Just bought an 81 XJ550 Seca

The hole is stripped. May not feel like it but it is.

Gary H.

 

Ok. That's reassuring. Yes, I am doing something wrong.

After reading about all the trouble people have had with the Motion Pro tool, I am actually surprised I got it done today.

This has definitely left me not loving shims, though I guess they aren't all bad...

 

I had the same issue with one hole. I haven't had any issues using the tool after I heli-coiled all the valve cover holes (i had the engine off the frame).

Gary H.

 

I had the same problems with the tool... Both of them. They reside in my tool compartment so I can show them to people. They can look at them while I whip through the valves with my zipties

 

While an unpleasant experience, at least I have the numbers for the shins I need. Luckily a few of them can be swapped.

The shims I need are:
245
255
265
270

 

I'm not familiar with that process. Will check it out! It really caught me off guard because I thought I'd gotten the hang of the tool, haha

 

I'm going to get the ziptie method down when I swap out the shims. Then I'll know for myself and pick an official team. Haha.

 

Substitute a length of 12 gauge, insulated, solid copper wire for the zip tie. The wire won't break off. Bend the working end into a short L shape.

 

FWIW, I have NEVER had a ziptie break....

 

Anyone got extra shims in the above posted sizes they'd sell? There are some on eBay for around $12-$15 a pop. Steep for a small piece of metal.

Also, I was using an old brittle zip tie. All I had lying around. Should have known better. I wasn't being patient and payed the price.

 

Start a private conversation with me--- I run a shim pool. It'll save you a lot of $.

I'd suggest you run all your current clearances and shim sizes past me and let me double-check your numbers, too.

Dave Fox

 

"Always remember: the motorcycle you are working on is you."
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
(please correct me if I got the quote wrong)

 

Alright, I made a template for checking valves. It has the chart for calculating new shims on half and then some form fillable areas to record your data.
You can print it and write or type it in right on your computer.
Maybe, I've reinvented the wheel, but it works for me and thought I'd share.
Here is a link to the blank template: Valve Worksheet

 

Well... That's probably the tenth one that I've seen... Lol

 

Thanx. It's the first one I've downloaded.

 

Edit: I think I was that zip tie. I rotated back and forth about five times and then heard a crunch as I completed a full rotation. All is well.

Ok, so I'm swapping my shims and finding that all of a sudden the drive shaft (I don't remember what it's called) won't rotate. I can turn it about a half rotation in either direction and it firmly stops and won't budge.

I don't want to push too hard and break something. It rotated fine before. I installed the air box since then and removed the carbs and starter. The starter has been reinstalled, but carbs are still off. There's also a broken piece of zip tie in one of the combustion chambers.

Any ideas on what could be causing it to stop rotatating?

 

I had to double up fold the tie get the widest ones you can buy, or as kmoe suggested the 12 ga.wire.
shims can be had for $8.95 on sleaze bay .

 

you mean the crank shaft that you rotate to check your shim clearance?
if that zip tie part is still in the cylinder it could be jamming between the cylinder and wall.

did you cover the cam chain slot with a rag to keep shit from falling into the hole?

 

What cyl did the tie break off in? Verify that the valve is closing all the way. If it is not, the piece is holding the valve open, causing interference. You may need to get creative for pressing the valve to relief the " pinched" piece.

If valves are all closing, you may have either a piece of the chain guide breaking up, or something fell down the chain opening

Also, check to make sure you didn't have a shim spit out....

(Or you may have inadvertently shifted into gear....)

 

Thanks guys. I got it to rotate with some force and got the valves done.

Now I'm sitting here trying to figure out how one could EVER get the carbs reinstalled with the air box in. I am stuck. Been reading but I can't seem to find a clear A-Z process. I guess I need to take the air box boots off and boil them? Should I be starting with the carbs going into the manifold boots first? Should I have the air box boots removed while fitting the carbs and then put them back on at the end? Have applied silicone grease.

Wasn't expecting this to be such a tight fit.

 

Removed the front engine mounts and tilted the engine again. Then greased the air box boots. Got them on.

If anyone installs an air box and moves the engine to do so, be sure to install the carbs before you put the engine back in place.

