Wet setting carbs, having problems... :(

and this is why Fitz's bike looks and runs so much better than mine....

 

LMAO!!

 

It's more like a WHOLE pot of coffee. Took me 4 hours to do the carbs on the Radian. I must have got lucky on my Maxim. Only about an hour.

 

yea... you must have gotten lucky... one time I spent about 2 days....

 

I'm not so lucky after all. Started the Radian yesterday and as soon as I put it in gear it stalled and wouldn't re-fire. When it was on the side stand I noticed the oil was half way up the sight glass (this can't be good). Pulled the filler cap, smells like gas. Time to pull the carbs again and see what I screwed up. And change the oil and filter.

 

XJ OWNERS STARTING RITUAL:

Before starting the bike, put it on the sidestand.

Look at the sight glass. Should look empty.

Reach up, grab brake lever and RH bar and stand bike up toward vertical, watching oil rise in sight glass.

Stop before you tip bike over on self.

Put bike on centerstand and re-check oil level before firing it up.

Just get in the habit of doing this every time you pull the bike out, even if you rode it yesterday, and you won't get caught by surprise.

 

Had another thought, this isn't mentioned in the how-tos as far as I know and it helps:

When wet-setting floats, don't go by the first reading of any fill. When you're checking a float level, after you fill the rack, open drain, empty, and re-fill the carb you're testing two or three times before taking a reading of it. In other words, "cycle" the float valve; make it shut off, open, shut off, open, shut off before you read where it's shutting off. After adjusting, do the same thing. Do it when simply "wet-verifying" as well.

I think sometimes it takes getting pressed against the seat a few times for the needle to "settle in" to where it wants to sit. Regardless of the theory behind it, the first reading isn't necessarily all that accurate.

 

I was wondering if the pyrex measuring cup has to be molded to the carb body to create a vacuum or whatever. Or can I just have it under the carb and see how the fuel is going inside?

 

no, it just has to be held up against the bottom of the carb body.

CN

 

One more thing that I have heard it has happened before, are your cables hooked right? choke and throttle are going to the right place?

 

Actually, they're all Hitachis in that writeup. I kindasorta did the Mikunis on the X in another file, but it works the same way for both.