Ideas for real old fuel system clean out on dirt bike.

[Keith Brown]

I have a 2006 CRF230 that was my kids bike till he had a mid air head on collision with his brother. Any way I have been tripping over it since about 2008. Needless to say it was not put in to storage very well. In any case I decided to get it running. I changed the triple clamp straightened the forks (kinda) and change one side case and the front disk. I put new fuel in it and it started fine with the choke on full. Mid range and high speed worked great from the get go but the idle jet/ port were plugged. I road it for a few days hoping the new gas would heal the plugged idle circuit to no avail. I then bought a gallon of carb cleaner, dissembled the carb a soaked jets etc for a few hours, reassembled it and presto it Idled and ran like champ.
Hears the rub. I used the bike 3 or 4 times a day checking cows ( late Calvers). The idle jet plugs randomly usually first thing in the morning. Its done it 5 times now last time I cleaned the Idle jet I took my time and tried to see what the heck was blocking it. I used a small torch tip cleaner and cleaned it right in my hand and I be dammed if I can see any thing. I have completely drained the tank twice and ran new gas thru the drain in the bottom of the carb. It runs great for a day or two and then the idle jet needs to be re cleaned. I am guessing that there must be small particles of varnish left by the gas that evaporated in the tank coming off the inside of the gas tank and making it way to the jets. ( I think thats why I can never find sh!t coming out of the jet after I clean it. It must breakup because you can see the orifice is open after you clean it) If that is what it is. Is there a solution?? On the bright side I can pull the jet and clean it in about 15 minutes flat but its still pain in the azz. Ideas/suggestions/solutions anyone??

 

[apex88]

I have very good results with Seafoam fuel system cleaner.

 

[wildthangci]

X2 on the Seafoam. Also an inline fuel filter.

 

[JMCX]

Napa 3011 filter

 

[ferniesnow]

Keith, I have added gas line antifreeze and it has dissolved the varnish quite well.

 

[Puba]

SEA FOAM I put that chit in everything.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Bnorth]

Have you changed the strainer in the tank at the fuel shutoff switch?

 

[moyiesledhead]

Replace the fuel line if you haven't already. Could be the rubber breaking down with age.

 

[Lund]

I have a 2006 CRF230 that was my kids bike till he had a mid air head on collision with his brother. Any way I have been tripping over it since about 2008. Needless to say it was not put in to storage very well. In any case I decided to get it running. I changed the triple clamp straightened the forks (kinda) and change one side case and the front disk. I put new fuel in it and it started fine with the choke on full. Mid range and high speed worked great from the get go but the idle jet/ port were plugged. I road it for a few days hoping the new gas would heal the plugged idle circuit to no avail. I then bought a gallon of carb cleaner, dissembled the carb a soaked jets etc for a few hours, reassembled it and presto it Idled and ran like champ.
Hears the rub. I used the bike 3 or 4 times a day checking cows ( late Calvers). The idle jet plugs randomly usually first thing in the morning. Its done it 5 times now last time I cleaned the Idle jet I took my time and tried to see what the heck was blocking it. I used a small torch tip cleaner and cleaned it right in my hand and I be dammed if I can see any thing. I have completely drained the tank twice and ran new gas thru the drain in the bottom of the carb. It runs great for a day or two and then the idle jet needs to be re cleaned. I am guessing that there must be small particles of varnish left by the gas that evaporated in the tank coming off the inside of the gas tank and making it way to the jets. ( I think thats why I can never find sh!t coming out of the jet after I clean it. It must breakup because you can see the orifice is open after you clean it) If that is what it is. Is there a solution?? On the bright side I can pull the jet and clean it in about 15 minutes flat but its still pain in the azz. Ideas/suggestions/solutions anyone??

I think your chancing a ghost and there is nothing actually plugging anything.
You say you have taken the carb apart several times and never saw any contaminates plugging the jets....correct?

When you start having idling issues, how much fuel is there in the bowl, lots, like full, full or a little bit?
Plus your idle mixture screw, i don't see anywhere you mentioning that you tried setting it up. When you adjust in or out does it effect anything?
Lastly when you talk about the idle, what exactly are you trying to convey, no idle, idle's but stumbles or bogs and stall's, idles but only at high rpm, idles only on choke, idles then stalls and hard to start and won't idle after????

 

[Mike270412]

SEA FOAM I put that chit in everything.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

Me too.

 

[Keith Brown]

Finally figured out the problem. I had soaked most of the carburetor in a powerful cab cleaning solution. I neglected to soak the float bowl as the rubber/neoprene gasket was laminated to the bowl and I didn't want to buy the carb kit from Honda $$$. So I did not clean it and it look clean when I was doing the rest of the parts and I thought it was a none moving none critical part any way. In any case I had tried most of the suggestions on the thread including installing a inline fuel filter. As it turned out there must have been a invisible varnish like residue in the bowl which occurs when gasoline evaporates. While cleaning the jet I notice a yellow residue in the bowl at the same level as the fuel would have been at. I am pretty sure that it was the result of the varnish residue breaking down due to constant contact with the premium gas with alcohol. The "yellow dust residue" was the damnedest stuff it was big enough to constantly plug the idle jet which you could not see daylight thru when it was plugged, but when I cleaned it with the smallest oxy/acetylene torch tip cleaner I could not see any thing come out and yet the jet would open up and you could see light thru it. I ended up pealing the gasket off with my knife and threw the bowl in the carb cleaning solution. It works perfect now. I am going to leave the inline filter on though cause I am pretty sure the same residue will be in the tank for awhile. Moral of the story cost/time saving short cuts don't always pay. Thank you all for your suggestion.