Trouble starting after cleaning carbs (and installing fuel filter)

[nmh5028]

So I decidedto change my oil and clean my carbs today... the oil change went without problems and I thought the Carb job did too, until I tried to start the bike. The engine turns over but it never starts. I killed the battery while troubleshooting tonight. The battery is charging for more troubleshooting tomorrow's but I was hoping maybe someone would have some advice because I'm sure this isn't the first time this has happened.

Another thing that I noticed: I installed a fuel filter between the petcock and the carbs, but even when I set to prime there is a minimal amount of fuel in the filter. It almost looks like no fuel is going to the carbs from what I can see. The tank is full, the valve on the tank is turned on, and I have tried starting on ON and Prime with no luck. Any obvious mistakes that I should look for before I start taking it apart again?

[Dizzledan]

Fuel filter on the right way? Sometimes you need to prime them (if not with the switch, put a little gas in the line to fill it all up) before you can start. Did you mess around with the mixture screws at all?

[BaltimoreGS]

Is the fuel filter designed for a motorcycle?  Most car fuel filters won't work on a gravity fed system.

-Jessie

[Kijona]

So I decidedto change my oil and clean my carbs today... the oil change went without problems and I thought the Carb job did too, until I tried to start the bike. The engine turns over but it never starts. I killed the battery while troubleshooting tonight. The battery is charging for more troubleshooting tomorrow's but I was hoping maybe someone would have some advice because I'm sure this isn't the first time this has happened.

Another thing that I noticed: I installed a fuel filter between the petcock and the carbs, but even when I set to prime there is a minimal amount of fuel in the filter. It almost looks like no fuel is going to the carbs from what I can see. The tank is full, the valve on the tank is turned on, and I have tried starting on ON and Prime with no luck. Any obvious mistakes that I should look for before I start taking it apart again?

Things to remember:

Vacuum line correctly connected (goes from the back of the petcock to the carb).

Secondary (or primary) petcock in the correct position? This is the one actually attached TO the tank. The slot should be completely vertical - if it isn't, it's incorrectly set. You can check it from the left side of the bike without removing the tank just by lifting it up.

Try bypassing the fuel filter for now...if it seems like it's not getting fuel...it probably isn't. I'm assuming it's something you picked up from Home Depot or your local hardware store? The clear type with the little paper element? I really don't trust those annnnd I don't think they're appropriate for the GS, since there really isn't much of a drop between the motor and the tank, and it's not straight down either.

Try those things and then get back to us! Good luck.

[nmh5028]

Thanks for all of the quick replies. I didn't mess with the mixture screws and the fuel filter I have is similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C9WJ8K/ref=oh_o04_s00_i00_details


I double checked and both petcocks are in the correct position.


I'm going to try removing the filter when I get home tonight and hope that solves it.

[mister]

@nmh5028 fuel filters notoriously lead to fuel starvation issues. Not always, but so darn often you'd often be better of without one. For instance, say you can get some fuel to flow now, how will it handle fuel requirements at high speed?

If you must have a fuel filters it Needs to be a motorcycle filter. Something like this http://www.bikebandit.com/visu-filter-slimline-compact-body-fuel-filter



NOT This (for example of typical car paper type)



Michael

[Phil B]

...
If you must have a fuel filters it Needs to be a motorcycle filter. Something like this http://www.bikebandit.com/visu-filter-slimline-compact-body-fuel-filter
....

Sooo, basically... an aquarium pump filter

[Kijona]

...
If you must have a fuel filters it Needs to be a motorcycle filter. Something like this http://www.bikebandit.com/visu-filter-slimline-compact-body-fuel-filter
....

Sooo, basically... an aquarium pump filter

Find yourself a hobby shop that sells nitro powered R/C cars and/or airplanes. They sell high-flow minuscule filters for cheap. DuBro is one brand I know of off-hand. They're little aluminum bodied filters that have a single element inside that can be removed and cleaned. It's basically a screen sandwiched between two pieces of machined aluminum and an o-ring.



Or, you could try www.towerhobbies.com

[mister]

...
If you must have a fuel filters it Needs to be a motorcycle filter. Something like this http://www.bikebandit.com/visu-filter-slimline-compact-body-fuel-filter
....

Sooo, basically... an aquarium pump filter

Cannot say I've eve seen a filter like this in a fish tank. This (and other equally Large things) yes...



But not a small filter.

Michael

[Kijona]

...
If you must have a fuel filters it Needs to be a motorcycle filter. Something like this http://www.bikebandit.com/visu-filter-slimline-compact-body-fuel-filter
....

Sooo, basically... an aquarium pump filter

Cannot say I've eve seen a filter like this in a fish tank. This (and other equally Large things) yes...



But not a small filter.

Michael

I THINK what he's talking about is this:



But, that isn't a filter.

[nmh5028]

I primed the fuel filter and managed to get the engine to start and run normally, but I decided to take the filter off anyway just because it seems like it could cause problems. Thanks for the advice