Leaking Gas Bigtime! Help!

[VMX12Rider]

So I put the battery back in the max after the short (4 month) winter down here and started the bike. Turned the key the pump primed and primed. flipped the choke and she started first time! As I let it idle I started to smell gas. I turned around and there was a quickly growing puddle under the bike. I turned it off and chased the leak down to what looks like a vent hose that is under the cowl right next to the airbox inlet. There are 4 hoses, two on each side and I'm guessing 1 per carb. I turned the key off and back on and again the pump primed but as it did one of the hoses (Bottom left side) squirted out gas. I tried firing up the bike and it just gushes out of that hose. What in gods name is going on here? :ummm: Thanks in advance

 

[dannymax]

Does the fuel pump continue to click? It should stop clicking after the bowls are full....sounds like a sticking needle valve.

Tap on the offending carb with a rubber mallett or screwdriver handle....that usually frees it up.

 

[VMX12Rider]

It does seem to drain back because usually after you turn the key the pump primes. But now if you let it sit for a minute it primes again

 

[Auggie_1970]

Mine leaked as well today..Just slighly...I tried getting on the bike and rocking side to side to see if that would help anything..Still leaking a bit. Will try tapping on it with a rubber mallet as well tomorrow and see if that frees it up...

 

[naughtyG]

If a needle valve is just sticking a little tap will help and should fix it.

However if it keeps doing it, grab a flashlight and take a good look inside your fuel tank. If there's rust in there you'll have to deal with it - fine rust particles will go through any kind of fuel filter and stop your needle valves from sealing. Guess how I know that..

 

[COP RUNNER]

Re: Leaking Gas Big time! Help!

also you can unplug the fuel pumps electric connection & run the bike , reeving it up a couple of times & run it until it dies out , then plug the fuel pump back in & see if it stops . This will usually get any shit out of the needle & seat . .. Let us know ! ..

 

[PATMAX]

I am bumping the tapping/rapping with a hammer but use a plastic/nylon one. They have less momentum behind the whack and provide a sharper "ting" that is more likely to free up a stuck float needle or the like. Alot of smaller taps is often better than one or two good hard whacks in this instance. Does anyone here know what the "BFH" is !!!

 

[dannymax]

Believe this is one Patrick!! :biglaugh:

 

[richwrench]

If tapping it doesn't do the trick, a gentle blast of compressed air into the fuel inlet may work. I had to do that last year.

 

[VMX12Rider]

The bike has no rust issues, the inside of the tank looks new (7K miles, never really been stored outside). I dug out my soft faced mallet (Harbor Freight special, plasticoated wood) and set to tapping the crap out of both left side carbs (I'm assuming the left carbs vent on the left side). That doesn't seem to be working or even slowing it down... step two?

 

[tugla]

if you take the air box off and get closer to the floats when your tapping might have better results.

 

[VMX12Rider]

I took the airbox off and sprayed some carb cleaner down it's gullet. I now know which carb is being full of fail (left side rear). I sprayed it with some gum out, let it sit, gave it some more taps and found not only is it spraying fuel out of the hose. it comes out of this jet here, highlighted with a laser pointer. Excuse the pisspoor picture quality. I turned the key and nothing game out of the vent hose. when I hit the start button it shot a stream of gas (No joke) nearly 2 feet straight up and nearly into my face

 

[tugla]

id undo the fuel pump let it runs it self dry as stated befor and then start over, givin' er a few light taps. if it still doesnt work take that carb off and pull bowl off take a look inside at the needle and seat for crap/worn

 

[naughtyG]

TBH it sounds like something's well clogged up. Might be time to pull the carbs and give'em a good clean, not a huge job and well worth it.

 

[4gasem]

Agreed! At the very least try the shotgun and peashooter but you may have to remove and disassemble.

Chris

 

[VMAX_X-14]

Wow! Glad I found this thread.
Same thing happened to me today with the 02! Like gas is pouring out
from under the cowl, all over the engine. About a quart! Freaked me out.

Thanks for the info. Will get to it this weekend, hopefully.

:You_Rock:

 

[VMX12Rider]

Well that ended potentially horribly... managed to get the carb unstuck, drained some gas from the cylinder, blew it out with air, waited a few, went to crank it to see if it would geyser gas again... CrankCLANG

 

[VMX12Rider]

:th_image003: Alrighty... disaster averted. I cleaned the cylinder out some more cranked it for a bit, started it up.. sounds just fine.. In case anyone is interested, I took the air box off the carb, took the top/lid/spring/needle assembly off the carb, shot some carb cleaner down the needle hole and tapped on the TOP of the carb downward, freed it right up :eusa_dance:

 

[tugla]

awesome congrats man, happy riding.

 

[vmax8915147]

how did you clean the cylinder