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Prime after time...

  • Thread starter Thread starter slsimmer
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slsimmer

Guest
Hello!
I have an '80 GS850. Runs great. If I let it sit for over a week it will not start. The only way to remedy this is to prime the carbs. Also, when I park it after riding, the aroma of gasoline fills the garage. I have had the air box apart, and it is not full of gas. Likewise, the oil is not getting diluted down with gas. My train of thought leads me to believe that the gas is slowly leaking out of the carb bowls, maybe so slowly that it evaporates rather than ending up somewhere. Has anyone ever experienced this before? I think that new float needles are in my future. Is there a good place to buy just that (other than the dealer)?
Thanks!
diane_de_poitiers_002.sized.jpg
 
Z1 sells float needles but before ordering I'd get an O-ring kit from cycleorings.com and check what you have. Could be that cleaning the carbs really good and setting the float height takes care of the problem.
 
Hey...I can still tell that your bike is an L. Wear it with pride. Others are just jealous! :D

Now as to the fuel problem, it is unlikely that if you smell fuel, there are small enough leaks that you won't see a drip. It is going somewhere and I would suspect the bowl drain screws. Lay a sheet of tissue paper down under the carbs on top of the engine, and check it several hours later to see if stains are present. Works every time! ;)

Good looking L you have there!
 
do you get the same aroma if parked on the center stand? buying cheap swill that evaporates easily?
If you are satisfied with the answers to above.
After the week of sitting, drain each carb, from the bottom, and compare the amount of fuel from all four. Are they equal, or ? of course do the drain thing on the center stand.
 
Okay, First off, I run premium fuel, so it should not be the cheap swill that is mentioned. Second, I ran it last night and put a paper towel under the carbs. I checked it this morning and there were no stains at all on it.
I ordered the seal kit and bowl gaskets for it, I will be taking the carbs apart and cleaning, replacing seals while I do so. I will check the condition of the float needles while I am in. I have access to a very large and powerful ultrasonic cleaner and set of synch gauges so I should be golden, right?
 
Repeat question, does it make a difference if you are on center stand or side stand?
Float needles should not be suspect. They let fuel into the carburetor bowl. not in keeping it from emptying the fuel bowl.

Still, you should drain and collect separately each fuel bowl to see if there is a fuel loss problem.
Is this equipped with points ignition or electronic?
 
The petcock diaphragm was replaced shortly before I bought the bike (1 year ago). It does not matter if it is on the center or side stand, it still does it. Points ignition.
 
slsimmer said:
The petcock diaphragm was replaced shortly before I bought the bike (1 year ago). It does not matter if it is on the center or side stand, it still does it. Points ignition.
Click to expand...

Go through and clean the carbs as you plan but it wouldn't surprise me if the petcock is the culprit. Some have luck with a 'rebuild' and I haven't. :-\\\
 
Dave8338 has a maybe hit upon something. Closely inspect the vacuum line that connects to #2 carburetor and to the back of the petcock. Check it is not loose, cracked, or wet with fuel inside. Check to be sure the vacuum leg of the petcock will hold vacuum.
And if that is all good.
Drain each carb bowl and check the amount of fuel in each. Do it right after it was running. Restart the engine to fill the fuel bowls and then check the fuel volume a week later before attempting to start.
As somebody on this forum said, "to measure is know"
 
I replaced the vacuum line recently, but I will check to see if there is fuel in it. Meanwhile, I have found something quite interesting. I have never heard of this happening before, and have not a clue as to how to get a replacement. It is the little tube on the side of the carb, see the picture. It is cracked, and leaks fuel while the engine is running. Obviously, it has been leaking for quite some time judging by the stains around the area, shame on me. Maybe if I knew what this is called I could better look for a replacement. Perhaps I should just put seal-all or some other solvent-resistant sealant on it, or attempt to solder/braze it shut. I don't know. By the way, there is only one carb with this issue.
carbs_004.sized.jpg
 
That'll do it. Thats either the pickup for the pilot circuit, or the choke, i cant remember ( i used to have a map of the CV carbs circuitry...rather interesting) And, BTW, running premium fuel in your bike, unless you're running high comp pistons, is a waste of money. It can actually make your bike run WORSE...
 
If no one has mentioned it, check the oil level to make sure it is not increasing. The fuel has to be going some where and hopefully not into the crankcase
 
madjack57754 said:
If no one has mentioned it, check the oil level to make sure it is not increasing. The fuel has to be going some where and hopefully not into the crankcase
Click to expand...
Aye good point! Silly EPA making MIC get rid of the overflow tubes they used on the VM carbs.. Those suckers saved my bacon a time or two with faulty petcocks.. Thankfully I haven't had a bad petcock on my CV carb bikes....except one :mad:
 
So I drained the bowls while the bike was on the center stand. The same amount of fuel came out of all except for the #1 carb. I think this is because the fuel line and filter drained along with the bowl. So this looks okay I think. I got new seals to go between the carb boots and head. I figured while I had it apart, why not. All of the seals were dry and hard, it looked like they were all leaking. The boot on #2 actually fell apart when I was taking it off. I'm sure that it was leaking lots and lots of air. Checked all of the other boots and they all look fine. So, ordering a new boot now. Fixing the leaking choke/idle circuit. Replacing all of the seals in the carbs. I guess I will see where this takes me. I'm thinking that if it ran pretty good before, it should blow me away after I'm done with it.
carbs_009.sized.jpg
carbs_016.sized.jpg
 
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