Fuel System issue

[Valkocalypse]

I drained the bad gas out of my Valkyrie that had been sitting for a long time prior to my purchasing it. Before the drain, the bike would crank but would not idle.  I refilled it with premium and a bottle of techron after draining it.  Now the bike will no longer crank.  Any ideas?

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Cranking has nothing to do with the fuel system. Check your kill switch (it happens), sounds like something in the electrical to me.     

[Minnie Miles]

10% ethanol is a lot of the trouble,,,you will more than likely have to clean your entire fuel system

[John U.]

Check out the starter switch maintenance. There's a write up on it on the Rattlebars site, might be in ShopTalk as well.

[Larry]

OK, how is the battery?  ???

[Moonshot_1]

I'd start with the battery too.

From the valk tech pages

HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED A NEW BATTERY? Well, it's dead and won't accept even a slow charge (voltmeter read is below 13V after a charge). It's dead but you manage to get the bike running and after a good ride it's still dead (see above paragraph). It repeatedly (especially when warm) exhibits the following: You try to start your bike and the motor cranks but will not fire up until you release the starter button. The starter is very efficient and spins just fine with a weak battery but the starter motor steals enough voltage from the coils so that you'll get no spark while it spins. When you release the button, the engine "coasts" that one last revolution without the starter so the coils can fire once and the bike starts (which says something about this fine machine). Other symptoms of a weak battery include flickering lights at idle, your custom horn beeps funny when the bike's not running, a voltmeter indicates a drop to below 11.5V when starting, your cappuccino is always cold...

So far, from your description, this may be a possibility.

[Valkocalypse]

I'm sorry my original description was not very detailed.  When I cranked it at the sellers house it ran.  Because I did not know the condition of the fuel at the time, I topped off the tank, threw in a double dose of sea foam, and rode home, but on the ride home noticed it would not idle.  Since then I (although I probably should not have done this first) attempted to adjust the idle.  When that didn't work, I drained the tank and carb bowls and replaced the gas with fresh premium and a double dose of techron.  It was at this point I could not get the bike to crank, the starter fires and the bike sounds as if it is trying to run if I give it just a little throttle.  Its possible that it needs a new battery, however it was freshly charged and the wells topped off before I brought it home.  I let the techron sit overnight and I'm going to try it again after work today and see what it does. 

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

So it is "cranking" turning over when trying to start it, just not firing or starting? 

[Thunderbolt]

Are you forcing the choke all the way?  A lot of us when we first got the Valk, thought we were choking the engine when the play or loose travel was out of the choke lever.  You need to then force the choke harder.

[Valkocalypse]

After topping off the battery, changing the oil and coolant, checking and adjusting the plug gaps, and letting it sit a minute with techron in the carbs, I got it to idle for about a minute and a half!  I think the techron needed time and the battery desperately needed some attention.  It's holding a strong charge and I'm thinking that at this point I just need to run it to get those slow jets doing their job.  Thank you all for all your help.

[Gryphon Rider]

You added a double dose of Techron and used premium gas.  Why and why?  You also didn't respond to the question about the choke.  How cold is it where you are?  If you're interested in a discussion, I'll be in the chat room for a few minutes.

[Mikey]

Are your carb bowls empty? if there's no vacuum on the petcock, it won't let gas in (guys, correct me if i'm wrong). Could it be that your carbs are empty?

[Valkocalypse]

Things appear to have gotten a little hairier.  The engine is idling for much less time now.  I noticed when I placed my hand at the end of the pipes that the left side is missing.  Upon inspecting the plugs I discovered that the right side has brown, ideally colored plugs, and the left has bright white plugs.  Now I'm worried.  I have no idea what to do from this point.  Please help.   

[Mikey]

I would recomend a good carb cleaning... you might have gotten some varnish, dirt, or a part of your fuel line (if it was sitting for an extended period of time) stuck in the line itself, or in the carbs. If all your plugs on the left side are indicating a lean burn, then you can probably bet it's not going to be with your tank. I would chase it to where the fuel lines T off to the left and right banks, and go through the lines first, making sure there are no blockages. I would assume (if all the plugs are the same color) that it's going to be a line that's common to all 3 carbs.

[John U.]

I've been through the drill on carbs, as many of us have.
You could have a stuck float, the suggestion to check the float bowl drains will tell you if you have fuel in the bowls. If not, take the carbs apart.
If you have gas in the bowls you likely have clogged slow jets. If the bike will run reasonable well with heavy throttle or with the choke on clogged slows are even more probable.
A massive dose of Techron, run it till warm. let it sit, do it again, for a few days may do the job.
If not, it's time to get physical with the carbs. Check the tank with a flashlight and inspection mirror. Your problem could be rust.
If you remove the tank, airbox and intake tubes, the carb bowls and jets can be removed, cleaned/replaced and reinstalled without removing the carb bank. Tie one side up at a time. It's close work but can be done. Having the bike on a lift makes the job easier.
Good luck, let us know what you find.

[Valkocalypse]

In my free time this evening I got a chance to check the fuel lines, they were clear.  Guess that leaves the carbs.  I'm going to try the techron dance for a few more days once I get my bike back together (catching hell getting the air cleaner housing back on right).  If that doesn't do it then its on to a full carb project.

Anyone else had trouble getting the air cleaner housing in over the wiring at the front end?  Any innovative solutions?

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

In my free time this evening I got a chance to check the fuel lines, they were clear.  Guess that leaves the carbs.  I'm going to try the techron dance for a few more days once I get my bike back together (catching hell getting the air cleaner housing back on right).  If that doesn't do it then its on to a full carb project.

Anyone else had trouble getting the air cleaner housing in over the wiring at the front end?  Any innovative solutions?

Thread with video  http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,4123.0.html

[Larry]

+1 on the video, but can also use string. Start by putting a loose loop over one tube and go around the opposite tube once then back to the opp middle tube and so forth keeping a bit of tension on the string so the tubes don't spread apart as you go. Dag's approach is less finicky but if you don't have zip ties handy string would work too, that is unless you don't have string! Had to raid my wifes tool drawer. Ha.