i think im over it

so, i have been trying to get this bike roadworthy for the last 2 weeks. i got it for 500. it would start but would only run with the choke on and would only run on 3 cylinders. it was obvious that there were some carb issues. so, i embarked on my first carb adventure. i got them pulled apart and cleaned. upon reassembly the bike ran fine without the choke on. it ran for about 10 minutes and then would not start. so, i pulled the carbs off again. i found a little bit of gunk that had broken free in the carbs since the first cleaning. so, i put them back together and it started running better but still only firing on 3 cylinders. the 4th was carbon fouling (if youre curious its the 1st cylinder on the left if you were sitting on the bike). anyway, i built my YICS tool, got myself a vaccum guage and decided based on the feedback here that my carbs were out of sync and that is what was causing my problems. yesterday i hooked up the guage and to my suprise the vacuum draw was pretty similar. i brought everything inline but now i cant seem to get my bike to idle below 4k. if i clamp down and manually push the choke with my thumbs i can get the idle down to about 1300 or so. but it runs so rough. it misfires and is still carbon fouling.

all i wanted to do was ride a motorcycle and now it seems like i am morphing into a mechanic. im about ready to give up on this thing and sell it. i REALLY love the style and nostalgia this bike carries. its killing me to give up on it but im at a loss. I think im going to go back and check the carbs one more time. i was thinking it might be a jet problem due to running pods but i think the problems im seeing run a little deeper than pods.

oh yeah, the best part was when my YICS tool got melted to the inside of the motor. awesome! that Dumb@$$ at Kragen said he was selling me hight temp hose. luckily i was able to finally get it out cleanly.

 

I can't help you with your problems, as I am in the same boat - rebuilding my carbs for the first time - however, i just wanted to say DON'T give up!

I almost threw in the towel the other day and broke down and just bought a bike off of craigslist... But ya know what?? What happens when it break?? you still have to learn how to tweak it, what if it breaks while you are on a trip?!

One of the reasons i kept this bike, even though i keep syncing more and more time and money into it, is the simple fact that I will never have to take it to a mechanic. If something breaks I will know how to fix it.. if I am on a bike trip - I won't be at the mercy of a local repair shop (i'd rather spend 100+ for new tools while on a trip if needed to do it myself then get ripped off)...

This is what makes a 'biker' and a 'guy who rides motorcycles' different ;-)

 

Don't give up! I have been working through some of the same issues, and have almost got it right. There isn't much more satisfying that getting these things to run right. This is my first 4 carb bike, and I can understand how daunting it can be. Cleaning the carbs and rebuilding them is key. Take them off, and do them up right. Just don't give up!!! Remember this is a 26 year old bike. It's going to need some TLC. You can do it!!!! All of us are here to help!!

 

thats messed up, walking away from this bike would have been totally feasible until you said that. now i cant turn away. thanks for that.

 

LOL thought that would help - its what did it for me ;-)

Buddy of mine (preppy little guy), just dropped 20k on a harley setup... barely knows how to turn the thing on, much less tune it..

Who would you rather be? ;-)

 

Turtlejoint -

When you had the carbs apart, how far did you go? Did you knock out the emulsion tubes (those brass tubes that the needles sit in)?

Also, if your sync is nice and even, and the idle revs are still high, there may be a few things to check for:

-Idle adjustment screw: did you back it out some?
-Butterflies: sometimes a piece of crud will keep the butterflies (or just one of them) from closing all the way.
-Tight throttle cable - make sure that at idle there's no tension on the cable

Did you check the float level, and the float valves? If one is not closing all the way, you will foul that plug... There's a "ghetto" way to check whether the float valves are closing all the way. With the carbs off the bike and devoid of gasoline, turn them upside down, and blow into the fuel line. If you can move some air into them, one of the valves is not closing. Could be a piece of crud trapped in there... If you cannot move any air into them, still check the levels... Also, The pilot mixture screw on #4 may be out too far, which may also cause fouling.

 

TJ dont give up.
Check the mixtures, thats the first thing I would do (as it is the easiest)
How many turns did you set the mixture screw to?
A fouling plug will gunk things up.

