SuzukiSavage.com - 9 Years In Storage

digitaltrucker YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 32	9 Years In Storage 05/21/25 at 11:49:17 Walp, gonna see if I can breathe life into my '03. It hasn't run in nine years but was running fine when I parked it. Currently vinegaring the tank and waiting for a new petcock to arrive. It cranks over so I don't doubt she'll run.
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ThumperPaul Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2176 Houston, Texas Gender:	Re: 9 Years In Storage Reply #1 - 05/21/25 at 17:13:46 Howdy. I'd pull the spark plug and spray some fogging oil in there if it's been stting in storage for 9 years. I'm surprised it turns over and isn't seized. Vinegar (or varnish stew) in the tank. I can only imagine what the inside of the carb looks like. Good luck. Keep us posted.
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digitaltrucker YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 32	Re: 9 Years In Storage Reply #2 - 05/24/25 at 14:31:02 I vinegared the tank but the inside still isn't anywhere near great. I didn't open the carb up yet. Believe it or not, she started just as soon as I let the bowl fill and hit the key!
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JOG Serious Thumper Online SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2105 Longview, Texas Gender:	Re: 9 Years In Storage Reply #3 - 05/26/25 at 13:04:32 A battery Can spin it over, but Not have enough voltage to fire the plug. Use the Prime setting on the petcock. I'd have some ether handy.
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ohiomoto Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2827	Re: 9 Years In Storage Reply #4 - 05/26/25 at 17:36:49 digitaltrucker wrote on 05/24/25 at 14:31:02: ... I didn't open the carb up yet. Believe it or not, she started just as soon as I let the bowl fill and hit the key! -------- Awesome! And, if it ain't broke, don't break it.
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Re: 9 Years In Storage
Reply #5 - 05/27/25 at 09:31:57

The advantage of an automatic petcock is that once the engine stops, fuel flow to the carb is stopped. That way only a small amount of fuel is in the fuel line and float bowl....once it evaporated there wasn't any more to go bad and clog things up. (Manual petcocks work this way if you turn them off).

The fuel tank however had a bunch of fuel to go bad.

This is a clue on how to take care of your seasonal yard equipment. When the season is over - drain or run it out of fuel. If there is no fuel to go bad or corrode/clog things - chances are it will start and run just fine when you put fuel in it for the next season. O-rings and gaskets don't dry out because there is no fuel in the tank - they dry out and go bad because of sun/heat/ozone and other atmospheric mayhem. (Steel tanks can however get rusty if there is condensation forming in the tank as the temperature and humidity shift excessively - it is sometimes best to remove the vented cap and put a piece of tape over the filler neck to seal it off).

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digitaltrucker

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Re: 9 Years In Storage
Reply #6 - 05/29/25 at 07:45:49

I was hoping I wouldn't have to dig into the carb but it looks like I'll have to. It idles just fine but I don't get any throttle response It just starves of fuel and dies. I can make it throttle up by shooting spurts of carb cleaner into the intake but not otherwise. This tells me fuel isn't getting from the bowl to where it needs to be properly.

Edit: Hmm. Got the top off the carb. Isn't the diaphragm supposed to just lift out with the needle attached to the bottom? If so, it seems to be seized. Best way to get it out without tearing everything up?

Edit 2: Good news! Got the carb off, gave the slide a slight nudge, and out she came. The inside of the carb was surprisingly clean except for the buildup gumming the slide...naturally.

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« Last Edit: 05/29/25 at 09:10:31 by digitaltrucker »

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digitaltrucker YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 32	Re: 9 Years In Storage Reply #7 - 05/29/25 at 10:40:17 Walp, outside of a little grunge that still needs to get flushed out of the fuel tank she seems to be right. She now moves under her own power and I rode it up and down the road a little bit. Glad I have a bunch of 10 micron paper fuel filters.
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ThumperPaul Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2176 Houston, Texas Gender:	Re: 9 Years In Storage Reply #8 - 05/29/25 at 12:09:33 You probably want to read this post before you install an inline fuel filter. They are prone to getting an "air lock". https://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1211846392/15
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Re: 9 Years In Storage
Reply #9 - 05/31/25 at 15:31:33

I've seen '70s and some '80s bikes that had sat for even longer, and just fired right up. The UJM 4s were usually ok if you hosed down the linkage to the 4 carbs with WD40 before you started. BUT gasoline additives didn't turn into varnish back then, either. Best one I ever restored was an '82 Kawasaki 750 twin. The PO had filled both carbs with fork oil before he parked it! I drained the carbs, and it started, smoked and sputtered for a few seconds, then settled into an idle. You don't get many breaks like that. Most of them just get parked, rather than prepped for storage.

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