Starting again when you've run out of fuel

[_Gina_]

I have a '89 ZXR400sp H

Should I be unfortunate enough to run outa gas she is a bitch to start again. Takes about 15 minutes of being patient...cranking, using the choke and not.....switching the key on...then off....then leaving it on.....
Won't even bloody bump start after enough cranking to have fuel in the filter!!

Just in case your wondering....this has happened to stify so it's not just me, and obviously I am not in the business of running out of gas but by the time the bike lets me know it needs to be switched to reserve it's very last minute and even changing to reserve won't keep it running.

Any thoughts or experience with this???


Gg

[MSTRS]

Sounds like you have a vacuum-activated tap. Does it have 3 positions? 1 will be ON, 1 will be Reserve & 1 will be Prime (if it exists - this is the one you should be using to refill the carbies)

[Motu]

You have a fuel pump??

[Crazy Steve]

Done..that....

Take..helmut..and..jacket..off...

Sit..for..a_es...and..try..not..to.stress...

Be...calm...:shifty:

Then..kick..shit..out..of..it...lol

Crazy...Steve

[madboy]

Get a better understanding of mileage, and how variations in "attitude" affect fuel consumption. Then pray you don't make a mistake in your calculations!

Since running out twice on my FZR, with a reserve that gave me exactly 2km of 100k motorway riding on a good day - followed by 4k of mway pushing, I've always filled up "early". The 636 will crack 200kms in it's sleep, so I always fill up around there (or sooner). Only once have I had to use reserve below there (a good weekend :devil2:). I've only used reserve three or four times in the last year away from the race track. Pick whatever is the magic mark for your bike, subtract 10-20ks from it, and fill up at that point.

[_Gina_]

You have a fuel pump??
Damn - knew I was overlookin' something really basic!!

Well it seems to work just fine other than in this situation. So depending; could be the problem, however before I throw a new pump at her thought I would check a few peoples brains (see if they were working and the like)

[_Gina_]

Sounds like you have a vacuum-activated tap. Does it have 3 positions? 1 will be ON, 1 will be Reserve & 1 will be Prime (if it exists - this is the one you should be using to refill the carbies)
Hmm
Might play around with that, pretty much everthing on the bike label wise don't exist. And the tap does move into three positions....

:mellow:

[_Gina_]

Get a better understanding of mileage, and how variations in "attitude" affect fuel consumption...
True enough...it's only happened three times, last two times at the same bloody spot, 15 feet before the servo after having light throttled in 3rd about 1km and honestly I had about 2 seconds notice of variation.
The first time was just that - the first time! lol
I would say that my first thoughts were to either get a fuel guage or constantly have a 5 ltr container of fuel in the gargre and top up before I leave...
The thing is that stify rides it to work sometimes ('bout 40kms return) but by the time I get home I have no idea that he has cause she's locked up! My ride to work is about 140kms return.....

[MSTRS]

Hmm
Might play around with that, pretty much everthing on the bike label wise don't exist. And the tap does move into three positions....

:mellow:
The other thing you can do is to remove the entire tap assembly from the tank, strip it and clean thoroughly. Since reserve gets it's petrol from a lower point in the tank that is where crud collects to block the intake. Clean & flush the tank too.
Motu - didn't think bikes in general have a fuel pump as they are mostly gravity feed??

[Krusti]

I know it's not any thing close to a road bike but when our farm quad runs out on main tank it wont even start when you switch to reserve.Only way is to put tap to Prime, blow through breather hose at cap and pressurise tank untill it fires then switch to reserve. Bloody Suzuki!

[bugjuice]

take the tank off, take the air box off, and dump an eggcup size of fuel down the carbs. That'll give it a bump start!

Reset the trip on the dash everytime you fill up and try not to run out again!! Doesn't do it many favours ;)

[Motu]

If you have a fuel pump it could be air locking when it runs out of fuel,it needs to get rid of the air lock before it starts - reroute your hoses to automaticly release the air.

I was just talking to a mate who couldn't get his bike to start after running onto reserve on saturday - they found an air lock in the hose.He's owned the bike for years,and never happened before.

[_Gina_]

I actually don't know whether it does have a pump - I just assumed...:nono:
Will check : )

[cowpoos]

Hmm
Might play around with that, pretty much everthing on the bike label wise don't exist. And the tap does move into three positions....

