I NEED MAJOR ADVICE........TO ALL

ok, guys, i have a yamaha maxim 550 motor that will not run. I just baught new carbs that look prestine. the motor turns but will not run withought starter fluid. i tried all different firing orders, and now i am all confused. can anyone tell me where the plug wires go from left to right, sitting on the bike? ok, thats one issue. another one is..... tommorow i am buying new fuel lines, and a new fuel filter. plus carb cleaner, and starting fluid, to clean the carbs out, and try to start. i have taken the bowls off and cleaned them. i also have spark to all 4 plugs, but, i baught plugs from advanced auto parts. what plugs do i need? and can i buy them at advanced? it seems like the carbs arent getting fuel, due to the fact, when i spray starting fluid in, it runs, then when i stop, it stops. my buddy tapped the fuel filter with a screw driver, and it ran for a second, then stopped. so i am thinking i am going to clean out the tank, add new fuel lines, new fuel filter, and maybe new plugs. i dont know, but i am really getting frustrated over this. i am sure its something sooooooooo simple. please help me.

 

NGK BP7ES should be the plug - but it may not be on the 550. I do believe it is though. Someone verify? (I think all the XJ's use them?)

Make sure you gap them right as well.

Sounds like your carbs aren't as pristene as you think. Probably need a full tear down.

 

You need to have the Carbs completely disassembled and cleaned.
Way beyond cleaning-out the Fuel Bowls.
Bowls, Bowl Metering Ports, Drain, Enrichment Well, Siphon Tube, Main Jets, Pilot Jets, Float Seats and Beenie Screens, Emulsion Tubes, Main AIR Passage, Pilot AIR and FUEL Passages, Pilot Jets, Pilot Mixture Screws, Passages, Diaphragm Piston Assembly, Pilot Air Jet, Diaphragm Piston Bore.

Times 4.

You can't hope to get the Bike to run right unless the Carbs are Cleaned and Tuned right.

 

You can get spark plugs from Advanced Auto, Auto Zone, Car Quest, etc. They look up in a cross-reference and will find you what you need.

Observations:

a) You said that fuel is not properly flowing through the fuel line.
b) It runs if you feed it starter fluid (fed through the air box I assume?).

Conclusion:
Fuel is not getting through the fuel line to the carbs.

Before going and purchasing all those parts, take the fuel line off the petcock, set the petcock to PRI, and see if fuel will come out. If it pours out properly (you might want to have a container handy to catch the fuel) then you know it is not the tank/petcock. If fuel does not come out, you need to rebuild/replace the petcock.

Test the fuel lines ... using the fuel that came out of the tank in the previous test, put some through the fuel line. If it flows through freely, that is not the problem. You already have the filter off, so toss it and put on a new one.

Now, reassembled, set to PRI and see if fuel flows through (open one of the carb bowl drain screws and see if fuel comes out). You might want to check at least the two on the outside. If fuel comes out then you know it isn't the fuel tank/fuel line.

Yes, look in the gas tank. If you have rust, clean it out - electrolyis, phosphoric acid, and a few others are inexpensive, recommended methods of cleaning.

The Kreem kits are in disrepute around here, but POR15 receives accolades.

Good luck.

 

Service manual on the XJCD says NGK D8EA or NipponDenso X24ES-U.

 

Silly question, but maybe you have the fuel filter backwards? (no comment just one of those experience things).

 

I STILL NEED A FIRING ORDER....

 

There really isn't a "firing order" on these bikes like there is on multi-cylinder car engines, etc. First one coil fires, and then the other coil fires, and they repeat that cycle as long as the engine is running. Notice that one coil fires TWO CYLINDERS at once. Each coil doesn't discriminate which of it's two plugs are getting juice when it fires; BOTH do (but since one piston is at the bottom of it's stroke, the spark is harmless and "wasted", in fact, that's what it's commonly known as, the "wasted spark system".

One coil fires cylinders 2 & 3, and the other coil fires cylinders 1 & 4.

 

On both of my Seca 550s, #1 and #4 are from the left coil, #2 and #3 come from the right coil, if that's what you need.

 

But that's on your bike Fitz.

And your bike, after all, is very special.........

 

BOTH of my bikes are that way, and I'm reasonably sure the '81 has never been apart that far.

 

The long coil wires go to cylinders #1 and #4. The short coil wires go to the remaining 2 cylinders.

 

ok guys, IT RUNNNNSSSSSSS! i am so happy. but it idles very high. i adjusted the screw that runs under and between the center carbs guessing that the idler, but no change. even though it idels very high, it is very responsive on the throttle. i have 2 headers that are way hotter than the other two. not sure why. and i also am using a key ignition instead of the push button. will that cause the starter to continue spinning or not? isnt there an idler screw for each carb? where are they?

 

maybe its the idle pilot screws? where are they?

 

Really simple thing here. Make sure your throttle cable and choke cable are not mixed up. Also, make sure the throttle calbe is properly routed and returns to it's slack position freely (I had my father's x that the cable wasn't routed correctly and 'idled' at 6k). What pipes are hotter than the others??

 

Really simple thing here. Make sure your throttle cable and choke cable are not mixed up. Also, make sure the throttle calbe is properly routed and returns to it's slack position freely (I had my father's x that the cable wasn't routed correctly and 'idled' at 6k). What pipes are hotter than the others??