Cold morning, blocked carbs and whoops unscrewed idle!

**ducatilover** · 30th May 2014, 09:42

Could be either a perishing air filter, or what unstuck said.
Usually a perishing air filter will leave a bit more evidence though (filter spoof everywhere)

Just give up and swap it for my Bandit

**Big Dog** · 30th May 2014, 10:16

Grab an inspection mirror when your tank is empty. If your bike has ever been stored with an empty tank there may be various oxides. If you don't have an inspection mirror drain some fuel from the fuel tap. Allow to sit in a glass or pour through a white coffee filter. If there is no trace repeat test below fuel filter.
Still no trace up the anti and try filtering the whole tank. A perished diaphragm caused issues similar on an old bike of mine. But oxide in the tank or perished fuel filter are more likely.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

**Juniper** · 3rd June 2014, 08:14

So I took her apart in the weekend. All by myself!!! (Well I did have someone help me take the tank off) and replaced the gaskets with my old ones that were in good nick. And cleaned them out again.

I need to do my air filter but need air filter oil for that. When I do that I'll check if the stuff is in my fuel tank. How do you clean a fuel tank?

I'm quite chuffed with myself!!

**ducatilover** · 3rd June 2014, 14:42

Good work!
Drain the tank, take the filter out, bit of kero, slosh it around. Repeat.
If it's a bit rusty, ball bearings and kero

**Juniper** · 3rd June 2014, 22:07

Originally Posted by ducatilover

Good work!
Drain the tank, take the filter out, bit of kero, slosh it around. Repeat.
If it's a bit rusty, ball bearings and kero

Where's the filter? I don't remember seeing one. Would it be before or after the reserve tap?

Thanks for all the advice guys!!!

**pete376403** · 3rd June 2014, 22:14

The fuel filter might be in the tank, part of the fuel tap assembly. Is the tap assem. held on by a couple of bolts? If you can remove it, you may find a filter as part of the fuel intake.

**Juniper** · 4th June 2014, 10:59

Originally Posted by pete376403

The fuel filter might be in the tank, part of the fuel tap assembly. Is the tap assem. held on by a couple of bolts? If you can remove it, you may find a filter as part of the fuel intake.

Ummmm, will have to reply when looking directly at bike. I think its held on by some bolts......

**unstuck** · 4th June 2014, 17:10

If it has no inline fuel filter, my suggestion is you fit one, piss easy and cheap to do. But make sure you clean the one on the petcock too, it will either be sticking up inside the tank, or inside the actual tap.

**ducatilover** · 4th June 2014, 21:29

Originally Posted by Juniper

Where's the filter? I don't remember seeing one. Would it be before or after the reserve tap?

Thanks for all the advice guys!!!

The filter is in the tank, attached to the top of the fuel tap.
You don't need an inline filter if you have an in-tank one

**neels** · 4th June 2014, 21:54

Originally Posted by ducatilover

You don't need an inline filter if you have an in-tank one

Sometimes you do.....the in tank filter is usually just gauze to stop the big lumpy bits getting through, doesn't stop the fine bits that hold your vacuum fuel tap and needle valves open in order to empty the fuel tank on the shed floor

Anyhoo, with regard to the original post. The bike worked fine when you parked it, it didn't work after it was frozen which is not hugely surprising given the number of tiny parts involved in a 4cyl 250, if you'd left it to defrost by itself it probably would have worked fine.

Now that you've buggered about with it you need to work backwards through everything you did, until you undo whatever it was that caused your current problems.

**Icemaestro** · 4th June 2014, 22:03

Kero? I thought meths as it combines with the water. Would have thought kero would leave a residue (good for rust, bad for carbs I would have thought?)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**ducatilover** · 4th June 2014, 22:11

Originally Posted by neels

Sometimes you do.....the in tank filter is usually just gauze to stop the big lumpy bits getting through, doesn't stop the fine bits that hold your vacuum fuel tap and needle valves open in order to empty the fuel tank on the shed floor

The Kawasaki ones are fine

and don't restrict flow as much as most inline filters (sucks not having a fuel pump!) I hate it when they decide to piss on the floor! I've used kero many times without issue, I also flush the tank again with a wee bit of petrol.

**Juniper** · 4th June 2014, 22:32

Ok I am going to have to check this out now!! Weekend task though.

Another carb related query (I think)

I want to know why and how to fix this problem. I have had 2 sets of carbs now (old shitty original ones that spectrum fucked and the new second hand ones that now work fine....unless I freeze them)

Start bike on side stand as I usually do and revs to idle revs, about 1.5-2k. Sit the bike upright and the revs drop a little. Now while straddling bike lean it to the right about 45degrees and the revs will drop so low the bike can stall if I leave it there.

This happens when bike is hot/cold freshly started or after a ride. The first set of carbs it was WAAAYY worse. With these ones it's a lot less, but I still don't think it's normal.... I could be wrong.

If I figure out how to load a video from my phone I'll post it up.

**ducatilover** · 4th June 2014, 22:37

That's normal, it's the effect of the fuel level being on an angle, either dropping the float and richening up, or taking the jets out of the fuel, and just stalling from no fuel. One major draw back to carbs.

**Juniper** · 4th June 2014, 22:46

Originally Posted by ducatilover

That's normal, it's the effect of the fuel level being on an angle, either dropping the float and richening up, or taking the jets out of the fuel, and just stalling from no fuel. One major draw back to carbs.

I like you!!