[jburn25]

Went riding today in some very wet conditions in the spillway in New Orleans,La. About 10 minutes into our trip I went into a hole that was too deep and the bike died while the tailpipe was under water. I pulled it out onto flat ground and cranked it right up. For about five minutes it would idle on full choke, but die if I gave it any gas or took it off choke. Then, I could take it off choke but whenever I gave it gas it sputtered and blew out what looked like smoke or maybe steam.

It rode ok the rest of the day but I couldn't get full response from it. Every time you mashed the throttle it would die for a second and then pick back up. Also, even the smallest water puddle that splashed up made the bike stutter for a second. If I kept it in a lower than normal gear and higher than normal RPM I could run it ok.

Any advice on what to do? I'm fairly skilled at wokring on my bike and I want to say that I've heard of peope running diesel through the oil line to displace the water?

 

[hookedonjuice]

first off check your oil for any water, and not just the engine, you need to check diffs, air box and engine. then loosen the drain screw on the bottom of the carb and drain the bowl with the gas turned off. the turn the gas on and flush the carb for about 10 seconds. tighten screw the check spark plug connecter for water or moisture. replace plug if yuo have one and try it again it should be better. also check your hose on your gas cap to make sure is is clear and clean, when i go deep my steering column fills with water and i have to pull my tank vent out so the carb will get gas.

 

[Sparkey]

I did the same thing with mine once. As mentioned check all oil for water. you had the engine running so no damage there. the symptoms you desccribe sound like water in the fuel system. probably in the air cleaner or carb but check the fuel in the tank also. Do not run diesel in the engine, fuel lines or any where else to flush the water out. There are fuel additives that will remove water from the carb (alcohol based) if that fails then remove and clean the carb. be sure to check all the vent lines and make sure they are clear of water and or debris.

These machines are made to take it as long as you dont get water in the intake when the engine is running. If you keep it revved up a little in deep water you will keep it from backing up into the engine through the tail pipe and stalling out the engine. If you plan on riding in deep water often you should consider a snorkel kit, and put dielectric grease on all of the electrical connections. Also dont forget to route the vent lines for the differentials and carb to a higher location.

 

[jburn25]

ok, thanks for the reply guys. I have one more question. What was causing the engine to stutter everytime I went through a small water puddle and the water splashed up? What was the water splashing into that made it kill the engine momentarily? Yall mentioned some vents?

 

[Sparkey]

QUOTE ("jburn25")

ok, thanks for the reply guys. I have one more question. What was causing the engine to stutter everytime I went through a small water puddle and the water splashed up? What was the water splashing into that made it kill the engine momentarily? Yall mentioned some vents?

My guess is that since the engine wasn't running right, the load caused by going through the puddle caused a problem. It could be some thinig else though. Its hard to say when I can't see the machine. I would say get the fuel system dried out, and check for water on the plug wire, check the spark plug, and see if that corrects the problem.

I usually carry a can of WD 40 with me to dry out wet ignition and or connectors just in case, alghough since putting dielectric grease on all of my connections I have had no problems with water.

 

[jburn25]

Ok, I noticed that my drain tube from the carburator wasn't on the carburator anymore so water was probably able to splash up in the carb bowl easier?

Where are yall putting all the dielectric greese? (what connections)

 

[rockclimber]

All electricial connections and your spark plug boot