Petrol Fuel System Cleanner?

Hi all,

I have yamaha xv535 , 1997 and my mechanic said if l don’t get good speed from it [which l don’t, 55mph its a bit meh] l might want to clean my carbs.

well l can go back to him, pay and done deal. def wont be doing it myself, but after few googles l found Petrol Fuel System Cleanners as an alternative.

Gumout 510021 is supposed to be best one but being american brand of course l cant get it here.

but saw this one on amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BPUYPB4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_neXdFbB63DG4A

in reviews someone used it on Norton and Honda. As those are designed for cars l am wondering if they do more damage than good, especially for older bikes. anyone tried ??

thanks :slight_smile:

I’d change ‘my mechanic’

why?

Why - because he’s talking nonsense. I don’t know but shouldn’t a Yamaha XV535 have a top speed nearer to 100 MPH? Cleaning the carbs is not the place to start when diagnosing poor engine performance and you’ll not find a miracle cure in a bottle of fuel additive. STP and other fuel treatments are available off the shelf at Halfords and at you local petrol station but I wouldn’t waste my time or my money with them.

Sure the manufacturers of these fuel additives make many claims of them but tell me this - why don’t any motor vehicle manufacturers recommend them?

What NT said.

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I can push it to 60mph down the hill maybe haha :wink: What check would you suggest?

I’d check the air supply first. You need a clean filter, no cracks or holes in the hoses. Then I’d check the fuel filter.

Fuel cleaner additive won’t do any harm but it also isn’t anywhere near a proper carb clean and service.

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Symptoms of dirty, gummed up or faulty carburettors include black smoke from the exhaust, back firing, overheating and difficulty in starting. If you don’t have any of these symptoms the carburettors are probably fine. Fuel cleaner may not do any harm but it is unlikely to do any good.

Service history is the place to start, tending to to any outstanding service schedule items such as fuel filter, air filter and spark plugs all of which are the prime suspects for poor engine performance. If its a high mileage engine I’d run dry and wet compression tests to rule out any valve gear problems.

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will start with air filter, that hasn’t been looked into in past few years. so time for new one :slight_smile: thanks !

and don’t stop there servicing is preventative maintenance and part and parcel of the cost of motorcycling besides topping up with go go juice.

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I’ve got a 97 xv535 in the garage.

First thing is to change the air filter, fuel filter, plugs. And I tend to do an oil change at the same time. That means you have known good items on the essential for creating a bang.

If you want the links form yambits, just shout.

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done the oil change, and now ordered air filter and plugs from wemoto guys :slight_smile: so will do some extra maintenance on it next week. looks quite simple so wont bother going to the garage, well maybe for fuel filter if after all that still its lethargic :slight_smile: thanks

Fuel filter is easier than the air filter IMO!

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None of it is difficult and should be well within the capabilities of the home mechanic. The engine is performing poorly and all those service schedule items that appear to be long over looked require tending to.

That said if you’re not allowed spanners :wink:

monkey27 man, you are teasing me here big time, l am just about to do some DIY here, fair enough sparks air filter look easy stuff duh, hello youtube:) will do it myself but kill me l cannot find anything on fuel filter anywhere !:stuck_out_tongue: and that tells me peeps dont do it at home. l am not big on draining tank and all that jazz with petrol. will start with air and sparks, lets see how that works after :slight_smile:

I can take some photos of the Haynes manual if it helps?

thanks, ordered it. would be useful for other things.

sparks were in need of change so that was a good shout, air filter not as bad but got new one in now, so thats promising. the only thing wemoto send me BPR6 plugs but old ones were BPR7 l know 6 are a bit hotter but in all manuals l saw its either 6 or 7 so hope this will work.