99 750 - Doesn't start, just cranks

[XIII]

Hi all,


Just sharing the problem and the fix:


So, last Monday my kat (post 750) decided not to go out for a ride...


Didn't start. Just cranked but didn't catch. Dried out the battery on the process and nothing.


There was also a suspicious lack of gas smell on the exhaust. The tank was full, plugs are recent and last ride was the day before.


It turned out that the vacuum line to the petcock (fuel feed valve) was loose.


A quick fix and a charged battery and it start at first attempt.


Lucky me it happened, somehow, in my garage and not while riding.


Cheers,


XIII

[GregS]

If it had happened while riding, all you would need to do is turn the fuel valve to "prime" and ride on home.

[XIII]

If it had happened while riding, all you would need to do is turn the fuel valve to "prime" and ride on home.

Yes, you're right. In a normal situation it should work as you said, but then...

I rode it the day before! Shouldn't the carbs had enough fuel to start the engine before starving? Its cold this time of the year. Gas couldn’t evaporate just like that. Never did before.

Also, I did try setting it to prime. Didn't help. Then I thought of flooded plugs and started to remove the tank when I noticed the loose vac line.

The rest is history: Started first attempt as always and the bike is running fine now.

Could it be some problem with the petcock and prime isn't working as expected? Is this possible?

Actually I first thought about some kind of electric problem... Hummm... is it waiting to happen when least expected?

Edit: My bike may be having the #3 "Defective Petcock Symptom": http://katriders.com/wiki/index.php5?title=Petcock