hello, I have a carburator question

[dchrist]

Hello, I just purchased an 01' GS500E last night and I wanted to drop in here and say hello, I'll be asking lots of questions in the upcoming weeks and months as I just got into this and know almost nothing about engine's and I want to work on it myself. can anyone help me diagnose something?

the guy I bought the bike from had to drain the carburetor before I rode it, said it had been sitting for a while and needed it. I thought he just opened up the valves underneath and bled it out, then it ran so I bought it. rode it all last night (a BLAST). and today when I got home from work, I let it idle for about 5 minutes and it cut out and now won't start. I tried what I thought he did, monkey see monkey do you know? but nothing, I drained out the gas and then there is a clear liquid that comes out. at that point he tightened them back up and it turned right over. not the same for me.

any suggestions? hints?

can anyone tell me what that other liquid is (not gas)?



thanks for the help!

[fodder650]

Water in the tank from sitting for so long?

And welcome

[dchrist]

 

thanks,

do I drain the carb till its dry then PRIme and start it?

It will turn over but stall out right away, no response to throttle.

[scratch]

Welcome!

Yep, that other clear liquid is most likely water.

There is a fuel selector switch, the frame-mounted petcock, on the left side of the bike; turn that to PRIme to refill the floatbowls with (hopefully) gas.  And, try to start it again.

Edit: er, yes.  I see you posted.

Second: Was the bike already warmed up when he "started" it for you?

It sounds like he didn't clean the barbs (is this what we're calling them now?), or was too lazy to do so, but don't worry they're not that sharp.

We have a few write ups on how to clean the carbs.  Search "carbs" and "clean".

[dchrist]

yea, sorry about the typo.

so I have it on PRI but still no throttle response, infact I would say that rolling on the throttle coused the stall this time. or it just cuts out. I've started it so many times tonight I'm afraid I'm going to kill the battery? is that a legit concern?

do I just keep draining it untill I get nothing but gas?

[ajgs500]

is your choke on???

[dchrist]

I choked it a bit just to see if that would allow it to idle and it helped a little, then it stalls. should I keep the choke open for longer maybe?

[scratch]

It's allright...we wont let you forget 

You do have a legitimate concern.  It almost sounds like, and I really don't want to say this, but I think the previous owner just sold you his problem.  But, we're here to help!

You may need to empty the gastank til all the water is out.  Gas should float, so if you drain everything that is in the tank into a clean container you might be able to put back the gas.

Oh, I gotta go, wife is kicking me off the computer.  I hope someone else can help you.

[ajgs500]

try the choke all the way on... it is the only way my '01 starts even in hot temps. if it starts let it run for about 10 seconds and then give it some throttle

[RedShift]

Here's my two cents worth.  See if it makes sense to you.
___________________________________

It could be that you've flooded the cylinders.  The cure for that is to crank with lots of throttle on.  If she fires, let the rev's climb up before cutting back.

AJ is right -- the appropriate start procedure from cold is to put the choke all the way on, then thumb the starter.  No throttle should be required.  Should catch on its own.

To remove water from the tank, get the obvious out by setting the fuel petcock to PRIme and draining through the float bowls.  When you've got most of it and it'll start, burn the rest with some alcohol-based engine additive to absorb the remainder, or if you feel up to it, remove the tank, drain the obvious and remove the stand pipe assembly to get the last of it.

Sounds like the bike just needs to be run.  That's the fun part.

[dchrist]

It starts with the choke on but stalls out in about 2-4 seconds. no time to throttle. I'm going to try draining the tank first thing in the morning. (I filled the tank too when I bought it, oh-well)

I'm afraid the guy did sell me his problem (like scratch says) but thats ok, so long as I can fix it with a little work and patience. (i really don't want to pay for maintenance so i'm doing just about everything myself, hope there's a quick learning curve for me.)

in the end (for this problem at least) I'd like not to have to take apart the carburator. that is a project for another day. I'm starting to think that its water thats causing the problem. does that sound reasonable? I guess we'll know when I empty the gas tank.

before I do that, would some dry gas clear up the problem? I probably shouldn't add a whole can to 4 gal of gas. any suggestions?

