Possible carb issue for first timer

[Vmaximillion]

Hey all,

I'm looking for some encouragement & tips to get my max back on the road.

Background:
It's an '06 which now has only 216 miles on it. I bought it from someone who didn't properly prep it before allowing it to sit for better than a year, and after purchase (I know - the wrong time to look) I discovered some light surface rust in the tank. It died within about 50 miles of use. I cleaned the tank up, replaced the fuel filter and dumped some seafoam in for good measure. Afterward, I ran it around the neighborhood for a couple of hours to try and pull some of the solvent through the carbs in the hope that it would degunk them and I would get to avoid having to do a rebuild. Last Saturday, my wife and I took it out for about a 50 mile trek without a hitch. The next morning, DOA.

What's happening:
At this point, it will start easily on full choke, but will only idle. Any attempt to blip the throttle will kill it. Any attempt to reduce the choke level will kill it, warm or cold. I'm kind of at a loss why it would run so well one moment and then nearly not at all the next.

I haven't had time to tear into anything yet, but I'm guessing maybe the fuel pump? Any suggestions/insight?

 

[m-cman]

Your carbs need a complete cleaning. There are many threads about carbs on this site as it is a common problem if bikes are not ridden regularly. Just do a search and/or look at the carb "sticky". Being that new, I seriously doubt there is any other problem.

 

[Neil-3446]

You can pull the fuel line where it connects to the fuel rail (after the fuel pump), and check the fuel delivery.

Just put the end of the hose in a container and cycle the start a few times to see the amount of fuel being pumped. If that looks okay, the next thing to do would be the shotgun & pea shooter.

http://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/shotgun.htm

http://home.comcast.net/~onlyone12/carbs1.htm

Sounds like the idle circuits are dirty for sure.

If that doesn't fix it after a few attempts, the carbs will need pulled and cleaned out of the rack.

Mark can help you further with this, but, those are the basics.

Neil

PS. Also be sure to check out http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=3809&highlight=bible

 

[Vmaximillion]

Much appreciated, guys! :worthy:

M-Cman: I've looked through a number of carb cleaning posts and didn't really find anything that would lead me to believe I was experiencing an identical problem. I wanted to be pretty certain I needed to go to that extreme before undertaking such a project. Can you tell I'm trying to avoid going there?

Neil: sounds like a logical course of action. I'll give those a try and see what happens.

 

[maleko89]

There are little screens in each of the carb input nozzles. Those could be clogged. Try draining the float bowls and see if bits of rust come out. For procedure to do this look for the sticky post in the Carbs section.

 

[Vmaximillion]

Thanks Maleko. I didn't know that! If the temperature here drops below 100 degrees, I'll go out and give that a try this afternoon.

I had an inkling this would be the right place to come for good info.

 

[Jayhawk]

Thanks Maleko. I didn't know that! If the temperature here drops below 100 degrees, I'll go out and give that a try this afternoon.

I had an inkling this would be the right place to come for good info.

Vmaximillion, what are you intentions with the bike? Are you going to replace the stock header with an aftermarket model? If so, you'll probably end up getting back into the carbs again, anyway.

If it were mine, and I hope I'm not speaking out of turn here for Sean Morley, but I'd probably pull the carbs, send them to Sean and have clean it and have him fit the for his kit. Then, while the carbs are gone, now would be a good time to pick your favorite aftermarket header and install it. Might as well do it all at once....and, for negotiation purposes with your significant other, you can blame it all on your carb problem. unk:

 

[44 magnum]

....and, for negotiation purposes with your significant other, you can blame it all on your carb problem. unk:

Sounds like you've done this before Bro!! LOL!!

 

[Vmaximillion]

Thanks JayHawk,

Replacing the stock exhaust (SuperTrapp) is on the table, but I'm not sure of my intentions at this point. The first thing I would really be interested in is some replacement shocks, a fork spring/emulator kit and frame/fork braces. It has plenty of juice for me when it runs, just not too slick in the handling department.

After the trouble I've been through in trying to get the thing on the road, I've been more strongly considering an FJR1300 as a replacement. But, because I've wanted one of these things for 20 years, I'm not ready to give up just yet.

Fortunately, my wife loves to ride too, and she has no problem with me spending some dough on my toy (by the same token, she gets to trick her Harley however she wants.) If it turns out that I can get it running without having to tinker with it too often, I'll begin the process of tweaking it to my liking.

I appreciate the tip about Sean Morley. I'll contact him and see what he recommends.

 

[Jayhawk]

Sounds like you've done this before Bro!! LOL!!

Holy crap, are you kiddin'? After the third time my Max got towed because of friggin' electrical gremlins, talking her into letting me trade it was not a problem. And no, I did not sabotage it. :biglaugh: