New member: 97' with starting problems after storage

[Farther]

Here is a good source for the clamps:  http://redeye.ecrater.com/p/14344948/7-mini-hose-clamps-for-valkyrie-happy

[gordonv]

 

There was a post maybe a year or more ago, with someone who took a can, strung it up, added a connector and a hose to the carbs. I couldn't find it, but that allowed him to supply fuel to the bike, while the tank was off.

You can do that after the petcock. Get the bike to run. Then work on the petcock after your kit comes in.

[Patrick]

I am waiting for a new petcock cover set to arrive. In the meantime I thought I would pull, clean and check the gap on all the plugs. I was wondering if could take a small container of fresh gas and connect it to the fuel intake hose and attempt a start. I thought drawing some fresh gas into the carbs and then pulling the drain plugs would be helpful, especially if there was some fuel conditioner in it. Maybe, I would also get lucky and get an actual start. What do you think ??? Also, I lost the small clamp on the vacuum hose. What is the chance a local auto parts store would have them?

Do you read the previous posts ? Like #36

[longrider]

I would run fuel into the hose as you suggested.  One thing that was mentioned in a post at the start of this thread and is good advice.... IF the carbs are drained for storage (as I do) the vacuum hose off number six must be removed and vacuum applied for at least a couple of minutes to let fuel  down into the bowls.   If this is not done it takes a long time to build vacuum on the starter and if the fuel finally gets there the battery may not have enough to fire the plugs.

warren

[Cappy]

Thanks for all the recent posts and tips. It's gonna get hot today here in Minnesota. Might hit 52 degrees F. So I am thinking of working outside and hooking up a alternate fuel supply and trying a start again. I did read reply # 36 earlier, but wasn't sure at that time how the vacuum issue would be resolved to get fuel into the carbs. I think I am clear on that now. So after I get some sunscreen on I will begin that project. I will continue to check on any new posts to see if any more advice comes in. Now, where's my Speedo?

[Gryphon Rider]

Now, where's my Speedo?

It's the white thing on the left.  Geez...some people need EVERYTHING explained! 
Just don't ask Stanley Steamer where HIS Speedo is!

[Cappy]

Well, that WAS funny! I'm thinking Stanley Steamer in a Speedo may not be such a sight as to match the view of the Canadian Rockies. But, who am I to say? 

[Cappy]

Hey. Exactly which one is #6 cylinder?

[Patrick]

Hey. Exactly which one is #6 cylinder?

Brake pedal side is/are #s 1,3,5 front to rear
Shift lever side is/are #s 2,4,6 front to rear

[Cappy]

Houston: We have ignition!!

Ran fresh gas into the the fuel intake tube and with a full choke on got a pretty quick start. Seemed to run fairly stong after I remembered to take the choke off. Seemed to be idleing in well, but i didn't want to push it. Just prior to start I pulled the carb drain plugs, and seemed to get good flow from each carb. I have some carb cleaner in the gas, and will let that sit until my petcock cover set arrives. I will let you all know what's up after, hopefully, a successful rebuild and start-up. Thanks to all who contributed advice up to this point. You guys almost made this fun.

[Bone]

 

[salty1]

[Cappy]

Just received my new petcock cover set. Will begin shortly, but don't remember seeing a small O-Ring when I took the petcock apart before. I will look more closely for it this time, but any advice as to where it goes might be helpful. Thanks.

[Bone]

The cover set I have is part # 16953-MBZ-B51

It doesn't have a O ring in the kit.

[Cappy]

My kit from K&l part#18-5018 is labled FCK-41 Petcock
repair kit. Just to my petcock apart again and see no O-ring. All new parts seem identical in every way to the originals, and seem to fit perfectly. Just came with an O-ring.

Question: the smaller rubber part that covers the small hole leading into the ball chamber is attached to the metal piece on one side of the middle section, and is attached to the diaphram on the other side THROUGH the hole, right??

[Ricky-D]

Could be the 'O'ring that goes with the screen up in the bung.

***

[Cappy]

Yes, it could be for that. My screen is still in the tank, but looks good as far as I can see. I had no signs of rust or debris when I drained my tank. At first I thought I had lost the screen, but it's in position, and resisted a minor attempt to remove it. So I left it alone. It does look like there is an O-ring there. Well, I just finished reassembling the petcock, and I think I have it right. With a long straw on the vacuum tube I can see the diaphram move. The straw also holds good vacuum against the tip of my tongue until I release it. I think that's a good sign. Tomorrow, I hope to put the tank back on, fill with fresh fuel and attempt a start. Is there anything else I should do or look for at his point?

[hubcapsc]

Yes, it could be for that. My screen is still in the tank, but looks good as far as I can see. I had no signs of rust or debris when I drained my tank. At first I thought I had lost the screen, but it's in position, and resisted a minor attempt to remove it. So I left it alone. It does look like there is an O-ring there. Well, I just finished reassembling the petcock, and I think I have it right. With a long straw on the vacuum tube I can see the diaphram move. The straw also holds good vacuum against the tip of my tongue until I release it. I think that's a good sign. Tomorrow, I hope to put the tank back on, fill with fresh fuel and attempt a start. Is there anything else I should do or look for at his point?

