• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Did the carbs, now it wont start!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Adler
  • Start date Start date
A

Adler

Guest
So about a week ago I had my bike turning on within a second of touching the button, idling well and generally making me happy!

Its then that i decided to properly rebuild the carbs and do the intake boots.

So i bought the kit from Robert and got some intake boot o-rings from Nessism (thanks!). I replaced all the o-rings in the carbs excluding the choke (because I didnt disassemble that far). I did NOT dip the carbs, mostly because I cant find dip in Canada. I spent way too much time muscling the phillips screws on the intake boots and managed to get the outer two off, I replaced those o-rings but noted that the o-rings that were there were in excellent shape so i left the inner two thinking the PO must have actually already done them.

I also took off the exhaust to derust and polish them.

Now its all back together and it will not start. It sounds like it wants to... kindof like its firing every second time (but only sometimes). I would immediately assume its the carbs but it wont even start with quick start, or with pouring a little gas into the cyclinder! (that rules out carbs, no?). Each plug seems to have a strong spark. Very occasionally ill get backfiring like a gunshot.
 
Hello, If you have spark and it was turn-key start before......things to check first if you haven't checked. Did you prime the carbs? If so, do the bowls have fuel in them? Are the plug wires right? Are the clamps on the carbs tight? (Head side and air box side). Were there any spare parts left from the carbs? I had to ask. I once purchased a bike not running. PO said he did the carbs and drove it. He bought a new bike and decided to sell the one mentioned. He had given me a small box upon purchasing the bike. I looked in the box when I got home and it had the air jets and pilot jets in it. I removed the carbs and sure enough he did not install them.I dipped the carbs, installed a battery and it was good to go. He had swore to me that it ran and later he started having problems. You just have to ask a lot of questions. Bob
 
Try a shot of starter fluid down a couple of the carbs. Seems as if the engine won't pull through the carbs enough to get some fuel when just cranking over, once it starts and runs it should be alright.
 
Sounds like you have your plug wires on wrong. Did you take them off, play with the coils? Maybe you accidentally disconnected a coil wire coming from the points? although you said all cylinders are getting electricity. I bet you it's something simple though. Try and run through things.
 
You haven't messed with anything that would change compression, and you don't mention messing with the ignition. Therefore, yes -- it's something you did with the carbs.

First, eliminate the obvious. Make sure your petcock flows. Then, with the petcock on anything except Prime, open each carb bowl drain with a container beneath, and make sure you get a few ounces of fuel out of each.

If you get that far without finding a problem, it becomes a little more perplexing, since you haven't complained of any fuel leakage either. At that point I'd also suggest using the ether and a fully charged battery, to get things rolling again.

Apply the ether into the airbox, or the airbox intake snorkel, not directly into anything else. From your descriptions, it sounds like it's had too much fuel, if anything.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the responses, Ill answer each chronologically....

bmac said:
Hello, If you have spark and it was turn-key start before......things to check first if you haven't checked. Did you prime the carbs? If so, do the bowls have fuel in them? Are the plug wires right? Are the clamps on the carbs tight? (Head side and air box side). Were there any spare parts left from the carbs? I had to ask. I once purchased a bike not running. PO said he did the carbs and drove it. He bought a new bike and decided to sell the one mentioned. He had given me a small box upon purchasing the bike. I looked in the box when I got home and it had the air jets and pilot jets in it. I removed the carbs and sure enough he did not install them.I dipped the carbs, installed a battery and it was good to go. He had swore to me that it ran and later he started having problems. You just have to ask a lot of questions. Bob
Click to expand...

Im using a temp tank so no priming.
Plug wires are correct i think, left side goes to 1 and 4 right to 2 and 3.
Clamps are tight.
Haha, no spare parts from the carbs, ridiculous story!

mustangflyr said:
Try a shot of starter fluid down a couple of the carbs. Seems as if the engine won't pull through the carbs enough to get some fuel when just cranking over, once it starts and runs it should be alright.
Click to expand...

I already tried starter fluid, didnt work! Though this reminds me of something important, a few days ago I managed to get it to turn on for a few seconds, sounded strong, then died, couldn't revive it.

azr said:
Sounds like you have your plug wires on wrong. Did you take them off, play with the coils? Maybe you accidentally disconnected a coil wire coming from the points? although you said all cylinders are getting electricity. I bet you it's something simple though. Try and run through things.
Click to expand...

