81 maxim 650 not starting

my 81 maxim 650 isn't starting at all, good battery, starter isn't drawing too much, strong spark at all 4 plugs, and as you if you put your hand in the airbox while you're trying to start it there's air coming from the carbs to the box, carburetors recently cleaned...please help, i'm so lost

 

It is probably just cold as hell or flooded. Are the pilots set right? I biggest problem with starting was the cold. Even with good spark, compression, and everything else that should make for a good starting condition it would have a hard time in the cold. Also if I forgot to put my kill switch in the middle.
Make sure the petcock is in the pri position and choke on. Bike in neutral. Don't over pump the throttle or you'll flood the heck out of it.
I am sure you have done all of this... but just in case.
I know it is like really not recommended at all... but the sure fire way for me was a shot of starter fluid down each intake.

 

When you cleaned those carbs did you make sure the jet in the float bowl was open? That jet is where the fuel flows through for the enrichment circuit or choke.

 

Also too the floats are pretty easy to put in upside down if in a hurry and not very experienced with the carbs, I have done that, another thing too I have had happen is the needles of the floats sticking shut if it sits. Have you pulled a plug to see if it is wet?

 

Loosen one of the drain screws on float bowl. If gas comes out try some instant start (either). If no gas check your petcock in the prime position.

MN

 

no fuel on spark plugs, but fuel in the float bowls, i did have the float bowls off when i cleaned them and i took careful notice in how the floats came off and put them back the same way, the slides did stick the first time i put them back together, now they're free. no vacuum leaks. i'm getting fuel from the petcock in prime, i've tried a shot of starter fluid, it fires but only runs for half a second, this is my first bike and i'm hoping to have it ready before prime riding season

 

Could just be bad gas,mine won't start with old gas.......

 

If it runs with starter fluid but not otherwise then you do have a fuel delivery problem.

When you had the carbs off, did you check (and adjust if needed) the float levels using a piece of clear tubing and fuel before you reinstalled them?

If not, you need to start there. Float levels too low=no or little fuel; float levels too high=too much fuel.

Ensure the enrichening circuit passages IN THE FLOAT BOWLS are clear; you should be able to shoot a stream of contact cleaner across the room through them (watch your eyes; seriously.)

 

I agree sounds like enrichment circuits are not right. Cold engine and not enough fuel to start and run properly.

Take carbs back off and follow Ricks "old school carb cleaning" make all the adjustments and it should be fine.

MN

 

that totally sucks, it took me an hour to put the boots back on the carbs, now i have to take them back off, oh well, better to do it right than not at all, i'll let you all know what happens, thanks guys

 

ok guys, i got the carbs off today and i'm lookin at the jets for the enrichment circuits and they're all stripped what should i do now?

 

I'd be one hopping mad person. The P.O.S. who "recently" cleaned the carbs obviously dorked them up nicely. If it is still an option, I'd be raising Cain with them. However, most sales are "as is, where is" so you are on your own now. Stripped is a pain but not insurmountable.
The easy way is to source another set of carbs off of flea-bay and start over. Another option is to get an impact driver (not an impact wrench, totally different animal) and drive those condemned jets out. This will cost a bit given jets are running about $5 a pop right now.
Another option is to contact Rick-O-Matic and see if he won't salvage them for you. I can't think of another person I would trust my carbs to.

 

i just realized reading thru rick's cleaning instructions that the jets that are stripped are the air jets under the carb hats and not the enrichment circuit jets, what should i do here

 

You'll need to carefully try to remove them, using an e-z out type of screw extractor, or a left-hand drill bit. Try soaking them in some penetrating oil first, and give them a good whack! with a hammer and screwdriver tip before trying to extract them, anything that might help loosen up the threads......

Worse comes to worse, take them to a local machine shop that has a drill press and they can zip them right out of there with a proper size drill (they are m6 sized screw threads, in case they ask).

While you're at it, I would check the pilot circuit mixture screws and see if they are also seized (very common), so while you have the carbs at the machine shop, they can drill those out for you, too (they are much trickier to remove).

Replacements for both those air jets and the idle mixture screws (if needed) are available in our store, see the link below!

 

lets define stripped, as in screw spins but won't come out or the slots are shot and you can't get a grip to turn them ?
maybe you should put those on hold for now and continue with the cleaning and see what else you find
on those jets if the holes and the cone leading to them look undamaged you may be able to clean the passage as best you can and just leave them in there

 

Don't worry about the carb boots eventually you'll be able to put them on in 5-10 minutes!