Whenever I manage to get the delicate diaphragms together without damaging them, and
the petcock passes the test you described it has always been good to go 

-Mike

[Cappy]

Yipee! Good to know. Hopefully, the Valkyrie will start and I can get a short ride in tomorrow. It's suppose  to maybe get up into the 50's, which ain't bad for Minnesota right now.

[Cappy]

I was thinking the same thing about the hose clamps, too. I only got a couple of gallons of 91 octane cuz it is suppose to alcohol free. I figured I would top the tank of with regular after I'm done spilling it all over. Also, hope to burn some up taking a little test ride as it hasn't be ridden in over two years.

[Patrick]

Some stations do have non-ethanol only in the high octane. If this monster hasn't been run in a couple years then I'd recommend mixing in some fuel additive like Sea-foam.

[Gryphon Rider]

I completely disagree with starting the bike up every week throughout the winter.  A lot of time and gas and wear and tear for no real benefit.  Fill the tank, add stabilizer, run the engine until you know treated gas is through your system.  If you want to empty the carbs, turn off the fuel and run it out of gas, or use the carb drains.  Change the oil and filter.  Pull the battery and fully charge it with a low current every 3-6 weeks or keep a smart maintenance charger on it constantly.  Clean, wax, and cover the bike until its spring debut ride.

[Ricky-D]

Yeah, I agree! 

That running the bike for a few minutes (or even more) can do no good and possibly harm things.

I like draining the carburetors so there is no possibility of fowling the jets or galleries.

If fuel is going to be left in the carburetors it would be beneficial to stand the bike upright.

***

[Cappy]

Well, it's been a good day & a bad day. The 97' started right off ater installing the fuel tank  and puttin in some fresh gas. Got a pretty good idle going once off choke,but had to shut down cuz fuel was running on the ground. A closer look revealed gas leaking from the switch side where the housing rivetts are. It was leaking strongly from the seams. Broke it all down and examined the petcock, and can not see what could be wrong. The new parts look good and in place, unless I have something backwards, etc. I took some pictures, but don't know how to post them.

Any ideas??

[HayHauler]

i threw all them little bitty hoseclamps away about 3 years ago, too hard to work with and most of the lines are vaccum lines so thay aint gonna fall off.

premium fuel might make you feel better but the valk was designed to use 87 octain regular, it runs better with it. going to premium DOES NOT give you hotter gas, quite the contrary, premium runs colder. i live at 4,00 ft. and regularly run 85 octain regular, valk runs great on it, but at all other elevations the bike wants 87 octaine.

+1 on losing the hose clamps.  I ran one on my fuel line for a while, but don't even use that one any longer.

Hay 
Jimmyt

[hubcapsc]

I'm going from memory, but this could be relavant to "leaking from the seams"...

When on the left side of the bike, the gas output should be at 9:00.

The weep hole should be at 6:00.

I've never put it back together any other way, but when I first rebuilt
a petcock I remember reading warnings about how easy it was to put
the layers together wrong...

Here's some pictures from the tech board:





-Mike

[Gryphon Rider]

Well, it's been a good day & a bad day. The 97' started right off ater installing the fuel tank  and puttin in some fresh gas. Got a pretty good idle going once off choke,but had to shut down cuz fuel was running on the ground. A closer look revealed gas leaking from the switch side where the housing rivetts are. It was leaking strongly from the seams. Broke it all down and examined the petcock, and can not see what could be wrong. The new parts look good and in place, unless I have something backwards, etc. I took some pictures, but don't know how to post them.

Any ideas??

I wonder if the leak only appears to be from that seam, but is actually from the o-ring that seals the valve to the tank; item 6 below.

[Cappy]

Thanks. These pictures are helpful, but it sure seems like I put it back together right. However, I will repeat the process with the aid of these pictures, and go from there. The picture with the arrow accurately shows where the fuel was leaking from. One more try, and then the new petcock idea seems logical.

[hubcapsc]

Thanks. These pictures are helpful, but it sure seems like I put it back together right. However, I will repeat the process with the aid of these pictures, and go from there. The picture with the arrow accurately shows where the fuel was leaking from. One more try, and then the new petcock idea seems logical.

Here's the thread that picture came from:

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,20617.0.html

[Hoser]

Well, it's been a good day & a bad day. The 97' started right off ater installing the fuel tank  and puttin in some fresh gas. Got a pretty good idle going once off choke,but had to shut down cuz fuel was running on the ground. A closer look revealed gas leaking from the switch side where the housing rivetts are. It was leaking strongly from the seams. Broke it all down and examined the petcock, and can not see what could be wrong. The new parts look good and in place, unless I have something backwards, etc. I took some pictures, but don't know how to post them.

Any ideas??

