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Thinking it's the carb.

1K views 14 replies 3 participants last post by  Critter 
#1 ·
I have a 2004 Kawasaki kx250f and when I kicked it on it kept running for about 3 seconds before cutting off. Fuel is on, idle is up, and the choke is out. Does anyone have any ideas for why it is doing this?I don't think it's the spark plug since it's coming on. I'm thinking I might need to take the carb off and clean that, but I was going to get some other opinions before I decide to go through the trouble of doing that.
 
#2 ·
Have you checked to see if you have good fuel flow from the tank? You could have a clogged filter, probably a screen in the bottom of your fuel selection valve.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Just for the hell of it, put petcock on reserve and see if she fires. Did you just get this bike? I get that idea you did. Bikes will run
but not always on reserve, had that happen to me. Pulled valve out from under tank and yes it was all gunked up, amazed bike
even ran with all the gunk. DRAG Specialties makes a good valve. Good luck.

Maybe check the air cleaner, if really mucked up, that will make it hard to start, then put a few ounces of SEAFOAM per gallon of
gas in tank, it leaned out my low speed jets.
 
#10 ·
Someone else, keep blowing fuses so he put a larger amp fuse in it, blew it and kept repeating until the wires caught fire.

He was just wondering where he has gone since we haven't heard from him for a while.
 
#11 ·
NOPE ! If you have a 4 gallon tank, put in 8 ounces or whatever the label says. I did 6 ounces for a 3 gal. tank, that worked fine
and got me idling smoothly again.

When I went in for a yrly check-up, doc says, your BP was 150/90. " I said, "Ah that's nuthing."

"Nothing? !" says Doc.

"Yeah, I idle around 900, Doc says to the nurse, "Yeah he's a biker."

Fuses blow, wires burn guy Yeah His name is Neels, had battery charging issue. If he still wants my help, he has it.
I'm always glad to to help a biker with electrical issues, try anyways.
 
#13 ·
U R a Gas Critter, fuel selection valve? why so fancy? That is what it is, though selecting fuel from main tank or
reserve tank

It was rather funny though, He says he kept putting in a larger face, they blow, the last one didn't blow but the
wires started to sizzle before his eyes. I didn't think I really dumped on him, hell if I did not like him, I would not
bother to help him, CRUMMINZ, I muffed up at one time or another. It is probably me though but I think I expect
every guy to know that the wire size in amps has to be equal to fuse or circuit breaker amps, so you could pull
8 amps off a 16 gage wire and fuse it for 10 amps. wire is heavy enough for 8 amps with no voltage drop and a
'short' would blow the fuse, However should you hook up a few more lights and now draw 12 or more amps, the
fuse will open on overload, not right away but depending how much over 10 amps and the fuse would still be clear
so you could see the link melted. About the only time a fuse blows or looks 'SMOKED' is either a dead short, or some
accessory that drew an awful lot of current, 3 or more times fuses amps rating, like a car stereo amplifier.


I wonder at times how many guys and yes the ladies who ride, have learned about things they may have never thought
of learning about before they bought a motorcycle? I mean it is so different than other vehicles. One guy with two bikes
knows one has more low end torque. Another upped a Sporty from 883 to 1200 yet kept the same sprocket and he knows
there is a big difference compared to a stock 1200, other have learned that regular servicing of the air cleaner will
result in a better running engine. I am sure we all learned a few more things about machinery, the importance of regular
maintenance, electricity, the right weight oil for the weather. . .and ya know something? It's all good.
 
#14 ·
So, I think I found the problem this past weekend while riding. The idle screw came out of the carburetor. Since it is basically a long wire with the screw on the end I was twisting it and felt it turning even though it wasn't in there. I kept getting it to start but it kept cutting out no matter where I had the idle so I decided to look closer at it and that's how I found that it came out of the carb. It somehow slipped out of the carburetor and was kind of just hanging there, I don't know how that happened, maybe it got caught on a branch or something, not sure, I'm just glad it wasn't stripped or snapped. I twisted it back in, gave it 3 kicks and it was running again.
 
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