I messed with the coils only a little, Im fairly certain i put everything back exactly the same.

robertbarr said:
You haven't messed with anything that would change compression, and you don't mention messing with the ignition. Therefore, yes -- it's something you did with the carbs.

First, eliminate the obvious. Make sure your petcock flows. Then, with the petcock on anything except Prime, open each carb bowl drain with a container beneath, and make sure you get a few ounces of fuel out of each.

If you get that far without finding a problem, it becomes a little more perplexing, since you haven't complained of any fuel leakage either. At that point I'd also suggest using the ether and a fully charged battery, to get things rolling again.

Apply the ether into the airbox, or the airbox intake snorkel, not directly into anything else. From your descriptions, it sounds like it's had too much fuel, if anything.
Click to expand...

First off, thanks for the o-rings!

So there is no petcock right now, Im using a temp tank (really just a length of tubing and a funnel, little room for error).

Ive already tried starting fluid in the airbox and while it rumbled a little more for a second, it wouldnt start!




Im sure its something terribly stupid but i cant seem to figure out what! Could a leaky exhaust make it not start???
 
Adler said:
Thanks for all the responses, Ill answer each chronologically....

Could a leaky exhaust make it not start???
Click to expand...


No. Did we try this yet? Then, with the petcock on anything except Prime, open each carb bowl drain with a container beneath, and make sure you get a few ounces of fuel out of each.
 
robertbarr said:
No. Did we try this yet? Then, with the petcock on anything except Prime, open each carb bowl drain with a container beneath, and make sure you get a few ounces of fuel out of each.
Click to expand...

Nope, I will be trying that tomorrow. I gotta say I'll be surprised if thats the problem, surprised and relieved.
 
Ok, I drained a little gas from each carb and there definitely is fuel in all of them. It did, however, reveal something unusual... the fuel that poured out looked like it wasnt pure fuel!!! it looked like when you have oil in water and it forms little bubbles of oil... kindof like the top of soup.

Im tempted to think there is water in the fuel... but there has been no water anywhere near the bike! the only possibility is that there is water in my fuel container. It was raining when I filled it, so i will check that.
 
Same issue here.

Same issue here.

Just took apart my carbs over the weekend. There were 3 missing parts, one of them vital (a nylon spacer that keeps the idle normal). I made a spacer with gas-resistant epoxy, and put the bike back together, but didn't to add fuel to the carbs.

Where do you do that? Can I do that through that screw on top? Or will priming be enough? If so, how long do you let the petcock on prime?

It did kick for a moment but I think it was excess fuel in the tubes.
...update...

It works. I just put the petcock on prime and pumped the throttle a few times. Now she purrs. :p
 
Last edited:
I went ahead and bought a 4 liter jug of carb cleaner and as soon as I find a container thats the right size ill finally do these carbs right. Ill report back once thats done.
 
Go to Homedepot and buy a 1 gal paint can. ( empty, of coarse). Go to a parts store and purchase a small parts cleaning basket. There ya go, start on those carbs. Bob
 
bmac said:
Go to Homedepot and buy a 1 gal paint can. ( empty, of coarse). Go to a parts store and purchase a small parts cleaning basket. There ya go, start on those carbs. Bob
Click to expand...

Im just using an old ice cream container, I looked up the plastic and apparently its solvent safe, so hopefully thats not a lie! :p

Now I just need to wait around 3 days for all the carbs to get nice and shiny.
 
Hi,

While using your temporary gas tank, have you plugged the vacuum line that goes from the carb to the petcock?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
BassCliff said:
Hi,

While using your temporary gas tank, have you plugged the vacuum line that goes from the carb to the petcock?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I did plug it, I hope its was that simple. Keep up the good suggestions!
 
3 down, 1 to go!
Ive been soaking them in the carb cleaner for a few hours followed by scrubbing with a toothbrush then rinsing with water, then blowing out all passages with a stream of water (using a hose attachment), then out in the sun the dry and finally canned compressed air through all passages (I definitely need a compressor).
Is this a good strategy? They look super clean compared to before!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top