Yayyyy its alive!....and now its dead....AGAIN!!?

[Hellbilly429]

Wow that is a horrid amount of water in there, how'd that happen?? How's the bike doing now?

[slownugly007]

I have no idea!? It kinda freaked me out when I first saw it in the fuel filter cuz it resembled oil and I couldn't for the life of me figure out where clear oil came from.

I decided that my bike probably doesn't run too well on water so I drained the tank dry, blew air through it to dry it out the best I could and drained the carbs completely. Then I put two fuel filters inline. It was showing a lot of crap in the bowls so now I have one right after the petcock and right after the accelerator pump before the carbs. I filled the tank full with 87 gas, was running 93 (read 93 produces a slower burn and with these bikes lower octane burned better so figured it couldnt hurt), and I had only been running about a gallon at a time so maybe this had something to do with all the crap and water cuz I was running the "bottom of the barrel" in my tank??

After I got the tank filled up and bolted back on, I filled the carbs with gas and opened each drain screw to let them flow out as much new gas and crap that it could. I hit the starter and it fired up! I was a little hesitant to whether or not I fixed it and i still am. It was late last night and only got to ride it around a little, but it ran good with no cut outs or anything!? I was going to ride it in to work this morning, but figured I better take it for a good test run before I try to go anywhere that I need to be on time.

So I believe Ive got it fixed (knock on wood), but I will know for sure tonight when i get out of work. Thanks for everyones advice!! Ill update when I get it out today

[LukeM]

Maybe Slow (or the previous owner) was working on a water injection system to boost horsepower.  They used it a LOT on the WW2 piston engine bombers: mixing water/methanol with WOT was the method. If you're interested, follow this link.

However, I know from experience that our little motors (cars, lawn mowers, motorcycle engines) do not like water in their fuel systems.  You probably just got a batch of bad gas.  You might want to mention it to the station who sold it to you, but I'm thinking the minimum wage mutant behind the 2" thick plexiglas windows won't be able to do anything about it.  

As far as the octane issue goes, assuming your bike is in stock configuration, use whatever gas rating the manual recommends.  As the chromed-ribbed one said, listen for pinging and knocking on acceleration.  Occasional knocks and pings are OK, but if it does it all the time, move up one grade.

My Shadow runs well on 87.  Your experience may vary.
Luke M

[sgtslag]

Another thing to do would be to run the proper amount of SeaFoam through your fuel system, to dry it out, and to dissolve any light varnish deposits within it.  Wal-Mart sells it for around $9 per can.  It will absorb water, dissolve varnish, and stabilize the gas for up to 12 months.  I try to run it through the fuel system every month, during the riding season, as a preventative measure.

I would also recommend adding it to the crankcase, once every 20,000-40,000 miles.  It will dissolve carbon deposits, varnish, and other crud, which will be captured by the oil filter.  Check the oil color before, add it, then run it for five minutes, either riding, or on the centerstand, shifting through all gears, to thoroughly flush the transmission, too.  Check the oil:  when it turns black, change it, and the filter.  Cheers!

[shinyribs]

Running a tank with only a gallon or so of gas in it can cause that. Especially if the bike is kept indoors (cool) then brought out in to the sun ( warm)= sweat/condensation inside the tank. The heat from the motor doesn't help either.I've also pulled my bike out of the barn ,where the heat was on, in to the winter air outside and watched the outside of the tank sweat within several seconds.You could see the fuel level precisely! It really doesnt take much! Our trailered race cars were famous for that. We learned real quick to just keep 'em full. Fuel won't sweat,but a lot of empty sheet metal will!

[slownugly007]

ITS BACK!!!! I rode it for a good hour last night with ZERO issues at all! It felt great to ride again. It amazes me how aggravated you can get with something, but then that first second after you fix it and ride it with no problems, you think to yourself..."hmmm that wasnt THAT bad?? lol You gotta love it, I guess these are those moments that keep me tinkering.

I ended up riding it into work this moning and only ran into one problem. I got about halfway to work and it cut out on me and rolled to a stop....im thinking crap!!!??? So as I reached down to get my phone I remembered I shut the fuel off last night!?   Turned it to on and laughed my ass off the entire way to work!

Thanks guys! I appreciate all the response and help, like I said before, this forum is my go to place for advice and I appreciate everyone. Thanks!

[slownugly007]

Hey Sarge, couple quick questions on the seafoam, lets say I have roughly 4 gallons of gas in my tank right now. Will I add 4 oz of seafoam and if I cant ride it contiuously while its in the tank, will this cause any problems? I know you can use it to stabilize gas but wasnt sure if you can run it or if you have to drain it after its sat for awhile? Ive run it through before but I didnt have a more than a half tank of gas in the tank and I didnt get a chance to run it all out before I started having problems with my bike (unrelated to the seafoam). Just curious, I want to run it through my gas again.

It worked great for my oil! Ran it through all the gears for about 5-10 minutes and drained. The oil was fairly new and when I drained it it was black! I then filled it back up with Rotella T6 and noticed a big difference in shifting, I am very pleased with the Rotella swap! Thanks for the advice Sarge!

[sgtslag]

I mothball my bikes with SeaFoam, over the lonnng Winter months...  Come Spring, I start them, and ride them like I stole them -- only because of Delayed Rider's Angst Build-up (DRAB -- a very real, medical condition in the Northern states, virtually unknown in warmer climates).

To answer your question, It is either 1 oz., or 1-1/2 oz. of SeaFoam, per gallon of gasoline.  Leaving SeaFoam in the gas tank won't hurt anything, so long as you don't leave that gasoline sit for more than 12 months -- after that, it will turn into varnish.  I tend to use a lot of SeaFoam, throughout the year, running it in all of my vehicles as a preventative measure:  it absorbs water in the fuel system, as well as dissolving any varnish deposits, in both carbs, and fuel injectors.  Just follow directions on the can.  You can overdose on it, in the fuel, and the oil, but it has a wide safety margin:  one can of 16 oz. will treat 8-20 gallons of gasoline, I believe the can says; in the oil, it will thin it somewhat, so don't overdo it, also, change the oil as soon as it darkens.

As Shiny stated in another thread, keeping your fuel tank topped off, is the best line of defense against water condensation in your fuel tank.  If you plan on having your bike sit for more than two weeks, try to top off the tank, even if you have to use your lawn mower's gas cans to fill your bike.  A full fuel tank is the best, and easiest thing to do.  Besides, your bike will be patiently waiting for you to ride it as far as a full tank will take you (DRAB -- another reason to always keep your tank topped off...).

The Rotella T6 oil is great -- it's all I use anymore.  Cleaning your engine and transmission, with SeaFoam, likely contributed to the performance improvement of your bike, as well.  It's a fantastic product, unlike most of the snake-oil additives on the shelves everywhere.  Cheers!