"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic)
08/19/2015 at 18:52 • Filed to: recycling
2
10|
"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic)
08/19/2015 at 18:52 • Filed to: recycling | 2
| 10 |
Had a suzuki GS450 that didn’t want to run well. Got it on the lift, pulled the tank, and got ready to pull the carbs to see what the problem was. After blasting the carbs with carb cleaner, we put them back on, buttoned things up, and decided to start the bike up. It started and ran beautifully. And that’s when the gas started pouring out of the airbox.
Not dripping, not a leak, literally gushing. We quickly killed the bike and got a pan underneath. Ended up with a gallon or so of gas. Decide airbox may have been full of gas for whatever reason, so drain the airbox. Another gallon or so.
Start the bike again. 5 seconds later, Niagara Falls. Drain the airbox again, thinking maybe we didn’t get all of it out.
Finally find how the gas is getting into the airbox, and eventually we devised a likely scenario for what was going on.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Carb 1 got clogged to hell and back from shitty gas. The stuff in the tank didn’t even smell like gas, which, point of information, gas usually smells like. It was vaguely tea-colored.
Carb 1 gets so clogged it can’t function as a carburetor anymore. Gas backs up into the airbox.
Carb 2 starts sucking in gas instead of air. Engine goes way rich, smokes a lot, and dies. Repeat for several times of “why aint this thing runnin’?”
Engine is now literally full of gasoline. Hose on cylinder head is now sending even more gas into airbox.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
We decided to check the oil early on, of course. We checked the dipstick, saw it was wet at the right levels, and put it back. It wasn’t until later that I decided to /smell/ the dipstick. Yep, gas. The fuel tank is supposed to be full of gas. The airbox and crankcase are not.
So first thing tomorrow we’re going to drain the engine of its horrible gas/oil mixture (it’s not a 2-stroke), put actual oil into it, and see if we can get it running without drenching both of us in Eau de Fül, or at least get it running long enough to clear the rest of the gas out of the cylinders.
Did I mention the choke wasn’t connected to anything? and there were about three hoses that led nowhere?
The figurative final nail in the coffin was the literal nail in the rear tire.
If nothing else, this will be the first bike that rather than just getting taken apart will get fixed... and then taken apart.
DrJohannVegas
> TheOnelectronic
08/19/2015 at 19:18 |
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Sunk floats?
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TheOnelectronic
> DrJohannVegas
08/19/2015 at 19:19 |
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I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about carburetors as my brother is, but everything seemed to be in order when we pulled the lids off of them.
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DrJohannVegas
> TheOnelectronic
08/19/2015 at 19:21 |
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You want to be on the bottom side of the carbs. If I recall, that should have Mikuni carbs on it, so you’ll need to unscrew 4 small screws on the corners of the bowl cover. Alternatively, you could try tapping the carbs with a hammer (focus on #1, if that’s the gusher) to see if the floats unstick and the valve reseats. But, if the gas was crappy, bits of rust or somesuch may be holding the thing open. Worst case, the bowl float has a pinhole in it and needs to be sealed or replaced.
Edit: This page is a good overview/starting point: http://www.dansmc.com/carbs.htm
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TheOnelectronic
> DrJohannVegas
08/19/2015 at 19:28 |
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No gas was coming out of the carbs. (we had them disconnected from the airbox). It was all coming out of a tube leading from the top of the cylinder head to the airbox. We pulled that off and sure enough, gas came pouring out of it when we started the bike up again.
desertdog5051
> DrJohannVegas
08/19/2015 at 19:30 |
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I agree with you. I do add that if those type of problems exist, the entire carb needs to be removed and disassembled. There is most likely so much gunk from sitting with gas in them.
Why, Oh why, don’t people drain gas and run the bike/motor ‘til the gas in the carbs is gone. Jeez, that eliminates so many future problems.
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DrJohannVegas
> TheOnelectronic
08/19/2015 at 19:31 |
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Wait...silly question: Is there a second hose going to the petcock? So, besides the fuel outlet, does it have a vacuum line? If so, it may be the petcock which is to blame.
Edit: Like this? http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.…
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DrJohannVegas
> desertdog5051
08/19/2015 at 19:34 |
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I do that with my own bikes, but there is also then the risk of internal corrosion from water vapor in the air. So, I’ve never been too happy about any of the options. For the past few years, I’ve gone with a regimen of ethanol-free gas, a bit of fuel stabilizer, and a squirt of MMO in the cylinders.
DogonCrook
> TheOnelectronic
08/19/2015 at 20:02 |
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That’s pretty crazy you didnt bend a rod. Is it a single cylinder?
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TheOnelectronic
> DogonCrook
08/19/2015 at 21:40 |
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Twin.
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DogonCrook
> TheOnelectronic
08/19/2015 at 22:36 |
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Well at least you broke down any sludge in the crankcase, gotta look on the bright side.