Carb Rebuild Results

I'd go back to square one. first put a trickle charger on it and leave it while you work on it. get new plugs just for a baseline.
2.5 turns out on the mix screws and no choke, try to start it. if you get some fire but no start feel the pipes, the hot pipe is rich because you have no choke on. now use the choke and try a start.
note the hot pipes. pull the plugs and note the wet or dry plugs.

 

hooray, someone finally realised this

 

Looks like I'm pulling carbs again. They were really clean before I cleaned them. I soaked them overnight, probed holes and forced carb spray through everything anyway. Not sure how to do it better but maybe a second time will help. I'll check the o-ring on the mixture screw too. I'm certain the jets are in the correct location but I'll check anyway.

Valve clearances are correct. The fact that black plugs can be caused by a lean condition may explain why my #3 and #4 plugs flipped from tan color to black as I was closing the mixture screw trying to get a lighter tan. I'll remember this when tuning further. Thanks Len.

 

I have a new AGM battery and rebuilt the starter last month. It turns over really nicely. I'll keep it hooked up to my charger though when doing what you suggested. The symptoms that occur when I start it are as follows. When hot, the bike starts very easy with no choke or throttle. When cold with no choke and no throttle, it starts for a second or two then dies. When cold with a tiny amount of choke and no throttle, it starts and barely idles like the idle speed is too low but when warm, the idle is correct. When cold with full choke and no throttle, it won't start... doesn't even sound like it's close. Thanks for the response Polock.

 

Update: I pulled the carbs and disassembled everything with the exception of breaking the rack apart. I soaked all jets, emulsion tube, and carb bowls in Berryman's for about 6 hours. I then used my wire cleaning set I got from Chacal and about 5 cans of carb cleaner probing and spraying all passages in the carbs and the jets and emulsion tube. I checked the fuel levels again while I had them off...it was still dead on. I reinstalled the carbs on the bike and did a running synch. I then started with a color tune. The way the color tune seems to work for me is that as I close the mixture screw, the flame gets weaker and eventually disappears. I can't really see a white flame but I can definitely now get no flame, blue flame of varying strength and orange. Cylinders #2, #3, and #4 worked perfectly at around 2.5 to 3 turns out but #1 (which appeared to be running lean before I pulled the carbs again) is still lean. Even at the starting point of 2.5 turns out, #1 has no flame and pops. It finally got a flame at about 3.5 turns out. I never could get it to turn orange unless I lifted the choke plunger a little. Even when blipping the throttle, which normally turns the flame orange on other cylinders, it didn't create any orange on #1 even with the mixture screw at 5.5 turns out. I didn't want to go any more than that. I've got it set right now at 4 to 4.5 turns out with a good blue flame and smooth running engine. I think this may have something to do with the new pilot fuel jet I bought. The pilot fuel jet that was in my #1 carb was stripped out so much I had to use vice-grips to get it out so I bought a new one from Chacal. It's the same number as the ones in my other carbs but the opening is very slightly smaller. I can just fit my smallest cleaning wire through my existing pilot fuel jets but it won't fit into the new one. That will restrict the fuel going through the pilot fuel circuit more than the other carbs so having to set the mixture screw on that one farther out doesn't surprise me. I'll see how that #1 plug looks after some miles.

 

I would try swapping that fuel jet from the #1 carb to any other carb and see if the problem "follows" it..........also, I hope you didn't leave the throttle shafts in while you soaked in Berrymans (cringe!).

Also, check the mixture screw o-ring in that #1 carb, it may have gotten pinched or lopsided or torn during install.

 

I might try that but not sure I want to go through the hassle of pulling the carbs again if it will work how it is. I didn't soak the carb bodies this time...just the bowls, jets and emulsion tubes. I sprayed all the passages in the carb bodies really go though. I took out all the mixture screws and checked that everything was ok. It all looked good. By the way, I wasn't trying to insinuate that the jet was defective. I'm sure it's just brand new as compared to 34 year old jets. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Hey, the new jet just might be defective......things happen! If you have calipers, you can always measure the cleaning wire diameter that will fit thru the other jets..........#40 jets should be .40mm ID.......it could be that the jet you got from us is undersized, or, that the others are oversized (drilled out sometime in the dim-and-distant past).

 

It's the smallest wire in this set: HCP950 Carb Passages MINI CLEANING WIRES TOOL SET, contains 13 wires (sizes #6 - 26) and a small flat file.
Just the smooth end fits through my old ones...not the ribbed part. Even the smooth part won't fit in the new one. I'll see if I can measure it with my calipers.

 

The smooth part of the smallest wire measures 0.37mm and the ribbed part measures 0.41mm. So, my old ones are spot on since the smooth part fits through but the ribbed part does not. I guess the new one is a little undersized since even the smooth part won't fit through it. I might be able to get the old jet to work. The slot in the head was stripped out in the loosen direction but it's still intact in the tighten direction. Maybe I'll swap that one back in.

 

Hey Stacy, how about I send you a replacement jet instead? P.S. your inbox if full!

 

That'll work, if you don't mind. I think I probably need to upgrade to a premium membership cause I don't really want to delete any of my messages...lol. (Ok, I freed up my inbox) Thanks Len!

 

You don't get that level of customer service from very many businesses.