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gas in engine

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by saftie, Nov 9, 2015.

  1. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Hi,
    i searched the forum but was not able to find anything.

    even though this is not about an xj bike, i'd assume the same goes for all/most engines.

    the petcock of one of my project bikes gave up and fuel dripped out over a few weeks, i assume flooding the carbs and making its way into the engine. when i drained the oil, there was a good amount of fuel.

    i wont be able to work on the bike that soon but wanted to check if there is anything i need to do / can do in meantime? engine was running well before this happened and i would hate to tear it apart for special cleaning etc.


    thanks,
    gabor
     
  2. quebecois59

    quebecois59 Well-Known Member

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    Petcock is not the only part to blame, you have at least one float needle that leaks. If you don't have a fuel filter on your gas line, it could simply be some crud between the float needle and the seat. SOmetimes, float needles get stuck opened, a good wack on the carb bowls with a screwdriver handle may free them.

    Of course, you'll have to rebuild your petcock or put a new one. SOme prefer to put a gravity-fed one instead of the vacuum-fed one, but you'll have to remember closing it every time you stop the engine.
     
  3. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    thanks.
    i think i need to ask more specifically, my first post may not have been too clear.

    anything i need to do in regards to the engine?
     
  4. Jetfixer

    Jetfixer Well-Known Member

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    Drain the oil right away put fresh oil and filter ,but keep level in middle of sight glass till you sort out petcock and I agree you have a needle not seating . If it continues to leak then level in sight gauge will go up, if not then fill to proper level .
     
  5. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Ok. So it sounds like putting new oil in is all that needs to be done, no big issue that there was gas in engine?
    Great.
    And yeah, need to remove carbs and take care of them.
     
  6. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    you may want to change the filter too thats optional any remaining gas will evaporate when you start the motor and get sucked up the crank case vent into the air filter system. disconnect and plug gas line to keep crap from getting into it

    what kind of bike is it any way?
     
  7. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    It's a 85 kawasaki GPZ 550, possibly my next project.

    Was moving house/garage this weekend and decided to take care of the leak before moving the bike.
     
  8. rocs82650

    rocs82650 Well-Known Member

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    If you don't stop the fuel flow from the petcock and the valve remains stuck open the same thing is going to happen.

    Gary H.
     
  9. saftie

    saftie Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Yes, needs some work, but it's not going to happen soon. For now, I will removed the carbs, make sure everything is drained completely and refill with new oil.

    Thanks for all the replies, I am relieved that gas in engine is not messing anything up.
     
  10. quebecois59

    quebecois59 Well-Known Member

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    I'd like to add that some rubber parts in carbs seem not to like being let to dry on the shelf for tooo long. I personnally removed mt carbs last fall and they have been left on the shelf for 8-9 months, when I put fuel back in them the fuel rails o-rings had shrunk and I had gas dripping from them, which I haven't had before, Fortunately, they swelled back to seal in minutes, but I heard that this happens very rarely. I would suggest that you keep your carbs in a well sealed container.
     
  11. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    I had that happen with the bowl gasket on my 1946 allis Chalmers WC this summer. After 1/2 hr in a jar of gas, the gasket fit again.

    I also had the experience of having son slide diaphragms change sizes one time---- I was restoring a Honda CB200t, and the slides were on the bench for several weeks. When it was time to put the back in, the diaphragms were more then 1/2" larger in diameter than they were when first removed. The Honda repair shop explained that " they swell up and expand due to absorbing water from the air..... You're out of luck. Too bad, you'll have to get new ones". Well, time for a test.... Knowing how carb cleaner dries out my hands.... I emptied half a can of carb spray into a jar. I put both slides into the jar, capped it and let it sit over night. The following day, I pulled them out, and they were back to they're original size. I put them in quick!!! Rode the bike two years then sold it.
     
    quebecois59 likes this.

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