 

update, carbs are all clean, its the bowls that i'm focusing on now, 2 of 4 enrichment wells are plugged so bad that not even compressed air can blow through, it came down to boiling the bowls to clean the two, i'm going to try boiling them again and use the welding tip cleaner immediately after pulling the bowls from the water

 

still having problems getting the two pressed in jets in the float bowls cleaned out, i've boiled them twice and used a welding tip cleaner in them, but to no avail i still don't have a full set of carbs ready to put on my bike

 

A welding tip cleaner is probably too big to actually pass thru those jets.......they are a #40 size jet, same size as the pilot fuel jet in those carbs.........if your smallest welding tip cleaner won't go through the pilot fuel jets, they won't go thru those starter jets, either.

You need the special sized miniature drill jet that we sell to "drill" thru the crud in there, or a proper size piece of guitar wire mounted into some sort of fixture, to punch thru the really tough crud.

 

how much are those miniature drills, i might be forced to buy one if i can't get anything to work

 

Lanthren, just sent you a PM with the info on the drill.

 

I have found that if you burn off the plastic off a bread bag tie some of them fit in the jet just right.

 

The Easiest way to unclog the Fuel Bowl Jets is with a Drill Bit that will fit the Jet and a Dremel Keyless Chuck so you have something to give you a good hold on the Bit and twist it.

Or, ... Get a Drill Bit and Drill-out the Vertical Jet.

Put the Drill Bit into the Hole.
Hole the Bit straight up and down with the end touching the center of the Jet.

Mark the Drill at the level of the Flat Surface of the Bowl.
Add an additional 2.75 cm's to the depth.
"Tape" the Drill Bit at this point with enough layers to prefent the Bit from going-in beyond that point.

Drill out the Jet.

 

I just went through that too. After looking with a flashlight down the big hole, it reduces to a very small, jet sized hole that was completely plugged. After trying a bunch of different tiny drill bits (that were too short), I used a sewing needle and the point was tapered enough to breakthrough the crud.
What a difference cleaning those out make. I had to start my bike with starter fluid before and now it just starts right up from cold.

 

thanks chacal, rick, aren't those jets required or am i just being too cautious? cleaning those jets out are turning out to be a major pain but if i'm being too cautious right now and can remove those jets then i can skip a very tedious task and might have my bike ready to ride very soon, let me know

 

Lee.....those jets (down in the carb bowl) are not removable........they're pressed into the bowl.

 

ok, just to clarify then, was rick talking about enlarging the jets with a drill bit or was he talking about completely removing them by drilling them out? i really don't want to ruin anything so i'm asking for clarification before i do anything

 

think electric guitar string to poke the jets out
then try this
http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=17449.html

 

thanks polock, i'll have to try that, i'm getting tired of cleaning and want to ride, just can't ride till its clean. funny how that works

 

Here's what I mean for you to understand about the Fuel Bowl Enrichment Jets.

If you are losing time and getting frustrated with a Fuel Bowl you have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at and the bugger still is clogged.

Excavate. Terminate. Celebrate.

Drill-out the Clog.
Use the SMALLEST Diameter Drill close to the size of the Jet at the bottom of the Well.

Open the Clog.
Move forward.
The Side Jet and Siphon Tube will still Meter the Enrichment Flow.
Just don't Drill through the Bottom of the Bowl.

When you come to the end of your rope.
Drill-out the little bastard.
You'll feel a lot better.

 

thanks for the clarification rick, i'm going to try polock's idea of trimming the tube down next. was a really good idea that might help me out.

 

UPDATE: tried polocks idea on the float bowls, did not work, all it did was built up pressure and blew the tube back out into the bowl, next step was buy a set of drill bits for the dremel and the mandrel set, thanks rick for the advice, its clear now, just waiting for my ex wife to pick up the little one so i can put them back on the bike....just for notes they have been bench synced and float levels checked using clear tube method. thanking god every day for you guys, you've saved my a$$ a boatload of money

 

http://xj650.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-t ... -well.html

 

thanks ragin, found that one before and followed it to a T, still couldn't get anything through them, i had to follow ricks instructions of drilling the enrichment circuit jets