Sucked on the little one and the plunger dropped and now there is no restriction in the big nozzle, but now it will not stay open. Would a new petcock be the remedy?

[cowboyup3371]

Your petcocks run using a vacuum as you saw when sucking on the vacuum port. Consequently you'll need it on the bike and the bike running UNLESS you keep it on prime. However, if you do that or buy a manual petcock MAKE SURE you turn it off after every ride or you'll have bigger problems.

[Big T]

Okay

The big nozzle is the fuel outlet. You should only be able to suck (or blow) thru it on Prime.

On Run and Reserve, the fuel flow is controlled by the vacuum diaphragm, so no airflow

The small nozzle is the vacuum port. If you sucked on this and got a "pop" the diaphragm was stuck

Put the petcock back on. Hook up a fuel line to a container and the vacuum line to the petcock only

Set it on Prime - fuel flow?
Set it on Run, suck on the vacuum line - fuel flow?
Set it on Reserve, suck on the vacuum line - fuel flow?

Your current testing has too many variables. Confirm that the fuel flow is essentially the same on all 3 settings

Report back

BTW, what bike is it?

[Steve]

So many issues, let's attack them one at a time.

I am not getting fuel to the engine. ..., put maybe a half gallon of fuel in the tank, ...

With only half a gallon, you should have put it in PRI or RES. Which one?

I see no gas flowing through the fuel filter.

Unless you have a fuel filter that is made for a gravity-fed engine, it is more restriction than you want in a fuel line. With that extra restriction, having only half a gallon of fuel might not be enough "push" to get through the filter.

When I take the air box off and spray starter fluid directly into the carbs she fires immediately for 2 seconds then dies.

Keep the air box on, and GET RID OF THE STARTER FLUID.

I pulled the fuel line out of the carbs thatcomes from the fuel tank and I suck on the end and it feels really clogged and I never get any gas at the end.

Are you really SURE that you want to be sucking on a line that might suddenly release gasoline into your mouth?

I had my tank all apart and my room mate had the petcock and was turning the valve over and over and over.

This tells me there is something wrong with the petcock, as it should only turn 180 degrees and STOP.

Can that just be turned too many times and not letting fuel through?

The number of turns is irrelevant, as it is the position of the petcock, not the number of turns, that determines whether fuel flows.

Hello, Do yourself a favor and buy a non vac petcock for your bike. You won't regret it.

Do yourself a favor and get a NEW vacuum-operated petcock. You will always thank yourself for doing it.

.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Leezus,

Can I buy a vowel? A "U" (as in Suzuki)? In other words, what bike are we talking about?

Start with this little article... Where Do These Hoses Go?

I'm almost certain that there are a few more things that need attending to in addition to your petcock. You will find a couple of lists in your "mega-welcome". Heed them well and you will have a safe, reliable, well-running motorcycle. If you disregard the information below, you will be wrought with much frustration and hair-pulling.

Anyway, let me dump a TON if information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Leezus]

Thanks for the help. I think when I took the petcock out and blew through the valves it popped the plunger. I must have been stuck. I hooked up all the hoses and she fired right up. Thanks to all again.