the $64,000 question is....

[ross]

obkaybe....i got her running and she seemed to be all fine......ran her the past 2 days (27 miles) and did an oil change on her last nite...(i know it might be nothing, but just mentioned)...smelled a little rich, but not that bad....at idle when warm, she would give an extra huff (not backfire) thru the pipes....off the line, she ran smooth and strong thru all gears, both when crusing and when daddy had to drop the hammer....i don't know how to better explain it.....remember i have just cleaned out the carbs, set the float heights, and bench sync'ed them....i never touched the pilot screw or moved the clip on the needle jet (ran strong b4 the rusted gas tank dumped into the carbs)....just added new pilot jets (same size) and bowl gaskets.....finally i pulled the plugs to see what is up.....



now....is #1 float set too low (too much gas in the bowl), did i sync them wrong or did i mess something else up....i just notice that even though 4 looks like 2 & 3 it still has carbon right around the bottom edge......was running strong, but noticed this morning that she was hard 2 start and keep going until she got warm.....i dread pulling the carbs again, but to be xs-ive, i will do what a man has 2 do.....thanx in advance...ross

p.s. my supply of holy water (bud dry) is running low!

[dogyear58]

Dumping gas through

it's not the sink.

and not lo float could be hi float.

or the choke is on.

or something is making gas go through to fast (rich)

2,3and 4 are good..

#1 is way to rich

[Ken Talbot]

The bench sync might not be quite close enough, and I would certainly not trust the previously set pilot screws. Just for a laugh, I would also remove the #1 plug cap, nip about 1/4" off the wire, and reinstall the cap - you just might be getting a weak spark there.

[DiverRay]

If you DIDN'T check the carbs on the bench, I would do that. You may have something keeping the needle from seating, and then you have extra gas going through #1. When you pull the carbs again, leave them upside down, and hook up a fuel line from a tank at about 1' above the carbs. turn on the fuel, and if you don't see anything right away, go have a holy water. When you return in about 1/2hour, check that all four needles are STILL dry.

[ross]

hey there folks...
dogyear58.....yea, i sort of figured that....near as i can tell #1 float is not shutting off and just letting fuel dump into the cylinder......
diverray...i used the method ken describes in the carb section....






not that this is the only way....not only will i reuse the setup again to reset the levels, but i will use your diverray hydrotest method....fuel under pressure and the carbs that can handle them...hehehe...good tip....thanx 4 the advice.....i see you have a burban.....use 2 have one and sold it because of the gas....ya gotta tell us what diesel prices are currently in your area.....we are at $4.19/gl.....what ever it is it's gotta hurt....

ken...as you see i sort of hacked up the setup you had, but it was level and worked really well....quick adjustment and recheck.....now should i reset the pilot screws to 1-1/4 turns from "lightly" seated....or should i just not even think about touching them....(don't want to break a tip off)....i'm not an idiot with a shiny screwdriver, but i also don't want 2 make this a dealership issue ($$$$)...not that if it happened i wouldn't try one of the suggestions here....i can't see any harm in nipping the wire 1/4 inch just to check, but before i started this fuel supply surgery, bike ran fine and all 4 plugs were nice and clean....ran 6400 miles last season with no probs....

thanx 4 all the help so far...will be trying these suggestions 2morrow....right now we are recovering from a failing deep freezer full of food.....ouch!!

p.s. diverray...notice the "holy water" on hand just in case!

p.s.s. thinking about it...what would be the problem with using "holy water" to test the floats.....by far cheaper than gas.....

ross

[Ken Talbot]

For now, leave the pilot screws where they are until you've got it all sync'd, assembled, and running at a very low idle. Then, try using this technique for setting the pilots.

[ross]

from the man cave....

obkaybe....we pulled the b*stards once again....

ripped the suspect carb apart....

adjusted the float height on carb #1, flow tested carbs #1 & #2.....

ken...while i was there i also re-routed the fuel lines to eliminate that d*mn loop...had 2 pop the fuel lines off and turn the "t" up and re-attach the fuel line....



and a final shot of hiding the inline fuel filter......

hope this helps anyone looking...took about 4 hours to complete...i have found shortcuts to the clymer manual that need 2 b addressed...i will be taking her 2 the dealship 2morrow for the new rear rubber.....thanx 2 all for the help so far....ross

[dogyear58]

Party!!!!!

You can't beat that.......

ya got Marb's & budweiser in one pic....

ya got a yamahaha manual in another pic...

you are there!!!

is there anything ya left out???

maybe a big spliff.....

