flooding carbs...i think

[lambo451]

I got the bike from a friend who said the bike had a bad fuel valuve...he could not get the bike started...i got it home and it started with in a few mins..rode it for about 60 miles then next day, went to start it the day after and it did fine idled very nivce...but as soon as i tired to give it any gas it sounded like it was flooding it self. im trying to trouble shoot with out having to take off the carbs..any ideas?

[KitKat]

taking off the carbs is going to be inevitable. one thing you can do before though, is test your petcock, but either way the carbs have to come off and be cleaned if the bike has sat at all.

Good Luck and check Basecliff's guide on how to do it just right!

[teet]

I got the bike from a friend who said the bike had a bad fuel valuve...he could not get the bike started...i got it home and it started with in a few mins..rode it for about 60 miles then next day, went to start it the day after and it did fine idled very nivce...but as soon as i tired to give it any gas it sounded like it was flooding it self. im trying to trouble shoot with out having to take off the carbs..any ideas?

What year, model, bike is it?

Double check the petcock position, and ensure its not left on "prime".

Is ther evidence of fuel mixed with the oil in the crankcase?

May be a faulty petcock??

Jeff (teet)

[lambo451]

its a 1982 gs300l... i though it was the petcock also so i drained the tank and when I was doing so i turned the lever and gas only came out one way... what is the use of check value that comes off of the back of the petcock? the carbs where cleaned not to long before i got the bike.. i think it has something to do with the fuel delivery to the carbs

[teet]

Check valve, or vacuum port? I'm not familiar with your exact bike , but my guess is it's the vacuum port. did you test its function in each position?

What positions does your petcock have? (prime,on,reserve)

Sounds like your bowls are too full??

Jeff (teet)

[lambo451]

vacuum port...yes that must be what it is... i took it apart and it had some muck in it so i cleaned it out...

could the vacuum port have something to do with it not working right?

the petcock has prime,on,reserve

[teet]

Absolutely! When the petcock is in the "on" or "res" positions it is operated by vacuum from a port on the carbs. The "prime" position is basically a by-pas that lets fuel flow continuously, and can easily flood the carbs, and/or crankcase if left on. The prime position is only to be used when the bowls have been emptied either by running the bike out of fuel, or when servicing them. It can be left on prime to fill the bowls, and switched over to "on" after it is running.

It sounds like either your petcock is screwed up and dumping fuel all the time, or not flowing enough, allowing the carbs to empty quickly, and not replenish quick enough.

I had a similar issue with my 79 gs1000. The fuel line was very long....very low, and had a filter in line. These bikes rely on gravity feed, so with my swooping, low fuel line, the carbs weren't getting enough fuel, so it would run for a little bit, then act like it was running out of gas. I simply replaced the fuel line with a new-shorter one, and ditched the filter....good to go!

Your best bet is to probably get a new petcock from Z1..I picked one up for $41...Its easier than fiddling, and trying to fix or clean your old one.

http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1715

Good luck!

Jeff (teet)

[lambo451]

Thanks for the help is there anyway to test if the petcock is bad, by like making a make shift tank...

Is there any place to read up on the whole petcock to carb setup

[teet]

Check out Cliff's site for a wealth of useful information. There is some excellent carb-petcock info there as well.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

I checked mine by hooking up the vacuum line to it while on the bike, and disconnecting the fuel line from the carbs. It should not flow if its in the on or reserve positions, and the bike is not running,or cranking. I cranked the bike with the petcock in each position to see if it flowed. There are other ways to bench test it, like vacuum pumps and whatnot, but I think the bike itself works just fine.


Your probably due for a new petcock....

Jeff (teet)

[lambo451]

So I got a new petcock and the same thing is happing... I needed the new petcock bc gas would not come out unless on prime. but what is happining is the bike starts right up and runs fine and i can open open up the trottle twice and it will rev up just fine then on the third time it just stays a little above idle. Could this be a float? white smoke is also comming out of the left exaust