Won't stay running

[cubfan1968]

I didn't want to waste the time of those in the forum so I read all of the old posts from the previous owner (Travis) and all posts that remotely dealt with the problem.
Since purchasing my 125 6 Days I have installed a new plug and air filter, cleaned the gas tank rebuilt the petcocks and carb (followed the specs on adjustment) What the bike does today is start on the 1st kick sound great for for about 30 seconds (as long as your working the throttle) and then sign off like its running out of gas. I can stick it into gear and run for about 100 feet.
Heres my #1 question for now. When I got the bike the petcocks leaked like crazy I rebuilt them and stopped the leaks. Before I tear back into these. What does the proper flow from the petcock look like #1 small dribble #2 steady stream, #3 horse ---- ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


Rod Whitman

[chkitout]

Rod just read your post and thought it was something that I must have written. I just had a similiar problem that you have described with a Jackpiner. My problem turned out to be electical. The kill button was shorting out once the motor started. The bike would start and run briefly then die. It would not idle nor continue running if I tried to ride it. I also thought it was a fuel problem. Hope this helps. Walt

[firstturn]

Rod,
  The answer is a steady stream.  Be sure to try it with the fuel cap in place and with out it(you may not have the vent hole open).  Also your problem sounds like runnning out of gas (float level?).  Or electrical.  Be sure to check for condinuity from the coil through the frame to the backing plate to the motoplat.  Hope this helps.

Ron Carbaugh

[tmc3c]

Hi Rod, Mine did about the same thing and as Ron said try it without the gas cap on, or crank it up and then take the gas cap off and see if it runs without any problems.How about the pipe is it free and clear?

Thomas Carmichael

[Rain Man]

I'll let you all in on a little "Yankee Ingenuity hear".  Take your carb off the bike, hold it level anywhere, hook a gas supply up to it(the gas tank works). Fill the carburetor fuel bowl up,  Remove  the gas line,  then remove the float bowl with out spilling a drop of that 93 octane $2.16 per gal. out of the bowl  (ouch)  
   This will be a good indication weather your float needles stuck in its boar, or your float levels too low and choking the motor off. Sounds like your float needles stuck in the boar !!  Good luck, its just another lab experiment,

PS: sometimes tapping the side of the bowl with your buck knife frees the float needle up

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[cubfan1968]

OK, After watching my football team blow it. I went out removed the tank checked the motoplat removed the wires cleaned off the connections and refastened them. Cleaned out the petcocks, fired it up and ran down the street. This is the 1st time I've rode it. Felt good. Like real good. Still have a long ways to go. But it sure felt good. Thank you very much to all who responded.

Rod Whitman

[OUCWBOY]

Raymond,
Just so you don't feel too bad, we can't even get 93 Octane fuel in the San Diego area, best is 92 Octane. Anyway, the 92 Octane here is $2.649 per gallon. 87 Octane is $2.399.

Donny Smith

[hrbay]

Sometimes it just wants you to get intimate with it, tweak it some, and then it will then purrr for ya'.

GC

[tomale]

glad to hear that you actually got to ride it. I had the same kind of thing happen to me. It turned out to be that the tank had some varnish in the tank that kept plugging up the petcocks and the fuel filter. I finally got it cleaned out and had no more problems like that. It took several times of messing with it. I would clean and then the same thing would happen. so I would clean it out again. I took a second place last year because of it. It was frustrating. I actually had to ease up on the longer straights because I was running out of fuel. I would back of and it would allow the bowl to fill up agian. After that moto, I went back to the pits and leaned my bike over and pulled the petcock and cleaned it, changed the fuel filter and it ran fine... until I had to do it again. this time before I rode I would check to see if the petcocks were clean. At least on my bike it never did come with filters inside the tank. so everything flowed to the petcock and when there was enough stuff it plugged up. If the bike had been sitting for a long time you may want to check things out each time you ride for awhile. it is a pain but at least you will know if you are getting junk in the fuel.
Good luch with your project.

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)
78' 400 MC5