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No gas in float bowls

  • Thread starter Thread starter kfholler
  • Start date Start date
K

kfholler

Guest
Hello all, need some help desperately. Trying to get bike running after a year sitting. Did a bunch of stuff today, but at the end of the day, I have the petcock on prime, gas is flowing out of the petcock, but is not making it's way into the carbs. I reattached the fuel line, left it on prime, and opened the drain plugs on the bowls. They drained yesterday (the one year old gas) but today there's not a drop coming out of them. I have other problems but this is the most glaring and trying to take it one problem at a time. Need help, any suggestions would be great!

Apologies if there's another thread dealing with this I could not find it.
Thanks so much,
-KH
 
kfholler said:
Hello all, need some help desperately. Trying to get bike running after a year sitting. Did a bunch of stuff today, but at the end of the day, I have the petcock on prime, gas is flowing out of the petcock, but is not making it's way into the carbs. I reattached the fuel line, left it on prime, and opened the drain plugs on the bowls. They drained yesterday (the one year old gas) but today there's not a drop coming out of them. I have other problems but this is the most glaring and trying to take it one problem at a time.
Click to expand...
One problem at a time is good approach! What bike is this?
Does fuel flow down unattached fuel line ( on prime )? Float needles could be stuck in closed position, but this seems unlikely for multiple carbs all at same time. Anyways, have you tried tapping gently on each carb?
 
It's a 1982650GLZ. Fuel does flow out of the petcock on pri, but I have not detached the carb side to see if it is making it all the way through.
 
Just because the petcock is in PRIME does not mean that it can flow gas. :o

There is an o-ring inside that seals the port. If that o-ring is stuck (typical, if the petcock has not been used for a LONG time), it won't flow any fuel.

.
 
If youre sure fuel is flowing through the fuel line and into the carbs then the problem has to be in the fuel rail of the carbs. Either every single float is stuck or there is a blockage in the T connector. Either way, if unstabilized fuel was left in the carbs for a year I think they need to be torn down anyway.
 
I know that fuel is coming out of the petcock, when the fuel line is detached, I switch the petcock to prime and it flows freely and I can drain the tank. I don't know where it is stopping beyond there after the fuel line is re-attached. If only everything was clear!

Is it silly of me to be trying everything I can not to tear down the carbs? I completely rebuilt them 3 years ago and am trying to avoid dissassembling them again. How much should I expect a shop to charge me to clean the carbs? If it's a reasonab le price maybe I am doing too much work here to avoid getting a shop to do it for me.

Thanks all for suggestions! This forum is the difference between me calmly(ish) troubleshooting my bike, and my grabbing for the sledge hammer in frustration!
 
I've never had a shop do them but I bet they charge well into the hundreds of dollars for a set of carbs. They really arent too hard to do yourself, theres even a illustrated guide! The hardest part is usually getting the darn things off the bike!

Anyhow, you say fuel flows out of the petcock... Does it also flow out of the other end of the fuel line? In other words, are you positive fuel is entering the carbs?
 
Thanks for your response - I don't know if fuel is making it's way through the fuel line yet. I discovered close to the end of the time I had that no fuel was in the carb bowls. I checked the petcock is working (on pri) but nothing else yet. As soon as I get 20 min to rub together I can pull the line from the carb end and make sure it's not kinked or clogged itself. I don't remember how difficult it is to reach the carb end of that line. Thanks again.

Does anyone know a ballpark of how much a shop would charge? I have a little one and a pregnant wife, so time is difficult to come by right now and paying a shop might be worth it to ride this fall!
 
kfholler said:
Thanks for your response - I don't know if fuel is making it's way through the fuel line yet. I discovered close to the end of the time I had that no fuel was in the carb bowls. I checked the petcock is working (on pri) but nothing else yet. As soon as I get 20 min to rub together I can pull the line from the carb end and make sure it's not kinked or clogged itself. I don't remember how difficult it is to reach the carb end of that line. Thanks again.

Does anyone know a ballpark of how much a shop would charge? I have a little one and a pregnant wife, so time is difficult to come by right now and paying a shop might be worth it to ride this fall!
Click to expand...
You done the carbs once before, so have a big headstart! Pull seat off, remove tank bolts and tilt tank up so you can reach in and pull fuel line off carbs ( maybe ten minutes of work). Does fuel come out on prime?
Nobody but you will do a thorough carb cleaning! and you wouldn't believe what they would charge! I bet this is #1 reason old bikes get dumped to strippers.
 
Tom, thanks for the response I really appreciate the help. I have some new info for everyone:

When I got home from work I loosened the tank to see if I could do just what you suggested, reach in and yank the fuel line from the carb. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get it back on, so I skipped it. Then I loosened the drain plug on carb 1 (left most while seated on bike) and it was full of gas! Something must have worked loose over night. I switched it to pri and it flowed freely out of carb 1. Replaced the plug, checked carb 2 and same story, gas flowing freely. Carb 4 had some gas when I first removed the plug, but I couldn't get it to flow through it on pri. I couldn't check carb 3 today. At different points in my testing I had gas coming out of each of the 3 overflow lines, 2 on carb bodies, and 1 on the airbox. I had put some seafoam in tank, and directly in fuel line so maybe that helped de-gum some stuff. I'm still worried about carb 4, and 3 is an unknown, but I know a lot more than I did before without having to pull the carbs, or hard-to-reach fuel lines. I want to check the plugs are sparking, and get a new battery, and maybe tomorrow I'll be trying to start it. I have a bunch of questions first, if you guys could chime in with your opinions I would appreciate it:

1 - is trying to start her up just a plain bad idea?
2 - will trying to start it help the gas path into carb 4?
3 - is the gas in the airbox something to worry about?
4 - any other considerations I am missing?
5 - assuming it starts, but runs like crap, what're your opinions on carb cleaning additives to try and degum the carbs without tearing them down?

