smokinjoe73

I was fortunate enough to watch a similar episode on utube. I was trying to track down a squeak in my astro van engine.

Watched a guy who had the same squeak do like 5+ hrs of work and the squeak remained!

I wouldn't have seen the sad outcome if I didn't watch the whole video but thank God I did.

Just like parking or speeding tickets, you are slighty happy to see someone else get it so you know you are not the only one...... . . .

Ons'Ro

He stated in his original post that it smelled rich.



And if he wasn't getting enough fuel to run at idle he would have issues under load.

smokinjoe73

Naw, he just smelled gas. That could be a gas line leak, petcock issue, venting issue, etc (yes even a stuck float valve) but doesnt tell how the bike is carbureting.

Ons'Ro

How do we know? Not having the in front of us makes it near imposable to give accurate diagnosis. Like when I was at work, in the shop, customers will ask to talk to a tech. When I get on the line they want me to tell them what to do, tell them what was going on and how much. I always give them two answers: I don't diagnose over the phone or for free. I will, again, stick with my original diagnosis, and hope we find out what the cause is.

Ons'Ro

Oh, and if he is running around town and to work without issue he would still need to charge his battery regularly (not charging enough) or he would be burning through batteries(over charging) if his charging system isn't proper (ie. R/R). Wouldn't he?

smokinjoe73

So you don't diagnose over the phone but do on forums? I submit that this may be a wacky policy.

You should either diagnose by telecom or not. None of this *****-nilly half-cocked diagnosis. (JOKE, LOL)

I dont think float valve only because it (alledgedly) runs and starts fine but only dies at idle. An actual stuck float valve would cause more issues. The whole carb would fill quite quickly.

I am only basing my call on the last bunch of floats I have had stuck, as opposed to ones that just dont seal correctly due to perished rubber. THAT is a much slower transfer of fuel.

smokinjoe73

Not really, since there could be any combo of connection/ charge isses or RR failures that dont happen like hitting a brick wall.

Many RR's go from over to under charging as they fail.

No word on how much riding this fellow actually does.

Ons'Ro

I don't work in a shop anymore as I have found new, better employment(ie. more money and better benefits) but I worked professionally for 11 yrs. and it is bad policy as well as the boss getting upset when you help for free.

Ons'Ro

Forums are supposed to be a place for people with common interests to come together to help each other out. I will most likely will never, in person, see anyone of you and just tried to offer up some of the knowledge and experience as others have to me. I have read a lot of posts about modifying my bike with great success and wanted to help.

Ons'Ro

As far as the enrichment circuit being active and raising rpm. I think that is raising the rpm of a good cylinder which is helping along a bad cylinder. At normal operating temp the rpm should be at around 1200 "choke" in not out and he said he tried adjusting idle to no avail. No response. I wish the bike was in front of me and you are right I probably shouldn't diagnose at all with out seeing the bike.

Ons'Ro

Don't get me wrong. I don't consider anyone as well as myself an expert as we all can learn something new every day, but you do pick up a few things over time in that environment. If I am wrong and we learn what the issue is I will gladly admit to being wrong.

wrj913

sorry that it has been a few days since responding. so figure i will give a large update and answer many questions and comments i see as this thread kept growing.
With that I will also say thank you to everybody giving their bit to help me in my problem.
so i will start with the fuel smell. i found that smell is due to the petcock leaking fuel after i turn off the bike. I will find it dripping after riding. i do not know for sure if it happens while i ride, pretty sure it does since i smell gas when i sit still too much. it will eventually stop, i dont know how long after turning off the engine. Even though i have not done the tests for the petcock, i plan on fixing it with the kit stated early in the thread. the fuel tank may need to be drained completely for water, after draining the carbs a little, the bike will act better, but slowly go back to being bad. the bike will just feel rough around the edges, almost like the engine might be fighting itself. the bike will put out power, just feels like it fights it slightly. I have a thought to that being a spark plug and will have the shop replace the plugs again soon. since my paycheck got a nice bonus this time, i plan on bringing in the hawk to get the carb rebuild done. as for what one guy asked, I ride this bike nearly everyday. even in the rain. this makes getting maintenance done very difficult for me. and also if this were a R/R problem, i would see it by now. I have not just "looked" at the R/R. even though it shows signs of being aftermarket and near new. I did every test in the honda manual to see if it was bad. it passed every test. the choke can make things better when i pull it, but i have even seen with the choke being pulled, the idle will still drop to 1k.
hopefully i have answered a bunch of questions, if there is anything else wants to know, ill try and keep an eye on the thread for the night. thank you again.

smokinjoe73

Now we are getting somewhere.

