More problems- excessive backfiring/lumpy running

[Lucien Harpress]

Okay, I'll hold off taking it to the shop for a while. I checked the areas you mentioned, and here's what I got.

Of the four spark plug caps, only one measured anywhere under 5K ohms (it was 4K, or close to it). One other measured about 5.3K ohms, while the other two were nearly 10K.

Measuring through the coils (one test lead in spark wire 1, the other in spark wire 4, repeated through wires 2 and 3), I got a resistance somewhere around 13-14K ohms.

So, going by what you said, my coils may be okay for the time being, but at the very least a new set of resistors is in my future?

[3Phase]

Of the four spark plug caps, only one measured anywhere under 5K ohms (it was 4K, or close to it). One other measured about 5.3K ohms, while the other two were nearly 10K.

Lucien, the spark plug caps on my 80G are roughly the same as yours.

The inner two caps on plug #2 and #3 are ~5K ohms. The outer two caps on plug #1 and #4 are ~10K ohms. I think it's for better RF noise suppression on the outer plugs because they aren't shielded by the fuel tank and the cylinder head.

If you have the stock spark plug caps you can take them apart so you can clean the connectors and the resistor.


Regards,

Scott

[Lucien Harpress]

Well, scratch my previous post. After checking again, all four caps measured out at around 5K ohms. Caps and connections are all clean.

So, basically, this means all the work I've done on it so far has gotten me- absolutely nowhere. It's still running like crap, missing over nearly the whole RPM range, losing all power whenever I think about touching the throttle. Add to that the fact my tach is starting to go out, which means my alternator is probably taking a dump, and what you get is me not even wanting to look at the thing.

What's particularly aggravating is I was actually able to ride it for a week, then all this crap starts happening again. I really doubt I fixed the original problem at all, just got lucky for about a week.

I think I need to take a week and just walk away for a bit, before I do something I regret.

[petejw]

Hey Lucien,
Hang in there, these things can be a pain,
After you take the bike for a ride after its been playing up
have you checked the exhaust to see if there all hot,
to see if all cylinders are firing, ive had similar experience to you and spent 2 days just to find a new spark plug was faulty, only played up when it was hot, and under load, made the whole bike run like crap,
also check the connections behind the fuse box, the wires from the tach
and pick up coils are located there.

[louilg]

XS problems

My advice would be to start by doing just as I did with my '79 XS; replace the coils (I went to Excels), replace the spark plugs (NGK's), rebuild the carbs with new needles and seats,etc., and replace any questionable fuel lines (I replaced all of mine). Check out your battery to make sure it's up to snuff, then try to start it. You will definitely need to synchronize the carbs once you have it running. Just turn the idle adjustment screw clockwise to bump up the idle until it runs by itself. As you get the carbs more into tune, the idle will increase, so just turn down the idle screw as you go. Try to keep it idling around 1050 - 1150 rpm while making these adjustments.
Another thing is to make sure your fuel petcock screens areen't clogged up. That was one of the problems I had a while back.

[Ivan]

Have you tried wiggling the TCI connectors with the engine running?

[randy]

Good point, Ivan.

Try beating the TCI with a hammer while the engine is running JUST KIDDING!

But you might look into the solder fix.

[Lucien Harpress]

Call me a traitor, but...

... I made the call today to my local repair shop to schedule an appointment to look at it. I'm dropping it off tomorrow, and when he gets to it, that's when he gets to it.

I'm not going to tell him to fix it, just try to find out what needs fixing. If it's reasonable, I'm just going to have him do it. If not.... well, we'll go from there, I guess.

[Larrym]

Treasonous NOT!

Part of any troubleshooting process is to know when to stop chasing your tail and "exit". No Harm...No Foul here.

There are current and former mechanics here on the site so going to a "professional" isn't a mortal sin. If you find that the shop is honest and does good work then you'll have an extra tool for keeping your ride on the road.

Actually, I'm envious. No shops in my area will touch my bike or any bike in the 30+ years old category.

(Whatever part is found to be defective...SAVE it!! There is much therapeutic value to grieving over a part that did its duty well and died in the service or taking the part which just failed in order to make your life miserable and then taking a hammer to it!!)

[randy]

It's your choice, but my personal opinion is that you're making a mistake. Most shops don't have the experience with old bikes and can wind up chasing their tails and your wallet finding the problem. And, if you don't learn now how to care for and repair it, when will you? When you break down on the road? You'd be better off finding a member close to you that can help, if there is one? Chances are one of our guys will find the trouble a lot faster than a shop and you'd get the added benefit of learning by watching.

Don't flame me, it's just my opinion.

[Lucien Harpress]

Maybe I'm making a mistake, maybe I'm not. At this point, though, it's better than me just staring at the thing with my thumb up my @^% with no clue what to do.

I have hope, because when I talked with the owner when buying parts before (needed an oil drain plug), he mentioned fixing XS11s before and at least knowing what they could do. Does this mean he's an expert? No way to tell. I guess I'll see.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Good luck, Lucien. I know what a PITA it's been...
I hope they can help w/o breaking the bank.

But I do agree w/ Randy... being able to learn about your bike and know how to fix it if it breaks down on the road... better than any insurance! It's REASSURANCE, ya know?

I just wish you could locate another XSer close to you to help you out, as I've previously said.

If it weren't for Trbig, Maximan, Bohn, & XSMILES, I'd have been in the same boat. And... this site and it's wealth of great people & knowledge.

Hope it all works out for ya. A man's gotta know his limits sometimes.
All in the learnin' curve. Keep us posted, and we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Hang, Bro.
Bob

[psycoreefer]

Hey, I've missed your thread until another member got my attention about it. I'm a about 1.5 hours away, but if you'd like I'd be willing to come down and see about giving you a hand with figuring out your problem. I've been through everything on my bike and think I could help you out, and I work a lot cheaper then the dealer (like for lunch). I'm on a trip this weekend but I'm also unemployed so maybe sometime next week depending on your schedule. PM me if your interested.....

[Lucien Harpress]

Okay, here's where I'm at repair-wise.

I brought my bike to the shop this morning, and he's going to get to it as soon as he has an opening. This might be as long as two weeks, though, so who knows.

I'm just going to have them look at it, and see how much it would be to fix any problems that crop up. If it's electrical and cheap (yeah right), I'll probably have them fix it. If it's anything with the carbs, I feel confident fixing it myself. I won't know until he calls me back, which may be.... who knows?

If I get it back and try to fix it myself, thanks to the help of a few people, there's a few people in my areas I can drop a PM to help me out. I'm going to burn that bridge when I get there.