Major fuel problem

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by chaindrive

I think you are right on the fuel valve, it was in the wrong position and caused all this problem.

For the whole picture, you needed to read and understand the answers BEFORE mine too.

The valve being in the wrong position did ***NOT*** by itself cause your problem.

The needle valve in the carb must be stuck open at the SAME TIME to cause excess fuel flow.
You still need to be concerned about that needle valve and float because that is what actually caused the problem. If they are working right, you can leave the fuel valve set on PRIme all the time with no ill effect.

And I absolutely agree that you should NOT mess with the valves.......or anything else for that matter......until you get your excess fuel problem figured out and solved.

ONE thing at a time, please !!!

P.S. You do make a good point about getting the battery away from the gas fumes for charging. :whistle:

[chaindrive]

I agree with all of the above. I suppose the carb problem would have surfaced at some point even if the fuel valve had been in the proper position. I drained 7 quarts of fuel/oil mix from the crankcase yesterday. The battery was low on water, so I filled it and gave it a full charge. I left it on the smart charger overnight to make sure it is de-sulfated. It appears to take a full charge, so I think it will be okay. I am going to remove the carb today and see what gives. If all goes well with the carb I will fire the engine before adjusting the valves. I have a new oil filter coming from Amarillo today. What a mess, my wife says I smell like a gasoline refinery, and it must be true, the cat woin't have anything to do with me either.

[blaine]

Originally Posted by chaindrive

I will fire the engine before adjusting the valves.

Make sure the engine is overnight cold before you make adjustments.If you don't have the special tool for adjusting the valves,a schrader valve stem remover fits perfectly, is cheaper and gives better maneuverability.The factory tool is a little to long for comfort.Good luck.

:2tup:

[dhgeyer]

Same thing happened to me early on. What a pain, and what a mess. In my case the gas was running out the air filter compartment onto the garage floor.

All of the above is pretty much correct, and all should be done. If you left it in PRI, then there's no reason to suspect the fuel valve unless it happens again with the fuel valve in the proper ON position.

Only thing I'll add is that float valves jam for a reason on these bikes. It can happen on any carbureted bike, but seems to be a chronic problem with the GZ250. It's because they get gummed up with gummy gas. I never took my carb off the bike or apart. I just got all the gas out of the cylinder and air box, and the air box drain, dried the air filter and re oiled it, and got it started. Then I ran several tank fulls of gas treated with Chevron Techron through the bike. No problems since then. From what others have said, that usually does the trick. Others will now chime in that products other than Chevron Techron work better. I won't argue, but I don't agree. I've had any number of fuel related issues with several bikes over the years, and Techron has never failed me. Available at any auto parts store. Use a double dose (double what it says in the instructions) to free up the float valve. Then, as a routine precaution, I'd suggest running tankful with a regular dose through every few tankfuls.

[blaine]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

dried the air filter and re oiled it,

Is this a aftermarket filter?The O.E.M. filter is a dry paper style filter that oil will ruin. :??: Just clarifying so nobody oils a factory filter. :2tup:

[dentheman]

Originally Posted by blaine

Make sure the engine is overnight cold before you make adjustments.If you don't have the special tool for adjusting the valves,a schrader valve stem remover fits perfectly, is cheaper and gives better maneuverability.The factory tool is a little to long for comfort.Good luck.

:2tup:

Blaine, good tip about the schrader valve stem remover, thanks!

[bonehead]

I agree with Dave. I have gone to using nothing but Chevron gas. Takes all the guess work out of it.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by blaine

Is this a aftermarket filter?The O.E.M. filter is a dry paper style filter that oil will ruin. :??: Just clarifying so nobody oils a factory filter. :2tup:

Well, it's definitely not paper, and is of the type that needs oil, so if that means it's aftermarket, then it must be. I did not know that. Hard to believe, though, since the bike had less than 1000 miles on it when I got it. The manuals don't say anything about oiling the air filter, and the fact that they say to look for tears indicates paper all right. I wonder when mine got changed, and why. Maybe my incident wasn't the first time the float valve stuck, and the original air filter was ruined by gas, and replaced by the original owner. That kind of flooding would do in a paper filter I should think.

[alanmcorcoran]

Not sure if this is still true, but back in the seventies when I drove a cab I went through a LOT of gas. The cars I drove were 8 cylinder behemoths that you were lucky to get 8 mpg out of and we ran them 24 hours a day (basically until they broke down whereupon they were fixed an put right back out on the road.) Used to fill up at least once a day. I noticed a lot of the gas stations back then were serviced by the same suppliers, regardless of the brand they sold. However, not all the gas that came out of the stations was created equal. My theory at the time was that the difference was perhaps in the tanks and possibly the frequency of the fill (and - maybe maintenance?) I thought perhaps some of the stations ran lower than others and were therefore more likely to get condensation, rust and other tank crapola into your tank. This was in the days before fuel injection was common, and some of the carburetors (especially on "Chrysler products" as the mechanics referred to them) were kind of sensitive when accelerating from idle. I've noticed on the Strat (which does have fuel injection) I've had hard starts, and a certain je ne sais quoi after repeat visits to some sketchy stations out in the Boonies. Can't really put my finger on what the issue is, but I think there is still variability in the quality of what comes out of the hoses. Unfortunately, by the time I have an issue, it's too late to do anything about it. Kind of like food poisoning.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by bonehead

I agree with Dave. I have gone to using nothing but Chevron gas. Takes all the guess work out of it.

I wouldn't be as confident as you seem to be.

I don't trust them (any of "them") to have what they advertise in all their gas all the time.......and not in a concentration high enough for "old fashioned" carbs.

FI systems don't gum as much because the components are not open to air evaporation of gas when not in use.

I'm glad that you are doing OK......but I want to know for SURE.....and thus "mix my own".