Hard starting

[Jer]

Got back to Salem from California on Monday. Went for a morning walk with my brother-in-law and he mentioned that he couldn't get my lawnmower started. I told him it was probably water in the gas caused by the alcohol in it. When we got back home I drained the gas and bought some fresh fuel. Poured the new fuel in and then pulled the starter cord at least a hundred times with no success. I then took off the air filter and poured gas in the carburetor and it started.

I then washed the winter dust from the FJR and afterwards tried to start it. I have been leaving my FJR's covered in a carport for quite a few years and have never had trouble starting them. This time I thought I would run down the battery before it slowly started. It was struggling to run until it cleared its throat and made that wonderful idling sound.

I put fuel stabilizer in the bike before filling it up. Any ideas on what to do this fall when I leave it again. I am considering going somewhere to purchase none alcohol added fuel.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Maybe just some weird event. I don't know how long they sat, but I know this: In late 2013, I was put into a temporary assignment that was supposed to take 2 months. Because I really liked the marked car I had, I told them I wouldn't go if they reissued it while I was helping out. We parked my car at a sub with about 1/2 tank of gas. That assignment ended up taking 4 months, almost to the day.

The day I went to pick up my normal car, the battery was dead. We jumped it and it fired right up. Two nights later, we were in a pursuit and my car hit 125 as fast as it ever had. Didn't seem to be anything wrong with the fuel, and when I parked it, it was our regular fleet fuel.

I don't know that all the Ethanol horror stories are as common as one may think. Maybe it's our dry climate. I do know I put out generators away with stabilized fuel for almost 6 months of the year and they always start by the 3rd pull.

 

[Twigg]

Ethanol fuel goes "off" within about a month. That doesn't mean that it won't run the engine, but it will not run it as it was intended.

Despite stabilizing the gas in the tank, what remained in the fuel rail could be enough to cause a hard start. It won't ignite as spontaneously as normal, and will tend to flood the engine until it finally catches, burns of the rubbish and roars into life.

 

[Jer]

Maybe just some weird event. I don't know how long they sat, but I know this: In late 2013, I was put into a temporary assignment that was supposed to take 2 months. Because I really liked the marked car I had, I told them I wouldn't go if they reissued it while I was helping out. We parked my car at a sub with about 1/2 tank of gas. That assignment ended up taking 4 months, almost to the day.

The day I went to pick up my normal car, the battery was dead. We jumped it and it fired right up. Two nights later, we were in a pursuit and my car hit 125 as fast as it ever had. Didn't seem to be anything wrong with the fuel, and when I parked it, it was our regular fleet fuel.

I don't know that all the Ethanol horror stories are as common as one may think. Maybe it's our dry climate. I do know I put out generators away with stabilized fuel for almost 6 months of the year and they always start by the 3rd pull.

It sits for six months and we have been away for six months annually for over twenty years. First year for starting problems.

 

[bluesdog]

I add stabilizer, then run the engine to complete warm up to fill the fuel rail/carb float bowl with stabilized fuel. As AJ suggests, a dry climate helps.

Last year it got too cold too quickly, and I couldn't start my pull-start weed eater in order to fill the carb with stabilized fuel. I may have to drain the carb to get her fired up.