Hey Guys!

I'm a happy newbie on mechanics and also happy owner of three Savages. One I mostly ride, that's my Lorax. One I put together from pieces and have been riding a lot too, and one still in pieces...

Ok, so now to the one I put together. Been riding it a lot but three years ago me and my by then dear boyfriend switched the engine in it. We put in the engine from third bike in pieces, it started up well but engine was ticking from the top. Dear boyfriend adjusted the valves. Since then it's been standing 'cause of nerve injuries, life and hell and such everything...

Now I'm cleaning out the garage and will get rid of that bike 'cause I need space in the garage.

Ok, so today I put the last things together after the engine switch three years ago. It started up well and no ticking noise yet (cheers to Dear boyfriend  ) BUT it is spouting out gas from what I think is the crankcase breather opening in the top.

We changed the vacuum gas tap no a "normal" one long ago. But it still has the stock vacuum carburetor. Could it be the diaphragm dried out/fissured during these three years and now causing the carburetor to overflow? Or what else could it be?
Any help on what's causing this is appreciated.

/Happy lady in Sweden (English is not my first language. )

Dave - Thanks for your reply. Honestly I realized now there was no oil in it. Stupid, stupid, stupid? I thought it would not take so much harm since me and my brother merely just wanted to see if it would start after three years stalling, so he can buy the bike and we can ride together. I took out the oil drain plug and all gasoline running out...I really don't remember how things went when my dear boyfriend adjusted the valves. I recall we also were switching the top and fixing with the cam chain, so I think we drained the oil and maybe we didn't put in new since we didn't start it again? I don't remember.   Finding it hard though that he would start it without oil. He was way more experienced than me, and older.   Anyhow there was no oil in the engine. Just gasoline.

justin_o_guy2 - Also thank you for your reply. And petcock is the word. But I already changed the stock petcock to a one regular (not vacuum). Trying to understand what makes the gasoline run into the engine and spouting out from the crankcase breather. Do you have any idea what could be causing this?

Thanks again, justin_o_guy2. Now I understand better.

Hm.... the petcock has been turned off. The petcocks are from EBay, cheap copies from China. Maybe 3,5$? They've been on for 7 years now and have been working very well. But the bike has been stalled for three years, the tank has been empty all the time though and actually off the bike since the engine was interchanged (I think?  ) Maybe some gasket has been dried out? Will check the petcock, can't recall how they are made in detail, since there hasn't been any trouble, no need to take them off. I plugged the vacuum line when I installed the new petcock.

Ok, so the plan is now: 1. Open up a bit and air engine. 2. Check the petcock if it closes properly. 3 Check float and needle if something is stuck.

Will go through this the coming week and come back with how it goes. Thanks also for the info on the screws. But wouldn't the pistonrings be okay once we poured in oil and it's all getting lubricated again? Wondering if this short time span of gasoline could make such amount of damage.

https://www.amazon.com/STA-BIL-22001-Fogging-Oil-av/dp/B000H7CKAY

When I first got my Savage it hadn’t been ridden or started in years. When I finally got around to starting it it ran just as you described for your bike. I drained the “oil” and got about a gallon (4 liters) of fluid out. So it had 2 liters of oil and 2 liters of fuel. I swapped out the petcock and it has run perfectly for 7 years now. Don’t worry too much about the fuel/oil mix. Change the oil and adjust the carb (the float) so it doesn’t happen again. I would disassemble the carb to ensure the the height of the float is correct and that the rubber parts aren’t cracked, shrunk or otherwise damaged.

Hello all,
a friend gave me an 2003 LS650 a few months back. It didn't run. But it did turn over.
I don't know much about troubleshooting and not too mechanically inclined, with the bike came the "clymers" manual.
I took out the carb cleaned it and now it runs!
problem is, I don't have the seat hook, so I can't  take on a ride to clean out all the crap that was in the airbox.
anybody have a seat hook?

I think the float was stuck, and the petcock left in prime position.
oil smelled like gasoline and the airbox had about a quart of ffluid in it when I drained it. cleaned it up and it purrs!
just can't ride it...

I'm in Orange county California

Problem solved. It turned out to be much less than I was afraid of.

Checked the petcock. It was fine. Checked the carburetor. Float and needle did not seem stuck. Opened up and checked diaphragm and gaskets, they were fine. Just poured out the gasoline in it, refilled engine with new oil. Started and now everything runs fine. I think maybe it was just that it had been stalled, and some excess gasoline in the carburetor is enough to cause this problem when starting up after a long time. Perhaps the float was just a little bit stuck and loosened by itself when we removed the carb, as justin_o_guy2 said a little "whak" with a screwdriver could solve it.

Anyway, thank you guys for the help. I learned some new things. Hope this helps someone else.