Starting after carb rebuild and valve adjustment...?

So I just rebuilt, cleaned, and jetted my carbies. In the process I re shimmed my valves. So I mounted the carbs on the bike and tried to start her up. I layed on the start button until my battery died and never once sounded like starting. Is there a trick to it? I see the fuel in my fuel filter so whats next? Also it has new plugs gapped to the right specs.

 

Did you set the petcock to prime?

How did you verify fuel float levels?

Are the plugs wet or dry?

The battery may also have enough juice to spin the motor but not enough to fire the plugs

 

Here's a few items to check

For starters make sure your battery is fully charged.

Set your petcock on the PRIME position and watch your filter for evidence of fuel flow. Once that stops open the carb bowl drain screw on the far right carb just a bit to verify that fuel is in the carb bowl, then close the screw.

Be sure and set the choke and make sure it is connected up and working.

Make sure the vacuum hose from the #3 cylinder to the petcock is connected up.

Next check for spark on any cylinder.

Go the the store and get some starting fluid. One at a time remove the rubber cap on the top of the carb-to-head rubber boot, and shoot some fluid into each boot, then replace the cap.

Mine had no trouble firing up after a carb rebuild. Its usually just a matter of making sure everything is hooked up.

 

I did not adjust my float levels they were fine before I pulled it apart... The petcock was set on prime, havent checked the plugs. I hope it was the battery Its charging now so we will see how it goes.

 

If you removed the floats from the pin, and you have to to clean the carbs properly, it's worth it to check again. If they're still good you spend a couple minutes. If not you save a bunch of time fighting with it.

 

Very true ill check it out.

 

So I got her running today she idles beautifully, and I swear my heart sunk a little when she actually turned over. Yet there is still my initial problem... It will start and run in neutral all day long but, as soon as I put it in gear it dies automatically. If I try to start it again in gear (1st or 2nd) the starter will just turn and turn and turn. As soon as I put it back in neutral it turns right over. Sounds like a sidestand switch but thats impossible because the wiring is all minimal on the bike. NO SIDESTAND SWITCH??? the prong on the TCI is open. Anyone have any ideas? its not the carbs not the TCI (just replaced it).

 

Dies how? Does it seem like an electrical death as in no hesitation whatsoever- just stops, or is it more like a dragging it down death-like its bogging down and then kaput.

Before would it only die after you came to a complete stop? Have you tried rolling with it running in N then popping up to 2nd?

 

Kinda does all of the above it just dies but bogs out a slight bit. It used to be fine for about 2 miles, wouldnt have the problem at all until I came to a stop. It would die at the stop then not start again unless in neutral and all that jazz. But now it is doing it right off the bat. This is the first time it had ran in about a month. So its not like its overheating. It not spark because it runs fine in neutral. Its not TCI cause switch prong usnt even plugged in. Clutch maybe??? I just adjusted it and its pretty damn tight and still nothing? someone please help I need to feel the wind in my hair (even though I dont have any)

 

Did the bike seem fine while running and going through the gears? In other words was there any resistance getting in and out of gears? Did it shift smoothly? Your entire safety system is disabled right? Because if it's non-functioning and there is no alternative wire that allows it to kill the engine-then it must be something related to engine/transmission relationship. Are you sure it's running good on all 4? All four pipes getting hot?

At this point if your sure about the engine being ALL good in Neutral, then I think your clutch is to blame. It might be sticking or stuck-did the bike ever sit for a long time? Try the rolling shift to second and see if it will go. Unable to disengage and it will die for sure when you reach a speed (or are already there) that is too slow for the engine to stay above stall speed.

 

I had a guy roll his bike in here for the same problem.

After looking in the Gas Tank and seeing how little Fuel there was, ... I poured a few quarts of Gas in the Tabk, ... switched the Petc0ck to PRIME, ... an remarked at what a lovely shade of red his face was.

(If he's reading this, ... I want my ColorTune Kit back, please!)

