I just cleaned my carbs and replaced a few jets. My motorcycle starts but after a min. or 2 it stalls. what can be the cause of this? Thanks for your time.
I forgot to add my bike is a honda 1984 Honda VT700.
Hi –
This could be a few different things. I’ll start with the easier stuff first.
1.) Dirty fuel filter or petcock screen. If you have an inline fuel filter make sure it is clean and flowing properly. Disconnect the fuel line from the petcock and make sure fuel flows out of the petcock at a steady and full stream. Older tanks can accumulate debris and rust in the bottom of the tank which will clog up the petcock. You can remove the petcock to clean it a bit.
2.) Dirty float pin, sticky floats, or improper float height. When the bike is stalling after a couple minutes it is likely that the motor is drinking fuel from the bowls faster than they are being filled. If your float height is wrong, or the floats aren’t rotating well it could prevent fuel from flowing as needed. Your float needles could also be dirty or sticking to the seats. Inspect the whole float assembly for dirt.
3.) Clogged vacuum line. I believe the fuel flow is metered by vacuum on your bike. If the vacuum lines are cracked or otherwise faulty it could definitely limit fuel flow.
4.) Low compression. If you motor is high miles you could have low compression which will cause the bike to run poorly or stall once it’s warm. When the engine is cold the cylinder shrinks so the tolerance to the piston is tighter.
Those are the 4 ideas that come to mind. I’d give them a check starting with number 1.
I also happen to have a service manual for your bike in PDF format.
PDF – 1984 Honda VT700 Service Manual Warning: BIG file. 193mb.
Good luck. Let me know how it goes.
Evan
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