I think its the carbs?

Due to medical conditions most of this years touring was none. I finally got cut loose from the physicians and finally got my hands around the handle bars while my wife was gone so she couldn't see what was happening!

I hit the starter and the bike started and was trying to run but just couldn't. It would only run with the choke engaged. When parked I put stabil in the gas and did everything I usually do when I know that the bike will be parked for any period. As it happened I was not able to ride all summer. Now I can do limited rides.

I am thinking the carbs should be cleaned. It is a 2000 MM with 65,000 miles and never had anything done to it but change the oil and fill the tank. It absolutely ran perfect when parked. I feel like I have abused it by letting it sit for 4 months.

I guess my question is how difficult is it to pull the carb assembly and overhaul carbs? Do the carb parts come as a kit or do the parts have to be ordered piece meal? Is their anything I should be aware of before starting this? I am not going to be doing the removal myself, the work will be done by my 12 yoa grandson under my direction.

Any thoughts or input is appreciated.

Letting a bike sit for just four months should NOT cause significant problems. 65,000 miles on the bike is not much at all (have close to that on my 05), but 8 years of mostly sitting does take a toll. When was the last time you changed the fuel filter? Are you sure your fuel pump is working properly? How about the plugs?

Here are the things I would do BEFORE pulling the carbs:

1. Change the fuel filter if it wasn't done in the past 10,000 miles or so.
   
2. Change the plugs. Do this even if they are fairly new.
   
3. Drain all the gas. I wouldn't throw that liquid gold away - either put it in your car or just save it for later use after you get it all running OK.
   
4. Drain the carbs - you can get to the drain screws without removing them, but it can be a little tricky. Make sure to drain the fuel line too.
   
5. Mix up a quart of gas with a pint of Sea Foam. A clean coffee can would work nice for this - just dump in one pint of Sea Foam, then about a quart of gas. The exact mix is unimportant.
   
6. After making sure the drain screws are tight, take the fuel line off the tank and put in in this new fuel and turn the key on long enough for the fuel pump to fill up all the carbs and stop clicking. Shut the key off and let it sit for a few hours or over night. Don't forget to put the fuel line back on the tank!
   
7. Dump the rest of the Sea Foam mix into the tank and fill it up with fresh gas. Don't worry if you don't have enough gas at home to fill it all the way up - just adding a couple of gallons to the mix should be fine to get you to a gas station.
   

Fire it up. It will probably run quite rough at first, since the mix of Sea Foam in the carbs is way more than normal, but keep it running. Try and ride it for 10 miles or so (it will take at least a couple of miles just to run all the mix out of the carbs and lines and get normal gas back in there). I'll bet all will be ruining like a charm again!

Goose

Fire it up. It will probably run quite rough at first, since the mix of Sea Foam in the carbs is way more than normal, but keep it running.

It will also smoke quite a bit, so warn your other half so she wont be concerned, and do it outside of the garage!!!!!

You just have bad gas in the tank from it sitting for the four months...

Just get on it and ride until gas tank is half empty then fill it up with fresh gas...

keep riding it and it and it will clear up...nothing to worry about.

Heck, I wouldnt even use sea foam in it... its just that the gas lost its igniting punch...

run it out and just continue to ride on..

You just have bad gas in the tank from it sitting for the four months...

Just get on it and ride until gas tank is half empty then fill it up with fresh gas...

keep riding it and it and it will clear up...nothing to worry about.

 

Heck, I wouldnt even use sea foam in it... its just that the gas lost its igniting punch...

run it out and just continue to ride on..

 

This is possible, but IMHO not probable. If the gas is only 4 months old (instead of being last summer's gas), even without a stabilizer it almost certainly would not be a problem. My money is still on the accumulated goo and gunk from the past 8 years, with maybe the four-month-old gas adding a tiny bit to the problem. The fuel filter is suspect number 1! That is why I suggested the slightly more significant process above. Still a whole lot easier than pulling and opening the carbs! With just a little extra effort you will not only get it all running nice, but also get the comfort of knowing it is all cleaned out and ready for another 65,000 miles.

Goose

I had the same problem and had to get my carbs drained. The ethanol in the gas turns into a milky syrup after awhile in the carbs. Once I had the carbs drained it worked fine.

JayJay

SEA-FOAM. Might be time for a set of plugs. These bikes don't like to sit. Goose's approach to using Sea-Foam is a good one but just drain it to less than 1/2 tank put in full can of Sea-Foam ride using throttle at all different positions for 50-75 miles and fill with fresh gas. Problems not gone then you have a bad plug.

Eck, I just wanted to say your response to me sounded fine - nothing negative about it. We don't agree on the likely cause of the problem, but so what? If we don't have an open exchange of ideas and discussion, we won't get anywhere. The more ideas we can give each other, the better chance we have of finding the problem soon.

Goose

Just a thought here but when you store the bike for the winter is it a good idea to run the fuel out of the carbs and leave them dry for the winter?

a full tank of stabilized gas is your best bet.

With an empty tank, you will get rust.

Our gas tanks are bare steel on the inside.

a full tank of stabilized gas is your best bet.

 

With an empty tank, you will get rust.

 

Our gas tanks are bare steel on the inside.

I use Sta-Built and Sea-Foam mix (proper amout of each) if it is going to be sitting a while. Some will say it is not necessary but makes me feel better.

a full tank of stabilized gas is your best bet.

 

With an empty tank, you will get rust.

 

Our gas tanks are bare steel on the inside.

I've heard from other riders that they spray a little bit of WD-40 in their empty tank during winter storage. Not sure if I am willing to do this on my bike...the good news is that I do not winterize my bike. I will ride all winter long with my tolerance around 30°F.

