The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
Technical Discussion => BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65 => Topic started by: beemer on September 08, 2008, 05:53:18 PM
-
Before storing your bike in the winter,would you empty the fuel tank and drain the carbs of any fuel,or would you just put some sort of addative in the fuel and run it through the carbs? :-?
-
Stabil, anyone?
-
Well, I like to empty the tank completely, air it and take it off and bring it inside so I can look at it all winter! ::)I think both ways have their fans!! :-/ Take it guys and gals!!
-
Basically, if it is going to be warm and dry, like in the living area of your house, then it is best to drain it (no need of having 4 gallons of highly flammable substance in your bedroom). Gasoline will tend to create that sticky varnish most rapidly in a warm environment, so if it is going in the house, drain it dry (and the carbs too). If it going to be in a cool and/or moist environment, the best thing that I have found is to put in about 2X the recommended dosage of STA-BIL and fill the tank right up. I then run the bike to make sure the STAB-IL/gas mixture is all through the carbs, and then I drain the bowls on the carbs. This way, if there is any fuel stuck in some little passageways in the carbs, at least it has STABIL in it and won't likely turn to glue over the winter months. The full tank prevents the inside of the tank from rusting (no place for cold wet air to start attacking bare steel).. It wouldn't hurt to put some "HEET" or isopropyl alcohol in the tank to help absorb water, though the higher levels of corn-squeezins we all have in our tanks these days will probably take care of that anyways.
I found that when I put my bikes in a heated cellar but didn't put the STABIL in the fuel, it was a coin toss whether or not I'd have a gunked up carb by the springtime. But, if the bikes were in my cold (basically unheated) garage, they would generally do OK. I got used to using STAB-BIL religiously every winter, so I continue to do so.
Of course, don't forget to turn your fuel petcock(s) OFF for the winter !
-
I have always tried picturing Sue sitting on the couch, watching TV, and petting her gas tank... ::)
I'm not quite so nice to mine, I just put in Stabil, completely fill tank, dump carb bowls, and be done with it. But, with what gas costs now I'll probably dump the bowls back into the tank. :P Probably don't even need the Stabil for just a 4 month nap...
Ditto on what NHMAF said about mixing. I take the Stabil to the gas station for me, pour in the appropriate amount, then fill the tank to the brim. Between this and the two block ride back to the house it is thoroughly mixed...
-
Thanks for the info,iv'e never come across Stab-il here in the UK but i believe it is available,i was going to use Redex in the fuel and run it throught the carbs,but i think the stab-il will be a better solution for winter storage,i'm going stab-il hunting!!! ;)
-
A few guys (with other brand bikes, I don' know if their bikes have injectors or carbs) have recommended using Sea-Foam in the gasoline for winter storage. They swear by it. Any one here have any experience with Sea Foam?
k_enn
-
I've never used it but folks on one of the "Yamaha-centric" forums I used to haunt seemed to think highly of it.
-
It seems fairly popular on one of the "Kawasaki-centric" forums that I visit, too. I *think* that the sea-foam is more of a "cleaning" type product rather than a
fuel stabilizer product, but I could be wrong. I haven't used it and it is hard to find around my area, whereas I can generally find STA_BIL. I've been using the
STA-BIL stuff for at least 15 years in all my bikes, lawnmowers, and snowblowers and it seems to work pretty well.
-
I think that Sea Foam is a "family" of products. Here is their web site: http://www.seafoamsales.com/
-
It is both a engine cleaner for internal use and a gas treatment. According to the Sea Foam site:
http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpConsumer.htm
"When moisture needs to be removed from fuels or an anti gel or de-icer is needed [ch8211] these conditions are due to condensation in the fuel tank and extreme cold weather creating gas line freeze or diesel fuel gelling.
Your service technician can recommend the use of SEA FOAM MOTOR TREATMENT in the fuel tanks to dry moisture and cure these problems."
and
"When fuel stabilization and engine fogging is needed [ch8211] fuels of today become stale in less than thirty days. Therefore, stabilization and engine fogging are needed when vehicles, lawnmowers, snow blowers, outboard motors, chainsaws, motorcycles, gas in cans and engines are put into storage.
Your service technician can provide fuel stabilization and engine fogging services with SEA FOAM MOTOR TREATMENT."
