'82 XJ 750 Maxim Carb issues

I purchased my bike a couple of months ago after riding a 150 for a few months and wanting to upgrade, i don't have a lot of knowledge on bikes but i'm pretty handy/have been reading up alot. The previous owner stated he had just cleaned the carbs but after a few weeks of riding it started making a clanking noise. I took it in and the mechanic basically told me i'm having issues with my mixture being too lean (with white spark plugs/ high rpm's in idle), he had tried adjusting/syncing the carbs but said they needed to be taken apart and troubleshot/fixed for an arm and a leg, so now im just doing it. I have the carbs dismantled and have noticed on the first couple that the plate shown in the Haynes manual covering the pilot/main air jets are missing alltogether. It looks like there are screw marks where the screws would have gone but someone down the line did not replace them or the covers. i am wondering if this could be what has been causing the issues. Thanks!

 

The plates are not an issue. You will get all the help you need here, say goodbye to your mechanic.
Before the community can truly help you; you should help yourself.
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/in-the-church-of-clean.14692/

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-information-overload-hour.27544/

After you read those two links feel free to ask questions.

 

Thank you, those articles go much more in depth then the manual, after i read thoroughly I'll let you know if i run into something not covered.

 

Are you FULLY taking carbs apart breaking the rack? Replacing butterfly seals / Removing ALL rubber seals and O rings Soaking carbs in carb cleaner for 1 hr each ? Spray carb cleaner will NOT cut it it will not get into small passages and break up deposits of old fuel. If you do not do all above you are really wasting your time and will end up frustrated and bike probably won't run the way it should .

 

I have been using the spray cleaner, I also had not taken the whole rack apart but now have after reading the article above. The rubber as far as hoses should all be replaced your saying (not sure of what other rubber there is other then at the butterfly seals)? The butterfly seals seam to be fine, the rubber hasn't deteriorated much at all. I had also forgot to mention this in the first post but the float bowls have numbers 1-4 in them I'm assuming for positioning but they are in a different order, I figure I'm going to put them back in the order they're numbered, do you think this could have been causing issues? I figure I'll realign them regardless unless advised otherwords.

 

Dicky, once you get five posts under your belt you should be able to post pics. Pics of your bowls will make it easy to identify who goes where.

Butterfly seals may look, feel and even taste good, but I would bet dimes to dollars that they are 30 years old... replace them (says the cheapest guy here). Order parts from XJ4EVER, icon in the upper right hand corner. Best bet, click that, start a "conversation" with Chacal tell him what bike you have and what carbs (Hitachi/ Mikuni) and I would recommend the Deluxe Rebuild Kit.

Take a lot of digital pics and notes when taking your carbs apart.

Make sure to read both of those links... pretty sure the Information Overload covers the safety aspects that should be addressed as well as pointing out that there is an initial investment - but the goal is to have a safe and reliable ride - and you won't get that just by polishing chrome.

 

I will definately replace the seals and post pics when possible. As far as the order of the carbs it looks like within the float bowls they are all labeled 3 or 4 (Hitachi) so I guess they were probably in the right order. I'd taken apart the first couple then later realized this. I'll look into the whole kit but for sure replace the seals and gaskets. I've removed some gunk already that was on the end of the float needle in the first gasket and I'm hoping that will help with my issues. As far as the pilot jet it seems it just goes straight into the carb body and I'm having a hard time removing it once the screw is out. Is that possible to remove/how so.

 

The "screw" you removed IS the pilot jet.

You already were provided with this link, but I suggest slowing down and reading though it a few times before continuing you work.
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/in-the-church-of-clean.14692/

 

Go to autozone get a one gallon of carb cleaner Berrymans is my favorite after you pull butterfly shafts and the pilot screws there are small O rings and pull the fuel interconnect pipes ...make sure you put NEW O rings on these ...you do not want these to leak after you reassemble carbs. After tear down soak carbs one at a time for about an hour each . Pull them out of the cleaner wash them in hot water with a little Dawn dish soap let dry . An air compresser and a spray nozzle is helpful to . This one of the big steps in the church of clean if done right you will be rewarded with a job well done. One other thing go to the hardware store go to plumbing aisle get some silicone grease this help lubricate the O rings and makes reassembly go much easier.

