how do i verify that fuel can get from my float bowls to the intake of the engine? which jet do i spray stuff in...and where should it be coming out?

i'd like to square that one away before re-installing the carbs.

my next todo is to remove the in-line fuel filter. it apparently looks fine, but i want to remove all suspects.

some newbie questions: can i use carburetor cleaner as starter fluid? once i re-assemble the bike, how do i get the starter fluid in the engine (through the spark plug sockets?)

Starter fluid - spray in the airbox (at the carb air inlets - the big hole facing the airbox), or into the air cleaner if you have the air cleaner installed.

Carb cleaner is not starter fluid.

alright, with the airbox and carb still off the bike i went ahead and turned the engine over to check for adequate vacuum.

there is certainly sufficient suction at the inlets to the engine when i do this.

the problem is narrowing down to the carb...but my carb seems fine. 

Since all indications are that the problem is the carb, if you can't see anything wrong with it, it might be time to pack it up and ship it to Buddha for the expert look-over & fix at $50.

However, if you just want to keep plugging at it he and/or others will have more specifics for you to check - clear pics of the carb may help them. I have not had to mess with mine on this bike, and the last set I really got into were off a Corvair, so I can't tell you that you need to poke a wire through the hole 3 mm to the left of the frammitz. But I'm pretty darn sure that something is not right with the carbs from the concatenation of all your symptoms and observations to this point.

Quote from: DoD#i on April 16, 2009, 08:34:18 AM
Since all indications are that the problem is the carb, if you can't see anything wrong with it, it might be time to pack it up and ship it to Buddha for the expert look-over & fix at $50.

However, if you just want to keep plugging at it he and/or others will have more specifics for you to check - clear pics of the carb may help them. I have not had to mess with mine on this bike, and the last set I really got into were off a Corvair, so I can't tell you that you need to poke a wire through the hole 3 mm to the left of the frammitz. But I'm pretty darn sure that something is not right with the carbs from the concatenation of all your symptoms and observations to this point.

thanks...i will do this

here's another thought...could i have had an airlock? due to the acute nature of the problem and lack of ANY internal damage, i'm adding this to a high position on my differential diagnosis.

How's the carb vent hose (the one from the upper Tee)? If that's clear, not likely to be an airlock. If it's plugged, full of mudwasp nests, etc, might have something to do with it. But you have proper float height, presumably after running the drains (?), so probably not. The other possible airlock (tank vent) would not be consistent with fuel out the drains, and is easily checked by opening the fuel filler.

Quote from: DoD#i on April 16, 2009, 09:34:21 AM
How's the carb vent hose (the one from the upper Tee)? If that's clear, not likely to be an airlock. If it's plugged, full of mudwasp nests, etc, might have something to do with it. But you have proper float height, presumably after running the drains (?), so probably not. The other possible airlock (tank vent) would not be consistent with fuel out the drains, and is easily checked by opening the fuel filler.

upper tee is clear. does proper float height preclude any problems upstream?

take the airbox off and spray in some starter fluid right where the airbox connects up to the carbs. just leave the airbox off and try cranking the engine. i suspect it will want to start up. if that's the case, then next thing to do is rule out the petcock. you can do this by disconnecting the petcock from the carbs and connecting the main from the tank directly to your carbs. also if you turned that valve on the bottom of the tank to 'off' while connecting up the hoses, make sure you turn it back on or youll get nuttin!

 It may just need some extra juice, this was happening to me so I hooked the battery up to my car with jumper cables and kept cranking it until it turned over, then let it run for a while with the choke on.

You can also remove the spark plugs and spray some carb cleaner/starter fluid in and then put the plugs back in hand tight and try turning it over. If it starts let it run for a while until you can turn off the choke without it stalling.

Update: it's raining outside so no point in bringing the bike down for a test today. However, lots of progress in terms of removing potential problems.

1. yanked the fuel filter. it wasn't clogged but looked like it was getting a bad bend in one of the connectors.
2. dumped all the fuel (into old pasta jars!) it was gross and separated in to 1cm water, layer of rust, and the remainder fuel
3. checked the petcock...on suction and all. works fine.
4. verified continuity between the float bowls and jets, vacuum hose and engine intake, etc.
5. put everything back together
6. bought new fuel, starter fluid, charging up the jumpstarter...can't wait for some sunshine.

damn...i know way more about this bike than i ever intended.

I'm back on the road!!!

Poured in new fuel today with the petcock in prime and the fuel filter removed.

Also sprayed some starter fluid before firing her up...started right up.

I think it was the funky fuel vs. kinked filter that was my problem.