cowpuc Posted September 23, 2013 #1 Posted September 23, 2013 Tippy and I went for a nice fall tour ride today,, just couldnt resist the luke warm fall day.. Anyway, couple hours from home and at certain speeds I noticed we were dropping a cylinder. Stopping and checking on what was going on revealed a big puddle of fuel under the bike. Raw fuel coming out of one of the over flow lines coming from the carbs made the diagnoses of a stuck float valve easy.. This wasnt just an occasional drip - when ever the fuel pump kicked on, the gas was SQUIRTING out! So, what do you do when your traveling and you have this happen? Some of you have road service, we dont. The old rapping on the carb trick did nothing. Given time I could have popped the carbs off in the parking lot and rebuilt it BUT we didnt have the tent/sleeping bags with us.. And of course, i wasnt about to travel on with the rear of the bike getting covered in fuel,, I hate burning bikes - especially when its under me!!! I ended up rerouting the squirting overflow hose up to the fuel cap -.. Once up there I turned the key on and off to kick on the fuel pump enough to make sure that raw gas wasnt just pouring into the carb instead of flowing out of the overflow line (line was now above the carbs) - it flowed from the hose just fine. Next I removed the fuel cap, stuck the hose into the tank inlet, snagged the cap in the neck with just one of the protusion edges so the cap would hold the hose in place. I left the door open so I could keep track of everything and it would get lots of air (didnt want fumes down on the motor any more than necessary) and we headed home.. WORKED GREAT!!! All that raw fuel ran right back into the tank, bike ran fine above 70 (so I knew I wasnt washing a cylinder) and we made it home safely... Phewww... Just another day in the life of Tippy and Puc:whistling:
Black Owl Posted September 23, 2013 #2 Posted September 23, 2013 So, if it was a HD, would there be room for both fuel lines in the filler tube? :rotfl:
Yammer Dan Posted September 23, 2013 #3 Posted September 23, 2013 So, if it was a HD, would there be room for both fuel lines in the filler tube? :rotfl: :rotfl::rotfl: No the carbs would have been missing.
frankd Posted September 24, 2013 #6 Posted September 24, 2013 When we were coming down to Blairsville, our 89 did the same thing. I put it on the center stand, and unplugged the fuel pump. The connector is under the left cover, kind of underneath of the black section on the bottom. I started the bike, and let it run to drain the carbs. Then I plugged the fuel pump back in, and restarted the bike. The idle speed was back up and no more fuel coming out of the overflow hose. I figured that the rush of fuel would wash the needle and seat off, and it did. I unplugged the pump again and did it a 2nd time. I put the cover back on, and everything was fine the rest of the way down, during the rally, and all the way home. Then it did it a 2nd time. I unplugged the pump again started it and let it run the carbs dry. Then I pulled the fuel filter and changed it. I opened up the old filter carefully, and hopefully I found my bike's problem. The filter element inside of the old filter was a real fine screen, but it was loose from the side of the housing, so it wasn't filtering. The one I replaced it with has a small paper type filter in it, and the shape of the housing prevents it from moving. It's been a couple of weeks now, and it's been fine. BTW, there was no rust in the bottom of the old filter.
saddlebum Posted September 25, 2013 #8 Posted September 25, 2013 Had a similar issue with a friends 84. pulled the supply line of the carb that was acting up, plugged it and drove on three cylinders. BTW being a 1st gen there was more than enough power to run on the three cyl.
Aussie Annie Posted September 26, 2013 #9 Posted September 26, 2013 What a handy little Boy Scout you are
JohnT Posted September 26, 2013 #10 Posted September 26, 2013 Had a similar issue with a friends 84. pulled the supply line of the carb that was acting up, plugged it and drove on three cylinders. BTW being a 1st gen there was more than enough power to run on the three cyl. One of the many benefits of 1st Gen ownership.
Dragonslayer Posted September 27, 2013 #11 Posted September 27, 2013 Great story, I've been on a few road trips where I had to Mcgiver myself to safety. It helps to be able to think on your feet.
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