 

Thank you. I wasn't sure if it was or had a needle jet for the pilot as well. I appreciate your patience and help. I will keep studying the church of clean. I am definately not trying to rush this I see the value in a job done right the first time.

 

Yeah I had noticed that they were all about the cleanliness on that post, but it makes sense. I will be headed to auto zone later as my local motorcycle parts store didn't have anything other then the spray cleaner then after soaking use my compressor. I believe the carb kit I'm ordering should have those o rings as well as the gaskets I need and such. Thank you

 

where are you buying your kit from?

that 38$ kit on ebay is deceptive and does not have throttle shaft seals

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/322038159961?dispItem=1&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F711-117182-37290-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%252Fitm%252Flike%252F322038159961%253Fchn%253Dps%2526dispItem%253D1%26itemid%3D322038159961%26targetid%3D336347201239%26device%3Dm%26adtype%3Dpla%26googleloc%3D9029758%26poi%3D%26campaignid%3D884212057%26adgroupid%3D41117159461%26rlsatarget%3Dpla-336347201239%26abcId%3D1128996%26merchantid%3D112072743%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjw0qLOBRBUEiwAMG5xMFQiyipql7iZtuwu6IH0Om7CRXqe_CBUIHass6z16gm75gv8tZBoAxoCUr0QAvD_BwE%26srcrot%3D711-117182-37290-0%26rvr_id%3D1319612520172&chn=ps&dispItem=1&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F711-117182-37290-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%252Fitm%252Flike%252F322038159961%253Fchn%253Dps%2526dispItem%253D1%26itemid%3D322038159961%26targetid%3D336347201239%26device%3Dm%26adtype%3Dpla%26googleloc%3D9029758%26poi%3D%26campaignid%3D884212057%26adgroupid%3D41117159461%26rlsatarget%3Dpla-336347201239%26abcId%3D1128996%26merchantid%3D112072743%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjw0qLOBRBUEiwAMG5xMFQiyipql7iZtuwu6IH0Om7CRXqe_CBUIHass6z16gm75gv8tZBoAxoCUr0QAvD_BwE%26srcrot%3D711-117182-37290-0%26rvr_id%3D1319612520172&ul_noapp=true

This one?

 

Oh ok. Do you have a link you recommend I order from?

 

Voice of experience here - you'll save time and frustration buying from XJ4Ever without spending anything extra. Prices are competitive and the hassle savings are priceless.

 

Sounds good. I just messaged Chacol for pricing and availability. Thanks

 

thats the one the drain screws work well but slide needle is not corrrect part number is nothing I can find info on jets only one is actualy for the 750. aluminim crush washer for needle valves
kit was made for sale in germany and then mfg started selling on ebay.
bowl gasket is made from some sort of "gasket rubber" instead of a fiber . no washer for main jet
it might work for some of the parts
most important is kit has no throttle shaft seals

 

Do your self a favor order butterfly seals and fuel inter connect rail O rings from xj4ever . Every kit on eBay does NOT have these , do it right the FIRST time , do NOT take short cuts . I did my carbs 2 seasons ago and have not messed with carbs since , stock airbox, carbs fully synched . All 4 plugs are brownish tan .

 

There's actually a Yahmaha shop where I live that said they'd order the butterfly seals, I have to go there anyways for the gaskets. They also said they'd have O rings for the gas connectors that should fit, I'll take one in as well to make sure it's a solid fit and as long as the butterfly seals aren't an arm and a leg I may just have them order those as well, they didn't charge much for the gaskets so fingers crossed. Thank you, and I'll definately take time/parts do these carbs right the first time