85' 550L Must wait to re-start after running, needs a lot of choke or gas to idle

[OriginalOwner]

Have you checked your in-tank fuel screen? I had a dirt bike with similar symptoms that just had a lot of crap in the screen.

 

[Juriah]

There is plenty of gas in the in-line filter, they are new fuel lines too.. there really is only one place left that hasn't been checked.. inside the engine.. everything else checks out just fine..or is brand new.. when the weather is right I'm gonna check the valves and cross my fingers it's not a timing chain issue or whatever else.. I should've mentioned the oil pressure light has been on since I got it as well.. I assume that is a vacuum issue also.. intake valves..one and the same source

 

[Juriah]

Checked and set service manual valve clearances.. they weren't off much to begin with.. problem is elsewhere.. sooo... it's not the carbs, coils, valves, battery, plugs, gas supply, all brand new boots and rings, brand new fkn everything almost... so what the hell is it... I've spent so much money on parts I can't afford to pay anyone to fix it

 

[Dj66]

Oil pressure light?

Oil pressure light?

I strongly suggest that you investigate the oil pressure light issue.

 

[Juriah]

The damn sensor housing for that on front of oil filter cover is so old and out of shape looking that I just figured it didn't work right.. another thing I have to hook a gauge up to that i don't have.. wish I had a knowledgeable biker friend who would just work on this thing with me for fun instead of having to pay someone to work on it =\ Just running out of money to put into this money sink

 

[Steve]

Please explain to me (us) with a little bit of detail, how did you "clean the carbs"?

All I saw was a reference to spraying some cleaner and poking a wire. Did you do a full "strip and dip" cleaning by dipping each carb body in carb cleaner dip for a full 24 hours?

You were given links that showed the proper carb cleaning technique. Until we receive some assurance that they have been followed there is no point to do any further guessing.

It was also suggested that you ditch the in-line fuel filter. Unless you can provide assurance that it is NOT an automotive-type filter and is designed for a gravity-fed fuel system, please get rid of it, it is too restrictive for use in a bike.

Yes, you DO have a fuel problem, and it will be fixed if you would simply follow our suggestions to clean the carbs and ditch the fuel filter.

Humble pie doesn't usually taste very good, but a small dose of it now is better than the whole pie later on.

.

 

[Juriah]

I should have mentioned I got rid of the in line filter... the guy who put it on the bike in the first place has been around and working on bikes 20+ years but doesn't mean he knows anything I guess.. that same guy did the dip method..then I took them completely apart myself just to be sure down to every tiny peice, very very close inspection... the parts were shiny and clean inside (like new).. so does that settle that. Thanks btw it's too bad you're not in southeast Ohio, you'd be really close to me =\

 

[Steve]

I should have mentioned I got rid of the in line filter...

There is a step in the right direction. :clap: :clap:

... that same guy did the dip method..then I took them completely apart myself just to be sure down to every tiny peice, very very close inspection... the parts were shiny and clean inside (like new).. so does that settle that.

Sounds OK, but still not conclusive. :-k

Even with the best magnifying glass you can get, you can not see what's inside the little passages between the holes that you can see, and THAT is where the problems lie.

Thanks btw it's too bad you're not in southeast Ohio, you'd be really close to me =\

I go through Parkersburg every spring, on my way to Elkins. You are only three hours away. Come on over.

.

 

[Juriah]

Even with the best magnifying glass you can get, you can not see what's inside the little passages between the holes that you can see, and THAT is where the problems lie.

Even if I sprayed cleaner through all of those passages I couldn't physically look through and it came out the other side in full force (like no obstructions)? Yeah, three hours ain't bad to have the help of a pro and maybe get this thing finally fixed

 

[Steve]

When you spray into a passage, there might be a small opening in the gunk, allowing some spray to come through. What is needed is to soak the carbs overnight, THEN use the spray. The dip will weaken (or remove) the gunk, the spray will finally blow it clear. Some of those passages are also inter-connected. You might not know where all you should be seeing spray, and miss an important passage.

Contact me via PM or e-mail, we can work something out.

.

 

[Juriah]

I've got a rebuild kit coming, actually it is a set of 4, I'll have a spare set for later down the road if needed.. I'm going to take both carbs apart again and do the GUNK soaking method, though he said he did it, I'll be sure it's 24 hr soak... there has to be a reason the engine isn't getting fuel, and since the fuel is mixed with the air in the carbs that must be it right so.. here we go again..

also a rebuilt kit for the petcock coming also.. I know you guys say just buy a new one outright, a new one is about 2/3 more expensive but I'm confident I can fix it once I pull it apart.. whoever owned this before just decided not to fix it or get a new one, they just plugged off the vacuum connections and called it a day, which also isn't helping the fuel get to where it needs to go.. as it stands now, if I unplug the vacuum connection on the petcock, fuel flows freely out of it..

thanks for your help Steve, be awesome to have you swing by when you make your trip down into Elkins, WV.. that's where my mother was born.. only been there once or twice myself

 

[Juriah]

Figured out one big problem.. the idiot who I bought the bike from ruined the carbs.. for one he stripped the head off one of the four brass idle adjust screws.. , more importantly he overtightened those screws and wedged the needle tips through the holes, so the springs are pointless because they are stuck sticking out into the main passage way (they are really lodged firm, I can't push them back out because the brass pointy tips bend...), another annoying thing he did also was he way over torqued the screws that hold the two cross beam brackets .......sooo, the carbs look great, but have a couple serious problems, maybe unfixable I dunno.. I didn't bother soaking them in berrymans carb cleaner.....

keep in mind, those tips that wedged arent attached to the screws at all.. there is the screw, a spring, a washer and then that little needle thing sits at bottom of the shaft

lol any ideas? I'm shopping for another used set of carbs atm..

