Bringing it back to life - '02 SV650S

[wachuko]

First post so be gentle :p.

I have a friend with a 2002 SV650S with about 1,000 miles on it. Bike has been sitting for about 2 years. I could not stand the sight and asked him to bring it back to life.

In goes fresh fuel (old fuel had stabilizer... but two years! come on!).

Battery is gone, no amount of charging will do any good. A new battery is in order. So we use one of those external batteries.

We check all the hoses (bike has been inside a garage, nicely covered... I don't even think it has seen rain... Anyway, we turn the engine with the fuse off just to make sure it turns OK. Pop the fuse back in, pull the choke and try to start it... nothing. Turns but no start. Check electrical, all is well, check hoses again, all are nice and look like new, nothing rotted nor brittle...

We raise the tank, pour some gas directly to the carburetors. Bike starts nicely (we don't try to raise revs all we want is to check for leaks or weird sounds). Then we see this huge puddle of gas under the bike. :confused:

Leak seems to be coming from the front carburetor. There is a hose from the side of the carburetor that it is routed between the two cylinders. Looks like a breather hose of some sort. Here is a photo.

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/picture_035_medium_copy1.jpg

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/img00169.jpg

Reading some of the older threads here there is mention that stuck floats/needles are very unusual nowadays, usually it's a crud on the float needle, which will require removing the carburetors to sort out, and to that it's worth giving the float bowl a tap-tap-tap lightly first, try using a screwdriver handle, it might loosen things up. If that fails then to remove the carburetors.

Is the float bowl the black plastic cap in front of the carburetor? If so, I will try to tap it and see if that does the trick.

Worst case scenario, if I have to remove the carburetors, is it simple to disassemble the carburetors? Will the settings on it be affected?

Thank you in advanced for all your help. I just hate to see such a nice bike sitting in a garage without use.

[Sid Squid]

I suspect a stuck float, despite the stabilser in the fuel after that amount of time a gummy mess is likely to be what you'd find in the float bowls.

The float bowls are at the other end of the carbs to the black cap - which is the diapragm cap.

[wachuko]

I suspect a stuck float, despite the stabilser in the fuel after that amount of time a gummy mess is likely to be what you'd find in the float bowls.

The float bowls are at the other end of the carbs to the black cap - which is the diapragm cap.

Thank you.

Anyway to try to tackle this with carburetor cleaner? Anyone with success doing that before taking out the carburetors?

[wachuko]

Placing this link here as a place holder for my search:

http://forum.svrider.com/showthread.php?t=86708&highlight=Fuel+Leak

http://forum.svrider.com/showthread.php?t=108289&highlight=Fuel+Leak

Here is a quick and dirty way to see what you need to do -- at any rate, the problem will need a carb removal and inspection to fix, no matter which way this test goes:

- Make sure you have a strong battery. Have a look at the stickies to see why this is so important... but for this test, you'll be doing a lot of cranking, so have your Schumacher 1.5A Maintainer ready ($20 at Wal-Mart). http://forum.svrider.com/images/smilies/wink.gif Also, make sure this test is done in a well-ventilated place, as you'll be idling a few minutes.

- Drain your float bowls with the bike off and on the stand. This is better with a swingarm stand, as the bowls will be level, but it'll work on the sidestand.

- Crank the bike, and wait for it to catch. Let the bike idle on the sidestand for a few minutes, while you watch... not a bad idea to have a fan blowing on the rad to cool it, and keep fumes from building up.

- Stop the engine. Watch the vent hose.

- Do you see dribbles after a minute or so?

What this is testing, is the float valve mechanism. Rust is a common problem on the 1gen tanks, and if enough gets through the screen and fuel pump, it'll settle in little drifts in the rest of the fuel path, sometimes holding the float valve needle open.

If it's the float valve needle, a rap on the bowls with a screwdriver usually allows the needle to reseat, and the problem stops.

If it's the float valve seat o-ring, no amount of tapping will get the flow to stop -- the needle is doing its job, but fuel is still leaking past the seal, so it's useless. Needs carb work.

http://forum.svrider.com/showthread.php?t=85580

[wayniac]

By the by, if you do end up having to remove the float bowls get a cheap impact driver. I got THIS ONE (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93481) and it worked like a champ when I went through my carbs last November. Those screws are notorious for stripping. That post you referenced about the first gen carb points is the best reference I've found for G1 carbs. Zip is a trained tech and all around great guy who was very helpful when I had the standard newbie questions. Best of luck with it!