Help. My Carb Overflowed! :( PS I'm back :( By straightbangin (Read 1,428 times)

[straightbangin]

Hey guys, I'm back after not posting for about a year! I just let my scooter sit for a year. I got thing thing running after a ton of problems but after the nut went into the engine area (when I was last adjusting my valves) I was afraid to drive it. I'm back to missing my scooter and not being afraid to drive it.

I pulled the cover off, cleaned it up, adjusted the valves, charged the battery, drained the gas tank, ran some straight seafoam through the tank and line then some new gas so it wasn't just straight sea foam in there.

Then came the moment of truth after the battery was charged... time to start it up and try to get and keep it running so I can adjust the carb and hopefully be riding by tonight....

I primed some gas into the carb directly, tried to start it a couple times, it didn't turn over. I didn't try for more than a couple seconds each time. I primed a little more gas into the carb, and then noticed I didn't turn the gas on ( not sure if you remember I installed a manual fuel switch into my 50cc chinese scooter) so I turned it on and tried to start it again, didn't start the first try, 2nd try it started but wanted to stop, didn't sound too bad so I figured I could just give it a little gas and try to keep it running for a bit, my hopes were up at this point then things took a turn for the worse... I was about to give it a little gas when I looked down and noticed that fuel was flowing out of the short hose on the side of the carb (the one that doesn't hook up to anything) i guess its a vent or something. It seems the carb filled up with fluid. I quickly shut the scooter off and turned the gas line to off.

Any ideas? Sigh...


Update/Edit: I just googled the problem and it brought me to an old ScooterDoc link saying this problem can be caused by the float in the carb sticking ( which can be due to it sitting so long) If this is the case, can I check and fix this without taking the whole damn carb off ( its such a pain in the arse to get back on lol.

2nd Update/Edit: Thinking about it, if the float is sticking due to it sitting so long the jets prob need to be cleaned too. I cant remember if this is possible without removing the whole carb also.

[Alleyoop]

HEY!! Welcome back, last we heard from you I think you were getting hitched so that is why we assumed you put the scoot away.

But for your problem yea leaving it sit for a year or more without starting it the carb is all varnished up and what not. But you can try loosening the clamps and turning the carb either on its side or upside down to get the bowl off and clean the sucker out. Remember get a Spray can of Carb Cleaner they come with a long thin straw that you can use to stick in the jet holes. So take the jets out clean them then stick the straw in the hole and clean out the passages then put the jets back in and hope for the best.
Alleyoop

[straightbangin]

who me get married ? Never! Lol. glad I probably don't have to take the whole thing out . Thanks Alley. I have carb cleaner and the straw. I know to be careful with that stuff after it took the paint off the driveway last time. Oops :-P

[royldoc]

Hey lady, welcome back. Alley is right the carb. is probably all varnished up and the float valve is stuck open. You can try cleaning it like he said, but if you don't get all the varnish out of the bowl area little chunks may come loose and plug up the jets later. Good luck.

Roy

[mike6736]

straightbangin..... Welcome back... It is a bummer to pull the carb off but it is also the best way to handle the cleaning of a year of sitting. Hey!! Try doing it the way the Rabbit said if ya wanna maybe just get out and ride a little, than take it off and do it right. That handle you go by just Kills me

Magoo

[straightbangin]

Thanks guys. Ok I cleaned the carb well and put it back together on the scooter last night and that was it for yesterday. Today I did not even try to prime any gas into the carb since I did yesterday and I wanted to see if it started without the priming. It started right away it but I had to hold on the throttle to keep it running it stopped a couple of times so I turned the idle screw up a bit and it stayed running. I finished adjusting the carb but didn't even try to take off on the scooter because I saw a little bit of oil splashing out of the valve cover. maybe I shouldn't say splashing out more like misting out but it concerned me so I stopped the scooter. and that is where I am right now .over all the start and idle seemed really good but I don't know what's up with this oil coming out of the valve cover. Ideas? Thanks

[royldoc]

Depending on where the oil is misting/leaking. It is most likely the gasket is bad. It fits in a groove around the face of the cover. some times they do not stay in the groove, then when you tighten the cover it pinches the gasket. Or it may have just dried out and is cracked. It may be misting out of the crank case vent tube where it connects to the cover also. this is an L-shaped fitting with a rubber hose attached to it.

Roy

[straightbangin]

Ya I don't think the cover is on that tight, could be the gasket, ill check it out, but I think what my question is.. is oil supposed to be in there? lol. I don't remember seeing oil in the cover before so I want to make sure its not going some place its not supposed to. thanks!!

PS its coming out of the top of the valve cover


UPDATE/EDIT: ok the gasket is fine but the cover wasn't even remotely on tight.... you know how sometimes you dont put things back on that tight if you think you may have to take it off again? well i just screwed the bolts shut with my fingers and not even tight at that. i didnt realize liquid could/would come out of there. there wasnt more than a little bit of oil in the cover when i took it off. i wonder if that is all it was, just the cover not on tight. im tightening it up now and going to start her , i mean him up and see what happens


UPDATE/EDIT: Scooter started fine, stopped once had to restart and lightly give it gas for a couple minute to warm it up. Let throttle go and it stayed at a good idle for a couple more minutes. I popped the seat on and tried to take off, it would not go more than 5mph because if i gave it more gas (tried to get it to 7mph or 10mph) it would lag, and threaten to die, so i rode it 5mph around the block, after that i started to give it a little more gas to see if it would actually die and it didnt it started going faster so i hoped it was just giving me crap at fist because i had not driven it in a long time, finally i was able to get it up to 10, then 20mph then i smelled gas, looked back and saw a trail of liquid behind me and i knew one of the gas lines blew

