Dammit

[Dr. Mordo]

Well I got my bike back together today, and it pretty much fired right up.  It was sitting there idling and then just died, and would not restart.  I thought it wasn't getting gas, but eventually I tried shooting a bit of starting fluid into the airbox and it still wouldn't catch.  Can you guys think of a reason why it would stop sparking as it was running?

[JetdocX]

Out of gas?

Fuel cock off?  I've never done that! :roll:

[TigerTrax]

Well... you have carbs... that means a Steamer... what year?

If it was running fine then started getting worse.... Pull the tank.
Set up a temporary gas line to the motor from the fuel valve ... after you have cleaned it

1. Open your float bowl drains and see if you have gas in all three.
    If so... you know you're getting gas.... but if your floats are out of adj... you may be getting too much.

2. Fuel valve/filters:
    Clean the fuel valve & filters. Place an in-line clear filter just beneath the fuelvalve; Trace the fuel line to the carbs and pull the filter down there and toss it!

3. Check your Vent lines/filters under the tank.
If you get the motor running again  ... let it run for awhile; Shut it down;
Open your gas tank..... if it sucks in air when you open it... you have a venting problem... perhaps right around the gas cap...

4. Check your throttle cable ...look for kinks and easy operation.

I'm certain Mustang will pipe in....

[Dr. Mordo]

I have 96 Steamer.  It hasn't run in three years as far as I can tell.  However, I got it running about 3 weeks ago and rode it around the block with no problems.  Then the sprag went out again (see the other thread for details) and I had to tear into it again.

Tigertrax, I appreciate the help, but I've already done most of it.  The float bowls were really dirty, so I pulled everything out of the bowl and cleaned it.  I pulled the inline fuel filter and replaced it with a normal inline filter.  I haven't checked the vent lines, but it seems like it needs to be running for me to check them?

I really appreciate the suggestions.  I'll let you know if I figure it out.

[Mustang]

does it have spark ? check to see if it has anything at the plugs . A gas problem won't just suddenly happen it will run like total shit b4 it dies , a spark problem will usually happen all at once , does it start again after it cools off ?

If you have indeed lost the spark there are two places to look
1. the ignition pick up sensor (located on rh side under cover on crankshaft end) these are known to fail on steamers and they are about 70 bucks . I always keep a spare on hand (have to keep two steamers running) The symptoms of this failing are "it was running great and just died "  , "after I wait 15 or 20 minutes it starts right up" , then dies again after it starts to warm up " Been there done that on 95 and 98 steamers

2. the igniter box  , or as americans we call it the ICU or ECU , they have a whole circuit board full of diodes and transistors and when it dies it will cost you about 700 bucks , unless you get lucky and have a transistor go bad and can relace it with one from radio shack for 3 bucks ( the transistor not the igniter ) Been there done that on a 95

3. I know I only said two places , but the coils suck so bad on a steamer that they usually need replacing around 25-30 k for mileage .
NOLOGY is your friend and half the price of stock Gill POS . again been there done that on my 98

Gill makes the electric components for triumph and they  seem to be just slightly better than the old lucas stuff

[iansoady]

If it won't start or even cough it's almost certainly ignition rather than fuel.

[Cafe Central]

Another possible cause:

Water in the tank and the carbs. If the carbs are filled with a mixture of fuel and water you might still be able to have the engine idling, but once you open the throttle you get plain water.

Drain the float bowls and also some content of the tank (from 'reserve' position) and see if the liquid separates into fuel and water.

Causes:
- clogged drain tube at the filler neck, rainwater will enter through the vent
- increased condensation with cold ambient temperatures at night

Usually once per year I check the drain tube at the filler neck and also relieve the lowest portion of liquid from the tank; each time I will  find a small amount of water. Learned it a while ago when I couldn't start the engine anymore after filling the tank - finally suspected the mixture was not pure gas, but only after spending days on the electric components.

Good luck...