A Yamaha buddy and his dealership mechanic swear by it for stabalizing gas over the winter. In fact, they stopped using Sta-Bil and went to Sea Foam. But I see their website also talks about using it for injector cleaning. Any reason not to also use it in a carborated engine?
I figure if it can both stabilize the gasoline, and also help clean carbon deposits and other stuff from the engine, why not get both done with the single product. Unless anyone has had a bad experience with the product, I think I will give it a try this year. I'll let you know in the spring how well it worked.
k_enn
-
We just used the Seafoam injector cleaner in both my Laverda and Graham's Datzun 280z. It seemed to do a good job. We found it at the local AutoZone store.
Hadn't heard about the Motor Treatment stuff. I'll have to look into that. We've always used the StaBil in the lawn mowers, bikes, etc. That works like a charm.
-
As promised, I am letting you know how it went using seafoam in the tank for winter storage. The stuff worked really well. The bike fired up right away after sitting all winter, and it does not have any "stale gas" performance issues. No sign of moisture in the tank either. I think I like it better than Sta-Bil for winter storage.
k_enn
-
Good to know. I picked up a can from somewhere last summer but have only tried it as a crankcase flush...
-
My local Tractor Supply store now carries the sea foam engine /fuel treatment stuff, so I will give it a test this year, I think.
-
Finally found the answer to my question in this thread: what to do with the tank and carbs for the winter. I'm a fuel injected guy, so I need to search this site a lot and ask lots of questions.
Ok, I know nothing about carburetors, so how do I empty the float bowls and what do I need to pay attention too?
I imagine the Bing Carb booklet would be helpful, yes?
I feel terrible for leaving my R65 alone in a dark, cold shed, sleeping for 7 months waiting for the temps to drop to -32C (-26F) or lower....
Thanks
:^)
-
You could run the engine with the fuel tap in the off position, until it won't run anymore .
Remove the carb bowls empty any remaining fuel and sediment, re-install bowls .
Remove fuel tank drain the remaining bit of fuel out of it, if you have a single fuel tap fuel tank, about half a gallon of fuel still resides in the tank if you empty it with the the fuel tap in the reserve position .
When I lived in Chicago, I would bring the fuel tank into the basement and let it set for a few weeks, to let the remaining fuel evaporate, then re-install the tank on the bike in the garage .
-
Those wire "bail" type things hold the carb float bowls on. They are simply pulled to the rear (think of them like the metal loop handle on an old milk pail, but hanging upside down) and the float bowls will either drop off downward or might need a little bit of a wiggle to break free from the gasket surface on the underside of the carb. Have 1 hand supporting the bowl and one hand pulling the wire bail/loop to the rear when removing them.
-
Great advice from everyone!
Here is my advice, make it a little easy for yourself... ;D
-
I meant to add the image...DOH!
-
Those wire "bail" type things hold the carb float bowls on. They are simply pulled to the rear (think of them like the metal loop handle on an old milk pail, but hanging upside down) and the float bowls will either drop off downward or might need a little bit of a wiggle to break free from the gasket surface on the underside of the carb. Have 1 hand supporting the bowl and one hand pulling the wire bail/loop to the rear when removing them.
Thanks everyone for your input. I emptied the carburetor bowels, both were clean, and I noticed on the L/H carb, the white floats were pristine. The R/H were a bit yellow like my teeth after years of drinking tea. Should I be concerned?
:^)
-
Nah !!! Just get some whitening tooth paste !!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
-
I meant to add the image...DOH!
I would like to see you peddle that bike down the street ;)
:^)
-
Nah !!! Just get some whitening tooth paste !!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
;D :D ;D
-
Interesting 2d1c that your carb bowels emptied. Did you give them too much laxative?
-
2dogs,
It's not easy I can tell you!!!!
-
I forgot to ask, after I added fuel stabilizer and ran the bike for a bit, was I to shut of the petcock while the bike was running to use up the gas in the carbs? :-?
Or is it ok to shut off the bike, turn the petcock to 'off' and simply drain the fuel in the carb bowls?
:^)
-
Interesting 2d1c that your carb bowels emptied. Did you give them too much laxative?
Too much chocolate is not good for the plumbing of a bike. :o
:^)
-
You can do it either way. Even when running the engine with the fuel petcock turned off, the engine will likely stall with a bit of fuel in the bottom of the bowls - best to drain them out in either case.