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I smell gas... No, I didn't fart...

3K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  99vulcan750 
#1 ·
well, I went for a short 60 mile ride today and I noticed a smell of gas and it liked to cut off on me wen I was stopped adn tried to get it rolling... When I got back home I looked... I can see the leak, I can smell the leak. Out of the carburetor there is a rubber hose that goes to the front cylinder. It's leaking from the seal over the flange thing.. I can see the gas ooze out when I hit the throttle hard- 4k rpms.. how do I get this out, what should be done, and is it a priority issue, or can I drive it a little bit until I get a chance to fix it.. say a week and 100 miles or so? I have never worked on carbs as my truck is FI and it's my first bike...

here is a pic of the hose that's leaking...
 
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#2 ·
That's the rubber "boot" that connects the carb to the cylinder. If it's leaking there, my guess would be float issue, but I'm in the middle of my own carb thing and learning them myself, and that's one of the spots mine was leaking too.

It shouldn't be leaking raw gas at that point, as it's after the carb itself, the fuel should be atomized with the air, and not a liquid form. So the carb is either real rich, or the float is the issue.
 
#5 ·
I like fire.. just not my bike on fire, lol.. I will fix it after my trip to New Mexico next week... bummer.. no riding until then...
 
#7 ·
no worries- I am flying from Michigan to Socorro, NM. I used sea-foam the last tank, about 1/4 can. today, I drove the bike 100 yards up a small hill so I could drive it straight into the truck for the ride home from college. It stalled on me 3-4 times and it clicked and popped and sounded like it was 'going towards the light'. I had to get it up to 4,000 rpms for it to keep going. I was doing a lot of clutch to keep it at a slower speed. so ,I think I might take the carbs out tomorrow night and look at them.. unless I can 'fix' it with everything intact. I don't know where to start and my TOC manual is packed up in my boxes and I get a head ache just trying to read it online, lol...
 
#8 ·
no worries- I am flying from Michigan to Socorro, NM. .

I grew up in El Paso, Went to Socorro alot as a kid to visit friends. Whats the trip for?
 
#9 ·
If the seafoam doesn't do it, ( i doubt it will) about all you can do is take the carbs off and clean them out. gas has a habit of turning to syrup when it gets old, leaving gummy deposits in your float bowls and plugging jets.
Chances are, sitting over the winter has gummed them up.
If you are getting fuel out of the boots then odds are, its sucking air in there too, which will make it run lean and cause problems.

Make sure your clamps are tight and not stretched. I generally spray carb cleaner around my boots while its running, to check for leaks, other guys use different things. If it speeds up or slows down while you spray, you have a leaky boot.
REMEMBER, Carb cleaner is extremely flammable, so stay away from the pipes and manifolds, especially on a hot engine.
 
#11 ·
I am going to New Mexico through school/work to play with New Mexico Tech and Homeland Security: 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' training for 4 days. That should be fun...
I drove the bike to church today- 34 miles round trip. It stalled on me 2x at the first two stops.. it ended up idling really high at each stop so I adjusted accordingly. Doesn't like to start cold and idle cold, but drives great. Makes a ticking pop sometimes when cold. still leaking gas and exhaust smells of gas.. So, I will pull the carbs, clean them, try to figure out how to adjust them and what needs to be adjusted, and hopefully I can get it all done Saturday when I get home.

I will let you know how it goes!
 
#12 ·
Update on the carbs

well, I am home now. And I already miss the sunny 85 degrees of Socorro, lol. It's cloudy and 55 here in Michigan I installed my street shield EX windshield.. wow-- it's great.. stops the wind on my head and chest. love it... I took it for a 2 mile drive down the road and then checked the carbs..

1- It is leaking out of the front 'boot' to the front cylinder.
2- Smells like gas- strong gas smell
3- I drained the carbs- I did not use carb cleaner yet.
4- I restarted and ran it for a little bit. At first it didn't leak- then it started again. From what I can see, It's mostly air pushing gas out through the seal of the 'boot'.
5- Ok, here is the question:
Do I pull the carbs and try to figure out what to do from there or do I do something else with the carbs inside?

I'm not familiar with carbs but I just got my clymer and I will read it after I get a little sleep tonight. thanks for your help thus far and I look forward to input! With gas at $3.89, I don't want to drive my truck anywhere...
 
#13 ·
Somewhere in this section-maybe even this thread-is a description of pulling the drain screw out, and spraying ALOT of carb cleaner into that hole filling the carb from the bottom up. Letting it drain out, and doing it again I believe.

I'd try this before R&R the carbs.

As I browse around here, if I come across that proceedure, I'll post a link here; it's got alot more detail then what I just wrote.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Here's one described that I found in the Verses-

I had the same problem on my '97. I posted a while back and followed all of the suggestions (which you have received also). Drained the carbs. Shut petcock and ran until empty. Used Seafoam MANY times. They all fixed the problem for a single ride, but as soon as the bike wasn't used for more than a couple of days, the problem would come back. THEN, someone posted a suggestion that has worked for my '97!!!! Drain the carbs and then SPRAY Gumout up through the hole where the gas drains out. You need to rig a small hose to get the Gumout up into the carb through the drain hole. You should also fully remove the drain-screw (so the Gumout can get up into the float bowl) and then plug the drain-screw hole with your finger while spraying the Gumout. Spray it for a while. You need to fill up the float-bowl and then have it continue to "reverse flow" up through the carb needle. I kept going until the Gumout was dripping out of the air- cleaner. So far (and it's been a few months), the problem hasn't returned, even after the bike sites for a couple of weeks. Hope this helps.

http://www.vn750.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1080
 
#15 ·
they are out..

I took the carbs out. It took 3 hours to remove the tank, the ears, the little hoses, the thermostat housing, the boots coming out of the air tank and then remove the carbs.. wow.. more work than expected.
What I found out was...
the coolant was really rusty... the coolant in the overflow tank was a clean green color.

Cooling system:
I need to replace due to internal rust:
-the thermostat housing and thermostat
-the steel pipes for the cooling system going into the cylinders probably
more
-the rubber hoses for the cooling system

I have no idea where to start now for the carbs. I might bring them to a friend and be walked through fixing/adjusting them...
Also, I am thinking of doing a coaster job while everything is off. Thanks for all your input!
I will continue to annoy you all with questions and with updates :doh: :)
 
#17 ·
she's running!
a little rich though..
and popping on deceleration, but she responds a lot better than she did! thanks for the help!
 
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