Starting Issue

[Toddo]

I have an '02 Voyager that has sat alot in the last 4-5 yrs.

We moved a year ago and I put a new battery in the bike to move from storage to our new house in hopes of selling the bike and it would only top out about 55 mph in high gear and would not rev rpms very high. We have an 8 yr old little guy that has completely shifted my time/ interest from the voyager.

I had a mechanic do some carb work/ sync/ clean carbs and when I picked it up it ran great. Stupid me I let it sit for over a month and the new battery was killed, so new battery and I was starting it/ running a couple times a month. I had the bike idling in the garage, it died and I haven't gotten it to run since.

If I crank on it will start and not want to rev over 1500 rpm's with choke on and then dies. Then it will crank and crank and not fire, let it sit for an hour and you can get the weak start.

It seems like it is not getting fuel, but I don't know.

I've had the bike over 10 yrs in which time it has always had ethanol free fuel/ star tron fuel additive/ sea foam at every fill up since my ownership.

My wife asked me recently if I was ready to put a "Free" sign on it and wheel it to the street. :bat:

Any help or ideas?

[SgtSlag]

Possibly a plugged fuel filter, or the fuel pump died? Spit-balling, of course. Modern gasolines can go bad in one month, but if you are adding SeaFoam, and Startron each fill-up, the gas should be fine -- SeaFoam will stabilize/preserve gasoline up to 24 months. Have you checked the Float Bowls for sediment/particulates which could block the jets?

If you have a mechanic who is willing to work on older, carbureted, bikes, maybe take it to him to troubleshoot/fix? Cheers!

[Barry]

Gene, I copied & pasted your reply to the correct thread. Don't know if I did it right?
Barry[/quote]

Have you looked at the fuel filter and the line ? Drained the carb bowls ? Did you try to NOT giving it FULL choke ? We could use some more detail also. ie. when did this start ? age ? or has some previous owner had the carbs off ?
Where do you stand with this now ? And what have you done so far ? Has anyone been in there attempting a carb sync. ?
With the faux/tank cover off you CAN reach down to the starter relay and just pull the white/2wire plug , then key/on -engine run/switch one : then push the starter button. At that point your going to hear the pump run until it fill's the bowls and the float valve's all close . you'll hear the pump start to slow down when the floats close.
put the drain hose in an empty soup can and open up the bowl drain screws. repeat the prime procedure to purge whatever is still sitting in the bottoms of the carbs. Hope this helps you get it back to running like a ,,, well a Voyager 1200 ..

spring will be here before we know it.

Gene Kap.
[/quote]

[Toddo]

I have not done any work to the bike myself besides new battery/ charge battery after cranking.

I have owned the bike for over 10 yrs, 2nd owner, always ethanol free fuel/ star stabile/ sea foam at every fuel.

June of 2019 I moved the bike from storage after sitting in storage for 1 yr, after new battery install and the bike would not "rev" up and would not go over 55 mph. At this time I was planning to sell the bike because we have an 8 yr old and interest have changed but I can't sell it not running.

I took the bike to a mechanic who had done a great job of syncing the carbs so I continued with him for several yrs until storage of bike. Same mechanic was used after storage and he had the bike running great. I got the bike home during move-in and it needed to be registered and I couldn't find the title. Long story short, like an idiot, I let the bike sit at home in the garage unplugged for 2 months and killed another battery.

3rd new battery and I was starting it every week and riding it every 2 weeks, it was running like it always had. Then I had it idling on the center stand in the garage and it died and wont "run" since.

Full choke,
half choke,
no choke,

With full choke it will crank and fire, barely run gaining rpm till just 1500 then die and wont start like this for another hour.
:roll:

[Nails]

Still sounds like fueling -- do the float bowls refill right? Is it out of gas?
But I'd sure check the spark.
Sounds pretty certain that someone will have to turn a wrench -- hopefully just a little bit.

[Toddo]

6 weeks ago I had a friend scheduled to come over to "supervise" & help me diagonose/ fix the starting issue. Two days before my house he came down with covid and was sick for several weeks, ER twice but no hospitalization.

He came by today and we pulled out the fuel pump after opening the screws on carb bowls and getting little fuel(drops) after cranking, he banged on the fuel pump and pulled a line and it was pumping so we hooked it up and she fired right up just purring like a kitten, as if it had been riden' yesterday.

After full re-assembly she's running funny and has a little sucking noise, i must not have the air-box correct or a hose is off. A little exploration and hopefully she'll be purring while fully dressed.

She's still pretty and will soon be for sale $3000 or best offer.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and help, it helped more than you know.

[Toddo]

https://www.highflowfuel.com/i-23443569 ... -1063.html

Does this look like the right fuel pump?

Any reason to not use this fuel pump?

Thank you,
Todd

[Barry]

Todd,
If you're still having troubles, there is a vxii expert just down the road from you. Gene Kapuscinski. He goes by ekap1200 on this forum. He may have a spare fuel pump to help troubleshoot your fuel issue.

