[skase98]

Hi! My son got his 1999 Yamaha VStar 650 running today - sort of. After removing the fuel tank and carbs, he's discovered that the floats are apparently stuck in both carbs. Unfortunately, the float casings are stuck and he doesn't have an impact driver (yet). When he got everything taken apart, the bike started and ran very well until the fuel started flooding out of the carbs - assumption is the floats were stuck open.

When everything was reassembled, the bike wouldn't start - as in the floats are stuck shut.

Once he gets the impact driver and cracks open the float cases, what might he find? Is there probably sludge inside of some sort? How fixable are these things? Should he just get new parts?

Thanks for your suggestions!

Kathy

 

[iamgumby]

I'm gonna guess that he bought it and/or it had sat over the winter? Unfortunately, this is a common problem, quite preventable, and repairable. Carb kits are easy to come by. Yep, fuel tends to go bad and sludge up. With the growing amount of ethanol use these days, ethanal has it's own issues when left to sit - can get kinda crusty. He needs to take his time, pay attention to the details - there are lots of small passages - each one is there for a reason, thorough cleaning and precise settings. Pay attention to however mix screws are set - down just twist em out - leave them be or count the turns. Always good to take a few digital pics (before!) on a new venture. Repair manual is very important.

 

[skase98]

Thanks for the reply! The short story is my oldest son bought it, stored it until he could get his motorcycle license, then left town and it was stored again until his bro could get his motorcycle license. I'm 800 miles away from them and my son doesn't have internet access or he'd be here himself. Basically, since it was purchased used in 2004, it's spent more time in a garage than it has on the road.

I'm glad to know that the problems it's having are not uncommon and that they can be relatively easy to fix. He's got a Haynes manual and a friend who is pretty experienced. I'm glad to get all the advice we can! If he gets any more frustrated with it, he's going to ship it to me and buy a new bike.

Hmmm... maybe I shouldn't help him so much. heh heh heh

Thanks again,

Kathy

 

[cnsutton]

Try a product called Seafoam. I am not a huge believer in additives but, I had an issue with my fz600 not running well after sitting the winter. I was deployed and could not properly winterize it. I put 1/3 can of sea foam in the tank and then topped it off with fresh fuel. Of course, I drained the tank out first. I started the bike up and just left it idle for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes I started backing the choke down a little at a time and the bike was running really well. I took it out for a 10 mile ride and now it runs like new.

You can google Seafoam or even search for it on youtube or other forums. It is worth a shot as something to try. I purchased it at Advance Auto Parts but, I believe NAPA has it as well.

This stuff worked better then expected, my Dad thought it was a miracle.

Good luck!

 

[skase98]

Try a product called Seafoam.
Good luck!

Thank you very much for the suggestion! The name sounds familiar and it's definitely worth a shot. I appreciate the recommendation! That must have been a really rewarding 10-mile ride

Kathy