sudden "flooding" of carburetor

A reference for the PWK carbs...
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rofti
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sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by rofti »

My kdx200 just had the top end done and the carburetor cleaned by someone who should know what he is doing. I have used it for a tank and a half since then. The motor ran fine and the carburetor cause d no problems. "Suddenly" the bike acted as if it was running out of petrol. Spluttering and dying. When I get it running, it would bog down as I open the throttle wide. It would run - just - just off idle. This is sudden. I also saw that it dripped fuel from the overflow, as it did just before I took it in for the major work.

When I open up the throttle and attempt to go faster, it bogs down and dies.

Is this issue documented? Can it be the carburetor going off in 1 hour of riding? I am riding it very slowly, mostly training "the practical wheelie" so I assume that the plug will foul. There is no space to ride fast or have full throttle for a long period of time. Can it be a dirty petrol filter? (This bike has one...)

I obviously need to take it in to be worked on but I would like to know lest I be taken for a ride (!) by a technician who does not know where to start looking.

Much obliged, squires.
John_S
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Re: sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by John_S »

If it sounds like its running out of gas I would check the fuel flow first. If you're running it on "on", switch it to reserve and see if that makes a difference. You can also pull the fuel line and check that you have a steady flow in the on and reserve settings.

The second thing I'm thinking is a piece of dirt in the pilot jet or the pilot circuit.
The same thing happened to my KDX suddenly while riding. It ended up being a piece of dirt in the pilot jet. Blowing it out with compressed air fixed it.

The third thing could be a air leak causing it to run lean, but I bet its a clogged pilot.
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Re: sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by KDXGarage »

In no certain order:

carb cleanliness
float needle valve condition / sealing
fuel level

Do you use ethanol?

How long was it from when you mixed the fuel to when you had the issue?
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rofti
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Re: sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by rofti »

It sounds exactly as if it is running out of fuel - like when you need to switch from "on" to "reserve". I recall that it did so in "on" and "reserve"...

I will pull the pipes to check the flow.

I run on normal petrol station fuel.

The top was done and the carburetor was cleaned by a boffin about an hour ago so the carburetor should be clean and in decent condition. I have to believe that the job was done well and there is no air leak.

I mixed the fuel about 20 - 30km ago.

Thank you, gentlemen. I have direction.
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Re: sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by KDXGarage »

What is a boffin??

DO NOT use carburetor dip on a PWK carburetor. It eats the jet block gasket. We have tons of threads here on "jet block gasket".

It is possible that something clogged a passage since cleaning. Any little dirt or grit and those little passages can cause big trouble. There are a few of us that have cleaned a carb to soon have to reclean it.
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rofti
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Re: sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by rofti »

"Boffin" is an expert in a specific discipline. In this case, the mechanic. It seems that the most probable cause is dirt. The bike has a fuel filter. Hopefully the blockage is there. It is a quicker fix.
rofti
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Re: sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by rofti »

I have resolved my problem (or at least one of them). I have been doing a lot of slow speed "enduro cross training". Another boffin suggested that the plug is just wet. So, I kicked it today with no effect, swopped the plug out and "broooom". I will make a point of burning all that spooge off. Thank you, gentlemen.
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Re: sudden "flooding" of carburetor

Post by Molly's 70 »

I always clean the cob webs out of my bike before I do any serious riding & if you do slower riding for awhile, you have to clean them out! Turn that throttle a little farther more often.
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