Silly PO

So, I tore my carbs down once again, trying to nail down the poor tuning and fouling issues. (Boy, those new carb boots from Lowe's sure do work nice!) The PO had wrenched or screwed one of the pilot fuel jets pretty badly, so I thought, well, I'll just remove it.

Well, I removed it, all right, at least the majority of the brass head. I finally extracted it using an EZ out extractor.

However, of greater concern was the mismatched main fuel jets and pilot fuel jets. There was no rhyme or reason to the order of pilot and main jets, it looks like possibly he mixed up the order and threw them willy-nilly into any open holes.

It looked like this:

Carb 4: Pilot jet 107 (should be 36.5) Main Jet 36.5 (should be 107)
Carb 3: Pilot Jet stripped Main jet: 36.5
Carb 2: Pilot Jet 107 Main Jet 107
Carb 1: Pilot jet 36.5 Main Jet 107 (the only correct settings in the bunch)

Explains why I could never get it tuned right, and why the pilot adjustment screws had no effect on the color of the colortune.

Many thanks to RickComatic who took time to help me diagnose this issue. I would have been struggling forever to figure it out.


A tip for those of you having tuning issues (especially fouled plugs repeatedly): When you take your carbs apart, take the time to record the numbers of all the little screws, and compare them to your spec sheet.

 

just WOW !
If the guy didn't notice the different jet sizes- - makes you wonder- -

Did he ever work on the brakes?
Did he put 30 weight in the final drive?
Did he over tighten the axles? ETC. . ETC. . .

 

That is what my jets looked like when I went through my carbs the first time. A few looked like they had been removed with a pair of pliers and I had a needle valve seat rounded off.

 

I just reassembled my carbs. The PO had all the right jets in the right spots accept for the main in the #3. That one was loose! I pulled off the bowl and it fell right out! This was my first time so I got worried that something was f-ed up until I realized that the emulsion tube was just pushed up, like the threads on the jet never grabed it and it just got pushed out of the way.

I do remember the PO complaining that it couldn't run right...maybe it wasn't the pods' fault (airbox now)

 

It's funny how the little things will get ya. I pulled the carbs several times, always carefully placing the jets in the right order, as they came off, never really paying any attention to which jets they were, always assuming those who went before knew better than I. Well, assuming anything make an "ass" out of "u" and "me".

I changed the shaft drive oil myself, and the brakes are fine and I assume the axels' are all right...

...oh crap...

 

LESSON: Unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are the first human to look in there since the bike was built, ASSUME NOTHING.

I've seen "PO tracks" in the damndest places, and often for NO apparent reason... with equally frustrating results.

 

That PO should have been so ashamed of anyone seeing his work that he should've JB welded the bowls on.

 

What a glad you got it straightened out. It sure should run better now.

 

hm I still am trying to think of how that is possible on the Mikuni's I don't believe it is. Do the hitachi carbs(well obviously) use the same thread pitch for the main and the pilot? THat doesn't seem good form the get go. Glad to hear you got another thing taken care of. You will probably be amazed at how the bike runs when you get it back together and tuned.

 

Perhaps the PO was performing an experiment using chimps and screwdrivers to see if they could collectively re-assemble the carburetors that he disassembled, but could not remember how to put back together?

Some people should not own tools......

 

I'm definitely looking forward to having a nice running bike.

The jets are interchangeable (which led to this mess) I could see how it could happen. There are very few parts available for this item, even chacal only has 2 of the pilot fuel jets available so if you have Hitachi's, be careful.

 

It's the Infinite Monkey Mechanic Suite!

 

I still like my PO's trick of sticking a little piece of wood behind the Choke lever so it wouldnt close the enrichment circuit all the way...played havoc with me trying to adjust my idle for the longest while.

 

It's amazing what you find with bikes like this. When I get a new bike, whether it is to flip or keep, it'll take me a solid, and I mean solid 7-10 days 4-5 hours a day (more on warm weekends, my wife came and got me one morning at 3am) to go over the entire bike. Hell, cleaning all the electrical connections and putting dilectric grease on them takes a day in itself. I've found all sorts of things. I couldn't get the rear axle off my magna, even with a half inch impact gun. Finally had to use a 2 1/2' breaker bar and some serious muscle to break her loose...man, had to be like 80 ft lbs if not more on that puppy.

 

I'm not looking forward to this job. I'm thinking about taking it to a shop... although I do need to learn to remove tires myself. It's just every time I find something that needs fixing, it leads to 10 other things that need fixing.

Better the devil you know than the one you don't, I suppose.

 

I think I may be having a similar problem with the air jets beneath the diaphram. Does anyone know what the proper sizes for the air jets are? Thanks

-Josh

 

Josh:

We all like to help.
But, we need to look at every Post and have some vital info displayed.

Go to your "Signature" in Your Acct.
Bike Info thumbs.

Year - Model - Miles - Stock or Mods. - Comments.

 

I got a new "silly PO" incident. Apparently the PO didn't have a wiring diagram when the flasher relay went out on him. When I tore the bike down, there were red wires running from one end of the bike to the other, crudely spliced (quick splices and wire nuts) into the turn signal wires, running to a non-standard flasher relay. I didn't feel like following his rigged up work, so I corrected the wiring, and put on a used flasher relay from another harness. The used flasher relay didn't work so I put back the one that the PO had on INTO THE CONNECTOR! The two pins lined up and fit into the three slot connector...and it flashes just fine 8)

 

Aw jeez...another one. In a grunty voice, "Ah hell, I broke my right mirror. Oh well, I got one laying around. Says...MotoGP...eh good enough. Ah darn threads, this mirror is tough to screw in. Feels like I'm cross threading. Well it looks straight, I'm just gonna keep turning it." (After 4 turns, and sweating) "Huff Huff, I can't get this thing to TURN any further. Well I guess that's why there's a nut on it. Just turn this clockwise to tighten and THERE...DONE!"

Took a set of adjusting pliers to remove it. Luckily, he ruined the threads on the mirror stalk, not the controls. The replacement I had chased the threads, and went in easy.