Water in the tank!

[vecie78]

Hi all,

I have been having problems with my Yamaha XJ S Diversion '00 when switching the petcock from normal to reserve petrol. The bike just started choking.

Now it is not working properly although there is lots of gas. I guessed some external elements were sitting in the bottom of the tank.

What I did was removing the tank and empting it completely.

Water.

Yes there was some transparent liquid and lots of it.

After refuelling the tank with clean petrol, The bike is not working neither. It starts but does not respond well at all.

Actually there is an electric noise (kind of buzz) when it starts (sometimes) and when I switch off (some other times); the volume is fairly high and which I have never heard before.

My question is, could have the fuel pump suffered some sort of damages?

Tomorrow I am going to remove the tank again and this time empty/check the bowls of the carbs. I will not go too farther with this job since I cannot sync the carbs afterwards.

Perhaps I could do without removing the carbs and just drain the bowls by unscrewing the drain plug? You reckon?

I think I can do this work I will try my best before considering taking my dear to a mechanic;  I am not an expert but somehow knowledgeable and stubborn....fingers crossed

[taylormade342169]

Hi. What bike ? My XJ900S petcock only has on/off positions. Dont know if there is a reserve on the XJ600, or maybe you have an aftermarket petcock. Im no expert but assuming you have drained and filled the tank with fresh fuel, I would drain the fuel hoses, fuel filter and then drain the 4 carbs via the drain screws. Turn the petcock to "ON" and try to start the bike. It may take a while for fresh fuel to fill the carbs assuming the fuel pump is working. Not sure what the buzzing sound is, maybe the fuel pump.

[m40man]

Water will settle below the petrol, so when you turn on reserve, if there is enough water in there, it gets into your carbs. (Water normally gets in if the bike is kept uncovered, outside a lot & rainwater finds it's way in through the filler cap).

As yours is a 2000 model, it has an electric fuel pump. I suspect that is the buzz you are hearing. I wouldn't blame it for your problems just yet. It's likely you just need to get the water in the carbs out. Do this using the drain screw under each carb. You shouldn't need to remove the carbs to do this.

Even though you have an electric fuel pump, instead of the earlier model's vacuum pump, you can still expect it to take a while to pump fresh fuel through, so a fully charged battery & some patience is required. You may well find all you need to do, after draining the carbs (actually, its just their float bowls) is carry on trying to start it. It will cough & splutter, but will hopefully then start to pick up & get better over time. Fingers crossed.

[m40man]

NB: Apart from avoiding leaving the bike uncovered in rain as much as possible, check the tank vent is clear - rainwater should run away through this, but will spill over the lip of the filler & into the tank if it's blocked.

[vecie78]

Hey guys thanks for your replies!

the bike is a 600 cc. S model from 2000. I believe I should do a couple of cycles when draining the bowls.

Another question is, after I empty the bowls, shall I leave the drain plugs loose when try to restart and flood the system with fuel or screw them back?

[taylormade342169]

Close the drain screws. Good luck and let us know how you get on.