1993 600 leaking gas :-X

[tommyoc]

Hey I noticed my 1993 kat 600 .. leaked CRAZY amounts of gas over the 4 days it was stored.. it leaked about a quarter tank!! .. are they usual trouble spots.. where is the obvious spots to check for a leak this big.. ALSO the guy before me wired the headlight all messed up.. is there a fusebox for the right turn signals(front and back?) Thanks in advance for any help!... is that dangerous?(the gas leak)


also when i tried starting it it popped the first few turns then fired up? i felt it in my legs.. somethin ! Not very bike savvy.. thanks

[Anonymous]

Yo Tommy, I'm gonna need some more info. And lets tackle the gas problem first....

First, if you have a leak, solve it before trying to start your bike for Pete's sake! And from your description ("I felt it in my legs"), you sound like you were sitting on it while trying to start it with a gas leak.

Anyways, when you say stored, do you mean you had winterized it and stored it? Or do you mean, you just parked it in the garage? Anyways, the first culprit I think would be the gas tank (underneath it there's two vent lines, 2 gas lines from the petcock, and one vacuum line)...I'd check there first, and then the carbs...

Did you fill your tank super full and then put it on the side stand? Just a guess.... let us know.

And don't worry about the 'pops' when you haven't started it in a while..mine does the same when just refilling the carb bowls and startin up..

[The CyberPoet]

Re: 1993 600 leaking gas :-X

Hey I noticed my 1993 kat 600 .. leaked CRAZY amounts of gas over the 4 days it was stored.. it leaked about a quarter tank!! .. are they usual trouble spots.. where is the obvious spots to check for a leak this big.. ALSO the guy before me wired the headlight all messed up.. is there a fusebox for the right turn signals(front and back?) Thanks in advance for any help!... is that dangerous?(the gas leak)


also when i tried starting it it popped the first few turns then fired up? i felt it in my legs.. somethin ! Not very bike savvy.. thanks

Obvious spots on a '93:

If petcock was set to "PRIME", then a float bowl is sticking or defective. The oil level will be way too high and filled with fuel if this is the case -- in which case, you'll need to drain both the oil and the oil cooler, put in new oil, and swap oil filters. You'll also want to add a tablespoon of oil to each spark plug opening to ensure the rings don't have to fight the start-up friction (gasoline thins and degrades motor oil -- as much as you lost, it wouldn't be any good)

If the petcock was not set to "PRIME", then a fuel line, the fuel filter, the petcock itself, the petcock gasket, or the gas tank itself (which can rust out in 15 - 16 years easily).

KNOW THIS:
Fuel lines are good for four years. After that, replace them.
Fuel line gaskets are good for about the same amount of time. If the petcock gasket (where it mates to the tank) is original, replace it.

Find the source of the leak (anything leaking over a quart a day should be easy enough to spot with a flashlight once you get the fairings out of the way).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Yellow]

When you check the gas tank for leaks, take a close look at the area where the seat touches the tank, and also the underside of the back of the tank. The holes don't need to be big for it to leak really fast... (trust me, I know)

[tommyoc]

Ok some updated news.. dont see the bike too much till finals are over .. so heres what i saw for the 10 minutes i actually got to take a look..

I think it was set to prime.. But my oil level was just fine?? If it is a float bowl how do i go about fixing these?? The bike was very well kept(winterized inside) and I dont see the gastank rusting..
I had left the gas on ON over the last few days .. and had my brother check and it hasn't leaked a drop.... very bad idea or what? this is probably a simple problem heh maybe something else leaked under my bike haha

[Yellow]

Ok some updated news.. dont see the bike too much till finals are over .. so heres what i saw for the 10 minutes i actually got to take a look..

I think it was set to prime.. But my oil level was just fine?? If it is a float bowl how do i go about fixing these?? The bike was very well kept(winterized inside) and I dont see the gastank rusting..
I had left the gas on ON over the last few days .. and had my brother check and it hasn't leaked a drop.... very bad idea or what? this is probably a simple problem heh maybe something else leaked under my bike haha

The petcock should be left on ON or possibly RES, those two positions are vacuum controled and hence fuel won't flow unless the engine is running. PRIME bypasses the vacuum diaphragm and would cause the carbs to overflow if a float is stuck... and this could cause the the airbox to fill up with gas, or in the worst case the cylinders to hydrolock or the crankcase to get filled with gas... not good.

To check/clean the floats, take the carbs off the bike, open the underside and clean it really well (search the forum for carb cleaning for more details or get a service manual). If there are red/orange stuff in the carbs your gas tank is rusting internally, and it should be adressed (again search for specifics).

Only use prime for a minute or so before starting up the bike after it has been sitting for a while (to fill up the empty carbs).

[Black_peter]

+1 on rusting seams Yellow and I know all too well about that.

+1 on stuck carb floats. It won't nesseserily go into the oil, it could seep out of the air box fittings (I've seen this)

I would check the fuel cock too, the dealer I bought mine from said they needed to replace the o-ring. The weeping gas made a mess of the body work. (but the passed the savings on to me)
One using PRIME: IMO you only need to switch to prime for a few seconds then right back.
This should fill the bowls enough to get it started
(I cound to 5 then go back) and reduce the risk of forgetting it there.

About the turn signals.
There should be a fuse (under the seat next to the battery) for all the signals.
Some one with a pre 600 can help you there