PS Dont use fuel line to sync...EVER!!
I use cotton tshirt cut into strips. Tied together, Soaked in Marvel Mystery Oil.
You might have clogged the YICS ports with molten plastic.
On second thought, it probably burned in the combustion stroke.

Nothing is imposible, only limiting your will/desire.

 

Dude, took me seven months to get mine ridable! Don't through in the towel, it will happen and you will be far richer for the experience. Also, where are you located? Maybe someone here is close enough to lend a hand.

 

when i had the carbs apart, i did check the emulsion tubes and they were clear. I removed ALL of the jets and cleaned them first in pine-sol, then with an ultrasonic rinse (heated) and then with good ol carb cleaner.

i put in new gaskets, float needle and float needle seats. the floats are in correctly (not upside down) but i havent really double checked the float level because it didnt seem like a float level problem would manifest itself in just one cylinder but i may be totally wrong on that.

the idle adjustment screw is out ALL THE WAY
ill check the butterflies when i have the carbs apart
the throttle cable is adjusted properly

mixture screws are still capped on these carbs. from what i have read, you start with sync and go from there to mixture. but seeing how i now have this idle problem, i think i need to get past that first and worry about mixture afterwards right?

thanks you guys, youre keeping me inspired.

 

The idle problem may be directly related to the mixture. If one of your cylinders is too rich or too lean, it will miss, causing a rough idle. And since your #4 is fouling the plugs, I'd say it's way too rich...

May I suggest investing in a colortune plug... Between that and a set of sync gauges, you can make your bike run like a sewing machine.

Also, the caps will likely have to come off.. Search around, there are threads on how to remove them without destroying the pilot screws in the process. IIRC, you drill a small hole (maybe a fat 1/16th or so), taking care not to drive the bit too far, and then stick a sheetrock screw in the hole, and use it to pull the plug out. On the bright side, you know that the pilot screws will be in pristine shape, since nobody's had a chance to bugger them up yet :-D

BTW, I've seen enrichment valves leak, causing a rich condition as well. Might be a good idea to check the one on #4...

 

I just got mine synced perfectly last night. Makes a HUGE difference in how it runs. I'm 3 turns out on all my screws, and I think that might be a little on the rich side, but I'm going to colortune soon, so I'll get that all fixed up. I'm telling you the satisfaction of cleaning those bad boys and getting them to run just right is irreplacable! You can't give up, you just can't!!!

 

so im giving it one last go.

i had the carbs apart and the emulsion tube on the carb that wasnt firing was a little clogged. Cleaned and blew it out. also resanded the pistons and diaphragms per the "clunk test". got all 4 cylinders firing and while i was at it i removed the anti tamper plugs from the mixture screws. I ordered a colortune plug and new jets main jets to see if maybe that helps things as i am running pod air filters.

the thing is, now that i did the deed per the clunk test. it seems like my idle wants to hang even worse. it will stay at about 4-5k. if i rev it a little, it will occasionally slip back into the low 1k range but runs rough.

im going to give the colortune a shot, resync, and if that doesnt work, ill put in the new jets and tear them apart again.

I feel like im inches away on this. once i get the carb issues ironed out, i can see about fixing 2nd gear or the lack thereof.

 

I dont know if it will help, but I had a similar problem after I cleaned my carbs. After going back and retracing my steps, I found I had bollixed up the bench sync and the butterflies were open too far at idle. My idle was either 4K or sputter and die when I adjusted the idle adjust screw.

After fixing it....sweet! Just putting my vac guage together right now to fine tune the sync and have my colortune at the ready.....

 

I don't know about you Chadwick, but I've become poorer since buying my bike. All new tools and toys to buy! :lol:

 

ooh yeah... 'but honey - I can use these tools for a lot of different things' (so i said for a yics tool, LOL)

So far i spent more on tools then on parts ;-) its a good excuse to fill up the ole toolbox ;-)

 

Yeah I have spent about the same amount on parts and tools if I count oil and filters as parts (my gas in oil issue - 5 change's in a month) .

A lot of the tools are usable in other areas. Any excuse to buy more tools is welcome

 

Richer as in experience and satisfaction!

 

Hey turtle, how you making out?