[nightrunner]

25-30k????    My coils failed at 3k.   Heck, Lucas would be an upgrade.  The bike (a 98 ) ran fine when I put it away for the winter and few years back, then ran like crap when I started it up the following spring.  I wasted a lot of time looking for carb problems (I found those too).  Yup, a proactive switch to Nology, or IMHO the TT600 coils (which eliminate the plug wires too).  

For those who may not know, its easy to look for spark.  Pull a plug and stick it back in the boot.  Then rest the threaded end on the engine somewhere.  Do not do this if there are gas fumes present and have an extinguisher nearby just in case.   Anyway if it safe then hit the starter and you should see nice blue spark.  You'll actually be lucky if there is no spark.  Steamer coils tend to fail intermittantly, or they work fine cold and start to fail as it warms up.

Anyway good luck.

[Dr. Mordo]

Ok.  Late last night I pulled a plug and it was black with carbon.  Today I bought new plugs and it fired right up.  

To my mind, this means the carbs might be pissing gas into the engine. However, no black smoke, and it seems like it's idling pretty well (it's got a miss, but it isn't too bad).  I did notice that at one point I left the fuel on while I was tinkering and it very quickly started leaking gas from the not tightened down airbox sleeve.

Another thought is that because I've pulled the engine twice maybe a bunch of oil got on the plugs and fouled them.

What do you guys think?  

BTW, I definitely plan to go for the Nologys.  First I need basics like chain/sprockets, tires/tubes, and probly a carb rebuild.

Once again, I really appreciate all the help.  You guys rock.

[JetdocX]

I did the Nology coils.  Along with a bunch of other work, but...WOW!  No more dead spots in the power band.  This thing pulls from clutch release to rev limiter.

Starts faster, too in cold weather.

I have no comment on gas mileage until I run a few tanks through.

[Mustang]

I did notice that at one point I left the fuel on while I was tinkering and it very quickly started leaking gas from the not tightened down airbox sleeve.


What do you guys think?  

.

You have a sticking float or float needle on one of the three carbs and unless you correct it by cleaning out the float bowls it will come back to bite you in the ass . Mine flooded the engine so bad one time from a stuck float that I had to change the oil ! It had over a gallon of gas in the oil  :shock:
I have found that the ethanol blended fuel (the only thing we can get at the pump )that we get in NH sucks big time , it has a lot of moisture in it and turns everything in the float bowls a nice shitty brown color .

[Dr. Mordo]

I rode the bike a bit today,and it's running so well I am thinking about putting off the rebuild and just cleaning the needle and seat to stop the leak.

The rear tire is 10 years old, and the rear brakes are grinding metal, but the bike wants to go!  I just ran around the block and got it up to 60mph, but the bike wanted more.

I really appreciate the help guys.  I'm stoked about my steamer.

[JetdocX]

That 10 year-old tire and bad brakes could really put a crimp in your summer riding.

Just sayin'.

[Dr. Mordo]

They'll be fixed before he bike gets ridden for real.  I find it hard to resist a spin around the block, but my 30 min ride to work will have to wait for new tires and brakes.

I'm too paranoid about dying to hit the interstate on two 7+ year old tires and no rear brakes.

[CBAT]

I think  I have this same problem. I flood and leak fuel unless I shut off the petcock. What parts are needed to do the fix?

I did notice that at one point I left the fuel on while I was tinkering and it very quickly started leaking gas from the not tightened down airbox sleeve.


What do you guys think?  

.

You have a sticking float or float needle on one of the three carbs and unless you correct it by cleaning out the float bowls it will come back to bite you in the ass . Mine flooded the engine so bad one time from a stuck float that I had to change the oil ! It had over a gallon of gas in the oil  :shock:
I have found that the ethanol blended fuel (the only thing we can get at the pump )that we get in NH sucks big time , it has a lot of moisture in it and turns everything in the float bowls a nice shitty brown color .