Engine will start but keeps dying out

[thewanderingsoul]

Hey all,

I have an 03 XT600 E. After my last trip which was my first off road foray through the African bush, I stupidly forgot to run the engine dry, and then left the bike sitting for a couple of months.

It wouldn't start last weekend. A bike mechanic came around, checked plug, stripped the carburettor, and cleaned it (brushed it with petrol). To my delight bike started, and I went for an hours ride, and put new petrol in tank. Bike was still stuttering v slightly however.

Tried to start the bike today, but it keeps dying out, it will idle and stutter for max 20 seconds before cutting out. (with choke on, won't start with choke off). If I try to rev throttle, it dies immediately.

Anyone mechanically minded have any ideas?

Brian

[bruken]

well if it wont run without choke I'd say you have a fuel starvation problem. Check your float levels and if they are fine check no gunge has clogged the jets. After that and with much hesitation adjust the mixture.

[fb133]

I'd agree that its a fuel starvation problem. If it wont start immediately after its cut out but will after a minute or so as the the fuel will fill the float bowl in the carb then run out and need re-filling again.

Check the fuel flow out of the tank to rule out the filters in there first. Then work your way down.

[Brian E]

Petrol pipe kinked and not letting enough petrol into the Carb.

[zigzag]

hi there try removing the carb drain screw on the left carb ,pull the rubber pipe of first , catch the fuel in a clean container you should have a steady flow off clean petrol. if the flow is very very slow try tapping the bottom of the carb with a piece of wood gentaly to free the flow valve it may be stuck. if you have a good flow of fuel the the whole fuel system may need cleaning again. also remove the screw or bolt on the bottom of the right carb ,with the carb drain screw back in fuel should flow from here also . a few months is not a long time for a good carb to gunge up ,so you may just have a piece of dirt in there as already suggested good luck zigzag also its worth checking the air filter

[DAVSATO]

fuel tank breather blocked, creates a vacuum in the tank that stops petrol flowing down, thats why it cuts out, then when the float bowl fills up again everything works.

the breather is usually in the fuel cap, give it a good wash and if you can a good blast out with compressed air. a local garage should have a blowgun

[Chris Scott]

Engine will start but keeps dying out

It's most probably fuel related as everyone above says, but once in Algeria I had these symptoms on an XT. Eventually it stopped running. After doing the whole carb thing as below it turned out to be oily rust flakes clogging an inaccessible gauze tube in the silencer. A strangled hiss out of the pipe as the engine cut out was a hint. I banged some holes in the back of the pipe and it got me home.

Ch

[bacardi23]

Sometimes the fuel hose comming from the tank to the carb "dries out" and you can notice(most of the times) that the hose where it connects to the fuek tank appears to have some "cuts"..

also, if you put one of those little hose clamps that you use on your garden water hose it won't hurt! I have it on my bike!


Vando