hydrolock- the sequel

[N0tac0p]

GOD, it gets worse and worse.  well as i told, the #4 cylinder was full of gas as was my crank.  drained everything, took off tank (replacing petcock).  removed 6 bolts from carbs and lifted up about 1/4", temp hooked up a hose and funnel into gas line and filled.

guess what....NO FUEL leaked by the floats. what....how.....why?!?!?!  so do i just put it all back together and keep my fingers crossed?  (i hoped that i would see #4 leak by and then had something to fix.  but Noooooo)

[Bone]

Just maybe the seat flushed it's self clean.  Maybe.

[MP]

You can get a piece or cr*** under a seat, and then it goes, so it seats fine.

MP

[Pete]

Check the inside of you gas tank. If it is rusty, the rust can break loose and follow the gas to the float valve and cause the gas flow, then flush thru, and be ok until it does it again!!!!

You have fixed 50% of the problem(petcock), a good cleaning of the tank, carbs and fuel lines is required to fix the other 50%. Check those float valves and seats very closely. Use a magnifying glass if needed.

[Ricky-D]

Naw, the screen that's on the petcock is plenty fine to keep the bad stuff from getting to the carburetor float. The crud is coming from somewhere else like a bad hose or something like that!

***

[N0tac0p]

one thing, i'll drain all the bowls with my funnel and hose

[Rocketman]

How long did you leave it, and was there enough fuel to overfill the float bowls?
I put a paper towel underneath the carbs to make sure I wasn't missing a tiny drip.  How large the drip is doesn't determine IF it will lock.  It determines how long it takes to lock.  Overnight is frequently sufficient even with the tiniest of drips through the float needle valves.
You also have to be sure there's enough fuel to fill and overflow the float bowls by a good bit.

It's possible you washed out some crud, but personally, I wouldn't bank on it.

What did you replace the petcock with?  (That's more a curiosity question than anything else)

Mark

[Pete]

Did  a Valkyrie last fall where the rusty tank had in fact caused 2 float valves to hang open.  
Reality always beats theory, every time.

[John U.]

So, I guess if the problem is rust in the tank, that means the petcock screen is not up to the job. Do yourself a favor, install a fuel filter.

[N0tac0p]

is there a particualr # for a fuel filter?  don't think you can just use any ol thing?

[DFragn]

is there a particualr # for a fuel filter?  don't think you can just use any ol thing?

Here's my test findings on 2 fuel filters [only].
I no longer believe the 'plastic' filter would of fractured.
Please regard these as simple findings & opinions.

[Pete]

Nothing wrong with doing a filter, BUT, fix the rust in the tank issue before it rust thru and starts dumping gas.

Replace tank  -  expensive, but best solution.
Remove rust and coat tank - works well if done right, takes real experience to get it right.
Remove rust and do not coat tank - fine except keep the tank full of fuel, which you should do anyway.

[NoWill]

Just for the sake of it...this is a copy of my post from July of '07....pertaining to the "filter," and all the talk about the size of the OEM fuel filter....enjoy or flame away....
Glenn

With all the talk about the dreaded hydrolock lately I thought I would share some of the thoughts and discussions derived from 1) Patrick and my drinking, 2) the VRCC archives, and 3) recent questions and comments posted on the tech board.

Hydrolock happens when fuel enters a cylinder while the engine is not running, and when the starter is engaged the liquid (fuel) cannot ne compressed...something has to give and unfortuantely in our beloved valks, this typically is the starter ring gear. Thus necessitating the engine to be removed for repair.

Ok, so what are the possible causes to allow fuel into a cylinder?

First and most important is the float bowl needle, if even the smallest piece of sand or crud finds its way to the needle seat, it will not seal and allow fuel into a cylinder. Even if the petcock is off there is still PLENTY of fuel left in the line to cause the problems.

Next is the petcock valve, OEM or aftermarket, they can fail. The OEM petcock is notorious for problems with it's ball and diaphram design...even when turned off, the diaphram can fail and allow fuel to flow....and, it's also possible for the fuel to "back leak" from the vacuum line at the petcock into #6 cylinder manifold. Much has been written about this poor design and I would venture to guess that perhaps 40% of us have switched to an aftermarket petcock.

Now we come to the fuel filter, perhaps the biggest problem. The OEM petcock fuel filter is a 40 micron filter...40 microns is a small piece of sand, and therefore if you have crud or sand in the tank from what ever source (bad fuel, rust, accidental sand intrusion) it is possible to pass thru the filter, into the fuel line, and be passed, burnt, spent thru the carb and cylinder without any trouble. But when that crud is in the right place at the WRONG time, and we turn off the engine, it can keep the float needle from sealing and BANG!.....next time you hit the starter your screwed!

Mark T posted this years go:

The fuel system has SIX carbs. Lots of opportunities for failure - the sand blocking any one of SIX float needles open. You need to EXPECT the float valves to fail if you don't do something to improve the petcock and fuel filtering situation. The stock system has THREE sequential valves to prevent the problem. 1. The vacuum petcock - can't pass gas if there's no engine vacuum. Unless it gets blocked open by sand, for instance. 2. The manual shutoff. You're supposed to shut this off when you turn off the key. If you don't, you're depending on the vacuum (assuming vacuum accuated petcock). 3. All 6 of the float valves. Don't count on these. If the other two barricades are failed, ANY ONE of these 6 valves with sand holding it open will result in hydrolock.

So what can be done? First, and perhaps most important, get a better fuel filter. This is easy to do, you'll want a good (10 micron or less) in-line filter installed after the petcock before the "T" at the carb bank....and USE the Manual shut off on what ever petcock you have...get into the habit!!! Patrick has developed a habit of "just tapping the starter button" as an effort to "check and see" if the bike has hydrolock, a quick push and release just may give warning via the "BIG CLANK" before any damage is done.

Perhaps the one of the best ways to protect against the potential probelm is with the belly tank and its fuel pump.