Leaking gas

[Alisha_Ardella]

I got my bike out started it and it fired right up. I shut it off and tried to start it 3 minuets later and it wouldn't. Now it's leaking gas in the garage. It gets worse when it is set to pri. It does not look like it is an issue with the gas lines but I can not seem to figure out where it is coming from any ideas?

[Singh2jz]

maybe the carbs got flooded? Is it still leaking or did it just leak for a bit?

[Alisha_Ardella]

It has been leaking for about two weeks now. It was a slow drip but noticeable. It shouldn't be now because I took of the gas tank

[csmith12]

I would bet there is an issue with your floats or float needles and is leaking from the overflow.

[Alisha_Ardella]

And how hard is that going to be to fix?

[csmith12]

It's an easy fix but it can be a pain in the rear to remove the carbs your first time. It's best to have some experienced help if ya can.

You have 2 main methods of getting the parts; but individual pieces (cheapest route) or a carb rebuild kit. To replace the float valves, your looking at about a $20 spot give or take for shipping. And you might wanna replace the float bowl gaskets too for an extra $10, your call.

[EternalNewb]

Maybe it's time to rebuild the carbs?

[Alisha_Ardella]

Thank you I'll most likely have someone else do it. I'm happy I got as far as I did by myself. there is less than 2500 miles on the bike sucks it is needing anything yet

[csmith12]

Well, after sitting for the off season, it could be from some debris holding the float open a little and no new parts would be required. Just a bit of cleanup and you should be good to go.

[Alisha_Ardella]

Thank you for your help looks like my next step is to get a mechanic

[DaBlue1]

You should check a few things also.

1. Check the air filter to see if it saturated in fuel
2. Check your oil level and see if it is over full and smells like gas.
3. Check your choke lever while you've got the tank off and see if the plunger on the carb is stuck
4. Only use PRI for a few minutes after draining the carbs. When you put the tank back on set it to On and leave it.

[Ghostt]

If you need carburetor parts or services PM @ducatiman.

[verboten1]

Tap on the carbs, maybe just a stuck float, might take care of the problem.
My KLR has this problem occasionally, a quick tap with whatever I find roadside, and it's fixed!

[spooph]

Bingo on the floats! With so few miles I doubt a rebuild will be required but a proper cleaning of the float valve should take care of this. Since that requires removing the carbs it's probably just best to thoroughly clean them completely. The small spaces in the carbs allows gas to quickly turn, and if the bike won't be ridden for a while running some fuel stabilizer should keep this from happening in the future.

It sucks, because the actual "fix" for this takes 30 minutes or so, but to remove the carbs might take a bit longer and all that labor isn't going to be cheap....

You MIGHT be able to get away with some sea foam in the tank.... I have resurrected bikes like this before. About 1 ounce in a full tank of fuel and ride it all out - about 200 miles of riding... IF this works, it's about $30 to fix (gas + SeaFoam which you can get at nearly any auto parts store). The bike will smoke and it will look like it's dying, that's OK.

Worth a shot over the $200 or so it'll cost for the cleaning - unless you find a cool independent shop that's more reasonable. Just a thought.

[Alisha_Ardella]

The sea foam idea will not work it won't even start.

[Alisha_Ardella]

We got the bike to start. We had to tap the floats guessing they were stuck. And it started pouring gas out of the clear hose. The gas was s brown color I am guessing it had oil in it? I was at first concerned bc when it started the bike was set to pri. The gas even made its way into the air filter. I seriously just want to cry!

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Alisha_Ardella

We got the bike to start. We had to tap the floats guessing they were stuck. And it started pouring gas out of the clear hose. The gas was s brown color I am guessing it had oil in it? I was at first concerned bc when it started the bike was set to pri. The gas even made its way into the air filter. I seriously just want to cry!

No worries, it just looks bad. You just need a carb clean, maybe some new float valves and some fresh gas. If gas made it to the airbox, make sure!!! You double check that it hasn't made it to the oil in the engine case. If in doubt, do an oil change.

You will be rollin' good as new soon enough.

[Alisha_Ardella]

Took the air box off. I am becoming quite the mechanic the gas is still brown its oil the oil tank is full of gas to. So I will be doing an oil change and I am gong to be cleaning my carbs I got a carb rebuild kit. I was reading that it could be my peacock. Imputes?

