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Homemade petcock, still have starting prob ...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

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I got the lawnmower cutoff switch I had bought, got some 1/4" hose, and went to work ... I routed the hose so that it goes around the busted petcock on the tank, and the switch is just outside of it. Bike runs now! No more flooding due to the tap being stuck on PRI. I also adjusted the idle, and I had cleaned my carbs a while ago, so now it's running quite well. Stays on all by itself. When I let the clutch out in first (hand on the brake), it really wanted to GO! Too bad I don't yet know how to ride the dang thing. LOL
I'll post a pic of the cutoff switch later.

So now there is only one thing wrong with my bike ... it still has trouble starting. I need to shoot starting fluid into the airbox to get it going. Not good ... There is plenty of gas in the inline filter (see-through), and once the starting fluid hits it, it fires right up. Any ideas? I tried it with the air filter on and off, same difference. I tried moving the choke up manually (cable's too stiff), no difference. Gotta rebuild the carbs anyway?

The seller told me it did this sometimes, but I want to get it fixed once and for all. TIA
 
When I first got my bike it did the same thing, cleaning the carbs was a necessity.

Just go for it.

Satch
 
Thanks, satchmo, but I did already clean them and it still does it. I didn't take them all apart, just took the float bowls off and sprayed cleaner all up in there. If I'm gonna have to take them apart, then I'll just rebuild them while I'm at it. I'm looking for a cheap fix, though, as I don't know how much longer I'm going to keep this bike. Parts availability is a b*tch for the L model, apparently.
 
Gabriel said:
Thanks, satchmo, but I did already clean them and it still does it. I didn't take them all apart, just took the float bowls off and sprayed cleaner all up in there. If I'm gonna have to take them apart, then I'll just rebuild them while I'm at it. I'm looking for a cheap fix, though, as I don't know how much longer I'm going to keep this bike. Parts availability is a b*tch for the L model, apparently.
Click to expand...

Wish it weren't true, but if you don't disassemble the carbs then I don't think it is possible to get them clean enough, especially the low speed circuits. If the choke is not having an effect then that is a good sign your carbs are not clean. Another thing that can appear to be carb problems while starting is a slightly discharged battery. Good luck.
 
Hmm. Well, if I have to take them apart, like I said, I'll rebuild them - and get me some K&N type filter pods (about $9 each) so as not to have to deal with that airbox again. I'll have to do some research to see if I need to rejet with the pods.

I can always sell the bike now and not put any real money into it, I bought it for $700 so I doubt I'll lose much, if anything. But I really do like it, even though I am much more of a sportbike guy - Gixxers, 'Busas, Ducatis, etc.

Thanks for the replies, if you guys have any more suggestions, let me know 8)
 
I hear of a lot of people rebuilding their carbs. I've been riding GS's since 1978, and have never rebuilt a bike carb. I have replaced a couple of needles & seats, but if your carbs aren't leaking, a good cleaning will probably fix you right up. Cheap too!!!
 
mine is currently not starting wit out starter fluid. And i just went trhough top part of motor, need to recheck valve clearance. But here is the thing, supposedly the carbs were cleaned and snyced before The bike broke by my the shop i had it at. So it shoudlnt be carbs.....
 
I've got the same thing (needing starter fluid to start) going on. Once it starts I can keep it going but when it warms up enough the idle takes off and goes over 3K. I suspect from the general commentary here in this forum that the valve clearance may be at fault. I didn't rebuild the carbs. I took them apart, cleaned them and replaced the o-rings but they looked pretty good when I disassembled them.
Sure would like to get this bike on the road.
 
Valve clearance, huh? That's a new one on me, I'm not sure how that can cause a smooth-running bike to need a little starting fluid to get going? Well, it's time to curl up with the Haynes maunal and educate myself, then :D Thanks for the tipoff, I'll look into this new possibility as well.
 
You need to get the carbs working right BEFORE you try to install pods, yes you will need to rejet your carb
 
Some of the info from the smarter more experienced guys indicated that valve clearances that are too tight might be a problem. It would seem that the valve opens a little too early for decent starting, but once the engine is running at a reasonable speed (ie. above what the starter can acheive) or has warmed up some the problem is temporarily alleviated.
This is only inference, however, and I have to get the tappet tool and then do the adjustment routine to find out if it actually works. Could be I have other undiscovered problems, but you can only go one step at a time.
 
SqDancerLynn1 said:
You need to get the carbs working right BEFORE you try to install pods, yes you will need to rejet your carb
Click to expand...

I'm expecting to rebuild them at the same time, so that should not be a problem. I heard something about switching to #95 jets??

Harrison, that does make some sense now. Especially since the bike had just gotten a valve adjustment when I bought it - I can see the new gasket and everything. Hmmm ... You're right, if we do it all one step at a time, we'll get there. Maybe I'll see what I can do about checking this over the weekend.
 
Please let me know what you find out. I've just ordered the tappet depression tool and the correct feeler gauges from Suzuki so I can do the adjustment correctly. If you decide to do it yourself don't order the tappet depresser from Suzuki - they want $130.00 for the thing. Order it from www.crconlinecatalog.com where it only costs $30.00.
 
Thanks for the tip! I'll see what I find out tomorrow. I'm gonna try starting it everyday, though I'm afraid of using that starting fluid every time ... any potential damage, spraying all that crap in there on a daily basis? It really only takes a little shot, but I've never used starting fluid on any car I've owned so I'm not sure.
 
This might sound stupid but have you tried putting your petcock to 'prime' instead of using the starting fluid. Sometimes when mine has trouble starting right up, I stick it on prime for a short bit and away she goes.

Satch
 
I'll try that tomorrow again, it didn't work last week as it had not been started in weeks anyway. Maybe the simple solution will work this time (fingers crossed!). It does tend to leak out of the #3 carb when I have the petcock on PRI - that was the whole trouble with the fuel tap in the first place, hence the lawnmower cutoff switch. Strangely enough, though, when I left it the switch to ON the last time, it didn't leak at all - as if having been running for several minutes sealed something back up. Weird.

It certainly does sound like it's just having trouble getting gas in initially, doesn't it? In a car, I would say that this would be the problem. Bikes can be different, though. I'll keep ya'll posted.
 
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