Oil Light is finicky...also carbs

[DGXSER]

cat in a TV commercial....

Occasionally, not all the time, when I turn the key to ON position, prior to staring the bike, the oil light does not light. It always lights as soon as I hit the starter regardless of starting or not, and never lights when running. Not sure it would or could be related but my valves seem a bit louder lately, but I also just adjusted them and 6 were opened up by one to two shim sizes, so I figure they would be slightly noisier from more non contact travel. It did this prior to valve job as well.

Not overly worried, but thinking it may be an electrical gremlin that will bite something important when I am 100 miles from home.

[Ivan]

Not real sure about the oil light, I'll have to think on that...

But...

Valves usually wear closed and would typically need a thinner shim... I am a little confused as to why yours would open up. If the cam caps were starting to wear, all of them would open up, or I'd think they would.

Am I missing something here?

[thewiz]

On a Special ...

I believe that that light is not only connected to the oil pressure switch but also to the horn, brake light, and turn signal as well. When one of those accessories malfunction, or is out of the circut, that light will glow. Even before I teed in a OP guage to check my true oil pressure, I think I would check and clean my connections at the aforementioned places.

[oldyam80sg]

Take the sender unit off and squirt some carb cleaner in there.Worked for me.

[DGXSER]

Ivan, I may have mislead in how I stated things. The valves had worn closed and I opened them up by using SMALLER shims by one to two sizes, most were two sizes or more. Some went from 290 to 275. Some from 280 to 270 I did switch one 290 to a 280 and one 290 to a 285. One intake and one exhaust were in tolerance.

Wiz, Only other electrical item that is not 100% on the bike is the hazard lights. All other signals and lights work perfectly ( at least until I send this message at which point by virtue of Murphy, the entire wiring harness will ignite spontaneously into a ball of goo.)

Oldyam, I will give that a shot.
Thanks!

[DGXSER]

On a different path.....

I have been having a problem with No 1 cylinder getting very rich in the midrange. 2-3K RPM. Bike also seems to sputter abit in this range when you first hit the throttle in this range only.

I have tried swapping plug wires with 1 and 4, stays with 1. Been through the carbs at least three times, not that they were very dirty to begin with. Just re-shimmed the valves. Synched the carbs using one gauge method as in the tech tip with the plenum, all are within 1/4" of each other.

So yesterday I pulled the carbs and went back through no 1 and no 2 as no 2 plug looks great (sort of compare good to bad idea). This was not much after starting the bike and just getting past choke. What I noticed is that the diaphram was wet on both and even on top side. Does this seem odd?? When I first pulled them, I do not recall this, but the bike had not been running the day I first pulled them.

[DGXSER]

I am planning to colortune, but before I bug Dbeardslee to use his colortune, I want to isolate out any carb issues.

So my real question is, does the needle valve rubber diaphram typically get wet with fuel? especially on the top or vacuum side?

[bikerphil]

the diaphram was wet on both and even on top side. Does this seem odd??

Yes, it does. Are you sure there are no holes in them? Could they be leaking around the area by the slider?

[DGXSER]

Thanks Phil.

Well I have since went out and repeated the process. Started the bike on choke and then half choke and stopped it. Then took the top off the diaphram for no 1. There was a little wetness around the platic ring that the diaphram mounts to. I assume it comes up through the small hole in the lower end of the slide. There are three holes in the slide and four in the plate that covers the needle. Two get the screws that hold the plate down. One is just open to the bottom plate of the slide and one is open through the slide into the carb velocity chamber.

[bikerphil]

Hmmm... I'm not too familiar with the series III non-adjustable sliders. On my older type carbs (adjustable type), I've never seen them wet above the diaphrams. Did you hold them up to the light and look for holes?

[DGXSER]

Yep, that was my first thought "crap, need new diaphram". Held it up to my flourescent shop light, no light coming through anywhere I can see. It almost has to be coming up from that hole. I just did not expect it to be THAT wet in the carb to get that much moisture up in that area.