xj650 hard start high idle question

I just got a '80 xj maxim a couple of weeks ago. I'm a total NOOB so bear with me. My main concern is that it can be hard to get started in the morning. With the choke all the way on I still have to give it throttle right away. If I don't get it the first time I usually have to let it sit till later in the day. When I do get it started it runs pretty well but idles at about 2500 rpm's after it warms up and the choke IS off. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Welcome to the site babaloo01, if it were mine, I would remove the carbs, tear them down, and give them a darn good cleaning.

 

Arrrgh! I was hoping to avoid that! I am so not ready to start that project yet.... maybe the cd will clear things up.

 

I had the same problem on my bike last year. I colourtuned and synchronized and it purred like a kitten! (Without doing the carbs)

 

I suspect your carbs are out of synch - that's the biggest cause of this problem.

Carbs can always use a good cleaning, and colourtuning to get your idle mixture right is always good, but for the hard start I'd suspect the synchronization.

 

I would say yes, you are looking at a carb problem. If it runs good after it's warmed up then a sync and mixture adjustment would likely do wonders. There are lots of posts here about how to do those yourself and if you are confortable with the mechanical stuff then go for it. It's not that hard. If you see that as something unsurmountable then take it to your local "old school" bike shop and get them to do a carb sync and mixture adjustment. It shouldn't cost very much and you get a good baseline.

 

You can't expect a Fuel Delivery issue to get better or fix itself. Sometimes you can get lucky by adding a cleaner to the Fuel Supply and have the problem solved without dismantling the Carbs.
But, in most cases the only way to get the Carbs to deliver the right amount of Fuel after they have been contaminated with particulate of any kind it to remove the rack, tear down the Carbs and clear-out the problem ... "The Hard Way" ... throughly cleaning all the Carb Parts ... manually.

Most problems are going to be found in the Bottom End.

The Float Valves, Main Jet, Pilot Jet and Top End feeds are all together on the Bottom.

Since the holes (Metering Ports) that supply all the Fuel are located in the Bottom End ... and most are so small that the tiniest bit of contaminant will clog them ... clearing-out the Ports with an appropriate tool may be the only course of action.

For Bikes that don't start-up quickly or don't Idle right (or at all) the Pilot Jet and Siphon Tube are usually the problem.
These two important components have the smallest and most easily clogged or contaminated Metering Port holes in the Carbs.

A flake of hardened, evaporated fuel stuck in one of their little holes can disable the bike and preventing it from starting or staying running.

If gas that was in the bowl, evaporated and left behind a film of varnish-like material covering the bottom of the fuel bowl or sealing the Metering Ports for the Siphon Tube well or the Tube itself ... solvents and Carb Cleaned are unable to do cleaning by themselves. Opening the Ports, again, is going to require having the Ports cleared-out with a tool, then flushed clean with Cleaner.

As anyone who has done the process and expanded the cleaning by doing the Top End components too will tell you ... the reward in having the Carbs thoroughly cleaned is great.

Rather than being frustrated trying to get the bike to run ... they graduate to the next level ... that of making the bike run as smoothly and as powerfully as can be.

The time you will spend cleaning the carbs will be paid-back in the enjoyment you'll have after the jobs done and you've got it running great!

 

Thanks for all the input. Guess I'm gonna have to seriously set aside some time for that. After I finish upgrading my fusebox tonight, it kind fell apart last night! LOL Think I'll do the cam chain and check those alternator brushes too.



1980 650 Maxim soooooo stock.
36,000 miles

 

How about now ... that we're on the case ... you Start your own Thread ...

"The Babaloo01 Project or something else you might like ... to keep us updated and personalize the Thread to be your direct connection to getting going ... now that things are sorted-out and you get everything ironed-out!

 

Hmmm... my own thread. So how exactly would I go about that?

Well, anyhow, I got my fuse box replaced. Now I have another interesting glitch. I swapped the horn button over to the missing starter button (new buttons haven't arrived yet) works great. But now the left turn signal wont come on. It was working before my little surgery. Gonna check the bulbs tomorrow morning. any other ideas?

 

At the top and the bottom of this and every thread page is a button/ballon that says NewTopic. These are the keys to the kingdom and making your own thread.
As for the turn signal, good odds you've got a bad bulb or corrosion is digging into the socket of that indicator. In any case, checking the physical condition of the bulb is a "bright" idea.

 

Yes ...

Rick's Rubber Stamps #-3 : )


(I knew I'd get to use that thing before sun-up)