help, xj700 n carburater problems first post

Hey guys! first post here so unsure if this post will be seen by any, but I have been having problems with getting my bike running proper and looking for help. I will give lots of information (clues) for anyone to interpret and use to try and help, and help is greatly appreciated. To start off I want to say that after my grandpa passed away last spring, I inherited his old xj700 that was sitting in an unheated shed in Minnesota for almost 15 years unused. I took this bike home and replaced tons of electrical components like the coils, stater cover, new battery, new tci, new flasher relay, fuses etc. I even took the engine out of the bike repainted that and the frame and now here we are. electrical shouldn't be the issue right now as I'm getting spark and can get this bike to start and run while choaked. So now for the problem... exhaust is ONLY coming out of the right-hand side of the bike... I have taken the carbs out of my bike 6-7 times and did many cleans to it when out but keep in mind I'm 21 and this is the first time I've worked on carbs. I have replaced all the fuel jets, needles, and seats, felt gaskets, and blown carb cleaner down all passages (I think) and put the carbs back in and the problems persist. on the non smoking side one carb bowl had fuel in it and the other did not have any, while the smoking side had both drain screws stripped... I'm getting tired of taking them out of the bike, taking them apart, cleaning, then putting them back in. I really don't have the time/knowledge/ experience to completely disassemble the carbs and do a carb soak, then resync them. Im almost at the point of A. either buying brand new carbs, or B. taking them to a shop to get the bike finally running so I can focus on many of the other issues this bike has (like connecting new horns, and getting new brakes....) but the shop will be expensive I think, although unsure how much carb work will cost.what do I do? anything helps guys! thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum. First off, take a breath and remember you are doing this for a family member and for memories, so no need to rush through it.

One of the hardest things to do is troubleshooting your bike. Try not to look at the bike are one big thing to fix, try to look at each part that is not working as a part to fix and then at the end when all the little parts get fixed, the bike will be road worth and ready to ride.

Carbs on these bikes need special attention and really need to be super clean. There is a jet in the bottom of each bowl that needed to be cleaned to have the bike run right. Not saying you didn't clean them, but many first time carb folks do miss them. I missed them my first time I refreshed a bike, and it took me six times to get the carbs right. Once you know what to look for in the carb cleaning, the next time will be faster. After 15 yrs of sitting, I would want to make sure that the fuel tank is not rusted and sending bits into them cleaned carbs. I would get a fuel filter in line from any fuel source between the fuel and the carbs. This will help keep bits and rust out of the carbs after all the hard work of cleaning them.

You will have to give us detailed reason why you would change out all kinds of parts if the bike was not running. One of the hardest things to do when you first start to refresh a bike is not throw part money at it. Getting a manual and reading up on the bike, and then take is slow and step by step to see why you may be having issues.

Many shops will not even work on carb bikes anymore. There are a few people on here that I hope will chime in and give you some better advice. I do know a few of them will clean your carbs for you the right way and they will work. Bottom line, don't give up just take a brake from the bike and get a fresh loot at her in a few days. Besides, it is cold as heck out there for the next few.

 

Jacob,

I offer carb rebuild service. I’ll send a message to your inbox.
Dave Fox

 

Can confirm, having @hogfiddles rebuild the carbs for you is definitely the easy button.

If you want to do it yourself then I respect that too. We've all been beginners at some point, and struggling with these carbs is usually a rite of passage to earn grizzled old veteran status.

There is a lot of good info on this site, of course.

I would be wary of finding somebody locally that does not specialize in the older stuff - in that case you're probably better off doing it yourself.

 

I think this is the link to the Church of Clean. If not, someone will post it for you. Take you time. It will also help to boil the carb bodies when you get them apart. Then blow them out with carb cleaner and compressed air. Took me 5-6 times before I finally decided not to take any shortcuts. https://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/in-the-church-of-clean.14692/

 

Rack is already on the way to the hogspital.