Fuel Leak

[86fj120013]

I just bought an 86 FJ1200 yesterday. The reason I'm here is. The bike leaks fuel. The PO "bypassed" the petcock. Carb #4 is getting flooded. I disconnected the tank thinking it was the petcock and a good while after I removed the tank Carb #4 was still leaking. I removed the inline fuel filter. Could it be a stuck float? When I attempted to ride it home, it would lose power on takeoff and around 4-5k rpm. I had the bogging problem on an sv1000s I had and it turned out my fuel filter was clogged. I had the carb leaking problem on a pocket bike and it turned out to be the float settings. The wires to the petcock have been cut. I don't even see where the petcock wires would connect to if I were to replace it. Also, when the bike hit the kill spots I would give it more throttle and hold it steady and it would pick up,(sorta like fuel starvation) but if this happened at too low rpms the bike would stall. This happened last night and she wouldn't refire and leaked fuel all over herself leaving the both of us stranded until my buddy showed up with his truck.  I guess my question is.

A.) Is the fuel tank dumping too much fuel into the carbs because of the petcock.
B.) Is there a stuck float in carb #4

Also the PO told me not to fill over half tank until I had fixed said fuel problem.

Please help. This bike has sooo much potential.

[movenon]

First, "welcome"  .  There is a few things I notice. First I don't think the 86's came with fuel filters (external). On the gravity feed models you don't have very much head pressure with the fuel. (89 -93 use a fuel pump and filter)

The petcock supplying to much fuel is not an issue.   You can try to "tap" on the bowel to see if the float will become unstuck if that's the problem. If that doesn't work then you will have to pull the carbs and check the needle and set, needle and seat O ring, float not binding and the set the float level.

When you put it back together make sure the fuel line is routed exactly as the manufacture specifies.

A little learning curve here so I would start with removing the filter for now, and address the fuel leak out of the carb. Also make sure your fuel line is routed correctly.

Parts resources to start with. Randy at RPM is a member here and is very helpful.

http://www.rpmracingca.com/products.asp?cat=24
https://www.partzilla.com/index.php?p=cart

Maybe that will get you started.  If you want to remove the carbs let us know, there is an easier way and hard way.
George

[86fj120013]

yeah it was a aftermarket (autozone) fuel filter. Also I read earlier that the fuel line coming from the tank to the tee should run UNDER the tee. is that true? My bike has pods so I don't have the diagram of how the lines should go.

[movenon]

yeah it was a aftermarket (autozone) fuel filter. Also I read earlier that the fuel line coming from the tank to the tee should run UNDER the tee. is that true? My bike has pods so I don't have the diagram of how the lines should go.

A picture is worth a thousand words.. http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=9266.msg87926#msg87926 scroll up and down through this thread for a picture or two.

In the "Files section" there is a lot of information on the carbs to start getting familiar with. Pods will make it easier to pull the carbs when you have to.

And when you get the fuel leak stopped go back and look at that petcock... My recommendation is to replace it and put it back in service as it was designed. I don't own a gravity feed model so someone else might chime in with there recommendation. When the bike is not running the fuel needs to be shut off at the tank. Not bypassed. If the fuel is not shut off at the tank the only thing stopping a massive fuel leak is your needle and seats. And as you are experiencing they do leak.
George

[86fj120013]

I went and bought an inline fuel shutoff valve for temporary use. I'm afraid the fuel leak is the least of my worries. I pulled the plugs today and they were black and plugs #3 and #4 were a tad bit wet. This could be from where I flooded the carbs Sunday night. Also the PO recently replaced the head or valves or something. because of a bent valve. So the bike smokes a bit sometimes because the valves are seating. Could this be my plug problem?. Everything seems to be traced back to those dag gum carbs. I guess I just need to face my fears and pull and clean those suckers. I don't have any rebuild kits or other gaskets. Can I still pull and clean them.

[movenon]

That's one of the problems with an older bike. You don't have any base line to start with. But if it were me I would pull the carbs. And at a minimum clean them and check the floats, needle and seats. I would again at a minimum replace the needle and seat O rings with new ones. Without looking at your carbs it's hard to say anything. Are you using the bike for daily transportation ? If you need parts it will take a phone call and probably 3 to 5 days for parts.
RPM is real good about getting stuff out fast. Are you comfortable with working on the carbs ? They are not hard but there is a lot of little details to pay attention to.

Go to http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=7730.0 and open the PDF file in the first post. It is for a Suzuki but the carb is basically the same. It is a nice visual look at rebuilding the carbs.

Best thing is a complete clean and rebuild of the carbs when you can. Get it running without leaking fuel fuel first. That's your first problem.
Then I would do a compression check, check the valve clearances and if things look good then balance the carbs. I would want to get a base line of what I have. Write all this down as you go.

