Fuel tap/supply problem

[thus49]

Picked up the Trident 900 today and all is fine, except that the bike died on me shortly after picking it up. The problem is that with the tap in any other position other than Prime, no fuel gets through, or only enough to ride half a mile or less. A quick look at the owners manual tells me that the PRI position over rides the vacuum feed and I suspect that this problem has something to do with the vacuum to the tap. Any thoughts or advice before I investigate further?

Cheers.

[shemp]

I'm having the exact same problem with my '98 Sprint Sport. If the petcock is on "run" or "reserve" it runs fine for a couple of miles then dies. put it on prime and she runs like a champ. I took the bike apart (tank off etc) and found that both fuel feed lines and the vacuum line all have splits in them. I think (hope) this is causing the petcock to stay closed which starves the engine of fuel. I put a new battery in it yesterday, and I have ordered new fuel feeds and vacuum lines from the dealer (for the handsome sum of $75)...I have my fingers crossed that they fix the issue. I've been reading some other posts talking about coils and igniters etc which are scaring me a little.


t300-cutting-out

trident-fuel-problems

[k_dencuz]

you probabaly have a disconnected vaccuum line from the tap to the carb or the line is split causing the vacuum to leak.the reason it runs then dies is you probably are just running till the bowl in the carb runs out of gas.just check the vacuum line usually on the third carb should go to the petcock.

[trypcil]

When you open the tank, is there a whooshing sound by any chance - and will it run with the fuel cap in the open position? Could be a kink in the vacuum line or the tip over valve - or crapped out tubes! Good luck!

[cheapsk8]

Yes, make sure your vacuum line isn't kinked closed. The fuel line might be fine.

My Trident is doing the exact same thing, and I'm 99% sure this is what my problem is. I just haven't been in the mood to pull the side panels off again, but I recently replaced my fuel line, and if I look close I can tell I didn't quite route the vacuum line correctly and it's kinked.

What confuses me is when I put my broken fuel tap knob on, it seems the arrow on the knob is facing either up or down, instead of to the right (Prime).

[Bad Monkey]

There ain't alot I know about on Tridents but fuel problems I do. I dealt with the same problem for ages till I realised it was the vacum line. It needs to run from the top of the number three carb to the petcock. Watch that you're not setting the tank on top of it when you replace it.

[Major Kong]

I had a petcock go bad on my old Sprint. The Mikuni-petcock-of-joy will set you back about 90 dollars American (what-about 40 pounds?)

Mine had a pin hole leak in the rubber diaphragm inside the fuel selector. I never had a problem with it after I fixed it.

Kong

[ervdrvr1]

As far as the vacuum line, don't replace with the factory line, it's thin walled and kinks easily. Replace with 1/8" ID automotive vac line, thicker walled and much better!! Also, I replace my stock(crap) fuel lines with 5/16" ID auto high preasure fuel line with excellent result(just have to run them longer and re-route).
cheapsk8, if you buy a new fuel knob, fill the voids on the back side with epoxy. This will keep it from breaking and spinning on the fuel tap shaft.

Happy Trails!!

Erv
Deep in the Heart of Texas!!

[thus49]

OK. I think I have my Saturday morning booked up then. You seem to have confirmed my suspicions that it is a vacuum line problem. Hopefully easy to resolve.

[Bad Monkey]

While your in there think about putting some in-line fuel filters in. You can pick them up at any auto parts store.