Flooded starts after bike sits overnight or even a few hours - Strong smell of gas

Hey Guy's,

I'm having this constant problem where my bike refuses to start after sitting overnight or even after a few hours.

I was thinking the petcock was leaking so I put a pair of vice grips over the fuel line and clamped it but it didn't make a difference, I haven't taken the fuel line off yet to see if its visibly leaking, will do after work today.

I just had my mechanic go through my carbs because I was leaking fuel onto the ground and he replaced 2-3 floats and a few needles, he also did an oil change, maybe he missed something?

VERY strong smell of gas whenever I walk up to the bike in the morning, to get it to start you have to completely twist the throttle 100% and it will cough and cough and then start but you have to keep the rpm's up or it'll die, spit's and sputters until it warms up.

If I try to start it right after shutting it off, it fires right up.

Also, I'm getting some popping out of the exhaust at high rpm's when I let off which may just be attributed to running 4 into 1 headers & straight pipes, desperately trying to find a baffle to stick in there, already had two neighbors complain.

Thanks ahead of time! I really appreciate the help.

Chris

 

you need to clean the carbs what was wrong with the floats that he needed to replace them such a rare thing.
did he do a wet set of your fuel levels?

valves in spec?
AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT with Pics

AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT Part 2: The Tool vs. ZipTie -w/pics

how is your oil level is it rising ?(gas in oil)

if you have to use the throttle to start it your choke tubes and wells may be cloged.
how does it idle?
start by checking your fuel level in the bowls

Setting the fuel levels

its an 82 650 correct

 

He had to replace the floats because it was leaking gas, I'm not a bike mechanic I will totally admit so I just went with it, didn't ask what the wet test, I'll text him.

He did clean the carb's, let them sit over-night.

Yes it's an 82 650.

I'll check the oil level when I get off work today at 2.
(Working in I.T can be glorious, I work in a call center so no day off for me)

I originally bought this thing as an alternative to riding the bus, it's turning out to be almost more of a pain to be honest haha.

It could idle better, that's for sure, even when warmed up it doesn't idle like it should, when it's cold, it's a joke.

Thanks for the info, I'll just have to throw myself into checking the valves etc, I have no experience whatsoever doing so.

 

KD tools 2274 is a part number for metric feeler guages any part store can order them .

it will be a pain until it is fixed correctly

 

I agree with XJ550 concerning "replacing the floats". Maybe, just maybe one might be bad, but not two. That along with "let them sit overnight" leads me to believe he didn't really clean the carbs thoroughly. Strong smell of gas indicates to me gas getting by the needle valves, and probably into the oil. The petcock also has to be leaking for gas to get by the needle valves. If the needle valves are good, then the float levels are too high, which is what the wet setting is all about. If you are not going to do the work you might let your mechanic reach the Church of Clean and then he can redo them correctly.

 

I've never seen a foam float fail. Hollow floats, sure. Occasionally a cork float. Never a foam float.
The hallmark of a good mechanic is knowing when it is in the customer's best interest to rebuild instead of repair. He really should have kept the bike for a few days to make sure the repair worked. From now on, take care of the carbs yourself.

The popping on decel is a sign of a lean fueling condition.

 

Yeah, petcock is free flowing, I checked, tried clamping the line for a temp fix but its still going.

I have Friday off so I'll be able to get either a new petcock or just install a simple marine on/off switch for now and also pick up an exhaust baffle.

Hopefully I'll have time to check the valves also.

Thanks for everyone's responses, I appreciate it.

It's just a work in progress.

 

The petcock leaking is only half of the problem. If your float needle valves are working and sealing properly, the petcock leaking or free flowing won't flood anything unless the float levels are set too high. Basically, there's problems inside your carbs and your petcock just showed it to you.

 

It may seem intimidating, but you CAN be your own motorcycle mechanic. In fact with an XJ you SHOULD be your own mechanic. Simple reasoning - you will find all the answers for your questions right here.

