i smell gas,i dont see where it come from

[breezelasbre73]

hi venture owners.i have 1983 venture and i road it for the first time in two weeks.i road around town i and i kept smelling gas.i got down on the throttle and it felt like it was bogging down.i was in 3rd gear i think.i parked it and didnt see any gas on the ground.my wife went to work last night and she woke me up saying she smell gas,i didnt see any gas.can anyone tell me what might be the problem.i tried to get under the seat but i dont know how to take it off

[StarFan]

wife went to work last night and she woke me up saying she smell gas

 

Has happened to me a couple of times. I usually blame the dog

[eusa1]

check to see if you have gas mixing in with your engine oil?

 

floats can stick and alow fuel to get into the crank case and damage the engine.

mike

[oldandcrotchety]

To remove the seat, take off saddle bags and you will see a bolt on each side of the seat that holds it in place. Just remove those and then lift up rear of seat, slide forward a bit and lift off.

[skydoc_17]

Hey Chris,

This happens often when a VR sits for a while. A little "Seafoam" in the tank will keep things in the Carbs. lubed and should stop the float from sticking. Often the fuel will trickle down the overflow tube and vaporize before it puddles under the bike, In the beginning! Then the float will stick more often, or more than one float will stick and you will see gas under the bike. As far as removing the seat goes, There are 2, 12MM bolts on the sides of the seat that need to be removed to take the seat off. There is a piece of plastic trim on each side of the bike and inside the counter bore you will see the head of the bolt. Try 1/2 can of Seafoam to a full tank of gas, take your bike for a "brisk" ride and by the time that tank of gas is gone, your Carbs. should be OK. If not then you may have a more serious problem. If you have questions, or try the Seafoam and that does not work, please feel free to PM me and we can look at some other things.

Earl

Edited February 11, 2010 by skydoc_17
Spelling

[breezelasbre73]

i just went outside i cranked the bike and let it ran for 10 munites.i see gas runnig out the bike.the gas is running down the back shock on the ground i cant see where it is comming from.

Edited February 11, 2010 by breezelasbre73

[skydoc_17]

Hey Chris,

Well, it's the overflow tube from the Carbs.! Go to Wally Mart and get that can of Seafoam and get some in the tank ASAP! Then take that bike for a good hard ride! I like to "roll on" the throttle on a interstate on ramp in second gear pretty much to red line. Run it for about 30 minutes or so. If it leaks again, take it for another ride! PM me if that doesn't do it.

Earl

[breezelasbre73]

i took the seat and plastic covers off.i see the fuel is comming from 4 thin black hoses.i cant tell which one though.they are thin hoses,i guess they are comming from the carbs.

[eusa1]

those are the overflow hoses, and yes you have a float sticking

seafoam is a great product that could take care of your concern as stated by another member.

however... if the float has stuck long enough to allow fuel to get into the crankcase and has flooded your oil with gasoline and you go run the hell out of it as suggested, and the engine locks up due to poor lubrication.. (gas aint very slippery) ...then i'm sure the suggestion would be followed up with a big fat check to cover the cost of all the repairs.

 

check your oil first, oil does not smell like gasoline.

[warthogcrewchief]

Those four black hoses are the fuel drain lines connected to the carbs. The fuel overfill ports are designed to route the fuel through those lines instead of the engine - which could lead to catastrophic engine failure if fuel enters into the oil. Before you run your engine again, ensure your oil level isn't over the "full" mark on the sight gauge. If so, it is a good indicator you have gas in your oil. Change your oil IMMEDIATELY to prevent engine damage. If not, you're good and try to do the repairs.

 

Some people have run seafoam through their carbs while lightly tapping the on the carbs with a rubber mallet in hopes of freeing up the floats.

 

I am a big fan of seafoam, as it works well, and helps prevent shellacking from occuring. The floats stop "floating for one or more of the following reasons:

 

1) Sediments, rust, and other particles can obstruct the float from properly working.

 

FIX: flush the carbs with fuel (mixed with seafoam) while tapping on the carbs. Do this by pulling the carb drain screw and inserting a tube (plastic or rubber) into the drain hole to route the fuel into a proper container (clear tubing is best as it allows you to see if there is anything in the fuel. If you do have stuff in the fuel, changing the fuel filter isn't a bad idea.