I understand the live on your bike thing. I had to get extra wheels just to not miss road time due to a trashed tire.

The tank drain and refill is the easiest and will tell you the most. No matter how much you do for the carbs, it will be instantly undone by bad/dirty gas.

Installing fuel filters will be cheap insurance too.

You can drain the tank in an hour, and when mine did a similar leak thing, tightening the petcock bolts stopped it. (sometimes the simplest solution works)

I agree that the RR woulda shown itself by now.

A good cleaning is likely all the carbs need. Although a torn diaphragm could cause these symptoms too.

If you take it to a shop, ask for just a carb cleaning and most likely they will spontaneously come up with a long parts list that you "need".

wrj913

I ride the bike everyday because me and the gf only have 1 car, which she uses to get to work, we would maybe only work something out if it is storming bad with tornado enducing winds. otherwise i will drive in the rain.

I just have to figure out how to drain the tank, the more i think of it, something is probably sitting at the bottom and getting into the carbs each time i fill up. I can replace the fuel filter the same time i fix the petcock.

the shop wants me to get the rebuilt and cleaned, said they would probably have to get new needles and of course the gaskets and possibly more.

wrj913

for those wanting to "see" the bike

smokinjoe73

So I see, maybe all those hearts are causing sputter.....

Bike has no fuel filter stock, that is another job.

It only takes 3 bolts to get the tank off, then some fussing with clamps to pull the hoses loose.

Or you could wimp out and siphon like crazy with a small tube making sure it gets to all crevices of the tank bottom. I feel like if you are going to do a job, do it right (which is removing it)

wrj913

If youre referring to the front wheel fairing. Those are triangles. This bike came from hawaii and has some decals from there.

I thought i saw that a fuel filter was attached to the petcock inside the tank. If not. Wont i need a seperate filter for each line?

And yes if rather drain the tank properly. I can detach it. I just havent been sure about touching all of the lines attached.

sjscicluna

where is the link to that thread id like a read :P

smokinjoe73

The thing called a "filter" on petcocks is really just a super fine mesh kinda thing. They are notoriously flimsy and not really a filter.

I posted some pics of when I installed my filters. Its pretty easy once the tank is off but you may want to save that for another job.

wrj913

Any suggestions for what type or at least what size inline fuel filter to get? Id figure when fixing the petcock and draining the tank would be the best time to install it

smokinjoe73

I have already removed the useless PAIR system so may have more room. Here is the post. https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...stalled-30929/

Best to use the small 1-1.25" filters. (these I actually found at a stealership)

Use a tie down, rope or opened wire coat hanger to prop the tank up on its rear pivot (connect tether to the tail with seat off.

wrj913

sorry again for the month wait to update. I get busy with work and everything. installed inline fuel filters



used a filter from oreillys, cut the lines and secured them with some clamps, the second picture is some dirt and things that came off or out of the second gas line when i worked on it. fuel filter will be good insurance like you all said. last picture is them installed. they fit fine under the tank and are doing well.

as for the engine doing some weird things and having its hiccups. during a bike night at CycleGear. someone had some racing fuel, decided to put 2 gallons of 100 octane fuel into the bike. seemed to have done a good job burning out whatever was in the system. couple tanks since then, the bike is sounding a lot better. the hiccups/knocks remained, but the rpms acted a lot better. so after that i bought some spark plugs to try and replace those. but cycle gear sold me the wrong plugs, so when i went messing with the plugs i had to put the old ones back. its a PITA but the plugs looked good. and the knocks stopped after that. I think it was the plug/wire connecting causing some spark issues. might replace the wire soon just in case.
so now the bike acts a whole lot better since the incident. except at low idle it will still cut off time to time, might be a valve clearance issue.
still have yet to get the part to fix the petcock, that will be interesting.
and also on to my next issue of buying a new chain and sprocket set.

CruxGNZ

Looks good.
Just so you are aware, on our bikes, the spark plug wire is permanently attached to the coil. You will need to replace the coils too. You may as well upgrade to stick coils.

smokinjoe73

Good job. There is a lot of crud to be stopped from clogging your carbs.

But you better be more dilligent with your posts if you hope to get out of the teens

ESwan

I know this is an old thread, but you just saved be a trip to my mechanic. The vacuum line was on wrong. Appreciate you guys.

Ride safe.