If I could just get it to turn over and idle I could ride it out. that would be fun! 

[dchrist]

thanks RedShift, I think removing the standpipe assembly is a bit beyond me at this point. hopefully it won't come to that. I'm just gonna keep draining through the float bowels untill I get as much water out as I can. plan b is drain the tank (how do I do that, just syphon it out?)

[ajgs500]

At this point I would put the battery on a charger and switch the petcock back to on and give her another try either in a couple of hours of tomorrow.

[dchrist]

I think thats sound advice, no charger though (thats tomorrow's purchase.... among others) this is fun, I'm psyced I got into this! (so long as my bike runs soon)

[RedShift]

plan b is drain the tank (how do I do that, just syphon it out?)

Hey, not a bad idea.  Fill the tank with gas, put the bike on the side stand, and pull the gas out starting at the lowest point (where the water should collect); probably the left rear end.  Could help yourself by raising up the front wheel by putting a 2"x4" under it.

Question to everyone else: Does anyone know where the cap is that protects the jets so our friend here can check if the carbs have been played with?  A picture would be best.  

[dchrist]

solid, thats exactly what I'm gonna do.

thanks for the help on the jet cap. I'd really appreciate being able to see some pictures of it.

[Kerry]

How's this?  It's even from a 2001 bike ... belonging to Manjul (TheGoodGuy):



PS - You should be able to get to everything except the jets and floats without pulling the float bowls.

[MarkusN]

Don't just add gas. Throw in a quart or so of denaturated alcohol. It will mix with the water and, unlike the pure water not affect combustion a great deal.

And with all the cranking you did there's a good chance that your battery is now part of the problem, befor you geit it re-charged. Don't drain it completely; vehicle batteries don't like that.

Also, of the guy had a regular problem with water in the carbs, check if the hose from the underside of the tank (not the fuel pickup, the small welded in tube; this is actually the gas cap drainage) is routed to the uppermost T-connector between the carbs. IT SHOULD NOT BE, but many (even some mechanics) hook it up like that. Reason being that the hoses to both those points (Fuel cap drainage, and carb vent) end in the open, something which just doesn't look right for a hose
So the fuel cap drainage should be routed down to the bundle of hoses by your right foot; The carb vent should go over the air box into the empty space between the airbox and the battery.

[dchrist]

I want to thank every one for the help, I carried out plan A this morning, syphoned out about half the tank starting from the bottom and got a TON of milky looking water. I couldn't beleive how much was (and probably still) in there. I then drained it through the valves under the carbs with the petcock on PRIme untill I got good gas, added about half a can of dry gas and away I go! (whith the choke wide open).

btw, can any one tell me what the bike should idle at? I played with the idle screw a bit and didn't feel much of a response. it would rev up to 4 or 5 on the tac and the drop back down after a bit, also, it didn't respond well to rolling off the throttle. rpm's kept rising (this is all in neutral).

I'm going to keep it covered so it doesn't get rained on (do cheap covers make any difference? or is it as good as leaving it in the rain. If I find Ihave a cronic water problem,
I will be sure to take a look at the hoses uneder the tank.

thanks for the pics. and the help. this site (and you all) are AWESOME!

Dave

[scratch]

Okay, good going! 

Set the idle after a good long time, like about 15 minutes of riding (prefered method for airflow to keep the engine from overheating (not that it would)); the idle should be set to 1200 to 1300rpm's.

Choke useage: Use full choke to start the bike.  Rpm's should be around 3500.  If the rpm's are higher, adjust the choke so the rpm's are around 3500.  If lower, at least between 2500-3000, wait a little bit for the motor to warm up some more ('bout a minute).  If lower than 2500, give it about 10 seconds and then use the throttle to up the rpm's (just a gentle nudge of the throttle, you barely have to turn it).

Turn the choke completely off after two minutes.  After two minutes you're just wasting gas, and could foul your sparkplugs.  Use the throttle to keep rpm's up, but by then you should have all your gear on (helmet, gloves, etc.), and you should be riding off! 

Hope this helps.