 

Yes, before it ran fine through all gears... I did a compression test and im running 150 on 1,2,3, and 145 on 4. Havent had a chance to feel the pipes for heat yet. There is no safety switches on the bike whatsoever. I did come outside one day to it sitting on its side couldnt have been more than 10 minutes. I live in an apartment and kids are all about vandalism around here. bike didnt sit for too long, maybe a month at the most. Now that you mention the bump start in second, I did get it to run when this happend before. I pushed it through an intersection with a slight downhill and all the sudden i popped the clutch and she started and rode her home for the rest of the way ( about 1/2 mile).

 

String those little rug-rats up by their fingernails! Or maybe their parents need some public humiliation-that's criminal and just plain wrong.

So let's get you riding-If I'm reading you right, you're having the issue either from 'N' when the bike is sitting and you try to go to 1st, or while you've been riding (back when you could) and you come to a stop and again are going for 1st-Yes? If so your clutch looks guilty, or it's adjustment, but I'm betting internals not adjustment. These wet clutches are very tough, and very well designed-but they must have clean, unbent, undamaged plates, no broken teeth, no bad bearings, no bent parts etc to work right.

And while riding it might be hard to diagnose a problem that would crop up when your sitting with the back tire stopped and loaded. For example: I can shift through every gear w/o using my clutch (not that I would) as long as my tire is rolling and I do it at the "right" point in rpms. But if I tried to shift into first with only partial clutch it would stall. And since you have no safety system it does you no good to pull in your clutch to start either. So your stuck with going from 'N'. I don't think your clutch is toast or you would have noticed it more while riding, but could be just enough to cause your issue.

You need advice from someone who has actually pulled an XJ clutch apart and fixed one-I rebuilt a Kawasaki enduro clutch but it wasn't designed the same. There is a write up on here about clutches and seems like both Rick and Bigfitz have experience with em. What else could it be? Unless your bike is possessed in which case let's call a Catholic priest.

 

Yes I do need to pound on those kids doors and have a little "talk". As for the clutch matter, I asked a buddy who isnt farmiliar with this bike but bikes in general and he said that it could be that the plates are sticking...? I did have gas in the crankcase before and drained and refilled but maybe just maybe the thinned oil affected the plates somehow? Back when I was riding the bike it would die as soon as I clutched and coasted the bike would die and not start back up in gear, or bump while still coasting.

 

IF, ... the Bike will run in Neutral ... but shuts-down the instant it's shifted into Gear ... the first thing to Troubleshoot is:
Safety Switches
Safety Relays
Safety Systems Wiring.

What Safety related Switches do you have in place?

 

So I had a chance to mess with the bike a little bit today... After feeling the pipes cylinder 3 and 4 were NOT hot. Cylinder 1 and 2 WERE hot. Below is a picture of the plug out of cylinder 2. Cylinder 1 was a kind of a brownish white, almost tan. I took a short video of it running and then dying when putting in gear. Im going back to the basics on this. What does a motor need to run, air, fuel, and spark. Well it has air, it has fuel, So im starting to think its a coil especially because cyl. 3 & 4 arent firing. Any ideas guys? I could really use the help.



Video-


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMlfOIAX ... 7bDpLvzRPN

 

You need to check your float levels. I'll bet that is your problem

 

The coils fire:

LEFT COIL = 1 & 4
RIGHT COIL = 2 & 3

So if 1 & 2 are firing, and your coils are hooked up correctly, it can't be a coil.

A wire or plug boot, maybe, but not a coil.

 

After watching the video, are you absolutely sure, double and triple checked, that there isn't a safety relay wire still connected somewhere?

If safeties are completely disconnected, it's got to be the clutch.

But regardless, you have to double check those coils.

 

Unless the coil wires were put on wrong to begin with......for example: instead of putting the wires to 1 and 4 they were put on as 1 and 2. Then 1 and 2 would fire, not at the right time..........3 and 4 would do the same. Now, if one coil is dead, then those two cylinders would obviously be off.

So, double-check where your spark plug wires are leading to. Also, check to make sure that you have the correct coil harness clips going to the correct coils. It is possible to have the leads going to the wrong coils, but it would mean some tight stretching to get them that way..

Next thing would be to put a different tci and regulator on and see if that makes a difference. If you have tci breakdown, swapping should eliminate it. If it continues, double-check your timing on the end of the crank. Possible something got jiggled loose or out of place in wrenching for the shims.