Yes, get rid of the junk oem petcock and get a simple manual petcock. I figured it out after three rebuilds of the oem.  Just remember to turn off the gas when yer done riding.  The bike will let you know if you forget to turn it on to leave.  I always turn off the gas about a mile before I get home.  Being a rider since the 60's, it's second nature to shut off and turn on the manual, when I ride.  Hoser

[Cappy]

The thread originally posted by JimL was an excellent presentation of petcock problem. I now believe the cover set repair fixed only half of the problem, and by fixing that, it only help reveal the second half of the problem, and the next weakest link. I like the determination and the cool fix presented here. Kudos for that. Wish I had a tap set. It will probably be a Pingle valve fix I go for, but as I am shopping for a used Utility vehicle to haul this Valk to Florida, a $120 petcock will have to wait. So I might try this fix, and hope for the best.
BTW: By coincidence, I had the opportunity to speak with a former 3M chemist, who also worked 5 years on a SAE petroleum standards project. I learned that Stabil is essentially a solvent with a extremely high anti-oxidant ability. It's main purpose is to arrest/slow the oxidation of the gasoline. However, it's solvent nature will breakdown any lacquers formed in the tank, which will eventually settlte elsewhere and gum things up, like in petcocks. There are no lubricity agents in Stabil. It is effective for it's limited purpose, but can be problematic as well, as it's anti-oxidant power diminishes.

[Gryphon Rider]

Wish I had a tap set.

You don't need a whole set.  Just get the tap size you want (M4 x 0.7 according to JimL's post linked to by hubcapsc above) and a small tap wrench.  Not expensive; probably under 10 or 15 bucks for both.

[custom1]

Yes, it could be for that. My screen is still in the tank, but looks good as far as I can see. I had no signs of rust or debris when I drained my tank. At first I thought I had lost the screen, but it's in position, and resisted a minor attempt to remove it. So I left it alone. It does look like there is an O-ring there. Well, I just finished reassembling the petcock, and I think I have it right. With a long straw on the vacuum tube I can see the diaphram move. The straw also holds good vacuum against the tip of my tongue until I release it. I think that's a good sign. Tomorrow, I hope to put the tank back on, fill with fresh fuel and attempt a start. Is there anything else I should do or look for at his point?

Based on your comment above, I think the leak could still be from the area of the o-ring. It has to be assembled correctly to seal. The screen has to be seated on the petcock and the o-ring around the edge of the screen. The fuel could be leaking there and running down and just appear to be leaking on the manual side of the petcock. All I'm saying is to check it and be sure before spending the $ on another petcock.

[Cappy]

Got ya. The original o-ring is seated well with the screen firmly in the tank. I hate to disturb it. Could I just add the new o-ring to the petcock, and therefore have two o-rings, and assemble that. Kinda of a double seal in effect.

[custom1]

No, you can't stack them.    The best thing is to have a new screen and o-ring and assemble it on the petcock and then put the whole assembly in the tank.

The reason I think it is leaking up there is, that is the area that was disturbed. The manual side of the petcock wasn't leaking before and shouldn't be now. But anything is possible.

[Ricky-D]

With the tank removed it ought to be pretty easy to determine exactly from where the gas is leaking.

***

[Cappy]

Nuts! I just preparred a reply and lost it on the preview. This is a common experience for me on this site.
Anyway, after my last post I examined and removed the screen from the tank. I was then aware of the folly of my comment about dual o-rings. I have since reassembled the new petcock covers, and cleaned and reinstalled the screen with the new o-ring. I believe the o-ring is now well seated, and was likely the problem of the fuel leak. I have not tested this yet, but I think this may be the source of the fuel leak. It does seem logical. I will give you an update ASAP.

[custom1]

I have lost posts before also. I believe it happens if you hit the "back" button before hitting the "post" button. 

[Cappy]

Ok, checking in after rebuilding fuel petcock and replacing tank screen o-ring. Reinstalled the tank and turned gas on, and attempted a start. The Valkyrie started fairly easily with just full choke on. It coughed & chugged a bit, which I expected, because it about 12-14 degrees F in the garage. I let it idle in slowly, and soon it was sounding pretty good. As I didn't have much fuel in the tank, it ran out of gas after about 10 minutes of idleing and stalled just as I was reaching to switch to reserve. There was no sign of fuel leaks UNTIL I switched to reserve and did a restart. I switched to off and the fuel leak seemed to stop as I shut the bike down. Crapp!! I was sure the leak was from the o-ring petcock connection before, but it is obviously not leaking there now. Also, it does not seem to be leaking from the rivited switch side of the  petcock. As soon as I noticed the fuel leak, and shut down, I retreated inside as I was freezing. So I am not sure where the leak is.Well, it least I know it is not electrical, ignition, or carb problems. I suppose it is on to a Pingle, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND what is happening. Any ideas??
PLEASE!!!!

[salty1]

Apparently one of the o-rings is out of place or just isn't doing the job.    Sorry!