Bad Idle, Bike shut off...... Bad mechanic work

[abaker1381]

Hey guys, just joined the site and so far its been a great source of information.

So i bought this 93 kat 600 Last week, got it cheap so i knew it had some issues. I ran it for about 3 days and noticed that was idled high, about 3.5k to 4k then when on occasion the idle would drop low then shut off. I was also loosing alot of fuel. Found some fuel around the carbs and on other parts below the carbs....

After running it for 3 days it shut down and would not start back up.... i took off the fairings seat and tank and noticed a few things.... 1) the airbox was only connected to carb #1 it was about .5 to 1 inch away from the other 3. 2) the vacuum line from the petcock to the #4 carb was connected to the top vacuum port of #3 carb instead of having a plug on it. i checked the spot on the side of the #4carb where the vacuum line was supposed to be connected and it was a small hose about 1inch long with a screw plunged in it blocking it. and ohh yes there is more.... 3) where the 2 carb vent hoses are supposed to be were replaced by a straight hose that goes directly to next carb, with no way for the air to escape.


im assuming this would be the main problem with my bike... i bought all of the materials to fix the situation, will post back after im done with corrections.

also going to change the oil.... giving the condition of the bike when i got it ... god knows when the last time it was changed...

[airforceranger49]

sounds like your bike is definately flooding the carbs...

but it also sounds like you know what your doing, so i dont think you'll have any problems with it

welcome to the site!

[MikeyZ]

After you piece it all back together; if it still doesnt idle, then your pilot circuit is clogged in your carbs. Youll have to pull them and do a full cleaning! Easy tho with carbs 101!

[abaker1381]

thnx alot, so ofc it can't be easy.... 3 of the screws on the carb bracket are striped completely... so i taped of the carbs to keep trash out and looked around and i can't find my lefty drill bits or any ez outs... trip to the store then restart the operation...

[Kreylyn]

Wow, talk about ALOT of vacuum/air leaks going on that would definately cause idle/running issues.

Sounds like your definately headed in the right direction though...

Krey

[abaker1381]

ok got it all back together, everything is sealed up the way it supposed to be and its still doing the same thing... i think the petcock isn't allowing fuel to pass. is there anyway to test it... i took it off and cleaned it, while in the prime position "theoretically" should i be able to suck air through it if i hold my finger over the other fuel valve?

[Kreylyn]

If you have not pulled the jets and did a full cleaning on the carbs, your probably gonna have running issues.

Check out carb 101. (search in the wiki link above)

While you got them apart, I would suggest changing out all the screws with hex caps. Make future tear aparts much easier.

Floats not set right or the float needles not sealing off can cause issues with too much fuel flowing through.

Also check your oil to make sure no fuel is in it. (if you havn't already).

Prime should allow fuel to flow freely. On and res should require vacuum to the back side to allow fuel to flow.

Krey

[abaker1381]

yeah i checked the oil when i changed it, no fuel there. but like i said i cleaned the petcock up a little and put it in the prime position and covered one fuel valve and sucked on the other (i know, prob not the best way to do it) and it wasn't allowing any air through. do i need to do a rebuild on the petcock?

[MikeyZ]

Start with pulling the carbs and thoroughly cleaning them. It is MUCH easier than it sounds. I never had any carb experience and with the help of Carbs 101 I pulled my 92's and it is running better than ever right now.
With the tiny pilot jet holes (part of your idle circuit), Use fishing line to clean out the insides.

[Kreylyn]

yeah i checked the oil when i changed it, no fuel there. but like i said i cleaned the petcock up a little and put it in the prime position and covered one fuel valve and sucked on the other (i know, prob not the best way to do it) and it wasn't allowing any air through. do i need to do a rebuild on the petcock?

Yeah, that sounds like an issue alright.

Just a quick reference, if you fill the carb bowls through the fuel lines with an external source, you have enough fuel in them for the bike to run for a couple of mins. You can test that without the tank on it to see if it's gonna run.

As for the petcock, I would suggest taking the 4 screws out of the vacuum cover, and pull the diaphram out to see what is going on in there. If it's gunky/stuck or damaged orings/gaskets... rebuild time for sure.

Krey

[abaker1381]

thnx much krey, just picked up a "T" to connect the 2 fuel lines to so i can connect it to another source. about to try that out and see what the result is.

[Wolfe_UK]

Pretty much +10 to all of Krey's posts..

[abaker1381]

well good news...kinda... the petcock isn't completely ****. the prime function won't work without a vacuum, on works fine with a vacuum. so i had to prime the carbs from an alternate source... after that it started fine. lol but then it gets better =D fuel is pouring out of the carbs so what i was trying to avoid i will have to do... rebuild the carbs =D ... thnx much for ur help

i take that back, when i was setting the airbox and carb bracket in place it didn't seal correctly.... that damn airbox is just a pain to get on the carbs....

[kevin2502000]

well good news...kinda... the petcock isn't completely ****. the prime function won't work without a vacuum, on works fine with a vacuum. so i had to prime the carbs from an alternate source... after that it started fine. lol but then it gets better =D fuel is pouring out of the carbs so what i was trying to avoid i will have to do... rebuild the carbs =D ... thnx much for ur help

i take that back, when i was setting the airbox and carb bracket in place it didn't seal correctly.... that damn airbox is just a pain to get on the carbs....

Put the airbox on the carbs BEFORE you install them in the bike, much easier.

[abaker1381]

yeah i did that last time and thats what broke the seal on the other side of the carb.... but i took the assembly out again to put the airbox back on... still a pain =D don't know if mine is like that because its old or if thats how its made... either way ERRRR!