1987 Vfr 700F2 - solution to open fuel valve/flooded carbs????

Carbs completely rebuilt by a Honda Tech two months ago. At first started fine, left the choke on TOO long...it idled high then started idling low, then lower and then stalled out. Now (today....the next day) will not turn over. Carbs must be flooded and fuel valve is stuck open.

Is the solution to drain the carbs (via the bowel release screws) or something else????

Any comments appreciated.

-Iggy

 

a well-tuned VFR should need no choke at all to start in warm summer months, just maybe a turn or 2 on the idle adjustment screw to boost initial running speed.....

i disagree with your analysis of the situation and think perhaps your battery is too low to crank; you will not have filled up cylinders because fuel goes to carbs only while key is on and fuel pump is pushing......never while bike is just sitting.

 

Iggy:

Hmmmm, there is not NECESSARILY any relationship between the bike not starting, and what you are describing.

First of all, if the carbs were flooded, you'd smell the gas. Or, another way to put this, is that it sounds as though you are ASSUMING the carbs are flooded. If you drain the float bowls, it will take a bit of doing for the fuel pump to fill 'em up again before you can even think about restarting the bike.

When you say, " ... fuel valve is stuck open ..." what do you mean? WHAT "fuel valve?" There is really only one "fuel valve" on the entire system, and that is on the tank. (Well, there are individual needle valves in each carb, which are operated by the floats.)

If the bike is idling too low after the choke has been shut down (that is, when the bike has warmed-up a bit), then the way to set the idle RPM is on the left side of the carbs - there is a little cable with a black turn-knob on it to set the desired idle RPM, again, after the bike is warmed-up a bit.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say, "... will not turn over." Do you mean that it will not crank-over the starter motor? Well, that has nothing to do with your carbs. It means that (for SOME reason) the battery is low.

I kinda have to guess at what you are talking about here, but it sounds as though you should slowly charge the battery over night, and crank her over the next day. It should start right up. Then, let her warm up a bit, shut-down the choke, and set the idle speed.

Gray Market

 

1987 VFR 700F2 carb/starting issues - follow up:

The battery has almost no use, and was purchased in 2007.

Clymer manual makes comment that open fuel valve (on the gas tank) could be a cause. This is not clear to me. I do not smell gas.

I had maybe started it six or seven times on friday, and the battery went from 13.0 to 11.7.

Today I charged it to 12.9 volts. The Honda manual says not to circuit testing if the battery is not above 12.8 volts.

Tried to start it twice. Same symptom...cranking but NOT any firing at all.

After the second try....checked the battery and saw that it went down to 12.2 volts.

Gas is fresh, gas lines are new, new gas line filters, carbs completely rebuilt, headlights nice and bright.

Would you suggest charging the battery back up to at least 13.0 volts and then checking for spark??? Is it not very odd that the battery draws down so fast??

Thinking that there an electrical short somewhere

Also on friday, I bypassed the fuel tank and connected a line from a second gas source to the fuel pump. Got the same results. Also see that the fuel pumps looks to be pulling fine.

-Iggy