Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

So I sold this really nice 84 spree to a local guy and it has an issue. He lets it sit around forever and wants to basically run it once or twice a year with his kids/grandkids, and the fuel is apparently evaporating/seeping out of the float bowl. When this happens the motor doesn't make enough vacuum at cranking to open the petcock and therefore it won't start. The thing runs and works absolutely flawlessly except for this issue. Pull the vac line off (it fits tight) at the petcock and put a mityvac on it and it fires right up. It cranks at full speed (new battery). So is it a low cranking vac issue, a petcock issue, or does the float bowl really need to seal tight enough to hold fuel for 6 months so it can run on that till the valve opens? If a manual petcock exists for it, that would be good enough of a problem solver, but what's the REAL root cause? What's cranking vacuum supposed to read and what vac level does the valve normally open at?

We never let it sit that long so this problem never showed itself till after I sold it.

thanks in advance.

sounds like you need a new petcock.

there also could be an air leak that is causing the lack of suction... but i would try replacing the petcock first.

Why are you guys so hot to spend his money without troubleshooting first?

Test the petcock per the instructions in the service manual. Then replace it if it is bad.

You might try testing to see if you actually do have fuel in the carb.

Listen to bear he knows what he's talking about

UPDATE: The petcock threads are the same as a honda express. Using a straight petcock works but is kind of a tight fit. I replaced the automatic one with a manual valve, they sell them on ebay with a right angle nipple and it fits perfectly, except you need to remove the fuel screen and throw it over your shoulder. The automatic one I took off had no screen, don't know if they came with one or not. Of course I plugged the open hole on the intake. ANYWAY, guy hasn't had any trouble yet, petcock cover is missing anyhow, he's happy, I'm happy. New automatic one would have probably fixed it, new manual one DEFINITELY fixed it. No more cranking the battery down while it's filling the float bowl!

Greetings:

Repeatedly letting the carb evaporate to dry eventually will gum it up. Why not suggest that he shut off the petcock before long storage periods and let the engine run and suck it dry? An ounce of Sta-Bil in the tank would preserve the fuel awhile longer too.

That is a good idea. I told him he needs to sta-bil the fuel. When I finally converted it to manual petcock, it had been 1 1/2 years since I sold it to him, and I think it still had my tank of gas in it. Poor thing, we put 200 miles on it over the summer I had it.