Uh oh...I'm killing my engine. What do I do?

[ian]

Ok, as some of you know, I work at the local yamaship. Friday, one of the guys that works there said "hey your bike would run a lot better if you sync'd your carbs and maybe adjusted your valves." I actually didn't think my bike was running that badly, other than burning oil. So I told him how I probably don't have good compression since I'm burning about a quart of oil every 400 mi. So he said to put this stuff called Ring-Free in my fuel. I did, and all was fine the first day. Then the next day I noticed it acting like it was running out of gas while I was on my way to work, but I had almost a full tank. It only lasted for about 30 sec. so I didn't worry about it. Then, today, I went over to my buddy's apartment and when I left my house it did the same thing, so I figured it'd clear up in a minute or so. Never did. Ran like crap the whole way there, and then the whole way home. I've lost substantial power, it smells funky, and sounds horrible. Like I said, it kind of feels/sounds like it does right when it's running out of gas and I have to switch to reserve. Or it feels clogged, if that makes sense. I called one of my buddies that knows quite a bit about bikes and asked him about it, and he said just drain the fuel, flush it with some new fuel, change the oil, and check the carbs. My questions are: 1, do you guys agree with this, and 2, where is the best place to drain the fuel?

[megaloxana]

How much of the ring free stuff did you put into your fuel exactly? I read somewhere that it's only supposed to be 1 oz per 15 Gallons! Only time I ever heard people using this stuff was for boat motors.

[FasterThanUr]

Pull your tank and remove the petcock.Thats the only way your gonna get all of it out.If you put too much of the ring-free crap maybe just siphon out as much of the gas as you can and fill it with some freash fuel and maybe that will dilute it enough to clear things up

[ian]

on the bottle it says 1oz per gallon for regular treatment and 2oz per gallon for shock treatment. I did the shock treatment because the guy told me to.

[zero9243]

I just put a little seafoam in with my gas on every fillup and i don't leak oil anymore.

[ian]

Faster, do you think my plugs are fouled?

zero, I'm not leaking oil, but burning it...slight difference. My rings are going/have gone bad.

[FasterThanUr]

If you have been burning oil theres a good chance the plugs are fouling out.That would be something to check out...

[megaloxana]

Also a good possibility is that it free'd up some dirt and clogged one of your jets. I had something similiar happen to me a few weeks ago on the highway. Bike felt like it was running out of gas but then got better later. Happened twice again a day or two later so I decided to tear apart the carbs for a good cleaning. Fixed the problem.

[YAM93]

have you stuck a flashlight down inside your gas tank to see if there is any surface rust ? If that's the case, you need to do a POR-15 treatment or buy a new gas tank entirely. This problem will just keep re-occuring if that is the case.

Sounds like you need to replace your rings and pistons.

I've had my bike since 1996, the only thing i've EVER put in the gas tank besides gas is Sta-Bil, and only for winter storage. I'm not a big believer in additives or seafoam, even though some claim it has worked for them. Seems just as many people have had fuel additives cause problems, so i wouldn't listen to anyone who tells you to add stuff to your gas saying it's a cure-all. Robitussin might have cured Chris Rock's broken leg, but it won't cure mine.

[megaloxana]

have you stuck a flashlight down inside your gas tank to see if there is any surface rust ? If that's the case, you need to do a POR-15 treatment or buy a new gas tank entirely. This problem will just keep re-occuring if that is the case.

Sounds like you need to replace your rings and pistons.

I've had my bike since 1996, the only thing i've EVER put in the gas tank besides gas is Sta-Bil, and only for winter storage. I'm not a big believer in additives or seafoam, even though some claim it has worked for them. Seems just as many people have had fuel additives cause problems, so i wouldn't listen to anyone who tells you to add stuff to your gas saying it's a cure-all. Robitussin might have cured Chris Rock's broken leg, but it won't cure mine.

haha yeah pour some 'tussin on it

[Target30]

i agree with getting that gas outta there. the tank is pretty easy to pull, get the gas out, and get some new gas in there. when you have the old out, checking the tank for rust is a great idea. i would only put a gallon or 2 in, and run it for a bit, see if it clears up. if not, then check your carbs. btw, do you smell gas when it is running? if you fouled up your carbs, you should smell unburned gas. you should be able to do all of that in a couple hours. get a haynes manual if you dont have one already, it will save you a bunch of time trying to figure it out yourself. oh, and if you have any of the additive yet, put it in the guy who told you to do thats coffee. if he gets mad, tell him you were just trying to thank him for helping you by cleaning him out a bit.

[ian]

ok update. Today it ran especially crappy. Then when I got home I accidentally ran down my battery. I tried to jump with my cousin's car but it wouldn't start. It'd turn over but it won't start at all now. And I have very limited tools. I also don't want to take it to the stealership I work at cause I don't have my employee discount for another 80 days.

Also, I siphoned out most of the gas and put fresh gas in.

[megaloxana]

Alright...charge that battery up. In the mean while pull the plugs and give them a good cleaning.

[ian]

I can't pull the plugs...I don't have a plug socket that fits... Like I said, I have minimal tools where I'm at right now.