Short List of the Problems I'm Having

[Jimmyshifts]

Hi guys, This is my first post. I just purchased my 78 XS1100. It had been sitting for a while. The petcocks were leaking. I rebuilt them and they are fine now. I moved on to trying to start it. Next I changed the plugs. I can get it running but only by using the choke and it won't stay running below 3k rpm's without it all the way on. I tried cleaning the carbs but it still seems to be doing it. I have also had some fuel dripping out of the carb sometimes. I guess this is from a sticky float. If I can get this idle issue fixed I can ride it to a shop. I don't have a lot of experience but I am hoping to learn. Thanks for all your help in advance.

[Ken Talbot]

Never mind trying to limp it to a shop, Jimmy.

If you've got a few wrenches and screwdrivers, you can do it yourself. You've probably read about the "triple clean" procedure, and that is probably the source of most of your problems. Take those carbs off again, strip them all the way down without removing the individual carbs from the rails, clean every nook, cranny, and orifice you come across, including the wee one way down in the bottom of the float bowl. Look up and do the "bread tie sync" and reinstall the carbs. Hit the start button and be amazed at what you've done!

You can do it, just like thousands before you have done. If you run into a problem, come back here and ask for help. Somebody will be watching and jump in with an answer.

BTW - welcome ot the forum.

[mitch]

Carbs

This is what they should look like all apart
Doug
http://www.xs11.com/tips/maintenance/maint17.shtml

[boyat68]

Jimmyshifts:

As Ken Talbot said above, do not take the individual carbs from the rails as the picture referenced in "mitch" post. you do not need to, just clean and re-clean every nook and cranny as well as adjusting the floats per the book.

[firstxs1100]

running issue

do you have enough gas in the tank?? just thought i would ask because i just got a 79 standard and i had the same issue about not running below 4 grand. move the petcock to reserve and this will flow all available gas out of the tank. be sure to have inline fuel filters on before doing this. something simple is usually the problem. i am finding that out quick. continue asking questions these people on here are great. i have been talking to red bandit and he is great about carbs. he's been working on them for 4 years and he knows all about them.

[CatatonicBug]

When you rebuilt the carbs, did you replace the o-rings and gaskets? I don't know about the '78, but my '81 has an o-ring around the needle valve seat that I believe is the cause of my #1 carb leaking fuel (waiting on parts in the mail to fix it). You might check it with a bench test with the bowls off to see where the leak is coming from.

[Jimmyshifts]

Update

It was nice out so i figured I would circle the block a few times before I took the carbs off again. The problems seems to have lessened the more I rode around. It would allow me to drop the throttle lower before trying to cut out and I was even able to restart it a few times without using the choke. I pulled back in the driveway and did the spray test on the pipes. Pipes #3&4 were super hot and the drops of water popped off. 1&2 were warm but not as hot. The plugs are brand new. Could I be riding around on 2 cylinders? I didn't think that the bike was running too bad above idle but I don't it was anywhere near as powerful as it should have been. Could I be loking at other problems with the carbs such as mixture? Sorry for the dumb questions I don't have a lot of back grond in this sort of stuff. Thanks!!

[oldyam80sg]

Check to see that there is gas in the float bowls.Also what do the plugs look like?

[Jimmyshifts]

carb issue

I won't be able to check until tomorrow, but since the plugs are brand new will I be able to tell anything?

[oldyam80sg]

Check plugs #3 and #4 since you said those pipes were hotter than 1 & 2.Start bike and see if #3 and #4 are wet with gas.They should be.On my SG the pipe that was not as hot as the rest was not firing.The plug did not even look like it was doing anything.When i took apart the carbs again,i noticed the screen under the float valve was clogged with crap.As soon as it was cleaned,all cylinders fired again and every pipe had the same amount of heat to it.

[fredintoon]

1 & 2

Hi Jimmy,
if you can touch #1 & #2 pipes without screaming after the bike has been run around the block, #1 & #2 ain't working. OK then, if #1 & #4 or #2 & #3 ain't working it's most likely a spark problem because one coil works the outside pair if cylinders and the other coil works the inside pair. Contrariwise, one fuel Tee fits between #1 & #2 carbs to feed them gas and the other fuel Tee fits between #3 & #4 carbs to feed them. Now I dunno what the various POs (and the dreaded Previous Owner will be the root cause of most bikes' problems) have done with your fuel supply system but that's the first place to look for the cause of the problem. And before you nurse the bike to the shop, phone them. Tell them it's a 30 year old bike and wait for the mocking laughter.

[Jimmyshifts]

the latest on my carbs

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the help. I got a little more adventrous and took everything apart that I could in the carb. I think I may have found what was causing my problem with cylinders 1&2. All of the carbs were blocked up under the float valve and into where the tee feeds the carb, but 1&2 where horrible. I'll have mor time tonight to hook it all back together and find out.

But now I found another problem. Out of my four idle mixture screws #2 has a stripped head and #3's tip was broken off and wedged in the hole. I'm going to order replacement screws but does anyone have any ideas on how to get one out that has a stripped head?

Thanks!!!

[XSPastor]

You might be able to get a really small extractor in there. I've also seen a post where a guy ground away part of the tower so he could get a dremmel in there and cut a new slot in the mixture screw. Removing a broken tip - plenty of posts about that if you do a search. Start here: http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138
Good luck.

[fredintoon]

Hi Jimmy,
I've posted this before but here's a way to remove cammed out screws.
Take a screwdriver bit and grind it to an exact fit in a good same-size screw slot.
But the bit in a drill press.
Bring the bit down into the busted slot and bear down hard.
Back the screw out by turning the drill chuck backwards BY HAND.
We just did the broken tip removal thing on my son's XS750.
The ingenious methods shown on those links did not work for us.
We drilled the tip out from above with a 1/16" drill bit but would have
used a 1mm (0.039") drill bit instead if we'd had one.

[fredintoon]

Spellcheck NFG if one correctly spells the wrong word.
That's " Put the bit in a drill press"