Bad gas

[HellFire]

Carbon build-up? Dude, you aren't thrashin' her hard enough! Little old ladies get carbon build-up! Just kidding.
Thats our bad gas again, but enough to stick the valves open?, wow that sucks.
Wherever you are buying your fuel is even worse than normal, if you HAVE to get your gas from questionable stations you should start using Techron fuel treatment. It's about the only product out there that reduces carbon already present on valves. You don't have to use it everytime you fill up, just every 3000 miles or so. I've been using the stuff since the 80's in all my cars and bikes, it keeps the top end of my engines totally free of build-up and the injectors spraying like new.
BMW's back in the day were notorious for carbon, it looked like chocolate cake around the valves it was so bad. The shop I worked at used ground walnut shells to blast it off so the heads didn't have to be removed. Our customers that used Techron at every oil service never had to have it done. I've used it ever since.

 

[snuffcityrider]

Thanks for the tip, I'll do just that. I thought I was riding the poo out of it. It red lines at 14,000 so the party dosen't even start till 6/7000 and I don't lug the motor. I guess I'll red line it every where I go

 

[warp9.9]

hey snuff I don't know **** about the speed 4 ecept I would like to play with one and see if its a second toy for me. But I have to ask a stupid question. Does the bike have a fuel filter and how did large particals get by it?

 

[snuffcityrider]

It does, and the more I listen to the mechanic I'm not so sure they did. Sounds like the abundance of water in the fuel did the damage. I should pick it up Saturday and hopefully have more details. They are serious fun in the twisties as long as you don't fill them up with water. If you here of a gas station in a small central Texas town going up in flames...I know nothing

 

[HellFire]

The water must have been sprayed from the injector straight into the "chocolate cake" on the valve, turned to steam and popped the carbon off the surface.
Well, if there was that much carbon on the valves to start with, you will have very noticable improvement in throttle response when they are all cleaned up. The carbon acts like a sponge when the fuel is sprayed from the injector, it holds onto the fuel for a bit before it gets past the valve into the cylinder.
See ... this was all really a GOOD thing that happened. .......that might be stretching a little.

 

[snuffcityrider]

Yea, I'm starting to see it now. The guy who works at the Triumph shop who originally bought the bike did nothing but polish it and put 400 miles on it. I wonder if those 400 miles were from idling around town? If I at least get a performance upgrade out of the deal, maybe I... (I mean) something bad won't happen to a gas station located in a small central Texas town.

 

[TxRIIIRider]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I put about 100 miles on the Trophy today after replacing the crank position sensor and she ran great all day! I was a bit worried because I picked a day to test it out when Dawn would not be available to rescue me if the Trophy died on me.. lol

 

[snuffcityrider]

Yes, I feel much better now....thanks sitting here wondering, "okay, just where the hell do I buy gas from?" Glad your/her bike is running well. I really like that bike. Like the way it sounds too, got's a nice roar to it.

 

[Sidecar Flip]

None of that sounds kosher to me. If you had/have carbon on the backside of the valve heads and the water did knock it loose (a possibility because GM used to sell a pour through the carb additive that was basically glycerine and distilled water designed to 'steam clean' the intake and exhaust to remove carbon deposits), how could a stray bit of carbon get lodged between the seating face and the seat itself and if it did, it should have just passed through after maybe a brief loss of compression.

The seating surface of the backside of the valve and the seat itself is narrow.

I'm curious.

 

[snuffcityrider]

The mechanic ran a compression check
#1-90psi
#2-70psi
#3-175psi
#4-110psi
last gallon of gas in tank had 17 oz. of water and rust.
He told me that the valve springs are not very strong and that it dosen't take much to keep them from closing. This dealership has always been fair and honest with me, so I don't think they are trying to pull a fast one. But then again, a mechanic I'm not.