No..... not another carb question

Hey guys

Sorry in advance if this brings back bad memories or you are tired if hearing it. I am trying to get my Maxim (on loan to my son) running. I am onto the carb cleaning stage. The orginal set of carbs never started right. I bought a set from ebay and now they start but will not idle. These carbs came from Colorado and I am in Upstate NY. Would there have been special high altitude tuning done on bikes there? If so, is there a way to tell. The bike starts and runs good but will not idle. The idle speed is all over the place and at times revs real high.

Also, I have been all over this site, but I am a newbie and may not know where to look. I have read some of the cleaning proceedures. Has anyone done a carb cleaning procedure with pictures? Are there any accurate pictures for the HSC 32 carb. I would like to see something that show all the components and circuits so I have a better understanding of how it all works.


Thanks in advance.

 

Hi,

Here are just 2 of, quite a few for Hitachi carbs, of the HOWTOs located in XJ FAQ final and XJ FAQ suggestions.
Clean Your Own Carb's - The Whole 9 Yards - by: Rick Massey

Carb breakdown

I would definitely have a read through all of the primary posts in XJ FAQ suggestions and XJ FAQ final forums and absorb a bit more info before you go any further. It will save you a whole heap of frustration.

Great info to be had, to be sure.

 

What do you call "Upstate" New York?

Of all the various types of carbs, ... CV Carbs are least affected by altitude.
Because Air-flow acts to "Self Compensate" the Fuel dragged-up, you shouldn't have to worry about them needing a lot of tweaking if they are CLEAN, and Operating flawlessly.

Once you get them Cleaned nice; run them STOCK and see if they're going to need adjustment according to how the Plugs look after dealing with Idle, Sync and a Plug Chop or two.

 

There are your answers.

Did you actually think a set of carbs off eBay was going to be a "bolt-on" proposition?

I got a rack off eBay that was supposedly from a "running bike" with 2 hung slides and a mis-assembled throttle linkage. NO WAY did it come off a running anything.

CLEAN them, do them right. Get a service manual, supplement it from what is available here and do it right. Anything else will only lead to frustration.

But you gotta check/adjust the valves first or your carb efforts will not go well. http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=32118.html

 

Guys thanks for your replies.

Rick, live in the southern tier of NY, near Binghamton which is about a hour below Syracuse. Near the PA border.

BigFitz, does the valve adjustment have to be made warm? I went looking for the procedure but the link had an error. I was in the DYI section of the site. Is there another way to get to the procedure? Will I need new gaskets and such with the process?

I've seen a lot of info on shaft seals leaking vaccum. Is there a process for testing that?

I have a grey shop manual that I think came for yamaha when I bought the bike back in (get this) '86. Even before it sat for a while the bike never really idled well. I am the 3rd owner. I bought it from a friend of mine that should never ride a motorcycle back then. The first owner tried to trick it out with rejetting it. He made a mess of it. Back in '86 I took it to a Yamaha shop and they put it back to the original jets (albeit sloppy). They claimed that the jest were drilled out and they had to fill and retap them. That is why I went for a "fresh" set on ebay.

Thanks again!!!

 

Gitarded, you're not upstate NY. I am upstate NY, just south of Utica.

Too bad you didn't join a little sooner, I just held a carb clinic two days ago. PM me and if you wish to run up for some help, we'll arrange a time together. There's a few xj-ers around this area now, so you're not totally alone. If you do pm me, I'll give you preliminary info for the next carb clinic which will be next June now, but there ARE other ones that are around.

dave f

 

You silly southerners calling Binghamton upstate (im about an hour and a half north of Syracuse).

valve adjustments need to be done cold. You are likely to need a new gasket and the hold down doughnuts the first time you do a valve adjustment but they should be good for quite a few adjustments after that.

you can test for vacuum leaks with an unlit propane torch or starter fluid sprayed around near the carbs and boots while the bike is running. If you get a spike in rpms you have a leak after that it is process of elimination to figure out what is leaking. You can pull the e-clips and look to see if the shaft seals look good. but looking good doesn't always mean they are good.

edit to add your not upstate either hogfiddles

 

Hahaha you guys are a riot. Yea I'm down here below the equator of NY basking in the tropical air!!

Maverick you must be up by Massena judging by the 1 1/2 hours above Syr. I duck hunted in that area for years. Also camped a lot at St. Regis Falls.

Where is the best place to get the gaskets and donuts? I could not get to the valve adjustment DIY. Do either of you have the link?

Hogfiddles.. I am new around here. I was recommended to this site from a guy that responded to a craigslist ad I posted looking for carb help. I am trying to get this bike running for my son. What goes on at the carb clinics? Is it a tuning session with at dyno? I can't imagine everyone ripping their carbs off and sitting around cleaning them like a quilting bee (smile).

Thanks
Pat

 

You guys are in Central and Western NY.

I was born and raised Upstate.

Saratoga Springs. Upstate.
You get Upstate on the NorthWay.
You get to where you guys are on the ThruWay.

 

Hey Maverick! You're only about an hour or so north of me. I'm straight down 12 and turn into my driveway. Next summer come down to my carb clinc. It's always in early June and I aim for the 2nd weekend as much as possible. If you're interested, let me know and I'll get you on the email roster for it. The rain forecast on Saturday scared a lot of people away but for those that did show up, we had a great day w/ no rain until right at the very end.

Let me know........

.....and yeah, you win--you ARE upstate. I go through there occasionally, though it's been awhile now. Saratoga, well I can get there by cutting across some backroads off of the thruway, too, on the way to my grandparents old home area, and other relatives. Of course, anyone below Nyack thinks anything north of Spring Valley is upstate, too. <G>

Dave

 

valve adjustment http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html

Chacal will have about any part you can think of for one of these bikes
http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14561.html

 

And you get to where I am on the Hiway (LOL) route 81 to be precise!

You guys probably still have the snowmobiles out haha.

Rick you left the people's republic of NY for the free state of Mass (LOL).

 

ok so its more an hour north half hour east I was working up in the Plattsburgh area last year. (our house was 1.5 miles from Canada)

Ya toss me on the list. I though about coming this year but I was busy running back and forth to Syracuse too much getting my shoulder looked at. After seven years of constant dislocation and subluxation they are finally going to cut me open and fix it.

 

Thanks for all the info.

My bike is a 1980 Maxim and does not have YICS system. Would the valve adjustment be the same on this vintage? Also it appears there are no donuts as the screws are secure against the valve cover.

Pat

 

Valve adjustment is the same as are the specs. (There is a mis-print in the factory book that carried over into the aftermarket books; specs are .11mm~.15mm intake; .16mm~.20mm exhaust.)

And you are correct; the non-YICS motor doesn't have "donuts" just a conventional gasket with simple bolts holding the cover down. The rubber "half moon" cam plugs are separate parts (unlike the YICS gasket that has them molded on.)

 

Maverick, I sent you an email, you should have gotten it last evening.

dave

 

RickCo.... you're right--I'm in central NY. So much so, that the geographical center of NY state (Pratt's Hollow) is only a few mi away from me. However, I will still claim ties to upstate NY cuz my mom is from Ballston Spa, and my grandmother and all of HER relatives are in the Glens Falls area. They're far enough upstate NY to be getting close to northern NY.

Dave

 

yep got it. Looks like a good time will definitely try to attend the next one.

 

Sounds good.

Dave