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  1. #1
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    Default Motor started running poor

    Recently I was riding and the motor started idling and missing/stumbling when I rolled on the throttle. It wants to almost die when stopped and idling. As I give it the gas the motor is stumbling/missing and I can crank it on up and it will take full throttle some and a little bit of missing.
    So I don't know if an injector is a bit clogged up or what. I put some Tecron in the tank today to see if that might clean it up but not much faith in that fixing it.
    Any ideas???
    Buckskin
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  2. #2
    Very Active Member canamjhb's Avatar
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    Your symptoms sound like you got some bad gas. It happens. I got some in West Texas in my car. Caused it to go into limp mode and eventually quit running. I got towed 150 miles to a dealership. They did an injector flush job and treated the fuel. No problem since. Did you get gas from a station that does not have heavy usage? Maybe not a top tier station? Try running a tank treated with Sea Foam and see what happens. Keep us informed and good luck..... Jim
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  3. #3
    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by canamjhb View Post
    Your symptoms sound like you got some bad gas. It happens. I got some in West Texas in my car. Caused it to go into limp mode and eventually quit running. I got towed 150 miles to a dealership. They did an injector flush job and treated the fuel. No problem since. Did you get gas from a station that does not have heavy usage? Maybe not a top tier station? Try running a tank treated with Sea Foam and see what happens. Keep us informed and good luck..... Jim
    .... an otherwise smooth running machine that starts doing what it did, leads me to think BAD GAS as a first cause .... there are products designed to remove or cancel the effects of water in the fuel .... if at all possible drain as much gas as you can into a clear container .... you will see if the water separates from the gas .... then treat it ..... and you don't need High test gas to fix this ... it won't help .... good luck ... Mike

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    Default Motor started running poor

    I considered the gas was poor. I put in some Tecron gas additive and not all that sure of it's benefits. You suggest there are products that remove or cancel the effects of water. Can you suggest some that you know are good ones?
    What octane gas do you suggest to run in general in the Spyder? I know there are lots of ideas of which gas, just wanted yours....
    Someone mentioned the source of the gas. I have a Kroger fuel about 2 blocks from home. Been buying fuel there for truck and bikes for about 20 years now. First time this has happened. It is a much used fuel stop around here.



    Quote Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911 View Post
    .... an otherwise smooth running machine that starts doing what it did, leads me to think BAD GAS as a first cause .... there are products designed to remove or cancel the effects of water in the fuel .... if at all possible drain as much gas as you can into a clear container .... you will see if the water separates from the gas .... then treat it ..... and you don't need High test gas to fix this ... it won't help .... good luck ... Mike
    2016 F3T , Pearl White

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    Very Active Member pidjones's Avatar
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    If you use a gas additive, MAKE SURE you follow the manufacture's instructions. Over-dosing additives can be as bad or worse than bad gas.
    "Love 'em all.... Let GOD sort 'em out!"
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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckskin View Post
    I considered the gas was poor. I put in some Tecron gas additive and not all that sure of it's benefits. You suggest there are products that remove or cancel the effects of water. Can you suggest some that you know are good ones?
    What octane gas do you suggest to run in general in the Spyder? I know there are lots of ideas of which gas, just wanted yours....
    Someone mentioned the source of the gas. I have a Kroger fuel about 2 blocks from home. Been buying fuel there for truck and bikes for about 20 years now. First time this has happened. It is a much used fuel stop around here.
    First when I read you live in " Cypress ", I think GREECE ..... however " Kroger ", I think somewhere in the USA ..... please clarify ...... There are lots of Snake Oils out there .... I haven't had to remove " water " from fuel for decades, so what's out there now someone wioll chime in and report it ..... " Octane ", I have over 66,000 mi. on my 14 RT ( the 1330 engine ) and it runs as designed ... with a " POSSIBLE " lowering of performance ( about .01 % ) ..... and from what I've read on this forum, I believe most folks use 87, with Ethyl ..... Trying to cure a " water " situation with chemicals can take awhile, draining the Tank will be better ..... jmho .... good luck .... Mike

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    Default Motor started running poor

    I live in Cypress, Texas (suburb of Houston, Texas) As to the fuel I put in the last tank, I put in the high Octane stuff and used to run the 87 with Ethyl.
    Will look into siphoning the gas and put in some 87 Octane.
    Appreciate the comments here.


