Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Ok, I followed Jerry's carb cleaning instructions, and I am confident I got it cleaned out.

But it wont start. Everything else is working (spark, starter is engaging).

I have no idea what to fiddle with next. Or how to even check to see if the carb is even sending fuel onward or not.

Any ideas?

Edit: I just read about the vacuum shutoff valve in the tech documents forum. That shouldn't apply here, because I know fuel is getting TO the carb (because it poured out through the drain tube as per the carb cleaning instructions). Correct?

well you should check the fuel petcock, pull both tubes off the carb, point the upper tube away from the engine and suck on the bottom tube, see if gas comes out the top one.
if gas flows, put the top one back in the carb and fill the intake bowl, (untill you cant get any more gas in there, just keep sucking) and then hook the bottom tube back up. try that first then come back for more tips

Jim wrote:well you should check the fuel petcock, pull both tubes off the carb, point the upper tube away from the engine and suck on the bottom tube, see if gas comes out the top one.
if gas flows, put the top one back in the carb and fill the intake bowl, (untill you cant get any more gas in there, just keep sucking) and then hook the bottom tube back up. try that first then come back for more tips

Yeah, fuel comes out, (managed to soak myself because it came out IMMEDIATELY when I tried this earlier) but how do I know when the bowl is full? I cant hear anything or see what's going on in there.

I know fuel is GETTING to the bowl, because I can drain it.

the bowl isnt too big, just suck on it for about 30 seconds. then crank it and see if it starts

Ugh. I'll have to get back with you. Apparently all my trial and error attempts have taken a toll on the battery. The starter doesnt crank normally, and now the battery is showing 9.9 volts.

Now to find a shop that'll recharge it for free/cheap.

I use a trickle charge to charge my battery.

Get the battery charged first.
Pull the plug and leave it on the high tension wire.
Place the plug over the threaded portion of the head but do not install.
Crank the engine and look for spark and a small gas explosion.
This dries out the combustion chamber if saturated.
Reinstall the plug and try again.
If this fails, check the compression.

Jerry wrote:Get the battery charged first.
Pull the plug and leave it on the high tension wire.
Place the plug over the threaded portion of the head but do not install.
Crank the engine and look for spark and a small gas explosion.
This dries out the combustion chamber if saturated.
Reinstall the plug and try again.
If this fails, check the compression.

That's not a bad idea. My friend has a charger, so I'm gonna let him charge it tomorrow.

Make sure if it's a car charger, that it's not putting out more than 2 amps or so. Even at 2 amps you can cook a battery at anything over an hour.

Cheap motorcycle chargers, 1A or so, are available at car places for $10 or so.

Nah, its a motorcycle charger....he just bought a SWEET Bandit a couple of weeks ago, and got some little dirt-slinger tossed in free. So he already made the investment on the charger.

I should get it back tomorrow, so maybe tomorrow night I can try this out.