(remember i installed a manual fuel shut off line from the tank) and ive been having problems keeping one of the fittings tight so i knew thats what it was. right now im keeping a gas can at home and not having more than 1/4 of a tank full at a time so i just let it leak out all over the street before hitting my driveway LOL

i was happy the scooter seemed to be running normal and not stalling or acting weird when i came to a complete stop, so now although its annoying it seems i have only one more fix and i dont know how to fix it. any suggestions would be helpful. this is a photo i just took:



This one attachment was starting to leak a little so I decided to get out the blue, silicone gasket stuff that says it is oil and gas proof. I bought it a year ago but didnt use it. I put it on there good, sealing the hose to the filter. Apparently this blue crap failed. Dont mind what a mess i made with the blue stuff. The problem is the silver clamp... i cant get it tight enough to really grip onto the little nipple at the end of the fuel filter. i dont know what i can do to make it fit tight. I need something gas proof. Im wondering if i should put the blue stuff on the nipple? or electrical tape around it then fit it in then blue stuff over that? It seems to fit tight as hell on the other side of the filter but maybe that is a different brand of hose? ill have to look and see what hoses i have maybe ill need a dif kind of hose that will fit tight to the filter and then a coupling between the hoses? Ideas? Thanks!

[tvnacman]

Welcome back Shannon ! Sorry to here your having trouble .

May I ask you let it sit a year and now your back to it . Change of heart ?


John

[tvnacman]

Cut the hose end and reconnect . Clean the barb of the fuel filter .

John

[straightbangin]

thanks. It was time to pay the registration on the scooter again so i figured i may as well drive it than let it sit.

the prob is that the hose that goes from the gas tank to the filter it just a little too big for it to fit snug on the filter. I had to get some weird sort of sizes to make it run from the tank's nipple down. it doesnt get into sizes the scooter comes with as far as fuel hoses until right after the filter .

for some reason the end of the hose with all the blue all over it looks a little stretched/gummy/beat up and not sure why since its a hose made for fuel but i think thats the only reason why the other hose i have will fit in it

video:

[royldoc]

It is hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like you have a 1/2 inch hose and are trying to clamp it on a filter that has a 1/4 inch barb.You need to get a fitting/barb that is 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch and a short piece of 1/4 inch hose. they should have those at the auto parts store or hardware store. Or you can get a smaller tube and put on the filter barb and slip the 1/2 inch hose over it then it will clamp tight.

Roy

[straightbangin]

not sure if you saw the vid: since u posted pretty much when i did

that makes sense. i remember having a hard time finding a fitting that would fit last time i went to the auto parts store. there is only one on the beach with a crap selection and they dont speak english there LOL. i think im going to try the 2nd thing you suggested. its just a matter of how far i can get the smaller hose into the bigger hose and will it get a good tight clamp. i dont think its a half inch, its some weird size between 1/4 and half inch, i dunno, maybe. lol. i got it online from like china lol. but im going to try , if that fails plan " B" can be the first thing you suggested with trying to find the right fitting thanks.

UPDATE:

I just looked, and noticed the bigger hose says 1/4" on it, it just seems thicker and less pliable than what seems to be the smaller hose. I was hoping that blue gasket, gas proof stuff would hold up amazing, kind of like gorilla glue thats gas proof but i guess not. im really trying to jam the what looks like the smaller hose into what looks like the bigger hose but it wont go that far, its only fitting because the bottom is warped. if this blue stuff held up better id feel more confident about it all LOL. wonder if i should jam it in there, clamp, blue stuff then black electrical tape over that LOL. sometimes chicks get crazy ideas when they just want s**t to hold LOL!

sorry im rambling guys, too much caffeine. im going to start with clamps/zip ties and go from there, see how it holds before i get into gorilla tactics

UPDATE:

I just went around the block and not a single drop leaked so thats good but its back to not letting me go over 5mph or it will die. Still idles fine at stop signs etc, wont cut out. The last time this happened i was told could be an air filter problem or a carb needs cleaning problem. It turned out to be that the carb needed cleaning. I just cleaned the carb so im wondering if its an air filter problem. It did sit for a year outside, where although covered, the monthly yard maintenance guys for my apartment's property did have a blower and im wondering if some junk could have gotten blown into the air filter.

ideas? im calling this quits soon since i dont want to be working on this past noon today. want to enjoy the rest of my day off

[royldoc]

Ok, if it is 1/4 inch hose it should work. The barb on the filter may be 3/16 inch. Do like John said clean the goop off then trim a little of the hose try to get it flat on the end. The clamp also looks a little to far on the hose. Try to get it closer to the end. If the clamp screw has a hex head on it use a wrench instead of a screwdriver. But beware that if you try to get it to tight the clamp may strip out.

Roy

[straightbangin]

If I trimmed the end, it woudnt go in at all. the hose is only fitting in the bigger looking hose because the end is stretched out and kind of gummy. i would barely go in the end but it did and I did put the clamp way closer to the end. the fact that it is kind of gummy seemed to help create its own seal. I didnt know clamps could strip out, good to know. i got it tight but not so tight it was cutting off gas flow. it seems to be holding, no drips, its just a problem with not letting me go more than 5mph now without trying to die or dieing if i give it more gas, even very carefully. thanks for your help!