    Quote Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911 View Post
    First when I read you live in " Cypress ", I think GREECE ..... however " Kroger ", I think somewhere in the USA ..... please clarify ...... There are lots of Snake Oils out there .... I haven't had to remove " water " from fuel for decades, so what's out there now someone wioll chime in and report it ..... " Octane ", I have over 66,000 mi. on my 14 RT ( the 1330 engine ) and it runs as designed ... with a " POSSIBLE " lowering of performance ( about .01 % ) ..... and from what I've read on this forum, I believe most folks use 87, with Ethyl ..... Trying to cure a " water " situation with chemicals can take awhile, draining the Tank will be better ..... jmho .... good luck .... Mike
    2016 F3T , Pearl White

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    Have you tried the Sea Foam recommended above?
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    Quote Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911 View Post
    First when I read you live in " Cypress ", I think GREECE ..... however " Kroger ", I think somewhere in the USA ..... please clarify ...... There are lots of Snake Oils out there .... I haven't had to remove " water " from fuel for decades, so what's out there now someone wioll chime in and report it ..... " Octane ", I have over 66,000 mi. on my 14 RT ( the 1330 engine ) and it runs as designed ... with a " POSSIBLE " lowering of performance ( about .01 % ) ..... and from what I've read on this forum, I believe most folks use 87, with Ethyl ..... Trying to cure a " water " situation with chemicals can take awhile, draining the Tank will be better ..... jmho .... good luck .... Mike
    Cyprus is a place in the Mediterranean

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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckskin View Post
    Recently I was riding and the motor started idling and missing/stumbling when I rolled on the throttle. It wants to almost die when stopped and idling. As I give it the gas the motor is stumbling/missing and I can crank it on up and it will take full throttle some and a little bit of missing.
    So I don't know if an injector is a bit clogged up or what. I put some Tecron in the tank today to see if that might clean it up but not much faith in that fixing it.
    Any ideas???
    Buckskin
    I think Techron is designed to clean deposits off carburetors and maybe fuel injectors. Sea Foam I believe serves a different purpose and is what you should try instead.
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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckskin View Post
    I live in Cypress, Texas (suburb of Houston, Texas) As to the fuel I put in the last tank, I put in the high Octane stuff and used to run the 87 with Ethyl.
    Will look into siphoning the gas and put in some 87 Octane.
    Appreciate the comments here.
    Thanks for this info .... " Octane " will have NO effect on this issue - period .... however NON-Ethyl could be better, 87 isn't even available where I live, but I have heard it is available elsewhere .... good luck .... Mike

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    Quote Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911 View Post
    Thanks for this info .... " Octane " will have NO effect on this issue - period .... however NON-Ethyl could be better, 87 isn't even available where I live, but I have heard it is available elsewhere .... good luck .... Mike
    2014 RTL Platinum


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    Very Active Member canamjhb's Avatar
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    Water in the fuel will settle at the bottom of the tank. So siphoning fuel may not help unless you can get your siphon tube all the way to the tank bottom. Back in the olden days we used to use alcohol to treat gas with water in it. The alcohol emulsifies the water and allows it to burn through the engine. I DO NOT recommend using this method. When we treated gas with alcohol, the engines didn't cost as much as they do today, and they didn't last near as long either. That's why I recommended Sea Foam. It is made to clean up your fuel system. Just follow the directions. As far at octane is concerned, makes no difference. Do not confuse octane with top tier fuel. They are two different things. Since having injector issues in my Buick I have made it a point to NEVER AGAIN buy fuel from a station that does not sell top tier fuel. That lesson cost me nearly $1,000 in towing and repair costs.

    Another thing to think about is not only where you buy fuel but when you buy it. Remember that moisture (water) settles to the bottom of gasoline. If you purchase fuel from a station that has had little use and you are the first one to do so for that day, you are getting everything that has settled in that stations tanks overnight. That's exactly what I did with my Buick. I was on a road trip, got up early in the morning and bought fuel from a small, out of the way, independent station in order to save a few pennies and it cost me big time. The techron you used is a good product. It is a good additive to help keep fuel systems clean. But, I suggest you try running some Sea Foam as directed. I think you will be happy. Good luck and keep us posted..... Jim
    2005 Windveil Blue Premium Mustang Convertible
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    The best and only way to disperse water in petrol is to put methylated spirits in the tank as the water will mix with meth's.

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    Quote Originally Posted by UtahPete View Post
    Cyprus, Greece
    Cypress, TX
    Cyprus Greece ?? Since when ?

