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Gas Leak and Smoking Pipes

S

spacesuit6

Training Wheels
Hi -- welcome to spring. I'm very anxious to get the riding season started! So here's the thing. While the bike (2001 Connnie, blue) was in storage over the winter (outdoor storage, PVC cover, STA-BIL added, battery inside on trickle-charger) I noticed evidence of a gas leak. Never actually saw dripping gas, just noticed the congealed residue of a gas leak on the pavement, the PVC cover, and the engine and pipes almost directly under the left side petcock and carbs. So, who knows what the leak is from. Could be that petcock (which looks stock but was listed as aftermarket by the shop that sold it to me), could be the carbs, could be something from a season of using Murph's Heat Shields. I noticed the gas before the hard cold, so I don't think it's freeze-related. Anyway -- the mechanic will deal with that. Here's what I need some advice on. When I start the bike (in Reserve now, b/c all the 1 gal of main gas presumably dripped out), when it warms up there's tons of steam-like fumes coming off the engine and mostly the pipes just under the carbs. I assume this is oily, congealed buildup of gas drippings. Of course, the pipes are covered here, so I can't check or clean them. So, knowing all this, I think it's obvious the bike needs to go to the shop to have the fuel leak checked. But this steam/smoke/fumes off the pipes ... do you think I should just let the bike run and see if it all burns off? Could it be dangerous? Could it catch fire? Should I try and shoot some degreaser in there? Sould I just get on and try to ride it to the shop? Opinions, please!
 
If you stored it with only 1 gallon of gas it would take reserve to get the bike going. Is that what you did? You could have a coolant leak causing the steam or it could be oily spudge on the engine burning off. If the petcock has gone bad that is easy enough to replace. Since the bike started O.K. it should be fairly easy to find the source of the leak. Personally, I would run it a bit and see if the stuff burns off. Good luck and keep us posted on what you find. '02 Connie COG # 6662 Dallas, Tx
 
Storing any bike with a metal tank and only a small amount of fuel is asking for water in the gas. Especially in cold humid climates. Happened to me last winter. Ended up with about 20% water after filling it in the spring. It started up and ran just fine the first time, but after parking it over night after that first fill she was done until we drained all the fuel we could from the tank and carbs. Several doses of Sea-foam and a tip over to dislodge something from 1 of the float valves and she has purred ever since. I do not recommend a tip-over as part of carb maintenance however. From then on I have made it a point to top her off if she is going to set very long. "If it hasn't killed me yet, it's runnin out of time" COG # 8062 AMA # 1084053 ROMA or Scarlet harlot acording to my wife
 
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