dirty fuel tank

C

crabdance

New Member
Looks like I have a dirty fuel tank. the gas/oil mixture is backing up on the top side of my new in-line filter. The carburetor is not getting gas. I took the filter off cleaned the gas that was in the fuel line and put it back together. It ran for a moment then stopped running again. Now I'm back to square one.... So here's my question:

How do you properly clean out a gas tank? This is not a trick question... I really don't know. I need for someone to point me in a direction. Tomorrow I plan to take the tank off, empty it, and clean it (somehow). What is the best way to do that? I really appreciate any help in this matter.

thanks,
cd
 
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Just dump the fuel out.... Then throw in a hand full of clean washers, threaded nuts, etc. Start shakin'. Really bust it up. Dump that junk out clean the hardware and repeat,

Then Spray in a bunch of PB Blaster, Kroil or other rust buster type lube....junky WD-40 will do in a pinch. ....let it soak over night and then spray a bunch more in. Rinse a couple times with clean fuel. (You should be able to filter the second flush and use it.....if you dilute it with some other gas....as long as it's clean).

You should be good to go.
 
Pablo said:
Just dump the fuel out.... Then throw in a hand full of clean washers, threaded nuts, etc. Start shakin'. Really bust it up. Dump that junk out clean the hardware and repeat,

Then Spray in a bunch of PB Blaster, Kroil or other rust buster type lube....junky WD-40 will do in a pinch. ....let it soak over night and then spray a bunch more in. Rinse a couple times with clean fuel. (You should be able to filter the second flush and use it.....if you dilute it with some other gas....as long as it's clean).

You should be good to go.
Click to expand...

Thanks Pablo, I didn't know what to do. At least I have a plan now :) I may start on it tonight and not wait until tomorrow. I want to be able to ride my bike as soon as possible so the sooner I get started, the better. I will let you know how everything turns out!

cd
 
I've heard gravel is not the best if you don't get it real clean. From the Gravel Ypou may get sand or grit left behind. What about coting tank after cleaning what would you use?
 
Well.. I tried something new. I was never sure if I had the filter in right or if it made a difference, but this morning I turned the filter around. Now the filter fills up with fuel the way I imagine it should work. Yesterday my bike was not starting because of what I thought was a dirty tank. That might still be the issue but I wanted to add this in case it rang any bells with anyone. Yesterday my bike would not start at all unless I used the choke... then it would run for about 30 seconds then die. Since I switched the filter around, I can get it started without using the choke but it won't stay running. It begins cutting out after about 20 seconds. If I go to 1/4 turn on the throttle it "tries" to run but if I give it more it acts like it's flooding out.

I haven't taken off the float on the carburetor yet because I lost my one and only Phillips screwdriver yesterday. Have to buy another. There is gas backed up on the "top" side of the fuel filter and gas backed up on the carburetor side of the fuel filter (if that helps). Guess I will have to wait until I get me a screwdriver to know if the carb is ok or not. Just thought I would throw this out there and see if anyone had any thoughts about this.

Thanks everyone...
cd
 
Holy squankoronie. That was easy. Doesn't your fuel filter have arrows?

Well, just throw the old one away and get a new filter because all that crap caught on the wrong side will be washed into your carb and engine if you just turn it around.
 
Ok... here's what happened. I could not get it to run for more than about 20-30 seconds. Then it would sound like it was flooded. So I tried something that I've tried before to see if it would work. I took the bowl off the carburetor and once again the prongs for the float were stuck in a position that was too high. All I had to do was put a little downward pressure on the prongs and they snapped into a lower position. I put the bowl back on and tried to to take the bike out for a ride. Well it ran great. No spitting or sputtering... just ran great.

My question is this... how can I stop the prongs from sticking too high? Is this a common thing? Do I need to bend the prongs?

Just don't know what to do guys... need a little help.
thanks,
cd
 
You need to look and see WHY the prongs are sticking. Bent rod, prongs rubbing on something, float needle not seating properly, etc. Look up Normans "carb" thread and make sure that the float is adjusted properly...
 
misteright1_99 said:
You need to look and see WHY the prongs are sticking. Bent rod, prongs rubbing on something, float needle not seating properly, etc. Look up Normans "carb" thread and make sure that the float is adjusted properly...
Click to expand...

Thanks man... I will look up Norman's carburetor thread. I appreciate you getting back with me.
 
Well... I looked up Norm's carburetor thread and while the thread is great it still didn't help me a lot. I sent a PM to Norman and told him of my troubles. Hopefully he won't mind the PM. The bike seems to be doing a little better now. I can go for a while without any problems. Have no idea why. I think it performs better now that it knows I'm carrying a screwdriver with me :)...

Still tinkering with it... will let you know if I find out anything. Now I'm off to buy more nuts and bolts to replace the ones that vibrated of yesterday.. sigh.
cd
 
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Ok everyone... here's an update. After talking to Norman, I looked at the wishbone clip in the carburetor and realized that the prongs were uneven. So I bent one clip to match the other clip. Now that I have done this, I haven't flooded out on the carburetor yet. Today will be my second day riding. I will put some miles on it and see how it goes. If nothing goes wrong today I will think that I have my problem solved. Many thanks goes to Norman who gave me the courage to look into the carburetor further (a mechanic, I'm not).

I will update everyone later today and let you know what happens. Yesterday was good and I hope today will be good too.

Wish me luck!
cd
 
Glad you got it going. That Norman is a genius. Even if he's doing methanol therapy he's a genius.rotfl..................................................
 
Ilikeabikea said:
Glad you got it going. That Norman is a genius. Even if he's doing methanol therapy he's a genius.rotfl..................................................
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lol, yes, he is. He sure helped to guide me. Well I just got back from a ride that took me out of the city limits (I live in a small town), and still no problems like before. I do believe that bending the wishbone prong in the carburetor may have done the trick. It hasn't cut out for 2 days now. I'm REALLY keeping my fingers crossed.

I also got it to idle a little better. Will have to wait and see how it does in the long run. Before it was no fun. Every time I came up to a stop sign it would die and I would have to pedal through the stop sign and start my engine again. No fun.

That brings me to a question. How does everyone take off from a dead start? Do you pedal or just let the motor do the work. I tend to let the motor do the work and just take off slow.
 
crabdance said:
lol, yes, he is. He sure helped to guide me.......

That brings me to a question. How does everyone take off from a dead start? Do you pedal or just let the motor do the work. I tend to let the motor do the work and just take off slow.
Click to expand...

Score:
Norman = 900
The rest of us = 7
rotfl At least he didn't tell you your needle has no taper.

As for taking off, with regular set up, unless you have a 55+ sprocket or jackshaft and lower gears you should pedal....bad mojo.....clutch pucks all gone. With my jackshaft and lower gear I can almost wheelie if I rev it enough...a bit scary....sometimes when I'm just rolling along and come on the pipe, hang on!!^5
 
Pablo said:
Score:
Norman = 900
The rest of us = 7
rotfl At least he didn't tell you your needle has no taper.

As for taking off, with regular set up, unless you have a 55+ sprocket or jackshaft and lower gears you should pedal....bad mojo.....clutch pucks all gone. With my jackshaft and lower gear I can almost wheelie if I rev it enough...a bit scary....sometimes when I'm just rolling along and come on the pipe, hang on!!^5
Click to expand...

Thanks for the note about taking off. I have a stock setup and I think I have a 44 tooth sprocket. I want my bike to last so I will take everyone's advice and start pedaling.
 
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