Goo in the carbs. Problem with 10% ethanol

Message

Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:59 pm

I had to pull my carbs because the bike was bogging down a bit. I cracked them open to find a marmelade looking goo all over the inside. I thought I had it cleaned out pretty well but after putting them back on she doesn't quite have the power that she should at highway speeds in 5th/6th gear.

However, why do you think the goo appears? I have an inline fuel filter right before it hits the carbs and I didn't catch anything there. Is this a problem with using a gas with 10% ethanol?? I've heard this can happen when you have ALOT of ethanol in the miz and you don't ride often but I ride the bike at the very least every other day.

ofblong · #2 Unread post by **ofblong** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 3:58 pm

hows your spark plugs? Is there a ticking sound? Hows the oil reseviour? Hows the air filter (assuming its fine since you should have had to take it off when you cleaned the carbs).

Seca Girl · #3 Unread post by **Seca Girl** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 4:00 pm

Sea Foam. It works.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpTechGas.htm

Just about any parts shop has it. Autozone or Carquest is closest for me.

Add one ounce per gallon with each fill up, and you'll never get carb varnish again.

Seriously.

Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:18 am

ofblong wrote:hows your spark plugs? Is there a ticking sound? Hows the oil reseviour? Hows the air filter (assuming its fine since you should have had to take it off when you cleaned the carbs).

Not sure how this comes into play, but plugs look good, no ticking sound, oil seems fine and is at the right level and the air filter was ok. Actually... why would I be looking at these for this problem?

"seca girl" wrote:Add one ounce per gallon with each fill up, and you'll never get carb varnish again.

It wasnt' carb varnish. It had the appearance and consistency of jelly/marmelade . Other than that the carbs were clean as a whistle

TechTMW · #5 Unread post by **TechTMW** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 6:03 am

Ethanol. If you can, avoid the stuff. It wreaks havoc on engines that weren't designed for it (i.e. older bikes)

Mon Sep 18, 2006 6:30 am

Yeah, unfortunately in all the gas around here.

sharpmagna · Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:13 am

storysunfolding wrote:Yeah, unfortunately in all the gas around here.

Yeah tell me about it. My bike started acting like crap recently though I'm not 100% sure if it was because it is getting a little colder or because of the 10% ethanol they've added to all the gas around here. Well, I threw in some Techron with a tank of gas and a couple tanks later the bike doesn't have a hesitation at around 3500rpm to 4500rpm. I'll have to keep an eye on it to see if it creeps back up.

A magazine recently did a story on how ethanol affects bikes. I have it at home but haven't got a chance to read the story. I'll see if I can scan and post it.

sharpmagna · Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:13 am

storysunfolding wrote:Yeah, unfortunately in all the gas around here.

Yeah tell me about it. My bike started acting like crap recently though I'm not 100% sure if it was because it is getting a little colder or because of the 10% ethanol they've added to all the gas around here. Well, I threw in some Techron with a tank of gas and a couple tanks later the bike doesn't have a hesitation at around 3500rpm to 4500rpm. I'll have to keep an eye on it to see if it creeps back up.

A magazine recently did a story on how ethanol affects bikes. I have it at home but haven't got a chance to read the story. I'll see if I can scan and post it.

flynrider · #9 Unread post by **flynrider** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:32 pm

A lot of 70s and 80s era bikes have problems with ethanol. It's not really the engine designs, it's the fuel system components that can be a problem. I've seen similar problems on old cars, bikes and airplanes that got a dose of 10% ethanol in the gasoline.

The main problem I've seen in in the fuel lines and older composite floats. The ethanol begins to break them down and it looks like they're melting. When my old '80 Kawasaki first tasted gasahol, the 1/4" rubber fuel line from the tank swelled up like a hot dog.

I'd swap out the fuel line for some modern alcohol resistant hose. Also, if you're floats are composite, see if you can find an alcohol safe alternative.

Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:53 pm

I just replaced the fuel lines in the process of checking this all out (they were fugly in hard to get to places, but I went there anyway). My floats looked ok, but I guess I'll have to look at them again. They were a similar color to the jelly but they didn't look melted. just plastic.