OT -motorcycle conundrum

Sounds like water or dirt is blocking fuel flow inside or to the carb.

fuel may be in the carb but if a jet(s) is blocked or goooeeed up then it cant get to the cylinder.

Spray some WD-40, or better yet, stick the end of your propane torch in the carby and see if it will fire up. Some plugs simply will not fire under pressure. If it fires on either wd, or propane, you have a plugged jet. If it dooent fire, replace the plug. If it still wont fire, even with a new plug and wd or propane, replace the coil after making sure there is indeed, spark. Sometimes a kill switch gets flakey.

Place the palm of your hand over the entire intake to the carb and kick it over a few times. Sometimes this will pull shit through the jets. Or plug em worse. Which is no biggie as its time to clean em out. Compressed air works fine, just pull any diaphrams out before blowing out the jets and be sure to count the number of turns on the adjustable jets and write it down before removing them. Count the turns to full closed, write it down, proceed to the next one, count etc. When putting it back together again, run em in full closed, then back em out whatever the original setting was from full closed.

They are simple carbs.

Oh..look in and make sure the slide is actually moving and the metering needle isnt flopping around loose

Gunner

"The importance of morality is that people behave themselves even if nobody's watching. There are not enough cops and laws to replace personal morality as a means to produce a civilized society. Indeed, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Unfortunately, too many of us see police, laws and the criminal justice system as society's first line of defense." --Walter Williams

Everyone,

I failed to mention the obvious. I have completely cleaned the carb jets too. That was the first thing I did after checking for spark. Yhe idle jet was completely clogged.

One thing I did notice, that doesn't make any sense is. When on full choke, gas squirts back toward the air cleaner from one of the two brass inlet tubes at the mouth of the carb. I have never seen a carb that does this, on choke. Normally, shouldn't it (the piston) be sucking gas from the carb idle circuit? Or does this mean the intake valve is burnt / still open on the compression cycle. (A racer friend rode the bike last year, and suggested it ran like it had a burnt valve)

Time to find my compression checker......

Now what?

ca

clay wrote:

Intake valve(s) is not seating properly,my have carbon or some other gung under the seat, valve seat insert may have come loose,or be cracked.

clay wrote:

Compression check, like you're thinking. Then a check of the battery, because a weak battery won't give a big enough spark to light your mixture, just big enough to make you think you have spark. Or does it even have a battery? Then the valve lash, which should actually be adjusted before the compression check. As far as how much gap the valve should have, that's between you and the service manual. You do have the instructions, right? ;-) If you poke around in rec.motorcycles.tech you'll find lots of previously asked questions covering your issues.

Later,

Charlie

Check the compression. .025 valve lash is ten times too much. Probably has a bent valve. Been there, done that.

Fred

Rats, so I will definitely have to pull the head, right. either way, we're not going to be riding by friday then are we.......

ca

Just Me wrote:

Fred,

So I tried to set the valve lash to less. When I got to .015", I think the valve was hitting the piston as it came up. So it is something like that. or a dropped/loose seat, or junk under the valve. time to pull the head, I guess......darn

ca

Less lash should equal more clearance, not less, so something does smell rather fishy.

Besides, did you really want to try hitting the trails on a holiday weekend? I recommend waiting a week and going riding while everybody else is home nursing broken bikes and broken bodies. ;-)

Later,

Charlie

Charlie Gary wrote: Then a check of the battery,

Real Motorcycles don't have batteries or radiators.

Best, Steve

LOL

One of these days we'll drag you kicking and screaming into the 20th century. Then we'll soak you in astroglide, and the 21st century will fit like a glove. ;-) By then you'll be ready for an electric motorcycle. One that has a real motor, not an engine. LIPO batteries, brushless motors- roadside repairs just won't be the same.

Later,

Charlie

Second to my 650 Bonneville I like astroglide. Best thing since sliced bread.

Best, Steve

Now is the time to add some aftermarket performance parts!

Remove the plug and blow out the cylinder with copious amounts of dry compressed air while turning it over slowly so as to it and also clear the manifolds--then dip the end of the spark plug in gasoline and quickly re-install.

IF it then fires off for a few strokes upon cranking definately you've got a fuel problem....

Put 'er on the back of the Bonne for a bit and you won't need the astroglide.

mike

Clay'

you shouldn't be getting a puff of anything back through the carb. This indicates a burnt intake valve or lash to tight. This shouldn't keep it from doing at least something though.

It sounds like an ignition problem to me. Make sure you have 12 volts to the coil primary. Test it by momentarily grounding the coil secondary, with the plug removed but connected and grounded. You should get a spark. If you don't the coil's probably shorted internally. If you do get a spark, look further up the system. The newer bikes probably don't use point's, so it probably could be anything from a hall's sensor to the ignition module. If it did use points it would be the condensor.

Mark

Clay,

Sorry,, didn't see the "gets spark" part. The valve info still applies though. Could be a busted intake valve spring, or keepers.

Mark

I know where this is going..reaaally bad suggestion! ca