2001 vs800 has trouble starting/idling and when it does turns off when throttle is applied

[judahls]

it wont start without that good ol fashioned starter fluid and when it does it turns off almost immediately when i give it gas. carbs have ben cleaned and i am making fuel pressure to them, not sure if fuel pump is always running since i can only test it when i am trying to start it. have not touched the tuning at all. any ideas or things i should try?

[hillsy v2]

it wont start without that good ol fashioned starter fluid and when it does it turns off almost immediately when i give it gas. carbs have ben cleaned and i am making fuel pressure to them, not sure if fuel pump is always running since i can only test it when i am trying to start it. have not touched the tuning at all. any ideas or things i should try?

So if it only fires with starter fluid then you know you have spark.

How long has this bike been sitting? "Carbs have been cleaned" may not be enough if it's been sitting for a long time - varnish and crud can block the pilot circuits deep in the carb bodies and the only way to get them clear is with carb cleaner and compressed air / maybe ultrasonic.

First thing to check would be whether there is fuel getting into the carb bowls - you can jumper the fuel pump wiring to make it work and then unscrew the drain screws on the carb bowls to see if the fuel is flowing and the pump is going.

If that checks out then it's probably dirty carbs (still). Which means you need to pull them out and clean thoroughly.

[Lechy]

Most common cause often overlooked are blocked pilot air jets,

[sgtcall]

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[judahls]

it wont start without that good ol fashioned starter fluid and when it does it turns off almost immediately when i give it gas. carbs have ben cleaned and i am making fuel pressure to them, not sure if fuel pump is always running since i can only test it when i am trying to start it. have not touched the tuning at all. any ideas or things i should try?

So if it only fires with starter fluid then you know you have spark.

How long has this bike been sitting? "Carbs have been cleaned" may not be enough if it's been sitting for a long time - varnish and crud can block the pilot circuits deep in the carb bodies and the only way to get them clear is with carb cleaner and compressed air / maybe ultrasonic.

First thing to check would be whether there is fuel getting into the carb bowls - you can jumper the fuel pump wiring to make it work and then unscrew the drain screws on the carb bowls to see if the fuel is flowing and the pump is going.

If that checks out then it's probably dirty carbs (still). Which means you need to pull them out and clean thoroughly.

its good that you said that because i had not checked, there is no fuel making it to the carb bowls. when i was checking that i did not see any fuel going through the fuel filter ither (i know this is sketchy and dangerous)

[hillsy v2]

(i know this is sketchy and dangerous)

Haha - if you ain't livin on the edge - you aint livin....

OK so if the fuel pump is working.... and there's no fuel in the filter .....then you probably have a blocked fuel tap...or maybe have the hoses wrong on the pump.... (or no fuel in the tank ).

[sgtcall]

You said you can hear the fuel pump running but is it pumping? Doesn't seem like it. There is a fuel pump relay that can and will go bad but the pumps themselves go bad pretty often. There is a fuel pump test you can run, see below.

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[YoutubeID][/YoutubeID]

[judahls]

You said you can hear the fuel pump running but is it pumping? Doesn't seem like it. There is a fuel pump relay that can and will go bad but the pumps themselves go bad pretty often. There is a fuel pump test you can run, see below.

[YoutubeID][/YoutubeID]

[YoutubeID][/YoutubeID]

as far as i can tell the pump only pumps when the ignition button is being pressed

[judahls]

(i know this is sketchy and dangerous)

Haha - if you ain't livin on the edge - you aint livin....

OK so if the fuel pump is working.... and there's no fuel in the filter .....then you probably have a blocked fuel tap...or maybe have the hoses wrong on the pump.... (or no fuel in the tank ).

i actually did find out that i had to put it on "reserve" to get any gas to flow. excuse me for this is my first bike to have a "reserve" fuel setting, i dont really know what it means. but, the problem with it turning off when i give it any gas still persists. it'll idle just fine but give it more than around a quarter throttle and it bogs down and stalls

[Herb]

Most motorcycles don't have a fuel gauge so they have what is known as a "reserve" so you have a few extra miles before it is completley out. One of the issues with the reserve tank is that it draws every last bit of gas out which means that any water or crud can be drawn into the fuel system. I always track my fuel mileage so I know, about, when it is going to run out and switch to reserve a few miles before it runs out. This allows it to work the water/crud out on a regular basis so it doesn't cause problems.

