I've about had it

I was in a very similar situation with my carbs then I got help from one
of our members (iwingameover) and have not look back since. Once you see it done or do it with help it is quite easy.
Good luck!

 

This probably deserves its own thread. So I'll do that. MLew helped me out last night. Brought the carb rack over to his place and tore theem apart, checked everything, made adjustments, and reassembled them... in a matter of a few hours. I've never met such knowledgable person.

Put the carbs back on when I got back to the house around 11pm. Turned right over. Still need to adjust those idle mix screws, but wow, what a difference!

 

Glad to see you hung in there, feeds the fire for the rest of us who are trying to hang in as well

 

Glad to see you hung in there, feeds the fire for the rest of us who are trying to hang in as well

 

I go through that "Can't deal with any more" feeling about every other day when working with these old jap bikes.

Fortunately, as I get older I deal with it a little better than I used to. Now I walk away and refuse to acknowledge the machine until I feel completely clear-headed and not angry anymore....usually a day or two later...

Back in the day though...MAN...I had a Honda 750 SuperSport that was the most diabolical piece of junk ever...had sat outside for years without riding and just way too far gone for my talents or resources at the time...

But EVERY TIME I worked on it something broke...every bolt was seized as if welded...wore out several impact drivers and still broke screws and bolts...

Finally, when I went over the edge, I kicked it over, threw a hammer at it, and left it lying on it's side pouring fuel out of it's leaky gas cap. I said things about the Japanese that probably haven't been heard since WWII. I called my friend and told him if he wanted it, come scrape it up but I'm not helping load it, I never wanna see it again. Otherwise I was gonna set fire to it. He was there in ten minutes.

I heard that bike tried to kill the owner after him, chain broke and wadded the rear hub and locked it on the highway. Guy was leathered up and got out of it relatively unscathed. Bike went end over end after leaving the road and was totaled.

That, I think, was the best possible outcome. Now it resides in machine hell.

 

I am not trying to steer him away from the bike. I have had many that have given me problems like that but i get mad and just walk away for a few days. He is so upset with it right now he wants to ride. But being in a rush is not a good thing. For now on every problem he has with the bike is just going to set him off again frustration. My only advise is if you can afford another bike that is running good and can afford it . Get it ride it and work on the xj at your leisure things are so much easier and less frustrating when there is not a time stamp. I always would get upset if i was working on something and knew it had to be done at a certain time it takes all the fun out of working on it

 

I just get very animated. I go on rants, and honestly I don't like the feeling of helplessness that comes with being stuck.

Thanks again to mlew for getting me back on track.

 

I'll be here to keep you on track.
How did it run after the carb work? Did it idle better.

 

hmmm it idles better. It definately needs vac synced, and adjustment screw work.

see you in a bit.

 

See how much better it is when you get some help. That's what makes this forum a great place to be.

 

Glad to hear you got this running. Does this mean you can ride it now? What else do you have to do?

Chris.

 

Never give up! I too had bought a cheap, non-running XJ750 ($200 and >6k) and spent a year (!) tracking down and fixing various problems. It has been road ready for only about a month now and I can't tell you how many beautiful Vermont summer days ticked by, sweat dripping and cursing, before I had it sorted. The carbs were the worst! I took them off eight times before I found all of the problems and had the XJ ticking over properly. This forum has been the best resource for information and I am very thankful that I was encouraged and emboldened to attempt these fixes myself. Thank you to everyone who contributes good information!!!

I now am riding all over New England and wouldn't hesitate to take my bike anywhere. I look forward to the winter months so I can continue to tweak my ride.

There will be more nice riding days to come and you will have the knowledge that you've done all of this work yourself. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but the experience is invaluable. These are great bikes that run for a long time with the proper care.

Don't give up and come back for more sage advice and encouragement.

 

Wow, this has been quite a thread, it's nice to see that this guy got the help he needed. This site is has so much valuable info and advice for anyone to access. It doesn't matter what your mechanical abilities are here, I have been a shade tree wrencher for decades and I am amazed at all the knowledge I've gained by just reading in the archives. Thank you, XJBIKES.COM

 

We got the carbs squarred away but now we have a low compression problem in #1 and 2 cyinders. Have not deternined wheather its a valve blown head gasket. I leaning tward the head gasket since the compression in both cylinders is 50 and 120 in 3 and 4. We;ll do more this weekend.

 

Hopefully it's just tight valves.

MN

 

Nice going Mlew....I'd say your invoice would be up around $650.00 by now? :lol:

 

Ok. I have refurbished my valve cover to my liking.

More importantly I have removed all the nuts and bolts, cam shafts, etc from the head. I am having one hell of a time getting it off. any advice? Maybe a missed screw I am overlooking (i'm pretty sure it's just stuck tho)

 

I am going to lap my valves, check for bent ones, clean everything, I have an OEM Gasket kit, and on the way is one head assembly (for spare parts) and some valve seals.

 

Good man.

What book are you using? If you're bumping along on the Haynes, track down a factory book. The Haynes misses a few beaucoup important details.

There are nuts on the UNDERSIDE of the head, front and back.

 

Got those underside nuts off already.

Until today it was no book. Just the one i downloaded. this afternoon...
ok... so 10 min ago

reading now. Sorry, for whatever reason my brain likes to forget that there are indeed, BOOKS for this sort of thing. I like the interactive knowledge center here (you kind folks) better anyways.

I just can't help but to think that it needs some good old fashioned cajoling with a hammer handle... but I read on...