So as mentioned, even a bad petcock should not cause gas to over fill bowls (if floats are set proper - ie, wet set). This is a work in progress and will require a pretty concentrated first effort, after awhile it will become typical maintenance items.

Contact XJ4Ever (click icon in upper right hand corner). Order your parts from him. Even if you find them on eBay for a couple $$ less, order your parts from XJ4Ever. You are guaranteed the correct items, delivery is wicked fast and his over all customer service busts balls on a consistent basis.

That said, here is an example of the great instructions available here:
Petcock Rebuild

 

Thanks StumpLifter,

I will admit and I'm sure it's quite obvious but I'm very nervous about tearing into this bike, car's I normally don't have to much of an issue but I know nearly nothing about motorcycle repair etc, I wouldn't even know where to begin with what tool's to buy.

Carb's have always made me a little iffy, always had my uncle work on them for me, tuning fuel injection I have no problem with and have helped tune my brothers Infiniti G35 ECU via laptop software but carb's ehhh

But thank you for the encouragement, you guy's are awesome and I'm VERY happy I found this forum.

 

Unless you have one already, buy a manual and read a lot of posts on this sight. This will give you a direction to go in, IE learn from others mistakes. Rebuilding the carbs is not Rocket Science either . Go to the Church of clean order all the parts from xj4ever ( these are guaranteed to be the right parts) take a lot of pictures as you disassemble and you will be fine. As for tools get a JIS screw driver ( I replaced all the screws in my carbs with new stainless metric screws and allen head metric ) a 10mm wrench , a pick tool , a small straight blade screw driver . Disassemble carbs completely ( butterfly plates removed to get the old seals out ) I recommend Berryman 1 gallon carb cleaner soak carb bodies for about 1 hr pull out and scrub with a tooth brush, compressed air ...I also soak in Dawn dish soap as an added step.
Reassemble carefully, do a bench synch if you do it right should be close, I recommend buying a 4 gauge synch set up to get carbs in running synch ( you can build your own ) Good luck

 

The gas can only get into the engine TWO ways---

1. Through the fuel line coming off of the petcock.......but since you crimped that with vise-grips, it effectively eliminates that possibility (unless you didn't clamp it tight enough....which I doubt)

Or

2. The vacuum line ----in which case you have gas getting to the other side of the diaphragm and running down the vacuum tube, totally bypassing the carbs and floats. That will continue to run til; 1- you run out of gas in the tank, 2. Your crank case fills up with gas and -----a) you only overheat, or b) you blowup. literally.

Dave

 

I didn't or can't get it clamped tight enough, reason I know is the bike continues to run even after clamped.

Any tighter and I'd be afraid of cutting the fuel line, when you disconnect the hose, it comes out like a hose on full blast.

No fuel in the vacuum line.

I nearly had to call an Uber this morning because it wouldn't start, got lucky after the 6th time push starting it.

The reason I don't want to give up on the bike (Although this morning I about had it) is once it starts and quits sputtering it runs flawlessly.

 

Then just cut the line and put in a shut-off valve for a lawnmower/snowblower/etc.....type machine.

That will be temporary solution to the leaking float valve problem

 

That's what I've been told, like a marine off/on switch, that's my plan after work today but I've been told on here that's its a carb problem?

 

Its surely a carb problem, but you can band-aid it with a proper fuel shutoff in the line. At night, or when you park it, close that shutoff and let the bike run until it shuts off (no more fuel in the carbs). Then, when you are ready to go back out on it, turn the valve on and give it a minute to fill the carbs with fuel, and it should fire right up.

 

Thanks, that will hopefully get me at least not almost late for work anymore.

I'll do some research that I've been given on here and get ready to tear into the carb's hopefully this weekend.

I'm hoping Home Depot has some sort of shut off valve that will work, lastly does anyone know if the fuel line itself is 3/8 or?

Thanks again.

 

6.35 mm or 1/4"

 

Chris, good advice from the guys about the fuel system. Now about that exhaust - f*ck the neighbours !

 

^ This is possibly the best thing I've read all day!