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Yes, I searched, but....Maxim 550 Prime Question, no Res.

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by crexrun, Mar 14, 2008.

  1. crexrun

    crexrun New Member

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    Ok, so I got my bike running on Monday, dumped 2 gallons of gas in it from a can, and put the fuel tap (just to be politically correct about it! haha) to--

    "PRImary". :oops:

    So, my fuel tap says---"RES" at the 9 o'clock position, "ON" at 6 o'clock, and "PRI" at 3 o'clock.
    I figured Primary was where it was supposed to be at, and I didn't quite understand why it also said on, but oh well!
    So I think, "when she goes Putt putt putt, I'll switch it to reserve and ride off into the sunset!"

    So that's what I did. Riding it this morning to run an errand, bike starts to stumble....had 78 miles on it, flipped it to reserve, no dice, and literally coasted to the pump, I nursed it the 4 blocks to the nearest station. I put in 3.53 gallons, and I thought "whoa, isn't that all these hold?" but before I filled, I looked in the bottom of the tank, and there was gas sloshing around yet, and I just repainted the tank, so it was bone dry, and very clean inside, and I rinsed it thoroughly afterwards, so I know the reserve isn't plugged, and the filter screen/tube is in excellent shape.

    Now, the questions--

    1-- Stock fuel capacity is right at 4 gallons, right? If it holds 4, and I only put in 3.5, then my reserve is not functioning correctly. HOWEVER, it looks like the back of the tank is lower than the fuel tap, so is it possible that a half gallon or so of gas is just not "reachable", since it's lower than the tap?

    2--PRIme let's it run with no engine vacuum, but does it suck from the reserve side, or the "ON" side? If it sucked from the reserve side, it would suck it as low as it could correct?

    3--My vacuum is good, I already checked that, so the tap could need a rebuild, but, could I have put the standoff tube in backwards, so the tall tube is sucking from reserve, and the "on" side is sucking it dry?

    I would pop the tank off, but it's got 30 pounds of gas in it right now, so I'll just wait til there's less, and drain it into a can to check.

    Sorry for all the questions, I wish I would have ordered that CD right away so I could see the owners manual!
     
  2. argh1961

    argh1961 Member

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    I believe that #2 in the answer. IIRC, it'll run 'til it's gone when on PRI.
     
  3. Altus

    Altus Active Member

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    I don't have my XJCD's with me, but I'm pretty sure the 550's tank was 13 liters / 3.5 gallons myself? Anyone?
    If so, whatever you saw in the bottom must have been just the tiniest of little bits....

    Anyway, your questions
    1 - above - and yes there's always a tiny bit that's unreachable.
    2 - the Prime setting lets fuel flow from wherever, so technically the answer is niether/both
    3 - You can't put the tube in backwards - only goes in one way, the other end is sealed.
     
  4. MiCarl

    MiCarl Active Member

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    Re: Yes, I searched, but....Maxim 550 Prime Question, no Res

    I believe when on "Pri" it comes through the lower or reserve outlet.

    Leaving on Pri is a bit risky. If you have a float needle leak all your gas will end up in the oil.
     
  5. TIMEtoRIDE

    TIMEtoRIDE Active Member

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    You got about 22 LBS of gas if it's packed full.

    I'm surprised nobody suggested to do a leak test.

    put it "on" 6 o-clock, then suck on the vac hose. Fuel should just pour into an approved container. (after disconnecting the filter--you do have a filter?)

    Tell us your results please.
     
  6. crexrun

    crexrun New Member

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    Re: Yes, I searched, but....Maxim 550 Prime Question, no Res

    Great answers, thanks guys. I actually turned the gas "off" to "on" when I got done riding it, personal habit, I never leave the tap turned to on, old habits die hard! So, if the tap is ok, no fuel should have been running. Also, carbs were just off and looked great, so no stuck floats to flood the engine.

    No gas in the oil, at least none that I noticed, fresh oil change, oil to top of bubble, level is still perfect, so no fluid has been added. Bike runs great also, didn't seem excessively rich, or hard to start.

    So, 3.5 gallons seems about right, there wasn't much fuel left in the tank, I had to use my flashlight ( I always carry one) to see it.

    As far as putting the stand off tube in wrong, I didn't mean upside down, I was thinking 180 degrees out so to speak, so the reserve was on the "on" side, but IIRC, it is keyed so you can't.

    I'll check the flow this evening, with a vacuum tube and a container, to make sure it's not leaking with no vacuum, and yes, I put a filter on it right away! Thanks very much for the fast answers, I really appreciate it! I'll post later tonight with the results. Have a good one, Justin

    PS--I forgot that gas weighs less than water, I used to do a lot with water, so most of the time, any of my fluid calculations automatically revert to 8 pounds per gallon! Thanks!
     
  7. blackjack550

    blackjack550 Member

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    i just ran out of gas as well and also got only 4 blocks on reserve and there was a little bit as well. so its just the design of the tank.... and mine also holds 3.5 gallons the new pumps dont allow any more cause the tip gets wet and it dosent pump unless pressurized .
     

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