[Ghostt]

well if you filled the crankcase with fuel while it wasn't running, you petcock is bad.

You need to verify the petcock is petcocking, err, i mean working properly.*

PETCOCK TEST
install a fuel hose from the petcock fuel outlet into a catch can. Pull the vacuum hose from the engine side. Leave it connected to the petcock.*

Now...petcock set to on.... fuel should NOT be flowing. Apply suction to the vacuum hose (which is connected to the petcock ONLY) ...fuel should now flow.*

Make sure the vacuum line doesn't have any pinholes or cracks!

Post your findings.*

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by Alisha_Ardella

I was reading that it could be my peacock. Imputes?

That must be one devil of a peacock. I'd eat him.

But yea, do what Ghostt suggested and to verify petcock function.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Alisha_Ardella

Took the air box off. I am becoming quite the mechanic the gas is still brown its oil the oil tank is full of gas to. So I will be doing an oil change and I am gong to be cleaning my carbs I got a carb rebuild kit. I was reading that it could be my peacock. Imputes?

Yes, your petcock leaks; however, fuel would not leak down into the crankcase (what you call oil tank) if both needle valves were working properly.

This is the core of your problem, Alisha:
http://www.dansmc.com/carb8a.htm

http://www.dansmc.com/carb8.htm

Eliminate any fuel from the oil because it can damage your engine's parts very much while the engine is working.

[InvisiBill]

As the others have said, bad float valves will allow the carbs to overflow. If your petcock is also bad, it can allow fuel to keep flowing into the carbs. This means if both go bad, the whole tank can drain out through the carbs. If either one is working, it should interrupt the flow (though you really want both working properly).

Like Ghostt said, ducatiman can get your carbs sorted out if you can R&R them. Since you need to pull them to fix the current issue, I'd suggest spending a few bucks extra and just have them gone through completely. That'll save the hassle and labor cost of having to pull them again next year for some other little problem that might come up. Just do it all while you're in there right now.

I've seen lots of threads where someone claimed to have cleaned their carbs completely 5 different times, and it still won't run right. It turns out they didn't actually do a complete job, so it never actually fixed the problem. By all means, do it yourself if you can, but just be aware that there are a lot of little parts and passages that need to be perfectly clear. If you don't get it 100% clean, you'll need to do it again.

[spooph]

Originally Posted by Alisha_Ardella

Took the air box off. I am becoming quite the mechanic the gas is still brown its oil the oil tank is full of gas to. So I will be doing an oil change and I am gong to be cleaning my carbs I got a carb rebuild kit. I was reading that it could be my peacock. Imputes?

Just like the fuel gummed up the float valves, it also gummed up the petcock "safety" valve.

That doesn't mean you need a new petcock.

The petcock has 3 screws on it's side, remove those and you can disassemble it and clean it out. Make sure to note the order of springs and diaphragm - if you assemble it backwards the gas will never stop leaking.

Keep in mind, this is a safety valve that doesn't open until vacuum is produced by the engine running. It's meant to kill gas flow when ever the engine dies, like during a crash or just when you turn the bike off after a ride.

Luckily, nothing is broken on your motorcycle, it's just dirty. I doubt you'll even need anything from the rebuild kit to get the bike running 100%...

Be SUPER careful when putting the slides back in, as pinching the diaphragm between the carb body and the slide caps will cause a vacuum leak, and they are kinda pricey (~$100/piece). I usually use a small amount of Bel Ray Lithium grease to hold the diaphragms in place, then lightly press the caps back on. Wiggle them before putting any screws back in and you will feel the cap settle onto the diaphragm seals. Keep pressure on the cap and put the screws back in. If the cap lifts at any point after it's seated, you have to reseat it.

Stay patient. Do not rush. A few more minutes now and a cleaning done right will yield a first time fire up and do wonder for your confidence... Not saying you're not confident, I just remember how I felt the first time I did this, and it's scary. Take pics, post up, keep asking questions, we'll get you taken care of.

[Alisha_Ardella]

Either the petcock is gummed up, I didn't have enough fuel in the tank or I suck at vacuum testing (pun intended) I did manage to get off the bolt to change the oil it peed hello gas