:mellow:

mstrs is right you have a prime position on your bike...same as zxr250's...
I don't think you have a pump....what you need to do is find which one is the prime position and once its un out and been refueled put it on prime and wait for said peice of time...bingo....

go ask ya bike shop what positions what on the fuel tap...

[_Gina_]

mstrs is right you have a prime position on your bike...same as zxr250's...
I don't think you have a pump....what you need to do is find which one is the prime position and once its un out and been refueled put it on prime and wait for said peice of time...bingo....

go ask ya bike shop what positions what on the fuel tap...

Cool poos, I know where it will be, as you can just see On and Res, half way in between will be exactly where it is as it locks there.

I am going to have a dummy run this weekend.


Cheers Everyone, Gg.

:grouphug:

[sunhuntin]

i always reset the trip meter to 0000 when i refill....ive worked out i can get around 300k outta scuffy....another guy i know on an 05 gn fills at exactly 220k. when the speedo died and i couldnt tell how many ks, i used a makeshift "dipstick" to see how much, and also how loud the splashing of the petrol in the tank was when i moved her around. working a gas station is good, cos i have petrol there constantly should i need it. :cool:

[slopster]

The zxr 400 does have a fuel pump. I don't think the tap has a prime position. When my zxr 750 h runs out of fuel starts up again quite easily no more then about 7 or 8 seconds cranking with the choke on. The zxr's have a pretty good sized reserve too.

[Lazy7]

same thing use to happen to me on my zxr400.

traced it to having water in the tank. when it ran out of fuel it sucked the water that was sitting on the top of the fuel into the carbs and sat there. took ages to work through.

take your tank off and give it a bloody good clean out. might help as it did me.

[_Gina_]

The zxr 400 does have a fuel pump. I don't think the tap has a prime position. When my zxr 750 h runs out of fuel starts up again quite easily no more then about 7 or 8 seconds cranking with the choke on. The zxr's have a pretty good sized reserve too.
Okeydokey
Yup after checking it does have a pump.
And even though I thought that the middle position for the tap might have been prime - No it isn't, it says "OFF" (faintly)

Hmm

Might be time to pull the kit and kaboodle off and clean her out to be sure to be sure!!

[Phenoix]

mstrs is right you have a prime position on your bike...same as zxr250's...
I don't think you have a pump....what you need to do is find which one is the prime position and once its un out and been refueled put it on prime and wait for said peice of time...bingo....

go ask ya bike shop what positions what on the fuel tap...

Theres a prime position on the ZXR's, damm I thought that was the off possition

[WINJA]

try gently holding your hand on the muffler while cranking , it sometimes helps to drag the fuel thru, the choke on bikes arent chokes they just dump raw fuel which is no good if its not there in the first place

[_Gina_]

stify was saying that the carbs are vacuum type and can be a bit sensitive...can flood easily.

Either way I am gonna figure out what helps 'cause you sure feel like a moron at the servo....specially being a chick, guys just feel compelled to ask you if you are okay, do you need some help blah blah blah....

Next thing you know I will throw my helmet on the ground and kick the bike and that would be embarrassing!!

[FROSTY]

GG --dont sweat it--I had the exact same problem on mella yella a few times-well once then I figured it out.
It is indeed an air bubble -by the fuel pump.
what helped to release the bubble was to undoo one carb drain screw and crank the motor over--dunno the theory behind it but it seemed to work.
Ya might wanna toss a new set of plugs in her too--cos old plugs seem to foul up with the fuel then she won't fire

[Pixie]

same thing use to happen to me on my zxr400.

traced it to having water in the tank. when it ran out of fuel it sucked the water that was sitting on the top of the fuel into the carbs and sat there. took ages to work through.


This is why carbs have drain screws in the bottom of the bowls.

If the prime position on the tap is there, it will be labled PRI,if you are lucky.
If not,it will be the only position that allows fuel to flow with the engine off.
you can see this by pulling the fuel hose off the tap and switching to prime

[Pixie]

stify was saying that the carbs are vacuum type and can be a bit sensitive...can flood easily.

!
stify is a dick:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Whether a carb is a CV ("vacuum type") or not,makes no difference to it flooding.The fuel input,eg.the float valve is the same regardless.

[_Gina_]

stify is a dick:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


:devil2:
stify has a big dick......:banana:

[Pixie]

:devil2:
stify has a big dick......:banana:
I don't wish to know that

[Cabbit]

~tank cleaning tip~
You can use a lighter or match to see inside if you don't have a torch handy =D

Note: please don't do this =/

(my friend did though... moron xD)