Sooty #1 Plug

[Ljay40]

Hi Gang

1980 special: Seems I have a lil pop pop upon decelleration seems to be coming from #1 as far as I can tell, took the spark plugs out to have a look seems that the #1 is a lil black and sooty, (2 3 4 look pretty nice) no carbon buildup at all and the insulator looks pdg, Im thinking its carb related too much fuel or not enuff air? Pilot screw perhaps needs adjusting I hate to bugger with it too much as it sure gets up and goes and dont want to make it worse so I thought I would ask the group ans see what the consensus would be.
Thanks in Advance
Ljay40

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ljay40,

Just did a search for your previous posts, only about the tach/speedo and headlight.

We could use a bit more info about your bike!?
How long have you had it, are you the 1st owner, what work have you done to it...ie. carb cleaning, etc.?

What is on your machine, stock pipes and airbox, or aftermarket stuff? How many miles on the engine, have done a compression test?

Some popping on decel can be several things, a slightly lean condition, intake or exhaust leaks, improper float height, clogged/restricted pilot circuit, etc.!

Have you checked the coils secondaries resistance, might have a bad plug cap, corrosion between cap/wire, etc.?!
T.C.

[Ljay40]

[
QUOTE]Originally posted by TopCatGr58



We could use a bit more info about your bike!?
How long have you had it, are you the 1st owner, what work have you done to it...ie. carb cleaning, etc.?

Hi TopCat

Ok Um 1980 Special I picked it up at an auction for 240.00 last Sept not running trailered it home, had not been run in quite a while is what auctioneer said. Carb slides where stuck as well as butterflys and choke rods Throttle cable smashed. Removed carbs hit them with can of carb cleaner and freed them up, stuck em back on bike and had it runing with in 2 hours only with full choke ( jumping up and down thinking I just got a great deal Which I Did hehhe Im still Smiling
So yanked off carbs and dipped them for 3 days they did not look bad at all no pitting or green sludge put them back on bike and it fired right up and idled about 1100 rpm, I cleaned up all the wire connectors cos it was not charging and that cured that. replaced plugs, oil air filter all gear oils removed final drive greasing it,started polishing and what not
been riding ever since then started noticing the faint little poping sound coming up to stop signs and #1 plug being a little sooty black compared to the rest

What is on your machine, stock pipes and airbox, or aftermarket stuff? How many miles on the engine, have done a compression test?

Machine as far as I can tell is totally stock exhaust ,airbox,ect
have not done comp test as it goes like bat outa well you get it,
so didnt figure I had probs with compression, have not tested coils cos spark seems to be really nice and bright and bike fires right up, under heavy throttle there is no missing or any signs of hesitation there is approx 29000 miles on it I do have stripped screw on top of number 4 carb which I cant move so I have just left alone and because of that have not had them put on carb sticks Scared to try and get screw out and really make things worse
Hope this helps kinda probably more n you need to know huh (grin) Ill try and post a pic soon as I figure out how. And another XS1100 reborn RIDE ON!!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ljay40,

Oh contrare, this is just the type of info "we" need to provide more help, good job.

Now, 1st point, you say you dipped the carbs for 3 days! IF you soaked the entire carb bodies in cleaner, then you probably destroyed or damaged the butterfly shaft seals, they are rubber, and don't survive. This will cause a vacuum leak and resulting popping and other unwanted performance issues!!

The stripped screw is a question? You said it was ON TOP of the carb? The synching screws are between the carbs. The one on the very top where it mounts to the intakes and is down in a small tunnel is the Pilot screw. The 80 carbs have this tunnel. The 78-79 carbs have the pilot screws sticking out from the top, they are exposed. Can you provide a better description of this screw and it's location?

Due to many folks parking these things on their side stand, The #1 carbs tend to get more gummed up, the pilot circuit especially, plus the float pins/floats, etc., so another trip into the carbs may be in order? Sorry for the bad news, but congrats on getting it up and running, but it may be able to run better depending on the above. You can spray some brake cleaner around the shafts while it's running to see if you can hear any rpm changes. IF so, then the seals are leaking and you'll need to replace them.

Finally you'll want to verify the year by the serial number in the tech tips guide, some times bikes are labled the wrong year by their registration by being registered/titled a year or more later than when they were made! There are considerable differences between the 78-79 and 80-81 years!
T.C.

[Ljay40]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TopCatGr58
[B]Hey Ljay40,

Now, 1st point, you say you dipped the carbs for 3 days! IF you soaked the entire carb bodies in cleaner, then you probably destroyed or damaged the butterfly shaft seals, they are rubber, and don't survive. This will cause a vacuum leak and resulting popping and other unwanted performance issues!!

UGh I had removed butterflys but believe I left in the shaft, time to check things out I would imagine I have to leave the airbox on as It would just suck right in the backof the carb while spraying
The stripped screw is the pilot jet down in the hole, sorry bout not being clear
I have read the tips on removing these things but like I said scared to really mess it up and make it worse Its very rideable right now
Wifey wont let me buy new carbs
Yup it 1980 serial number starts with 3J6
Thanks again TC for your posts
Just got back from 100 mile ride ..Yeehaww


Ljay40