How much gas is in the tank? I know this sounds like a stupid question but it is very easy to park a bike that is already low on fuel and the fuel to evaporate leaving it with not enough to run.

I have also forgot to switch back to the main portion of the tank after fueling and when I ran out of gas I was completly out and the bike wouldn't run... I know that I am not the only one that has done this although most won't admit it.

[judahls]

Most motorcycles don't have a fuel gauge so they have what is known as a "reserve" so you have a few extra miles before it is completley out. One of the issues with the reserve tank is that it draws every last bit of gas out which means that any water or crud can be drawn into the fuel system. I always track my fuel mileage so I know, about, when it is going to run out and switch to reserve a few miles before it runs out. This allows it to work the water/crud out on a regular basis so it doesn't cause problems.

How much gas is in the tank? I know this sounds like a stupid question but it is very easy to park a bike that is already low on fuel and the fuel to evaporate leaving it with not enough to run.

I have also forgot to switch back to the main portion of the tank after fueling and when I ran out of gas I was completly out and the bike wouldn't run... I know that I am not the only one that has done this although most won't admit it.

2 maybe 3 quarts of gas, i put some in when i started this whole thing. needed some gas for a different bike, the gas is no more than a week old

[Herb]

I would verify that I am getting fuel to the pump, then test the pump. I have seen the petcocks get plugged.

[sgtcall]

Probably not the issue but you may want to check the fuel cap on the tank. The cap has a vent to allow air into the tank as the pump pulls fuel out. If the vent is clogged the bike will bog down when you hit the throttle because it builds pressure in the tank and the pump can't pull fuel into the system.

[judahls]

I would verify that I am getting fuel to the pump, then test the pump. I have seen the petcocks get plugged.

ive tested the pump by unplugging the outlet hose and pressing the ignition. it does work but only when the ignition is pressed

[judahls]

Probably not the issue but you may want to check the fuel cap on the tank. The cap has a vent to allow air into the tank as the pump pulls fuel out. If the vent is clogged the bike will bog down when you hit the throttle because it builds pressure in the tank and the pump can't pull fuel into the system.

ive ben doing it with the cap off this whole time but ill check that just for good measure

[judahls]

I would verify that I am getting fuel to the pump, then test the pump. I have seen the petcocks get plugged.

ive tested the pump by unplugging the outlet hose and pressing the ignition. it does work but only when the ignition is pressed

i got it to run and i checked unplugged the fuel outlet again and if the bike is running the pump is pumping

[sgtcall]

Glad it worked out for you. I guess it was the gremlins causing trouble again.

The fuel pumps on these bike are known to become intermittent before they die completely so if you think the pump was the issue it may be time to start looking at a new one. There are plenty of aftermarket ones out there for cheaper than OEM but some people swear by the OEM ones. I had a Chinese knockoff for $25 that worked great for 5 or 6 years until I sold the bike.

[hillsy v2]

I would verify that I am getting fuel to the pump, then test the pump. I have seen the petcocks get plugged.

ive tested the pump by unplugging the outlet hose and pressing the ignition. it does work but only when the ignition is pressed

i got it to run and i checked unplugged the fuel outlet again and if the bike is running the pump is pumping

So it's running properly now or are you back to square one where it's idling but not revving?

[judahls]

I would verify that I am getting fuel to the pump, then test the pump. I have seen the petcocks get plugged.

ive tested the pump by unplugging the outlet hose and pressing the ignition. it does work but only when the ignition is pressed

i got it to run and i checked unplugged the fuel outlet again and if the bike is running the pump is pumping

So it's running properly now or are you back to square one where it's idling but not revving?

back to square one, unfortunately. but why would the pump only run when the bike is running *edit. ON is a bad word*

[hillsy v2]

I would verify that I am getting fuel to the pump, then test the pump. I have seen the petcocks get plugged.

ive tested the pump by unplugging the outlet hose and pressing the ignition. it does work but only when the ignition is pressed

i got it to run and i checked unplugged the fuel outlet again and if the bike is running the pump is pumping

So it's running properly now or are you back to square one where it's idling but not revving?

back to square one, unfortunately. but why would the pump only run when the bike is ON

That's how it works. Safety feature - so if you crash and the fuel line ruptures the pump doesn't keep pumping fuel onto a hot engine....