This might help also. Go to https://rapidshare.com/home and log on: as movenon,  password: fjowner and down load a copy of the 84 service manual.
Not the best but it's free.
George

[aviationfred]

A note on the head rebuild.

You will have smoke on start up from worn valve stem seals. I recently had the head to my 89' rebuilt. If the head was rebuilt properly and you do not have worn piston rings, there should be no smoke at all. Your valves should have been seated during the rebuild. If the valves were shimmed to spec., there will be no bypassed gasses. Valve clearances should be checked at 1500 miles after a head rebuild.

Fred

[86fj120013]

yes I plan on using my bike for daily transportation. I'm okay with cleaning the carbs as long as I have a some pics or a video to follow. I have taken pics of the carbs and the petcock as well as the fuel lines but I can't figure out how to post them on this site. My "additional options" tab doesn't have an attachments option. Also I keep reading on Vacuum Petcocks. Is my 86 on of them? I only have one fuel feed line and two sets of wire connections running from my tank. Ugh If I could post pics you would be able to see what I'm talking about. Thanks you've all ready been a HUGE help. So far I've tossed the inline fuel filter. Changed the plugs and added a fuel shutoff valve to the line. Also I have some rerouting to do as my fuel feed line is waaaay wrong. It doesn't even curve around carb #2. Also from those sooty plugs and the inside of both exhaust pipes too match I'm willing to bet she's running too rich. Funny story: Every bike I've had has run too lean because of aftermarket pipes. This is the first bike I've had to run too rich.  My FJ had to be that guy, lol.

[86fj120013]

A note on the head rebuild.

You will have smoke on start up from worn valve stem seals. I recently had the head to my 89' rebuilt. If the head was rebuilt properly and you do not have worn piston rings, there should be no smoke at all. Your valves should have been seated during the rebuild. If the valves were shimmed to spec., there will be no bypassed gasses. Valve clearances should be checked at 1500 miles after a head rebuild.

Fred

FML.  wait. Do you think it could be oil burning off from somewhere because there's a crap ton of soot on the pipes.

[aviationfred]

I would suggest addressing one issue at a time.

1. Fuel delivery fixed,
2. Clean the carbs (unstick floats)
3. Adjust the valves,
4. Compression check,
5. Leak down test,
6. Synchronize the carbs.

Others chime in if the order is not correct.

Fred

[movenon]

I would suggest addressing one issue at a time.

1. Fuel delivery fixed,
2. Clean the carbs (unstick floats)
3. Adjust the valves,
4. Compression check,
5. Leak down test,
6. Synchronize the carbs.

Others chime in if the order is not correct.

Fred

As Fred said. One issue at a time. Stop the leaking fuel.  

My knowledge of your fuel petcock is limited, but yes if it is the stock unit it should have a vacuum line input on it. When the engine starts the vacuum from the engine will tell the petcock to open up. When it looses vacuum it will turn off the fuel flow. The 2 wires I believe are related to the reserve system. I do not have an 86 wiring diagram handy so I will leave it at that. There are 3 generations of petcocks you have the middle one.
George

[FJmonkey]

My knowledge of your fuel petcock is limited, but yes if it is the stock unit it should have a vacuum line input on it. When the engine starts the vacuum from the engine will tell the petcock to open up. When it looses vacuum it will turn off the fuel flow. The 2 wires I believe are related to the reserve system. I do not have an 86 wiring diagram handy so I will leave it at that. There are 3 generations of petcocks you have the middle one.
George

The 2 wires are for the E-Reserve function. Once the fuel level reaches a certain level of empty the petcock shuts off the fuel via a built in solenoid. Changing the position of the On/Res switch on the Left side panel will bypass this function and let you run the tank dry. When I needed a new petcock I upgraded to the 84/85 petcock. PRI & RUN, in Prime it flows freely, in Run it needs vacuum to flow fuel. I have always used my trip meter to know how much fuel I have. Just old school I guess. Never a fuel gauge on a bike....

[86fj120013]

This might help also. Go to https://rapidshare.com/home  and down load a copy of the 84 service manual.
Not the best but it's free.
George

Thanks. Got it.

[86fj120013]

Okay so I tore into those carbs last night. Waaay easier than I thought. But, the carbs were clean and everything was spotless and had recently (as in a couple weeks ago) been replaced. I'm talking jets, needles, , gaskets,O-rings everything. The floats looked brand new.

1 last request. Anyone have a pic or diagram of how ALL fuel and vacuum lines hook up under the carbs. Also the lines with gold inserts/rods that run beside the frame where do they go? I think the problem is that 60% of the fuel and vacuum lines a routed wrong.

[rktmanfj]

1 last request. Anyone have a pic or diagram of how ALL fuel and vacuum lines hook up under the carbs. Also the lines with gold inserts/rods that run beside the frame where do they go? I think the problem is that 60% of the fuel and vacuum lines a routed wrong.

Have you looked in here?     

http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?board=21.0