Puddle of fuel issue

[Alibasteous]

ok. i am new to the bike world and lost as all hell. the other day my bike started "bogging" at low RPMs. like when you first start off. i asked a co worker who said i may have a sticking float and to use some carb cleaner. i did. now when i park my bike if i dont turn the petcock to "on" it proceeds to spill fuel all over the ground. even when its off with no key in. i am being told i need to redue the carbs and clean it all. i have a 96 Katana 600. does anyone know whats going on and where i can find a complete carb kit?? thanks.

[UFO8MyCow]

You can get the kits fron denniskirk.com but you dont usually need them. all you need to do is remove the bowls and take off the floats and float valvesmake sure there are no grooves or dirt in the valves. After removeing all of them you can either spray carb cleaner or air in the fuel inlets. that should get rid of any gunk in there. If you are still haveing problems you need to take it to someone who really knows what they are doeing with carbs.

[Alibasteous]

ok. thanks. if i do see grooves what should i do?

[bonstrosity]

Replace them...But if this is happening even when the bike is off, doesn't that mean that something is wrong with his petcock? Unless he has it on prime the petcock should shut off fuel flow to the carbs. Fixing the floats will fix that problem but I had to do both since my petcock was so old it had just been eaten away.

[Alibasteous]

lol is that something that would be included in a carb kit?

[bonstrosity]

I don't think so, I'd say if you clean everything out. I'm saying full out clean of taking it all apart, blowing all the tubes and every little hole in the carb out and making sure there is nothing in there it should work. I had the same problem with fuel going into my airbox. Once the carbs were cleaned twice It ran well no problems.

[fulcrum]

Re: Puddle of fuel issue

now when i park my bike if i dont turn the petcock to "on" it proceeds to spill fuel all over the ground.

There are 3 settings on my petcock.

1) On - normal location
2) Prime - selected for about 1 minute when bike is cold and hasn't been run for a while. Then switched back to On before starting.
3) Reserve - used when required

If you are leaving it in Prime while parked then it is likely you will leak fuel (from what I understand).

What setting are you wanting to leave it in while you aren't riding it?

[SweetLou]

The bike should pretty much stay in the "On" position. The pri is to "prime" the carbs in a case where maybe the bike has been sitting for a while. The tank is vaccum controled, and the only time fuel will flow to the carbs is when the engine is running. The PRI bypasses that, and allows fuel to flow without vaccum. That is prolly why you are getting a puddle of gas.

As for the bogging down in low rpms, I am not so sure, as I am not a expert on carbs. Maybe you got a float stuck, something is messed up internally, maybe they need to be synced.

Good Luck!

[UFO8MyCow]

the bogging would be caused by the extra fuel being dumped into the intake.

[bonstrosity]

Just take the carbs apart and clean them...that should fix everything.

[The CyberPoet]

Re: Puddle of fuel issue

ok. i am new to the bike world and lost as all hell. the other day my bike started "bogging" at low RPMs. like when you first start off. i asked a co worker who said i may have a sticking float and to use some carb cleaner. i did. now when i park my bike if i dont turn the petcock to "on" it proceeds to spill fuel all over the ground. even when its off with no key in. i am being told i need to redue the carbs and clean it all. i have a 96 Katana 600. does anyone know whats going on and where i can find a complete carb kit?? thanks.

Fuel spills on the ground. This indicates to me one of two problems:

(A) Bad fuel line hoses. Fuel lines need to be replaced every 4th year, and my guess is yours are still original. It could also be a loose connection (such as at a fuel filter). Either way, the same way gas is getting to the ground is permitting air into the fuel lines when the bike is running, causing it to bog.

(B) Fuel petcock seal may be bad (if the leak is happening at the petcock instead of at the hoses), the screws may be loose (that hold the petcock on), or the petcock itself may be leaking and defective.

Given that you say the fuel is getting to the ground, the problem does not lie in your carbs (although they may have separate problems, those problems don't relate to the symtoms you have listed).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[bonstrosity]

Cyber has a point, it might not be from the carbs...We should start this over and say "Locate where the fuel is leaking from" then procede from there.

[Alibasteous]

it seems to be leaking from where the airbox goes into the 2 teft hands carbs. that is where the fuel drips from. i have taken the carbs off and am in the process of cleaning. the float bowls were full of orange gunk . while its apart i will also change the fuel lines. and further ideas knowing where it was leaking from ?

[The CyberPoet]

it seems to be leaking from where the airbox goes into the 2 teft hands carbs. that is where the fuel drips from. i have taken the carbs off and am in the process of cleaning. the float bowls were full of orange gunk . while its apart i will also change the fuel lines. and further ideas knowing where it was leaking from ?

The orange gunk is rust from the gas tank. It means the tank needs to be drained and treated to remove the rust. You can find solutions here:

CyberPoet's "How to deal with rust in your motorcycle gas tank" web page at motorcycle anchor.com

You'll have to clean out that rust before you proceed any further because if not, you will jam up the carbs again in a heartbeat (that rust is so fine, it clogs up all the passages in the carbs). Using a fuel filter with a paper element and a magnet in it will help keep further rust from reaching the carbs.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Alibasteous]

cyber.... what is this magnet and paper element thing you are talking about?