 

[Juriah]

those idle screw tips are all broken off.. got the one stripped screw out ok. but the guy musta twisted em off.. trying to get em out but looks like they need precision drilled by professionals super tiny hole

 

[Juriah]

machinist

machinist

So I couldn't find any machinist that would risk working on these rare carbs, and if they would, they wanted 500 bucks... so I had to drill the pilot outlets out myself...

I bought a drill press and the smallest drill bit I would risk using myself in such conditions which was #60 about 1.016mm, I think this was about twice the size of what the manufacturer calls for but I didn't have a choice (you try finding a .500mm bit locally, and if you buy it online lets see you use it without some ultra sensitive computer controlled lathe/press, I was already risking breaking the bit in the carb if I wasn't super careful because how tiny the 1mm bit is =(

I managed to drill them all lined up where the existing orifice was, they were straight and precise as I could manage. Everything besides rubber components was dipped/soaked in berryman chem-dip for about 30 hours, then blown out with B-12 CHEMTOOL carb cleaner, then gas, then air.

I've got the new pilot screws installed, everything has new o rings and washers/screws/gaskets valve needles springs work good, needles tips have no grooves worn in and the carbs are all back together.. working on other projects with the bike then should see how it runs.. I'm fairly sure I'll have to run the pilot screws all the way in rather than 3 turns out to compensate for larger orifice.. well, time will tell..

Unless someone here knows of a larger tipped pilot screw I might try that would work? At any rate, the bike wasn't idling before because it was blocked off.. now it'll have some room for the fuel/air mix to go through pilot outlet at least

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

If your carbs are that much fux0red then get a new rack. Every once in a while you can get a pair for 75-100 bucks. Much cheaper and less headache than idle screwing around with ruined parts.

Ebay is your friend in this.

 

[Guest]

I'm with Jeeprusty. I just bought a set of BS32SS off ebay for $60. They looked bad but cleaned up just fine. Cut your losses on these and move on...

 

[Juriah]

Yeah

Yeah

It's a shame because my carbs are in great shape besides that. I'm thinking I fixed em but we will see.. Mikuni BSW30SS is what this bike uses which is a pretty rare twin setup. Now I see 3 sets of them on ebay, two around $250 and the other about $111 but rough looking... I would've went for the later if I had the money, but I don't anymore.. here is the 250$ ones (physically the ones I have look even better apart from the pilot screw outlet problem I had to fix:

 

[csgoh]

Don't forget to do a quick check on your petcock vacuum diaphragm. Gently suck on vacuum tube and see if fuel leaks out.

This will also cause extreme richness on one cyclinder and smell of fuel.

As for the carb boots and O rings, you have to get it or else the bike won't run fine.

If you are sure the carbs are cleaned but still running rich and wetting plugs, try reducing your float height.

 

[Juriah]

maybe I'm getting good at this

maybe I'm getting good at this

I rebuilt the petcock and the vacuum is working correctly, I had to fashion my own spring for it too lol one not too strong and not too weak, too big or too small..

I balanced the carbs myself with the airline/transmission fluid trick

Freshly painted and running good again. Am I awesome or what?! Just sucks I have a ton of money invested in this thing lol Thanks for the help everyone =D

List of things I've done/had to do:

Complete 24hr soak/clean and rebuild carburetors
Replace speedometer, and speedometer gear at wheel hub
Check and set valve clearances, new gasket for valve cover also new orings for couple things like tach cable etc
Replace various lightbulbs
Replace clutch and throttle cable
Replace front/rear brakes and adjust
New battery
Coil mod w/ relay w/fuse new wires and connectors (very good spark now)
New fuses in fuse box, cleaned off most electrical connections on bike
New ground for igniter
Change oil/filter
All new boots and o rings and bolts
New air filter
Airbox was warped where boots attach so had to heat up the plastic and reshape to seal correctly

New starter solenoid
Rebuild Starter
Adjust chain tension
Replace tires

Repair heavily banged up and dented gas tank (had several layers of paint where people didn't paint it properly) stripped tank and front fender down to bare metal and painted it right, not spray paint

Also cleaned all the varnish and rust out of tank, very thorough cleaning before painting

I'm thinking of possibly getting the tank air brushed and need to get passenger part of seat redone, will clean the engine up at some point

 

[eil]

Nice job getting her road-worthy again. Sometimes it doesn't make financial sense (as in my 850) but man, it sure is rewarding when all is said and done. Have you had it out for a test ride yet, or are you buried under a foot of snow like most of the country?