 

Squeeze and push the airbox boots back into the airbox itself. A little heat and some silicone around the inner lips of the intake tracts is a good idea, as well. Make sure all cables are clear, make sure the front end of the bike is parked up against a solid wall of some sort, bring the carbs in from the left side of the bike and start pushing. IIRC its easier to press the lower part of the carb into the intake and "tilt" them up. Someone on the board preaches a trick which utilizes the headless handle of a hammer used as a lever. I have not executed that trick successfully.

 

I could preach the practical value and worth of motorcycle maintenance till I’m hoarse and it would make not a dent in him. After two sentences on the subject his eyes go completely glassy and he changes the conversation or just looks away. He doesn’t want to hear about it.

sorta like when you tell someone about the church of clean

I remember reading it decades ago here is a link to it in pdf
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/zen-motorcycle.pdf

spoiler alert from the author
However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It’s not very factual on motorcycles, either.

 

Make certain the zip tie is not in the hole. It'll cause problems. And...

Gary H.

 

I don't move the engine to remove/install carbs.

I just use a hot air gun to warm the boots, and a light smear of oil or Vaseline and they pop right in.

 

Honestly, I don't understand how people are getting them to break anyway. Amybe it's the quality or thickness of the zip-ty that they are choosing to buy.

 

Always remember that book was written by a mental patient (it is good read though).

 

I'm shooting for progress not perfection here. Slow, slow progress. The Chinese say, "man man lai", slowly slowly come. Trying to stay calm, but did a lot of cussing today. Not going to have it running overnight and will continue to suffer through growing pains as I become familiar with these procedures.

I got the bike together and tried to start it. The valves are still slightly out of spec. Four of them are one shim off.
Working on getting it sorted.

Initially put the petcock to prime and gas leaked all over the floor...

Tried starting. It would turn over and fire but not run. Heard an occasional dull whining from the starter...

There is no vaccuum hose on the back of the petcock. Will buy one tomorrow. Do I just connect it to the number two manifold boot?

BTW, on a personal note, I got a job offer today and will likely be moving to Seattle. If anybody out there wants to connect, get at me.

 

Yes, although you can actually attach it to ANY of the four intake manifold vac ports. Make sure you purchase VACUUM HOSE and not FUEL LINE for this application.

Tap gently/rap on the bowls with a screwdriver handle, etc. to try and jiggle the float valve needles back into place, hopefully that is the problem. Otherwise, carbs need to come off to diagnose/remedy the issue. Over-flowing carbs are a safety (fire) hazard. If the carbs haven't been rebuilt (that you know of), it's probably time that they got a full rebuild treatment, the replaceable bits are way past their service life.

 

Thanks for the tips. That silicone made a world of difference. Slid right in!

 

Thanks Chacal. Man, that was fast. I was really hoping to hold off diving into the carbs, but I guess it's inevitable. Time to start reading that church of clean thread...

 

Bah! Have you read my posts? They were written by a mental patient!

 

Do you know what diameter vacuum hose fits on the petcock?

 

I bought a package of zip ties for a project last year, half of them were snapping with a minimal bend put to them . . . . complete crap, cheap plastic, useless, heading to the recycling place, never buying that brand again, pieces of junk.

 

5/32" (4mm) inside diameter.

 

Cleaned the carbs and got the valves in spec. I am now the owner of a rough running Xj550 Seca. Long way to go.

Things I noticed once I got it running:

Horrible speedometer noise. (Unscrewed the cable)
Out of control rising RPMs at idle with Enrichment Circuit on
Engine sounds kind of noisy... but will have to start it in the morning and pay attention so I can clearly describe it.
Clutch cable seems too long. Have it set as tight as possible in both places, and it barely pulls the clutch enough to shift.
Faint white smoke coming out of the exhaust (PO chopped the tips off the exhausts. Sound horrible. Look worse... ugh.)

Still need to bench sync and vacuum sync. Will need to read up and buy some stuff. Also need to do a compression test.

I moved to Seattle and the bike is in Yakima, so I can rarely work on it now. Need to get it running strong enough to take me over the mountains come spring.

New tires are next.

Edit: BTW, thanks to everyone on this forum for the support. It is only running because of the people who share their knowledge on this site.

 

Why didnt you bench sync it before you put the carbs on? If it runs the way you have it try jumping right to the running sync. It may take a bit longer, but the bench sync is just to get you to a running point so you can doc your running sync.....

