Pre Flight Checks.....

[Lucky_Lou]

I made a start on Gertie getting the old girl ready for the coming season, she has been laid up since November and the plan is to be on the road early March. I put the battery on the tender for a couple of days then wheeled her out of the garage and fired her up, started reluctantly on one pot then a few seconds later both, so far so good....
As I was playing with the throttle I noticed fuel oozing from the line from the tap pouring over the carb.... I will replace the lines in due course but wonder if I ought to strip the carbs just to be on the safe side.? everything else looks good to go so I will just tickle the plugs replace the fluids/filters and see what the MOT throws up.
Lou

[steve hawkins]

Is there any specific problem you can put your finger on, except the leaky pipe?

No?

Ride the bloody thing...

Yes?

Identify what it is, then make a plan, knowing what it is you are chasing and where the issue is likely to be.

Cheers

Rev. Light

[Barry]

I guess it depends how long the carbs have been sat with fuel in them or if stabilizer was added.

Even with stabilizer I usually empty the bowls if the bike has been stood for as little as 2 weeks, The lighter fractions will have evaporated off and fresher fuel from the tank will help it start better.

Even with the bike in use I drop the jets after (and sometimes during) every winter and nearly always find a few drops of water which have condensed out around the emulsion tubes. It's not water in the fuel just condensate from the engine breather gases.  

Dropping the bowls and jets is like a minor carb overhaul in situ. No settings disturbed and at worst only a couple of O rings might need replacing.

[georgesgiralt]

I concur on the jet and mixture tube cleaning. It is easy even with the carbs on the bike (careful when returning the parts in place not to mar the needle ) !
A five minute job which can save a lot of gas.

[Lucky_Lou]

Straight to the point Steve  [smiley=argue.gif] [smiley=argue.gif]..........  think I will drop the bowls have squirt with carb cleaner and see how it goes, been a while since I stripped them completely so a may do them later anyway if I have time.
Lou  

[steve hawkins]

Putting a fresh tank of fuel through it will work wonders.  Put a little additive in there, if you want, whilst you using up the old stuff.

She is probably a bit grumpy after being ignored for months.......

Rev Light

[montmil]

...She is probably a bit grumpy after being ignored for months...

Lou's R65 or the missus?  

[Lucky_Lou]

...She is probably a bit grumpy after being ignored for months...

Lou's R65 or the missus?  

Behave the pair of you.....................................Steve I am seriously adverse to additives after my tests a few years back showing the impact on seals and "rubberized"  components .... its a no go area for me.
Monte SWMBO is never "grumpy" shes a "Lady"
Lou

[Barry]

Lou,

I seem to remember you had a problem with the diaphragms. Was that caused by a fuel stabilzer ?

I don't use any additives either.  If I think it's going to be more than 6 weeks in storage I'll drain the tank and carbs and chuck it in the car which seems less fussy.

The experts say that fuel begins to go off after 3 weeks but I think that might be temperature dependant. Logically it must evaporate and oxidize quicker in older vehicles where both the tank and the carb bowls are vented to atmosphere.  I've tested that by dropping the bowls after 3 weeks standing and the fuel level is noticeably lower than it should be which demonstrates that the more volatile fractions have started to evaporate off.  On reflection I think that might be why every bike I've had and especially the kick start ones, were easier to start when used daily than they were after a lay off.

This is an artile on the subject. http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112237/article.html

[Lucky_Lou]

Been digging back through my photo bucket stuff...
#1 comparison between generic and Bing diaphragm...

impact of fuel additive on rubber/rubberized components....
I did have a photo of a piece of diaphragm exposed to additive which resulted in the material expanding by 30% in a few days but cannot find it at the moment...
Lou
  

[Luca]

One thing I've heard about gasoline is that small amounts tend to go stale more quickly than large amounts.  If it holds true, a full BMW tank should last a good bit longer than a smaller Japanese counterpart or a one gallon gas can.  I think the bigger concern these days is that the ethanol in the fuel will attract water, which can settle in the bottom of the tank or carbs and cause corrosion, instead of just leaving varnish behind.  There are some "marine" fuel treatments that are supposed to neutralize this.

About fuel treatments; I think one point of the additives (not that I endorse them) is to swell old, dry, shrunken rubber.  Another thing fuel additives can do is provide some fresh volatiles to stale gasoline, which might make things easier to get churning after a long slumber.

I've never heard a bad thing about fuel stabilizer  Adding it to your last tank and mixing well before storage is probably the best bit of spring spruce up you can do.

[Barry]

I think the vented air space above the fuel in carb bowls or in the tank is the problem. The experts say that in a full sealed container fuel can last upto 6 months. I guess they really mean full though with little or no air space.  While a full airhead tank is better than a part filled one the tank must still contain air and can still breath which is the problem. I've often wondered where exactly it does breath and thought of a piece of tape over the lock. Some how I don't think it's as simple as that. If I was leaving the tank full over winter I'd consider covering the whole filler cap.

The carb bowls are always going to contain air and be vented so I don't leave fuel in them for more than a few weeks. It's hardly a hardship as we are blessed with what must be the easiest to access and remove carb bowls in automotive history.

[nhmaf]

As the others suggested, I'd just drop the bowls and maybe touch the float needle a few times to see taht no bits of rubber fuel line have gotten stuck in the needle seat area, and to clean out the bowls of anything that isn't fuel.

As for putting up my engines over the winter here (motorcycles, lawnmowers, woodsplitters...) I change the oil and then always fill up the fuel tank after putting in approx 2X the minimum amount per gallon of Marine Formula Sta-Bil (don't think that you have this brand product across the pond, but there must be something similar).   I run the engine enough to ensure that I've got the fuel&additive through the carbs, then I shut off the engine, drain the fuel lines and carb bowls, and leave them be until it is time to start them up again.   So far, I've had very good success with things working well when it is time to fire them up in the springtime.   These engines sit like this for anywhere from 3-5 months.   Sometimes I do pour in some SeaFoam fuel additive too, but I've found that the marine grade StaBil works quite well.

[MR.E]

Lou

If you want to clean the carbs out i use Redex every couple of months just to be sure, seems to work

Though it could be a placebo...........

[clonmore1]

'Gertie' back on the road!

Is the 75 gone now?