STP Fuel Injector & Carburetor Treatment

[Anonymous]

I think I've got some junk in my carbs (1980 GS850GL) after letting it sit for a month with the tank on reserve. Upon starting it last night it idled poorly, trying to stall even when warmed up. I took it for a 15 min 75 MHP run on the interstate later and that seemed to help. It still seems to hesitate when first starting up from a stop in 1st gear.

I bought some of the above name gas treatment, but it says to pour the entire bottle into a full tank of gas ("treats up to 21 gallons"). Will it clean more effectively if I put all of it into my 3.5 gallon tank, or should I only use a quarter of a bottle?

[Jeff Tate]

Only put in a about a fifth of the bottle and try it again. Carbs do gum up pretty easy without use.

[80gs1000e]

Do you have a fuel filter between the petcock and the carbs? If not, better get one.

That stuff will probably do little or nothing if you have rust sediment or worse in there. No easy fix/way around it, take off the carbs, dissasemble and give them a good cleaning. In the "garage" section here on the site there is a carb guide which is awesome. Your bike will love you afterwards. Good luck.

-D

[Mr. Jiggles]

Be careful when using carb cleaner that you add to your gas. If it is too concentrated it will destroy anything made of rubber in the carbs. Fuel injector cleaner might be an exception to this.

Jeff

[Anonymous]

I use gas treatment regularly and find it does make a difference. I don't use very much. I don't measure it, but I probably use about 2 to 4 tablespoons in a full tank. I haven't noticed any problems. I have seen it make a bike run a lot better. I don't think it's a substitute for a real cleaning or a O-Ring replacement. I do think it's good as a part of your routine maintenance.

One caveat: I do believe gas treatments can make an engine run a bit hotter, so if you're running lean or if it's during the hottest part of the summer, you might not want to use gas treatment.

[pidgey]

I occasionally add about 2 ounces of methyl hydrate (also called gas line antifreeze) to a full tank to remove any trace amounts of water in the fuel system.