Petcock question XJ650.. Fuel coming from beneath the engine

Hi all,
Bike was out for a week in minus 4 degress at night..Coldest March on record in Ireland..Thing is...If I leave her for a few days I always turn the petcock to prime for about ten minutes before I fire her up.
This morning when I did I notice fuel pissing out from beneath the engine..When I looked closer it was coming from what looks like an over flow tube in the air box housing. This has never happened before..Took her a bit to fire up but she did..So am wondering why this would happen.?
All advice is appreciated.
Thanks all,
Morg.

 

stuck/damaged or contaminated float, needle or seat is all that would cause this. I'd recommend changing engine oil before you try to start it again as well since the fuel can dilute it if it gets in the breather or down the bores.

 

DO NOT RUN THE MOTOR until you've checked for gasoline in the crankcase.

Your problem is actually a stuck float or floats; a possible petcock issue only enabled it.

If you have gas peeing out the airbox drain or from the breather you very well may have a crankcase full of gasoline at this point. Pop the filler plug and stick your nose in. Have a whiff, if it smells of gasoline and not just warm oil, you're going to need to change the oil immediately.

And you have some carb work to do.

 

Re: Petcock question XJ650.. Fuel coming from beneath the en

Thanks guys,
I did change the oil..Was waiting for the weather to get warmer..Just so cold for outdoor maintenance..The oil that came out was pretty black but I cant say I noticed a smell of gas off it.
As soon as I saw the fuel spilling I switched the petcock to on immediately and she stopped.I am just wondering if the minus 4 degrees overnight caused one of the floats to stick.>?
I took her for a good run yesterday and she is going really well.
One thing though...
I had the oil changed about a year ago and the guy put syntethic in the engine which appeared to cause the starter clutch to slip.
She now has the recommended 20w40 4T mineral oil in here and I am hoping the starter clutch will settle down now.?
Has anyone tried to get 20w40.? No one in Ireland keeps it..

 

Cold weather won't cause a float to stick no, else all our Canadian friends would be swimming in petrol. Really you do need to clean your carbs before it happens again.

Also, there's no need to leave the petrooster (thanks again Eco :lol: ) in PRI for longer than 30 seconds even when you're starting with dry float bowls, they only hold maybe 75cc of fuel (rough estimate).