1982 xj650 seca fix it list

Hello all.

So, went to go start the bike for the first time in 3 months and she was kicking oil (a lot) back into the air filter.

My list of things to fix now:
*Fork seals blew last October
*Carbs frozen up to adjustment
*Leak-o-oil into air box


everything else is all good. Any tips on where this could be coming from? I was planning on rebuilding the carbs soon, and the fork seals had to be fixed anyway.

her she is:

(with fairing)

 

Does the oil smell at all of gasoline?

As I understand it, if your petcock leaks (or is in the "prime" position) and the float valve on one or more of your carbs is stuck open then it's possible some fuel leaked through into your crankcase. A significant amount would result in the excess gas/oil mixture being pushed through the crankcase breather and into the airbox. If that's the case then you should get a distinct gas smell off of the oil in the airbox.

Did you check the oil level before you started the bike? Was the bike stored with a full tank of gas? If so, how much is still in the tank?

 

oil smelled of gas.

The tank was full when parked, it is down a little bit, but not a ton.

I just glanced through the sight glass before starting it, and it looked all good. Now its low as I had let it idle (and walked away) and it leaked quite a bit.

Should I still pull the carbs off and just rebuild them?

 

best way to drain the fuel tank is?


edit** got it: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=7086/

woot for search.

 

She's a 25+ year old bike so it never hurts to give the carbs a good cleaning and it isn't really that hard, just pay attention to what you are doing and only do one at a time. There is also a couple threads around here in the FAQ suggestions forum. You'll need to go to the Sell, trade, etc forum and go to page 13 and find the float bowl gaskets, fuel pipe o-rings (use grease on them), idle air adjustment screw o-rings (they are this big => O) and their respective washers, and please get new throttle shaft v-ring seals. They are a little trickier to install (a good memory or digital camera helps). That is really all that you should need. You may want to get a gallon bucket of carb dip with pan from Autozone or similar to help clean them up and probably at least two cans of carb cleaner.

While you are at it, you might as well replace the fuse holders with a modern ATC/ATO style holder, do a thorough brake bleed (at least three reservoirs of brand new, never opened brake fluid (brake fluid is extremely hydrophilic), lubricate the cables, and change the oil. That should get you ready for another year of riding.

 

Pulled the tank after work tonight. I'll pull the carbs tomorrow (per that wonderful FAQ/How to section, you guys rock).

here are some progress pics. I come from the Saab Forums (saablink.net), they love progress threads and pics, maybe you guys do too...

tank pulled:


My dirty dirty dirty leaking dirty carbs:


the air box drying out after is 4" flood of oil/gas (about 6 hours after the incident):


Here is the question, this is the breather line right? It was dry as could be when I pulled it. Did the oil in the air box come from somewhere else, or did it just dry out over the 6 hours in between?



Oh, what else should I tear into while I have it this far apart? Was thinking of timing change check and valve clearance, but I am going blind there...

 

Check the valves for sure. You'll want them to be in spec when it comes time to vac synch your carbs.