1999 Royal Star Venture 1300 gas leak

[tsheafer]

Hey there!

 

I found and joined this forum because I was hoping for some assistance from some more advanced riders who are familiar with my bike specifically.

 

I love riding. But I'm not the most handy when it comes to working on bikes. At least not carb issues. I haven't had this bike for very long, so I'm definitely not as familiar with it as I was with my Shadow or Hayabusa. And even on them, never did a lot of carb work.

 

On to my issue...

 

I pulled the bike out of the garage yesterday to get it geared up for a ride this weekend that I was going to go on with some coworkers.

Fired it up and let it idle. It died. Fired it up and let it idle. It died.

This was my first concern because through this winter I have started it up every 3-4 days to let it idle to keep fuel cycling and let it warm up and didn't have any idling issues.

I fired it up again and throttled slightly to let it warm up.

While doing so, I started smelling gas. I let it die and looked around.

On the left side of the bike I noticed gas steadily dripping to the concrete.

Best I could trace it to was the carb. Couldn't see exactly where it was coming from.

I also noticed after a few tests, that it leaked when the bike was running. But seemed to slow down to a stop when the bike was no longer running.

I asked a friend today, and he said it sounds like the overflow chamber is leaking due to a stuck float. He recommend shutting up the fuel switch and loosening the screws at the carb to allow the gas to drain. Then proceed to tighten, turn on fuel switch, and test.

My next problem is this...I can see 8 screws that could possibly be what he's referring to, but I should only be loosening four

I would just have him come over but he's out of town for the next week and we have some perfect riding weather for the next few days!

 

Anyone out there that can assist me as a gearheadnewb?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Trevor

[k9cottage]

if you tap the fuel bowls with the handle of a screwdriver a few times it will usually free the needle and stop the overflow worth a try

[WildBill1]

Do the above also pour about a half a can of Seafoam to a tank full of gas. That should clear up those carbs.

[tsheafer]

I did what you suggested, k9cottage, and it definitely made a difference. Before it wouldn't idle for even half a second. After tapping each bowl, it will idle for a couple minutes before it sounds like it's drowning in fuel and sputters out. It's definitely getting flooded still.

 

WildBill1, I was wondering about the seafoam route. I'm kinda leery about the stuff cause I've heard so many mixed reviews on it. But at this point, I'm willing to try anything since taking the carbs apart aren't an option until next weekend.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, folks!

[M61A1MECH]

So here are some more ideas.

 

First I firmly believe in Seafoam, it works, do not be afraid to use it.

 

Close the petcock and run the bike until it dies from fuel starvation.

Disconnect the fuel line from petcock and fit another tube of some type to the end of the rubber fuel line.

Put the end of fuel line extension into a can of Seafoam and turn the key on, the fuel pump will pull pure Seafoam right up to the carbs and fill the bowls.

Let that sit for a few hours or overnight. Would not hurt to tap on the carbs a few time while the Seafoam is in there.

Put a healthy dose of Seafoam in the fuel tank and reconnect the fuel line to the petcock.

After the Seafoam has had a chance to work on the junk in the carbs, open the petcock and start the bike, it will be a bit hard to start but, it will do on the Seafoam, may smoke some white smoke at first and may run a bit rough until it starts getting real gas again.

Let it run until you have purged the bowls and the carbs are full of fuel.

Check for leaks that you have noted above.

FYI

On this bike it is a good idea to shut the petcock and let it starve for fuel each time you shut it down if it is going to be parked for a few days or more.

It is always a good idea to shut the petcock off each time you stop especially if you have a sticking float, because the fuel can leak down into the cylinders and create a hydro-lock situation where you could have a cylinder full of liquid fuel on the compression stroke, that has been known to break things.

 

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress.

[tsheafer]

So here are some more ideas.

 

First I firmly believe in Seafoam, it works, do not be afraid to use it.

 

Close the petcock and run the bike until it dies from fuel starvation.

Disconnect the fuel line from petcock and fit another tube of some type to the end of the rubber fuel line.

Put the end of fuel line extension into a can of Seafoam and turn the key on, the fuel pump will pull pure Seafoam right up to the carbs and fill the bowls.

Let that sit for a few hours or overnight. Would not hurt to tap on the carbs a few time while the Seafoam is in there.

Put a healthy dose of Seafoam in the fuel tank and reconnect the fuel line to the petcock.

After the Seafoam has had a chance to work on the junk in the carbs, open the petcock and start the bike, it will be a bit hard to start but, it will do on the Seafoam, may smoke some white smoke at first and may run a bit rough until it starts getting real gas again.

Let it run until you have purged the bowls and the carbs are full of fuel.

Check for leaks that you have noted above.

FYI

On this bike it is a good idea to shut the petcock and let it starve for fuel each time you shut it down if it is going to be parked for a few days or more.

It is always a good idea to shut the petcock off each time you stop especially if you have a sticking float, because the fuel can leak down into the cylinders and create a hydro-lock situation where you could have a cylinder full of liquid fuel on the compression stroke, that has been known to break things.

 

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress.

 

Very detailed, thank you. I just got back from picking up some seafoam. I will do what you suggested and let you know the results!

[tsheafer]

Update.

 

Sorry I haven't gotten back until now with an update. It's been a busy week.

 

I gave the last suggestion a shot. Disconnected the line from the petcock, inserted into seafoam, etc.

I idled a lot better and longer. After several minutes, the leak reappeared along with smoking from the exhaust pipes.

 

I'm going to break down and just take the tank off and open up the carbs to find the issue. I'll probably go ahead and

just replace the float and needle while I'm in there. I'll inspect the o-rings to insure that they're in good condition.

 

Any protips to make this next step as smooth as possible?