[MartinKemp]

Hi. Regarding the high flow brand pump, I have 2. They seem to stick from time to time and the bike will starve out. I just pop the right side cover and tap on the fuel pump cap with a long tool and it comes to life again. One day it won’t so I carry a spare.

There are instructions somewhere on this site about how to open the pump and clean up the points.

[Toddo]

This bike!

I've got the darn thing running and now its spitting fuel out of the carb overflow hose as soon as it starts running.

One of the carbs overflow hoses was off, and the fuel seems to be coming from this carb after I put the hose back on it is coming from down below where it should be but right on the exhaust.

I'm so frustrated, I just want the bike to be sold so I can have the garage space.

Thanks for letting me vent, anyone have any ideas?

Or, anyone want a cheap, well cared for Voyager? Come and get it.

Thanks,
Todd

[Nails]

You probably need to replace the needle valve, but it might just need cleaning.

Or the float level got knocked out of whack ... such as when refitting a float bowl. Or the floats are hanging up on something like a slipped o-ring or, god forbid, gasket seal.

[Toddo]

What is the hose(s) coming out of the bottom of all 4 carbs and where does it route to? I thought the hoses were overflow/ waste hoses but I'm not sure now.

This is where the fuel is coming from, not actually from the carbs but from the hose. If hoses are all attached fuel comes from "plugged" drain hose near the left foot peg. If a hose is unattached fuel comes out of the hose but only when bike is running.

Thanks

[triton28]

float needle valve/s is/are not shutting off the fuel flow probably from crud buildup on the seat of the valve or the floats are not set to the correct height or the float valve hanger is possibly aftermarket and/or binding on crud buildup. More than likely it is the first case causing the problem.
Yes the hoses from the tiny nipples on the bottom of the float bowls are as you suspected: overflow from the float bowls.
If by "plugged drain hose near the left foot peg" you mean the drain hose with a removable plug for the small white breather tank, ( see Air Cleaner diagram from any online parts supplier), then fuel coming out of this hose is an indication that fuel is running out of the air intake bell mouth side of the carb/s and running into the lower airbox assembly and then into the lower airbox breather tank. This as you have surmised is not the norm.
Normally overflow fuel would drain from the tiny overflow hoses on the bottom of the float bowls. But if for some reason the overflow hose/s are/were blocked, or the volume of fuel being delivered was in excess of design parameters, then the excess fuel would have no way of flowing except through the lower airbox and then into the breather tank.
When the pump is not operating there is NO gravity flow so once the over filled situation drains the flow should stop as well but the problem still exists and will need correcting as the fuel/air ratio will probably be way out of whack with this situation.
Also this situation can lead to gas in the lubricating oil of the engine as, just as gas can be coming out of the carb air intake side, gas can also be coming out of the engine feed side of the carb throat and going in to washdown the cylinder walls and mix with the oil.
I agree with the general consensus that you have a float bowl problem, or possibly a fuel pump with too high a fuel pressure cutoff setting, and unfortunately the carbs may need to be checked out: R&R.
Substituting an OEM pump would eliminate the latter possibility and leave only the float bowl internal problem.
Dave

[GrandpaDenny]

What is the hose(s) coming out of the bottom of all 4 carbs and where does it route to? I thought the hoses were overflow/ waste hoses but I'm not sure now.

This is where the fuel is coming from, not actually from the carbs but from the hose. If hoses are all attached fuel comes from "plugged" drain hose near the left foot peg. If a hose is unattached fuel comes out of the hose but only when bike is running.

Thanks

Sounds like one of your fuel bowl drain valves might be open. 3mm hex wrench, make sure they're all closed and tight, but not too tight, just snugged closed. I'm betting that's it and you'll have a nice easy quick cheap (free) fix and will fall in love with the bike and keep it!

[Toddo]

Did you hear the angels singing last evening?

After taking off the shiny cover I could follow the carb drain line and the fuel was running out of the carb drain line and then running down the hose with the plug in it

I opened the 3rd carbs drain screw and re-tightened it and the problem has gone away.(knock on wood) I have a new fuel pump on the way.

It will be listed within the next couple days.
$2700 obo

Thanks again for your help and encouragement.(and patience)

[triton28]

Grandpa nailed it!

[mayhem8]

Congrats for finding the problem, and to Grandpa for nailing it. It is a wonderful feeling when something like this gets found/fixed.

[GrandpaDenny]

Well, hell, if I'd'a realized he was getting her up for sale, and being so close to me and all, heck maybe I coulda gotten her cheap. Just kidding, I need another bike like I need a hole in the head. That doesn't keep me from looking at Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist every day though LOL. I kinda have an eye for a Concours 1000. I tried a C14 and soon as I sat on it I hated it. Who cares if it'll do 165 mph (I ain't going that fast on the street, ain't no how, no way) it was extremely uncomfortable for me. I also found the seat intolerably high - that would really suck in traffic. And I'm 6'2"!

[cranky]

... saw a connie on a trip once... Co, IIRC - har, it had a cowboy saddle on it
stirrups and all!!! And that's how he rode!!!!