 

2) Float is stuck due to shellacking. Shellacking occurs when fuel begins to turn into shellac - coating everything in a sticky varnish like substance that eventually hardens.

 

FIX: Some people have had luck running Sea Foam through their fuel systems to "wash" away any shellac, but when shellac is suspected, I usually pull the carbs, disassemble, do a thorough cleaning and replace any parts that look questionable.

 

3) The float is bad - no longer floats.

 

FIX: The test for this requires you to remove the carbs and place the float in a small container of fuel. If it is bad (no floating), you might as well replace all four, and do a thorough cleaning of the carbs.

 

 

Best option is start with the easiest/quickest/cheapest fix: Sea Foam. If that doesn't fix it, then you should remove the carbs and do the cleaning and replacement of any bad parts.

[dynodon]

I have stored old cars for many years, and sometimes the float sticks. I have had luck every time just tapping the carb with a small hammer.

 

Try tapping the carbs you can get to with a small hammer. Not trying to move anything, just apply a little shock to the part. It might work and will take only a couple minutes.

 

Seafoam is a good suggestion, but the hammer might work quicker.

[painterman67]

Ok i had the same problem on my 91. What worked for me was a cmbonation of sea faom and draing the float bowls. Had one stopped up so bad I had to clean it out with a small papper clip staritened out and gently used to remove the gunk. What I did was to take out the screw to the float bowl and let it drain with the key of. After it drained i turned the key to the on position to energize the fuel pump.( do not cramk the bike just let the fuel pump flush the bowl). Do this one float bowl at a time.After this my gas smell went away and the leak stopped. I also run sea foam through it often.

 

 

 

David

Edited February 11, 2010 by painterman67

[ronhenry4]

I have a 2nd Gen. this happened to me and my problem was the vent tube under a cover on top of the gas tank im not sure if the 1st Gens have that, just my 2 cents. Ron

[breezelasbre73]

i purchased the sea foam.i cant to anything today,it is snowing real bad in dallas.it look like about 6 inches and slushy out there.i will tap the carbs too.i dont know anything about messing with those carbs.i will try the easy stuff first if that doesnt work will have to get some professional help.

[painterman67]

trust me Im the last person you would ever think of as a mechanic. The screws are located at the bottom of the carbs facing out. Its easy as pie. I do a search to get you a pic. Ok found one. The screw you want to take out is the one with the yellow lined arrow pointing to it. There are four of these screws. One on each carb. Just remove the screw and energize the fuel pump to flush out any crud. Repeat the step four each carb.it worked for me. This is an easy check. If this doesnt work along with seafoam then I would agree on professional help if you dont feel comfortable with a tear down.

 

 

 

Ps this is the best pic I could find so ignore the red lined arrow

 

 

David

 

 

Edited February 12, 2010 by painterman67

[Squeeze]

i purchased the sea foam.i cant to anything today,it is snowing real bad in dallas.it look like about 6 inches and slushy out there.i will tap the carbs too.i dont know anything about messing with those carbs.i will try the easy stuff first if that doesnt work will have to get some professional help.

 

The longer you have the SeaFoam inside the Carbs, the better it will work. Get some into the Fuel, mix it up and get the Scoot started and running for ten Minutes to get the SeaFoam/Fuel Mixture into the Carb Bowls.

[wes0778]

i purchased the sea foam.i cant to anything today,it is snowing real bad in dallas.it look like about 6 inches and slushy out there.i will tap the carbs too.i dont know anything about messing with those carbs.i will try the easy stuff first if that doesnt work will have to get some professional help.

 

Can't for now remember the guy's name that has an independent shop on 61 just west of the Puckett store, but he comes highly recommended. Or when this crappy weather is over I'll ride down and take a look at it. I don't have any 1st gen experience, but we can learn together. You know "here hold my beer and watch this!!!"

[breezelasbre73]

i tapped on the carbs,put a half bottle of sea foam in the tank.i let it run for about 10 minutes it looked fine.a couple minutes later the gas went to gushing out like a faucet.i turned it off wife is pissed garage smells like a gas station:bawling:i also took the scews out 1 at time and turn the ignition to let the fuel pump run any bad sediments oot of the cabs. the wife said get that s--t out the garage,mind you it is snowing here.that was a good converstion at 4 am this morning:Im not listening to