[ross]

update....

hey there folks....got her out this morning and took her in for the new rear prophylactic...thanx btw from all the members replying to my other thread about the rubbers.....i told the guy at the parts counter that prophylactic was his new word of the day and he laughed....so did a couple of other customers....fit just fine....removing the rear wheel doesn't look too hard 2 do....just wanted the dealership to do her the first time just in case....only rode her three miles today as we had a wind chill of 39 and it was raining.....more of the same for 2morrow...hope 2 ride her 2 work monday....ran great so far, but want to see what is really going on..will let u know if things change.....

dogyear58...i thought i would write 2 u in person and fill you in on what got me thru many long cold nites with the rebel devil...you have pointed out the fact that you have a very good eye for detail, but did you see these.....

my XS11 girls.....

and finally my helmet....


hope this answers your questions....that and the ol' lady bringing me out food just 2 make sure i ate...hehehehe...talk 2 ya later...ross

[ross]

just a thought...

hey folks.....finally got to run some miles on her after reseting the float heights.....#1 was high.....have run her, but the #1 plug still looks almost as black....was wondering if i could adjust the clip on the needle jet to straighten her out....also hoping 2 find some vaccuum gauges this weekend and see what is going on there....so my question is should i adjust the pilot screw or needle jet clip to get #1 to cut the fuel going into the motor...thanx in advance...ross

[ross]

another thought...

is there any harm running the #1 cylinder the way it is...i know it's burning more gas than it should, but i'm using this as my transport to work....it does have a fresh oil change in her....speaking of going 2 work today was first ride into work....2 miles from the house, run outta gas....pull over, check everything, flip it to res and fires right back up....kewl.....make the petrol station (for our aussie friends) and put a couple gallons in....back on the road, go about 1.5 miles and it dies.....wtf.....cursing the XS gods, i coast it off the road....start looking and lo' and behold.....forgot to turn the shut-offs back on.....duh...been 2 long since i have ridden and forgot proper procedure....just thought i would share....thanx....ross

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ross,

I can't remember ALL that you've done to the bike to resurrect it, just reviewed the beginning of this thread, and you had ALL 4 plugs looking great last year, but this year and #1 is fouling! You have cleaned the carbs, reset the float.

I know it can be a little expensive, but you might try putting in a new plug in #1, and THEN swapping the #1 and #4 plug wires, and see IF the problems follows the wire?

Coils can go bad, heard of Xsive having low power to the coil so that it would fire the main spark plug, but was not generating enough power to properly fire the OTHER plug on the paired set!?

Also, have you checked the pipes with water spritzing to see HOW HOT #1 pipe is getting vs. the other 3, strong sizzle or just mild???

I wouldn't think you would want to change the slide needle setting on just 1 carb.

Have you checked to make sure the Vent for #1 is actually open and breathing?? Folks have had clogs form at the carb body or in the "T" fitting!?

The floats can also develop leaks, have you checked the float to be sure it's maintaining float, not leaking??
T.C.

[ross]

topcatgr58....thanx for the advice....i will try the switch the wire advice....new plug for #1 and then switch #4 wire to #1 and so on....also i clipped 1/4" off the end of the #1 wire to get a better contact.....interesting info on the coil firing in sets.....i assume that 1 & 2 run together and 3 & 4 run together....i just can't figure this out and it is driving me crazy....more importantly what harm am i doing to the engine...don't want to fubar the next best thing to the ol' lady......if that happens, i'll be doomed to watch CSI marathons until i get the bike fixed......i have not spritzed my pipes, but that also will be done 2morrow....c if i can get my hands on a laser type thermometer....(note, get ahold of maintainence dept. at work 2morrow)...i will not change the needle jet as i know true wisdom when i see it....as far as the vent tubes go, trust me they are spotless.....tore the "t" apart, cleaned mucho gunk outta there, new rubber hose, and cleaned out the port that goes into the airbox.....as far as the floats go....have not checked them, but have had no real problems with this bike running the past 2 years....this was the first time i tore the carbs off of it.....thanx for the advice and am open 2 any options....ross

[skids]

No Ross! 1 and 4 fire together, and 2 and 3 fire together.

Originally posted by ross
.....i assume that 1 & 2 run together and 3 & 4 run together........ross

[soccer4m]

nice setup

Hey Ross, you have a couple of great ideas for the carb check. Easy assembly with the wood and a clamp,,,,,Ingenious!!!! Also, a good idea for the simple turn off using the quick turnoff valve forf the gas. It is a pain using the factory petcock, and it probably will last forever not turning it on and off each ride for those of us who tossed the octopus. And why nobody has thought of using water instead of gas for the float check,,,,double ingenious! Why have gas all over when water will shut off the flow via the floats. Newbie's rule with ideas like this. Us old farts can always learn something from those who persevere.....good luck, Mike in San Diego
82 xj1100
80 xs1100 midnight ,,mucho thanks to "the Wiz:"