'84 200es: bucking,surging, running rough

[wkw]

Hello,
First time posting. Hope someone can offer some helpful advice. I have an '84 200 BigRed that today started surging, bucking, and stalling at idle. The only thing I have done to it lately was to install a new spark plug. The last time I rode it was about a month ago in quite cold weather in quite a bit of snow. Its running very rough with the occasional back-fire if I try to rev it up. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do to get it running right? The only thing I tried was to add some gas treatment thinking that maybe somehow moisture got in the tank.

Thanks
Ken

[Jonathan]

I'd say take your carb apart and clean it real good also check your fuel filter (I think there's one built into the petcock). Sounds like you might not be getting gas to it.

[muskegnmud]

sounds like dirty fuel and or plugged filter/carb passages to me and I speak from experience. The filter is in the tank, screw out the petcock and yes clean the carb, good luck

[wkw]

Thanks for the replies. I was wondering if there was a fuel filter to be found as I could not see anything visible. I want to get this think runnig smooth again. I just bought it last fall from an older gentleman who used it to putt around his acreage. The thing looks like it came out of a showroom, kinda afraid of messing the thing up.

Thanks
Ken

[muskegnmud]

the fuel filter is inside the tank, unscrew the petcock/valve under the tank and the filter is attached to it.....clean the tank out too.

[wkw]

Thanks muskegnmud

I'll get a chance to work on it this weekend. BTW I'm a fellow Albertan but from the Drumheller area!

Ken

[muskegnmud]

hey, welcome aboard wkw, good luck with your es, I found with mine it was pointless to even try get it going when it was below -10. and a clean plug makes ALL the difference. Also had the same fuel problem as you are describing except I was sure it wasn't a fuel problem, and looked at everything but the fuel, then after posting a few ?? here I was convinced to have a look and found the filter completely plugged, and tank full of a white algae looking stuff, cleaned that out and that solved most of the trouble oh and did I say ....a clean plug makes ALL the difference :rolleyes:

[Xuk]

you tried turning the pet cock to the "on" position ? might sound daft but its caught me out a couple of times

[speed20]

surging is most of the time due to sucking air i believe.....im assuming you checked your carb and everything by now....

[wkw]

I want to thank everyone for the input. I drained and rinsed the tank, cleaned the filter, put in fresh fuel, cleaned the carb-only to find after reassembling and starting it up that I still had the problem. So ..... after a little head scratching I retraced my steps - the problem began shortly after I installed a new plug. I pulled the plug and found that I had somehow incorrectly gapped it and it was much too tight. I put in afresh plug, correctly gapped and whow and behold it runs fine.

Another live and learn session.
Again I want to thank -you all for your assistance.

Ken