Fuel feed issue

[thegirl]

I'm new to this forum only in the matter of being a member. I've used this sure for research many times and am seasoned in working on my 79 Suzuki GS550L.
That being said she's having a fuel issue. I've done the basic checks. However my petcock is stock. It's the one you have to use a flat head screw driver to turn to prime and fuel. Kinda confusing at times. I'm wondering if you have to turn it clockwise or counter clockwise. Maybe it doesn't matter. It has in tiny letters "fuel" on the top and "pri" for prime just to the left and a bit lower. So I suppose to set it to prime I should turn it so that the line is diagonal..???

Also, Can I remove the float bowl without removing the carbs? I understand that it's easy to strip those screws. I'd this true with all float bowls? Would you advise just removing the carbs as a whole so that I can remove one float bowl. I only need to remove the outer rider right side.

[eil]

Hello,

If you've been lurking about then you've probably seen BassCliff's mega-welcome (link below) already. If not, follow the link down the rabbit hole and you'll find factory service manuals, tutorials for most maintenance tasks, etc.

What sort of fuel issue are you having exactly?

The petcock is vacuum operated and when these fail, they usually do so in the "open" position and flood the crankcase with gas when the bike sits overnight. For this reason, many on the forum advise replacing the petcock with a new one if you have reason to suspect yours is stock.

The petcock that you describe is from a 1980 model. Do you have CV carbs (with a circular dome cap), an electronic ignition, and slotted brake rotors? If so, then you have a 1980 bike. But I digress. That petcock only has an "on" and a "prime" setting. "On" is with the slot horizontal, "prime" is the with the slot vertical. When on, vacuum from the carbs opens the valve and lets fuel flow as the engine spins. When set to "prime", a small amount of vacuum opens the valve and then it stays open. This is typically only used to fill the float bowls after a rebuild or a long winter. It can be turned clockwise or counterclockwise, doesn't matter.

It is technically possible to remove the float bowls without removing the carbs, but I can't imagine it would be easy. You stand a far lesser chance of stripping the screws with good leverage and the right screwdriver. The screws look like phillips screws but they're actually JIS screws and a phillips screw driver can easily strip the heads. Many here recommend buying a JIS driver but I've had good luck by taking a #2 phillips bit and grinding about 1mm off the tip to make it fit the JIS screw heads better.

Welcome!

[8ball]

A set of JIS drivers are a very worthwhile investment if you own or work on any older Japanese motorcycles. A set will run you about $22. Another tip is to replace the bowl and cap screws with socket head Allen screws. YOu can get them at Home Depot or Lowes very cheaply. That alone will make your life better!

[60ratrod]

A set of JIS drivers are a very worthwhile investment if you own or work on any older Japanese motorcycles. A set will run you about $22. Another tip is to replace the bowl and cap screws with socket head Allen screws. YOu can get them at Home Depot or Lowes very cheaply. That alone will make your life better!

i find that with any hardware needs ace has a better selection than lowe's or home depot. but that just MHO. and rather than modifying a Philips driver to fit, I found that the Philips #2 bit in the craftsman multibit driver fits damn near perfectly, and is all I ever use. otherwise I would yank the carb bank to look at the fuel bowls. you are going to get a more comprehensive look at what is going on inside the bowls and you don't run the risk of stripping a JIS screw as much as with the carb bank still installed on the bike.

[Steve]

All good tips.

Also, where are you? There is a chance that one of us might be close enough to lend a hand, if necesary.

.

[thegirl]

Thanks for the help! I do appreciate it. I've been work on my bike all week. Everyday after work. Anyway, after much work, sweat, and tears. There were tears... I love my Suzuki! I believe I have figured out all out.
It definitely had water in the gas tank. We've had a LOT of rain lately and there have been stories of gat stations pumping water out of their tanks.
So I think that caused the initial break down. Then upon draining the float bowls and priming and then starting the bike I either didn't prime them but thought I did or flooded the engine. So it then definitely wouldn't start. I got her running Wednesday night all put back together without making any actual changes or improvements. So I knew she would still have issues. When she did I got the idea to just drain the tank of ALL gas and refill it with fresh all new gas. So after doing that and taking off the petcock and blowing that out. I even checked the rubber seal on it and made sure it's not flattened out. Checked that the little valve in it isn't blocked in anyway. I put her all back together. Go to start her but she won't. However I left the petcock on prime for a while so maybe I flooded the engine again. So here I am waiting and typing all this out. Any more ideas... advice?

-Manon

[Guest]

Leaving the petcock on prime will not flood your engine. Continually trying to start the bike and it doesn't catch can flood the cylinders with fuel. If it's not starting after a few attempts with the choke on, try holding the throttle wide open and try starting it.

[60ratrod]

with this I would also check for spark. weak/no spark will definitely cause a no start and flood the cylinders. to check for spark, just pull the plugs and lay them on the head. the spark should be a nice, noticeable dark blue/purpleish blue, not a small dark blue/purpleish blue or other colored spark. and also check to see if you have 12vdc on the orange/white wires going to the coil with the key and ignition switch on. low voltage at the coils will cause a hard/no start issue.