engine damage?

hello all i am new to this forum and look forward to your wisdom! i recently aquired a 1982 xj550 maxim and i love it, however, i fear there may be engine damage. the last two times i took the bike out, it did not last more than 10 minutes before slowly dying and stalling out when i came to a stop sign. i could restart imediatly but the bike was idling funny and wouldnt go above 100 rpms even with the choke open and full throddle. i took it home both times to let it rest and it fired right back up again after a couple hours. the bike was ridden once or twice without the mufflers and no rejetting so i think there is engine damage, any ideas? also, does anybody know if the pod air filter size for these bikes is 54 mm or 52?

 

Sounds like it's slowly starving for fuel. Try opening the fuel cap when this happens (not while you are riding) and see if the bike "comes good". Could just be a blocked tank vent.

Are you running pods now? And what kind of mufflers ya got?

 

it turns out there was no filter in the air box at all. i had the carbs cleaned as soon as i got it and have only ridden it a few times since, but both those times it died on me. i have the stock mufflers, wich im gonna swap out for strait pipe tips. i just pulled the carbs off to replace the intake boots and ripped out the air box so i can put pod filters on (which i dont know if they are 54 or 52mm, im getting recommendations for both). after i do this i will have it rejetted and see how it runs. also, im not familair with tank vents, can you explain where they are and what exactly they do.

 

The tank has to have a vent or else the fuel won't flow to the carbs (it's gravity feed). Normally the vent is in the fuel cap. So, if you open the fuel cap when the bike starts to die, and it "comes good", then you most likely have a blocked tank vent.