Wet Plugs & Pistons

Hey All, have a 1995 KZ1000P with wet plugs and pistons on Cyl. #1 & #2. Both of these cyl. have trouble firing. Ordered a complete carb rebuild kit, but have cleaned these things about 4 times already over the last 2 years. New O-rings, floats, etc. Gonna run a guitar string through the idle circuits one last time . . . this is getting old. I can now have the carbs off the bike in about 5 minutes.

With rebuilt top end the compression is 155-160 (yeah!) all around and ignition looks good via blue sparks. Never seen this before, as the "wet" is not oil or gasoline, but appears to be WATER? This is an air-cooled bike! All I can think is condensation? Maybe it is gasoline but I can't smell it cause of the exhaust in the air?

BTW, with the emissions equip removed, I simply ran a hose from one side of the valve cover to the other, is it okay (better?) to simply block the nipples instead?

When was the last time the valves were adjusted?
Steve

I would drain the tank complete empty and dry him with a heat gun to vaporised the water. Remove the petcock and give him a good clean. Catch the fuel in a big transparent bucket. Water is heavier than fuel and will stay on the bottom of the bucket. If you have water in the float bowls the water will replace the fuel in the jet area.

Have you put fuel in the bike's tank recently from a gas station that was new or had new fuel tanks installed? Sometimes water is pumped into new gas station fuel tanks to ensure they stay in place in the ground until all the dirt has been filled in around them and the concrete slabs have been poured over the dirt. Then the water is pumped out and fuel is put in the tanks, but often times some water remains in the tanks until it has eventually been pumped out with fuel. When that happens you can get a mix of gas and water coming through the pumps. It shouldn't be that way, but trust me - it happens. Ed

Hey Fellas,

I cleaned the inside of the tank 2 years ago and the fuel is from a long existing underground tank. I have been through numerous refills since then from the same gas station. When I rebuilt the head I used the correct-sized shims, so the valve clearences are good. Also, Cyl. 3 & 4 fire and sound good, just not 1 & 2. They fire up past idle.

Have you vacuum sync the carbs???

The only way you'll you'll get water in the carbs is either water in the gas from the filling station or from cleaning the bike if you have pod filters.
Water in the tank from filling does happen, its happened to me twice in cars. It doesn't need to be a new station it can be contaminated anywhere in the chain from the refinery to the pump.
Water in tank from jet wash cleaning, is from over zealous cleaning if air filter pods are fitted. You should never clean the filter pods with water or a jet wash especially. The filter elements should be lightly oiled to stopped dust particles, cleaning them whilst cleaning the bike removes the oil and fills the bowls with water. Cleaned your bike recently?
No carb or valve settings would make the carb bowls fill with water.
If the plugs and pistons are wet and it is water, it'll have come through the carbs. Dump that tank of fuel, and clean the carbs, refill with fresh fuel.

Fuel is like like break fluid and has hygroscopic properties. In other words, over a long time period every tank can have an enrichment of water in the bottom, specially on carb bikes that do not have a fuel pump system. Injection bikes have a fuel pump system that permanently circulate the fuel in the tank and injection system, (fuel pump/filter/injector jets). Fuel and water particles get mixed and injected in the combustion camber, with a little cooling side effect.

To make it non combustable you would need to have more water than fuel though Michael. Admittedly it would run shit with any water in the fuel. So.………. unless the bike was standing for several years with the fuel cap open I can't see that happening as the fuel would have evaporated long before it got to that point and the tank would be dry..

Have you ever seen that "gas line antifreeze" called Heet Water Remover?  It absorbs water, which then mixes with the fuel.  

Where I live, gasoline is 10% ethanol, which is basically like adding one bottle of Heet for every gallon of gas.  You would need massive amounts  of water in your gas, before it would separate into separate layers of gasoline and water.  You may not have ethanol gas, but you probably have a gas station which sells E-85 (85% ethanol, 15% gas).  It's handy for rinsing a tank after an acid wash, because it absorbs all the water; but once you pour it out, you can add gas.  No need to dry things off.