fuel leak/ no cold start

DR Roberts · 10-29-2015, 04:02 PM

Okay, so I've searched around the forum and I'm not seeing an answer to my question yet so here goes...
I have a small fuel leak that seems to be coming from the carb itself, it doesn't seem to be any of the hoses or their connections. It seems to coat the sides of the carb and eventually run down and drip onto the engine. What could be causing this? I had a mechanic do a full carb clean about 1,000 miles ago after I rescued it from a long term storage. I noticed the leak developing about 300 miles ago.
Also, it will not start when the temp is below 50 degrees! I have a new battery and I keep it on a tender overnight. Get up on a chilly morning for work, no go. Came home from work, warm afternoon, started right up. Next morning, same thing. Gave it a downhill pop start and it fired right up. What could this mean? Are these two issues related? Before I pay the big bucks for a mechanic again, figured I'd see what y-all thought. P.S. I am running seafoam @ 1oz.per gallon every other tank.

blaine · 10-29-2015, 04:33 PM

Have the valves been adjusted? Tight valves will cause starting issues.Also if the carb is set very lean it will cause cold start problems.Sounds like your leak may be seeping from fuel line.

spldart · 10-29-2015, 08:57 PM

Carb leak.
Primary possibility is what blaine said.
Secondary is bad seal bowl to carb body. (rubber gasket in groove on bowl bad?)
Third. Expensive mechanic didn't set float right?
Forth. Some crap in rescued gas tank fouled the needle seat seal and now gas seeps constantly?

All these causes can cause run ability issues. Though they usually effect all temp starts...

The thing with cold starts, the colder the more the issue, is getting the mixture fat enough and a
a bit more of that rich mixture by volume.

Engine static ambient temp warm day start.... Do you use choke?

If it's 78 degrees or warmer out and I want to start my bike dead cold I just crack the throttle and crank.
No choke. It just springs to life.

DR Roberts · 10-31-2015, 11:38 AM

I have never had any valve adjustments done, I am not entirely sure what that means, would have to have a mechanic do this. Same thing probably with carb adjustments. Typically, I don't need much, if any choke to start when it's warm out (above 60) between 50 and 60, half to full choke and some throttle to keep it running till it warms up then it settles down and runs fine. Is there a way to tell if my choke is working right? When I had the carb serviced, the mechanic said he took off the tank and drained it. He said he saw no signs of rust or deposits. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but my instincts make me feel like maybe the service was less than thorough, so the gasket on the carb seems possible. I really don't think any lines are leaking. It only seems to leak when it's running, so maybe. So far, I have tried to clean everything off the carb and engine when it"s warm and then while it's running try to visually hunt for the leak but with no success. Currently looking for a Suzuki mechanic in my area instead of a Harley snob! Thanks for the input guys, I'll let you know how it works out...

raul10141964 · 10-31-2015, 08:03 PM

choke cable may be broken

spldart · 11-01-2015, 05:25 PM

Leaking only while running just says that the leak is past the petcock. It shuts off fuel flow when there is no vacuum applied by the running engine. (smaller line between engine and petcock)

10-29-2015, 04:02 PM	#1
DR Roberts Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 7	fuel leak/ no cold start Okay, so I've searched around the forum and I'm not seeing an answer to my question yet so here goes... I have a small fuel leak that seems to be coming from the carb itself, it doesn't seem to be any of the hoses or their connections. It seems to coat the sides of the carb and eventually run down and drip onto the engine. What could be causing this? I had a mechanic do a full carb clean about 1,000 miles ago after I rescued it from a long term storage. I noticed the leak developing about 300 miles ago. Also, it will not start when the temp is below 50 degrees! I have a new battery and I keep it on a tender overnight. Get up on a chilly morning for work, no go. Came home from work, warm afternoon, started right up. Next morning, same thing. Gave it a downhill pop start and it fired right up. What could this mean? Are these two issues related? Before I pay the big bucks for a mechanic again, figured I'd see what y-all thought. P.S. I am running seafoam @ 1oz.per gallon every other tank. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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10-29-2015, 04:33 PM	#2
blaine Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: P.E.I. Canada Posts: 3,784	Have the valves been adjusted? Tight valves will cause starting issues.Also if the carb is set very lean it will cause cold start problems.Sounds like your leak may be seeping from fuel line. __________________ If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised.
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10-29-2015, 08:57 PM	#3
spldart Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Stafford, Texas Posts: 604	Carb leak. Primary possibility is what blaine said. Secondary is bad seal bowl to carb body. (rubber gasket in groove on bowl bad?) Third. Expensive mechanic didn't set float right? Forth. Some crap in rescued gas tank fouled the needle seat seal and now gas seeps constantly? All these causes can cause run ability issues. Though they usually effect all temp starts... The thing with cold starts, the colder the more the issue, is getting the mixture fat enough and a a bit more of that rich mixture by volume. Engine static ambient temp warm day start.... Do you use choke? If it's 78 degrees or warmer out and I want to start my bike dead cold I just crack the throttle and crank. No choke. It just springs to life. Login or Register to Remove Ads Last edited by spldart; 10-29-2015 at 09:01 PM.
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10-31-2015, 08:03 PM	#5
raul10141964 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Elkhart, Indiana Posts: 369	choke cable may be broken Login or Register to Remove Ads
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10-31-2015, 11:38 AM	#4
DR Roberts Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 7	I have never had any valve adjustments done, I am not entirely sure what that means, would have to have a mechanic do this. Same thing probably with carb adjustments. Typically, I don't need much, if any choke to start when it's warm out (above 60) between 50 and 60, half to full choke and some throttle to keep it running till it warms up then it settles down and runs fine. Is there a way to tell if my choke is working right? When I had the carb serviced, the mechanic said he took off the tank and drained it. He said he saw no signs of rust or deposits. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but my instincts make me feel like maybe the service was less than thorough, so the gasket on the carb seems possible. I really don't think any lines are leaking. It only seems to leak when it's running, so maybe. So far, I have tried to clean everything off the carb and engine when it"s warm and then while it's running try to visually hunt for the leak but with no success. Currently looking for a Suzuki mechanic in my area instead of a Harley snob! Thanks for the input guys, I'll let you know how it works out...
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11-01-2015, 05:25 PM	#6
spldart Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Stafford, Texas Posts: 604	Leaking only while running just says that the leak is past the petcock. It shuts off fuel flow when there is no vacuum applied by the running engine. (smaller line between engine and petcock)
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