So far a check of the following has yeilded these results:

1. Fuel filter clear and unobstructed

2. Air filters clear and unobstructed

3. Fuel pump operational

4. Fuel lines clear and unobstructed

5. The carburetor assembly removed and the exterior cleaned

6. The float bowls removed and the jets removed.

7. PMS removed noticable dirt on them

8. Dirt in the float bowls (as expected)

9. The clamps on the intake boots were loose.

10. the intake boots dont appear to be damaged

11.The diaphrams on the slides appear to be in good shape (no visible deformaties or punctures.

12. The floats are within specification within 1 mm

13. The float needle valve and seats are functioning as designed

Tomorrow I am cleaning the carb assembly with compressed air.

Then reassembly and reinstall all the parts and then a reinstall of the assembly.

Checking the throttle position sensor

The only thing I really find suspect to this point is the loose clamps on the intake boots. which would explain the slow deceleration (sucking air) and the lack of idle (sucking air)

I will report later once all is reassembled.

okay, Fella's I reid everyones posts.

This is whats going on with my bike.

3 times now, over the last month.

the bikes stalls, just after riding it for about, 5 - to 15 miles. each time the bike loses fuel, and the bike stalls.

last week I had the fuel line cleaned & filter replaced, gas tank cleaned ( How it was done I don't know )

I went to leave on the 29 Dreams ride this weekend, and the bike died on the highway. the shop came and picked it up.

bike has 28,000 on it, and I never had the carps touched. ( I don't know if the carps were checked when I brought it in last week)

all the gas stations down in south florida have 10% mix in the fuel

okay, Fella's I reid everyones posts.

 

This is whats going on with my bike.

3 times now, over the last month.

the bikes stalls, just after riding it for about, 5 - to 15 miles. each time the bike loses fuel, and the bike stalls.

last week I had the fuel line cleaned & filter replaced, gas tank cleaned ( How it was done I don't know )

I went to leave on the 29 Dreams ride this weekend, and the bike died on the highway. the shop came and picked it up.

bike has 28,000 on it, and I never had the carps touched. ( I don't know if the carps were checked when I brought it in last week)

 

 

all the gas stations down in south florida have 10% mix in the fuel

The easiest answer that fits all your problems is a plugged vent tube to the tank. Absolute test for this is to take the gas cap off right after it stalls and see if you hear air rushing in and the bike then re-starts. If that is the problem, then you probably have a stuck rollover valve in the vent line or the line got kinked somehow.

If you know for a fact it is running out of fuel as you said, then it should be VERY easy to find. Only three possibilities - the vent problem, stopped up fuel line (petcock or filter), or bad fuel pump. Based on what you have had done so far, if it is not the vent, it is probably the fuel pump. Ordinarily, with your symptoms, I would bet on crud in the tank blocking the petcock, but supposedly you had that checked and cleaned. You didn't say when and how long you hear the fuel pump clicking - that would be crucial information in properly diagnosing the problem.

Goose

The easiest answer that fits all your problems is a plugged vent tube to the tank. Absolute test for this is to take the gas cap off right after it stalls and see if you hear air rushing in and the bike then re-starts. If that is the problem, then you probably have a stuck rollover valve in the vent line or the line got kinked somehow.

 

If you know for a fact it is running out of fuel as you said, then it should be VERY easy to find. Only three possibilities - the vent problem, stopped up fuel line (petcock or filter), or bad fuel pump. Based on what you have had done so far, if it is not the vent, it is probably the fuel pump. Ordinarily, with your symptoms, I would bet on crud in the tank blocking the petcock, but supposedly you had that checked and cleaned. You didn't say when and how long you hear the fuel pump clicking - that would be crucial information in properly diagnosing the problem.

Goose

No clicking, when I try to restart the bike

This last time I opened the cap & checked for anything floating in the gas. I let the bike sit for about 5 minutes, and it tryed to start, but would die again, alot of sputtering

I use Sta-Built and Sea-Foam mix (proper amout of each) if it is going to be sitting a while. Some will say it is not necessary but makes me feel better.

According to the Seafoam info brochure and video it is a stabilizer as well as an engine and carb cleaner.

Brian

No clicking, when I try to restart the bike

This last time I opened the cap & checked for anything floating in the gas. I let the bike sit for about 5 minutes, and it tryed to start, but would die again, alot of sputtering

If your carbs are truly out of gas as you say, then the fuel pump would click for an extended period of time after turning on the key. This is true whether the fuel line is plugged or not. If you don't hear that clicking, your pump is bad. Two possible tests to check this: either open the drain screw on one carb to prove that the bowl is empty, or take the fuel line off of the carb assembly (accessible from the right rear between the carbs, up near the frame with the tank off) and see if the fuel pump clicks and gas comes out when you torn on the key.

Goose

I've heard from other riders that they spray a little bit of WD-40 in their empty tank during winter storage. Not sure if I am willing to do this on my bike...the good news is that I do not winterize my bike. I will ride all winter long with my tolerance around 30°F.

I would probably use Deep Creep, which is basically Seafoam in a spray can.

As it turns out the final result is bad gas, to many months of non-use resulting in the primary mixture screws got crud on them. I tried the much on this forum touted "sea foam" miracle cure! The final results after 2 cans was zip, zero, nada.........not happening here, not happening now.

Before someone gets their "sea foam" feelings hurt, it just didn't work in this case!

I had to remove the carbs and do a cleaning, install new gas, new fuel filters, and new spark plugs to get it running again. However thats the first in 8 years so if it aint broke don't fix it.