New oil and filter....

White smoke is probably excessive moisture that has accumulated and is burning out.

 

Ok, just changed the oil and filter. It's actually running pretty strong now. Not doing that high rpm thing unless the Enrichment Circuit is wide open. Starting right up every time. I rode it up and down the block and all was good, but it lacked power big time. Really slow to accelerate.

I'm going to buy a carbtune system and colortune after pay day. Will get those things done and see how she runs.

One really strange thing is that I cannot find any place for the blink harness to plug into. It doesn't seem like the electrical has been messed with much, but I do notice some components that don't look stock. If it's there somewhere, I wonder where it could be. If it's been removed, anybody know the part number and how to go about wiring it back up?

 

Should I get the Morgan Carbtune II? http://www.carbtune.com/

Maybe the Motion Pro tool? http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0411-Syncpro-Carburetor/dp/B000K7JHWA

 

The Carbtune is a little easier to use (never needs to be claibrated), but both are fine tools. The Motion Pro manometer (which I have) is easier for me to read (my eyes need a bit more contrast than the Carbtune gives with its stainless steel rods on a white background).

 

the motion pro tool can be made for under 10 dollars go to the diy forum and search carb sync
there will be several methods from plain tubes to baby bottles all work well.
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-make-a-2-bottle-synch-tool.15650/




member chacal sells the color tune that is correct for motorcycles click logo in upper right for xj4ever or this link
http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/forums/xj4ever-supporting-vendor.23/ where you can click his avatar and start a conversation with him
or go to his web site www.xj4ever.com there is an email link you can ask for a quote

 

Get the Morgan Carbtune Pro. Best tool I ever bought. 5 minute learning curve

 

X2. I finally bought one last year. The bottles, homemade manometer etc. work okay but if you're going to be syncing somewhat often then I'd recommend getting the tool.

Colortunes pop up on eBay frequently, just watch out for the older ones. The center electrode is not insulated and the spark tends to jump to the outside of the tool instead of firing the cylinder.

 

thats what the enrichment circuit does. peaks out around 4k rpm?
when bike is realy cold it will run around 1200 rpm and as bike warms up will increase to 4k rpm.
you just dial it back as rpm increase.
if the bike will start with out it do not use it

 

That's good news! I thought it was malfunctioning!

So the biggest issue at this point is that it seems like whatever connects the signals to the battery, that connection has been removed. Everything else works electrically. Can anyone give me direction on how to go about wiring this up to work? I've scoured the bike and not found anything that this couple plug into.

 

Ahh, this was already addressed by K-moe! I need one of these!

 

Had the bike starting and running strong two weeks ago, so ordered the Carbtune from Len. Went to do the vacuum sync this morning and the bike won't start. Doesn't fire. Pulled the plugs and they are all fouled black. Maybe the float height? I was too intimidated by the process to even approach it when I had the carbs off. Thought I got lucky when the bike started. Guess not.

 

check your battery voltage 550 will spin fast and starting voltage will be below 9.5 volts required to fire tci unit.
this is done with meter hooked up while starting bike

do your fuel level test put bike on center stand
did you order any nipples from Len? they work great
in photo you see the tube moved from right side to left side this is done to check if bike is level left /right with first carb you check.

 

First gut reaction is the battery is cold.... With the weather we've had, I'd be surprised if ANY of my bikes start. I'll try some later today if I have time and inclination to try. It's over 50 ( in central NY in February?!?!?) so I just might try to get a short ride in since the roads are dry

 

Thanks XJ550H and Hog. I will follow those directions!

Sorry for the delay, I have been fixing some coolant issues on a Passat I picked up recently. Learning my way through that much like I am here with the Seca.

I'm am very pleased to say that I synced the carbs and boy did that make a difference! The bike is running wonderfully. I filled up the tires and took it for a spin... I'm looking forward to spring. Got a Colortune on the way, too.

Hog, it has been cold here too, but this weekend was nice and the bike started up really well. So may have been the temp. During the carbsync number four was so low it wouldn't even register, so could have had something to do with it?

Got a blinker relay and now electric is all good. No goblins.

I'm ordering tires this week and clubman bars. Do I need risers or anything beside new brake lines?

Here's a video of it running. Remember the PO hacked off part of the mufflers... as always THANKS to you guys for getting me here!