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    Quote Originally Posted by BazF View Post
    Cyprus Greece ?? Since when ?
    Should have said Cyprus, Mediterranean
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  17. #17
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    Default Motor started running poor

    What you describe is much appreciated. So if water is my issue then it's sitting in the bottom of the tank getting sucked in from the get go....
    This station is a well patronized station. So there is little to the possibility of settling but possible I got unlucky.
    I woder what your thoughts are about adding Sea Foam into the tank with the already introduced Techron? If one buys Chevron gas, it already says it's in there so I just added more concentration. So maybe Sea Foam won't be a problem.
    I need the motor to run well enough so that I can burn it on out of there if you know what I mean.
    Appreciate your input here.
    Buckskin


    Quote Originally Posted by canamjhb View Post
    Water in the fuel will settle at the bottom of the tank. So siphoning fuel may not help unless you can get your siphon tube all the way to the tank bottom. Back in the olden days we used to use alcohol to treat gas with water in it. The alcohol emulsifies the water and allows it to burn through the engine. I DO NOT recommend using this method. When we treated gas with alcohol, the engines didn't cost as much as they do today, and they didn't last near as long either. That's why I recommended Sea Foam. It is made to clean up your fuel system. Just follow the directions. As far at octane is concerned, makes no difference. Do not confuse octane with top tier fuel. They are two different things. Since having injector issues in my Buick I have made it a point to NEVER AGAIN buy fuel from a station that does not sell top tier fuel. That lesson cost me nearly $1,000 in towing and repair costs.

    Another thing to think about is not only where you buy fuel but when you buy it. Remember that moisture (water) settles to the bottom of gasoline. If you purchase fuel from a station that has had little use and you are the first one to do so for that day, you are getting everything that has settled in that stations tanks overnight. That's exactly what I did with my Buick. I was on a road trip, got up early in the morning and bought fuel from a small, out of the way, independent station in order to save a few pennies and it cost me big time. The techron you used is a good product. It is a good additive to help keep fuel systems clean. But, I suggest you try running some Sea Foam as directed. I think you will be happy. Good luck and keep us posted..... Jim
    2016 F3T , Pearl White

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    Utah,
    It's Cypress, Texas
    Got to looking at your NAV stuff and brought back memories. We're about the same time frame here. I was GMT back in the day. Look up "keeper of the Dragon".....
    One of my shipmates got out of GMT and went to Nam to the Brown Water Navy to regular GM..
    Retired as Chief in Reserves as he kept getting called up for some fun down in South America working with guys in the jungle.

    Quote Originally Posted by UtahPete View Post
    Should have said Cyprus, Mediterranean
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  19. #19
    Very Active Member canamjhb's Avatar
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    If I were in your position, this is what I would do. Syphon out as much gas as I could. Replenish the fuel with good stuff including Sea Foam. See if there is any improvement. If so, run 1/2 to 3/4 of the tank down and again replenish with Sea Foam treated good gas. That should do it. At this point, you have at least eliminated bad fuel as the problem. I think this approach is the least expensive first step in determining what the issue is. Again, good luck..... Jim
    2005 Windveil Blue Premium Mustang Convertible
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  20. #20
    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by canamjhb View Post
    If I were in your position, this is what I would do. Syphon out as much gas as I could. Replenish the fuel with good stuff including Sea Foam. See if there is any improvement. If so, run 1/2 to 3/4 of the tank down and again replenish with Sea Foam treated good gas. That should do it. At this point, you have at least eliminated bad fuel as the problem. I think this approach is the least expensive first step in determining what the issue is. Again, good luck..... Jim
    Eliminating " Bad Gas " is the least expensive and easiest thing to fix ..... How many miles are now on your Spyder and have you ANY dealer work done recently ( if so what was done ) ..... just trying to get a handle on what might be next if it'ss not the gas ..... good luck .... Mike

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    Thanks to all that offered suggestions to my issue. To update all of the final outcome, I went on line and viewed some videos about Sea Foam. A couple were very detailed in the test and details of the outcome. Overall, Sea Foam did not fare well in any of the test. Now what? I did more digging and came across more video/tests and found out about HEET additive. The tests were quite good and I went and got some.
    I poured in about 6 oz of HEET and then let it sit in the tank overnight. Next day I fired up the Spyder and let it idle a bit and then took off. The bike never hit a miss. Ran for about 5 miles around neighborhood and took a little further ride. Not a miss or stumble at all. I'm sold on the HEET for a gas additive for icing or water in the tank for sure.
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    Great result Buckskin. Bad gas from a service station is unusual and generally blamed for something quite simple .... water in the fuel.
    There is usually another way. 2020 F3Ltd.
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    Very Active Member Rattlebars's Avatar
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    Another wise habit ... never get gas @ a station that has a tanker parked in it filling the underground cisterns. That stirs up all sorts of stuff into the fuel in the cisterns.
    to see my 2016 F3-T and many how to's
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    Very Active Member Mikey's Avatar
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    I have used a lot of the heet in the red bottle, Isopropyl, in my two strokes if I have water problems!! Sounds like your on the mend for sure!!
    2012 RTL , Pearl

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