Weird problem!

[fullhouse]

Hey all
Went to go for a ride today with a mate,
Got to his house, 5 mins away.
Stopped the bike for 30mims on the side stand to wait for another mate to arrive.
Started the bike to warm it up still on the side stand but had to turn it off cause fuel was leaking out of the left vacuum lines under the tank cover.
I tried again and it was still coming out...waited 5 mins and tyres again... All good... We headed off and 15 mins into the ride the max was coughing and farting then died...
Unsure why or what this could be...
Any suggestions?

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Stuck or clogged float

 

[fullhouse]

If it was stuck wouldn't it still flow fuel out of the vacuum hose?

 

[MaxMidnight]

I assume that you are referring to the float chamber breather tube...

Tend to agree with Mr McNeil that a stuck float needle would be the first thing to investigate.

Alternative would be the fuel pump relay is u/s and is intermittently not shutting off and has now passed to a better place.

 

[fullhouse]

Yeah the to breathers on the left hand carby

 

[KJShover]

+2 on stuck floats.

Give the offending carb some thumps with a screwdriver and see if that doesn't free up anything.


.

 

[fullhouse]

Will do tomorrow, the wife just pulled the "family time" card on me hahaha

 

[dannymax]

Was the fuel pump clicking constantly while the fuel was overflowing?

+3 on stuck float or schmutz under the needle valve.

 

[fullhouse]

Nah the bike sounded normal

Would a float or needle problem in 1 carb completely stop the bike from starting?

 

[Fire-medic]

You have a couple of things to be concerned about here.

1. fuel leakage. If you were really unaware, and just kept trying to grind on the starter, and the fuel continued to flow, you possibly could end-up w/a chamber filled w/gas, and get a hydraulic lock, damaging your engine. As the pump won't flow fuel w/o being functioning, it's not as-great a possibility as it would be in a fully gravity-feed system. That's why people used to shut off their tank petcocks.
2. if it clogged this time, as past behavior is an excellent of future behavior, it's gonna happen again. You need to inspect your gas tank innards for corrosion, much-more of a factor these days of 10% ethanol-added gas. The ethanol attracts moisture, and that water can separate, and cause rust. Drain the bowls one at a time into a container, and inspect each time for particulate matter. It doesn't take much to cause a fuel valve needle/seat to not-seat. :damn angry:
3. The next thing which is likely to happen is that the fuel pilot jets are going to clog and the emulsion tubes, too. Carb teardown!:bang head:
4. Don't forget to replace the fuel filter.
5. Be aware of the dangers of puddling fuel. If you have a gas water heater in the garage where the bike is, and you have a fuel leak, you have the potential for a structure fire, and possibly an explosion. Prevent fuel spillage, as-much as-possible, and used forced ventilation to disperse fuel vapors from accumulating, and from traveling. The vapors you cannot see, and they can travel to an ignition source resulting in a very unpleasant surprise. Just having the garage door open is not-enough. You don't want to find-out about the clauses in your homeowner's policy which negate coverage for something like this having-happened.

Good luck w/it.

 

[tugla]

+++++ on float stuck from crap getting caught in there. I had similar where it was pissing fuel out hose, it stopped after I tap with mallet but it was still flooding it while running as I looked down carb and was pouring in there but not out hose.
Did the shot gun.....chg the filter and all good.....

 

[D-Max2012]

fuel was leaking out of the left vacuum lines under the tank cover

That sound like the over flow tube that comes out the top of each carb (bent hose), facing towards the rear of the bike.

If that’s the case, then it sounds like one of your float valve needles are stuck in an open position, like McNeil stated. Same thing happened to me, It started sputtering but before it died totally, I reached my destination and notice gas peeing out of carb 2. Since the tip of those needles valves are made of a hard rubber and rubber deteriorates with time, I decided to change them out with new ones.


I found these on Ebay for around $15.00..

 

[Rusty McNeil]

If it was stuck wouldn't it still flow fuel out of the vacuum hose?

Yes, if the float is stuck open or not fully seated so that it cannot "stop" fuel flow from the pump the pump will fill the fuel bowl and then proceed to push fuel out of the Breather hose. Those are breather hoses.

There's a limit to how long the pump will run. Its not very long.
I don't know if its got a timer, or more likely has some mechanical feature that wants to see a pressure rise when the seat closes.
I discovered this when trying to use the pump to empty the tank while dumping the discharge hose into a gas can. It will only run for a few seconds at a time.

This was with the engine not running. I don't know if the pump is smart enough to know if the engine is running or not.

I think the design is to help prevent a huge puddle of gas ending up on the ground in the event of a wreck perhaps.

 

[fullhouse]

Just thinking at work...
The bike has sat at the previous owners for 6 odd years without being ridden, iv just started to ride it... Possibly a blocked fuel filter? As to why it doesn't start?

 

[dannymax]

6 yrs is quite awhile to sit.....fuel evaporation leaving varnish, any water creating rust.....probly be worth the trouble of pulling and going thru the carbs.

 

[naughtyG]

Rule #1: take a bright light and a good look inside your fuel tank. If you see ANY rust you found the culprit. Rust dust will go right through any fuel filter (paper/gauze/grille makes no difference) through the fuel pump and into the carbs, and the first thing it'll do is stop the needle valves from sealing. It only gets worse from there.

If that's your problem, you will need to coat or replace your tank with a rust-free one, replace your fuel filter, blow clean all fuel hoses, and tear into the carbs to clean everything up properly.
Don't ask me how I know all this - I went through it already!

 

[fullhouse]

Pulled the filter out and cranked it to see if fuel comes out... No fuel pumps when cranking... Should it?

 

[fullhouse]

It sounds normal when cranking
http://youtu.be/QST2rzeQj_A

 

[1st Shirt Maxer]

My max sat for only 18 months but I croaked open the carbs and found what you see in the pic. My tank was full of rust so I replaced it, rebuilt and cleaned the carbs, replaced the fuel filter and haven't had any problems since.

 

[PATMAX]

Sometimes several raps on the offending carb body with a plastic mallet can free up a stuck float but truthfully, that is probably a temporary fix at best. The right advice has already been given.
Keep us apprised of the fix please!