Thanks!
 
Greetings and Salutations!!

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. kfholler,

The road to GS happiness always begins at clean carbs (with new o-rings) and a tightly sealed air intake system. We always worry about the petcock too. Keep us informed.

I apologize for my Profound Glimpse into the Obvious. :o

Have you received your "mega-welcome" yet? If not, let me share some of my GS lovin'. :)

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


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", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. 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! :D

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Thanks for the warm welcome, and all the help so far. I am still hoping for some feedback on my general questions about trying to start the bike tonight, and it sounds like there is no alternative to tearing down and cleaning the carbs myself. Does anyone have experience with paying someone else to do it? I had a shop that would do it for me but they closed 2 years ago, and I am left in a bit of a lurch here. Thanks. -KH
 
kfholler said:
Thanks for the warm welcome, and all the help so far. I am still hoping for some feedback on my general questions about trying to start the bike tonight, and it sounds like there is no alternative to tearing down and cleaning the carbs myself. Does anyone have experience with paying someone else to do it? I had a shop that would do it for me but they closed 2 years ago, and I am left in a bit of a lurch here. Thanks. -KH
Click to expand...

Chef will do it.....but, really, you can do it yourself, it ain't rocket science.:)

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=148764
 
Those two lines going up and over airbox are carb vent lines- if they are spitting gas it means your carbs float needles are stuck open- fuel is entering carbs and overfilling and rising up and out of vent tubes. Also fuel in airbox means same thing. You can try tapping on them (each carb) and hope they close, but who knows?
It might start ( and run like crap ), but I'd try to get float needles to at least do most of their job. There's too much gas floating around here!
Was bike running ok when you parked it a year ago?
 
Thanks Tom and Larry - Tom, it was running great a year ago, besides a nasty screech from the front wheel. I couldn't figure out the screeching, and gradual procrastination led to a year of sitting. I think now that the screech is the speedo, and I'm exicted to fix it, but I need to get the bike running first!

I'm really, REALLY, hoping that the seafoam I put in the tank is doing it's job and creeping around de-varnishing everything and freeing up stuck stuff. Major improvement from no fuel flow to too much, tomorrow I'm hoping to assess the situation again. Hopefully I am too smart to try and start it, but I might not be able to resist!
 
kfholler said:
Thanks Tom and Larry - Tom, it was running great a year ago, besides a nasty screech from the front wheel. I couldn't figure out the screeching, and gradual procrastination led to a year of sitting. I think now that the screech is the speedo, and I'm exicted to fix it, but I need to get the bike running first!

I'm really, REALLY, hoping that the seafoam I put in the tank is doing it's job and creeping around de-varnishing everything and freeing up stuck stuff. Major improvement from no fuel flow to too much, tomorrow I'm hoping to assess the situation again. Hopefully I am too smart to try and start it, but I might not be able to resist!
Click to expand...
Good luck and best wishes,but before you wing it, check crankcase for signs of gas - smell , high oil level- cuz that's where overflowing gas also winds up.
Speedo drives can be easily lubed- or replaced very cheaply!
 
Tom, what kind of lube should I use, and are there pictures anywhere of how to do it? My service manual just says "Lube the speedo drive with every service" but doesn't give any helpful information.
 
kfholler said:
Tom, what kind of lube should I use, and are there pictures anywhere of how to do it? My service manual just says "Lube the speedo drive with every service" but doesn't give any helpful information.
Click to expand...
DRift on over to Basscliff's emporium and look for front wheel removal pdf-this is close enough to your's bike axle ( you probably have different axle arrangement) to explain how to get at speedo drive. Once removed, you can rotate by hand (no cable attached)- add wd-40 to free up and remove circlip to disassemble and add grease, maybe lithium axle grease. But the screeching could also have come from bearing- does this area look real rusty?
 
This grease I have, says it's good for bearings. Good with you, or do you think it worth buying the lithium? I read somewhere else in the forum that you grease the cable, then run it through your hand to squeegee off the excess to make sure you don't have too much, sound kosher? I'm always a little too concerned about getting small detail wrong and ruining the whole project. Thanks!

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=63292&ucst=t
 
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kfholler said:
This grease I have, says it's good for bearings. Good with you, or do you think it worth buying the lithium? I read somewhere else in the forum that you grease the cable, then run it through your hand to squeegee off the excess to make sure you don't have too much, sound kosher? I'm always a little too concerned about getting small detail wrong and ruining the whole project. Thanks!

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=63292&ucst=t
Click to expand...
I like greases that are designed to see water- maybe neighbor has boat trailer, you only need a tiny bit! Yeah, cable is likely to need lubing also- sometimes they rust up real bad and turn very hard or just break. Any luck slowly down gas flow?
 
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