Project progress..

[Crazcnuk]

You bet, just going through the checklist!

I am sure it will be something simple, once I find out what the problem is.

[Crazcnuk]

Ok, egsols gets the cake...

It IS a sticky throttle cable. I had it loose, at the top, but it's binding a little at the very bottom.

Compared to my Virago, this one doesn't feel like it has a return spring!

Have all the tour stuff on, except the trunk and rear signal light bar. Have all the wiring scoped out, just have to mount it and wire it up.

Had a panic, when I started it and oil was pouring out. Apparently, when we put the engine in the frame, we cracked the oil filter housing at the top edge. Threw the one off the other engine and it's fine now.

PO had a wire coming from the headlight fuse going all the way to the front. Apparently he had some wierd wiring for the headlight as the headlight, taillight and marker lights are not coming on. I can touch that wire, from the fusebox, to the marker light wire at the back and everything, except the headlight, comes on.

[andreashweiss]

Engine should go in frame without oil filter assembly, ,attach after it gives you just a **** hair more room to work with. andreas

[Crazcnuk]

So I found out.

We started to put it in, and it wouldn't go, so undid the filter housing, but it wouldn't come out of the frame. So we had to jiggle the engine a bit to let the housing fall out, and it took a small chunk out of the outer lip next to the Oring.

Still trying to figure out what the red w/yellow wire is for at the top rear of the fusebox. It is too clean to not have been plugged into something.

[Crazcnuk]

Well, took here out on the road today. Won't go much over 40mph.

Sounds like it's running on 2 cylinders, idles fine, runs great between 3000-4000rom, then bogs out.

Put new plugs, and tried to do some checks on the carbs. The idle mixture screw on #1 is mangled (screw head) no way to get a screwdriver on it.

Silly part is I think #1 is the only cylinder running properly. It's plug is a nice tan brown.

On the way back, about 1k from home it dropped down to 1 cyl. Would barely pull itself. Belching large clouds of blue.

Going to have to pull the carbs and go through them.

Other problem I have is no headlight. Nothing I do will make the headlight work. I ran a wire and a ground directly to the bulb, so I could get it home tonight, but nothing else puts power to the headlight.

I tried unplugging the reserve unit, checked the relay at the front of the tank. There is power from the fusebox to the relay, not sure what it's supposed to do after that.

I also have no park lights or taillight unless I run a wire to that circuit.

[andreashweiss]

Check to make sure that the TCI,Pickup coil assembly,ignition coils are all the same. 2h7, the coils under the tank need to say ballast resister type.meaning there has to be a ballast resister attached to the wiring harness.If one of these electrical units is different the bike will not run right. The 4r0 units do not interchange with the 2h7. Everything has to be the same. I would also check the ohm reading both primary and secondary on the coils to make sure they are giving a good reading. Then check the pickup coil wires to make sure they are not needing the "fix" If all that checks out most likely a carb problem. It sounds like the engine is working mechanically as it turns over but it is not firing or getting the proper fuel mixture. Patience is required to get it right. andreas

[Crazcnuk]

You bet. I will check all these things.

If the ballast resister is that silver thing, hanging just below the frame and above the cylinder head, I have one of those!

When I first start out, the engine feels strong, from idle to about 2000rpm, then it starts to lay down. It will only pull (at all) up to about 3rd gear. After that it has no power.

If I get above 3500rpm it won't take any more throttle, it just bogs.

[Crazcnuk]

It occured to me that the the way the bike ran, last night, was exactly the same as the original engine.

When I bought the bike and tried to drive it home, it did exactly the same thing. It ran not bad for the first little bit, and within a mile it started to bog down, and smoke badly. Within another half mile it actually bogged down till I pulled over and phoned a freind with a truck...

[DiverRay]

As a thought on your carbs!!
DID YOU REPLACE THE "O" RING ON THE NEEDLE VALVE SEAT?? If not, DO IT!!!
It sounds to me as if you start out OK, but then your running richer as time goes on.
Check the floats, make sure they don't leak or hang up on the side of the bowel. double check the float heights, and verify they are ALL the same. I would even think about setting the fuel level a little lower in the bowels, raise the float height 1mm.

[Crazcnuk]

Actually, I did nothing to the carbs, although, as it turns out, I should have at least looked in the float bowls.

She runs! Took her on a 200km round trip tonight. Runs like an XS, but now I need to do the tune up. Fuel mileage is a little off. I burned off 18 litres of gas in that 200kms.

I took the carbs off this afternoon, and as I was taking them out I shook them and they rattled ?!?!

Turns out the PO must have had them apart, and when he put them together he didn't bother putting the main jets back in 2, 3 and 4. They were just laying in the float bowls!! #3 was overflowing a bit because the jet was sitting on top the float and wouldn't let it close the needle.

Think of hitting 4000rpm and there are no jets, just raw fuel flooding the heck out of it.

I am still burning oil, mostly on the outside. I think I have a valvecover and/or chain tensioner leak to get rid of.

Also, have to tackle that headlight issue. Fix the left upper shock mount, get keys made for the trunk and helmet lock on the luggage frame.

[trbig]

26mpg with carbs in that condition sounds pretty decent! When I first started to revive my bike from the dead, I took it on a trip to eastern Oklahoma @ 300 miles and AVERAGED 17mpg!

At least the PO was nice enough to put the jets into the bowls for you instead of just leaving them on his work bench. lol. Maybe he thought the bike was like Christine and if it had the parts in there it would just fix/heal itself??


Tod

[Crazcnuk]

Took out the plugs and they are looking good, nice and tan brown, except #1 which is slightly carboned.

Headlight now works. was actually unplugged in the fairing, not at the bulb, but inside the pocket, no idea why Vetter thought it neede3d a 3rd plug on there.

Changed the exhaust studs to std ones with gaskets. No more leaks. It's running like silk right now, in the low to mid range. Starts to bobble above 7000, but I am running a can of Seafoam through in the next 2 tanks.

It's just a little hard starting. Have to crank it 5-10sec before it gets fuel. Choke doesn't seem to help, although it does make it idle faster, which indicates it is working.

[fredintoon]

Prime choice

"It's just a little hard starting. Have to crank it 5-10sec before it gets fuel. Choke doesn't seem to help, although it does make it idle faster, which indicates it is working."
Hi Crazcnuk,
that could be the vacuum thing that turns the gas on. Gas won't flow until the engine is running and the engine won't start until it gets gas. What works on my XS650 (My XS11's PO removed the octopus and I use the gas taps the old-fashioned way)
is to turn the gas tap to "prime" to start.
Try that. Remember to go back to "on" once the engine starts.

[Crazcnuk]

I'll try that, although, technically, it should start on what's in the float bowls.

It does start right away, though, if it hasn't been off for too long, ie less than a minute.

Could it be the float level? Before I put the carbs on, I checked the float levels. They were all about 21mm, and the spec calls for 23mm so I adjusted them.

[Crazcnuk]

Fixed the headlight dimmer switch, and the kill switch was siezed, all good now.

Throttle cable is fubared. Has about 3 strands holding it together. I believe this is why it's sticking.

The headlight relay buzzes, especially at below 1500rpm. In fact you can see when the charging system kicks in around that engine speed. Below that the signal lights may or may not work. headlight is dim and dash lights may come and go!

The lid off the cyclesound decided to fall off, while I was riding. One of the hinge pins let go. I will have to try and replace them. Also the volume on/off knob fell off, in the driveway, and fell somewhere down under the fairing, where I can't find it.