starting to get cold feet.

[Rickrod3]

I see in your signature you've cleaned those carbs already. Judging by the looks of the before and after pics I doubt you missed a spot.

Being an old nut twister like me I would think you knew what you were doing.

Did you let the thing warm up? These old girls don't like to idle without the enricher when they're cold.

I would try syncing the carbs and tweaking the adjustments before tearing that rack back out.

You'll have to do that after a rebuild anyway. Be careful with those mixture screws though. The tips will break off inside if you screw them in too tight and the broken tips are a bugger to get out.
________________

How long do you need to warm them up before you can turn off the choke?
I didn't let it run too long a few minutes.

I need to rebuild the petcocks on the 11's tank so I took the tank off my 650
I was uncomfortable since it was just sitting on the frame.

Should be getting the petcock rebuild kits soon.
In the meantime I'll search for syncing and carburetor adjustment threads.
What do you think of the color tune tool?

[DiverRay]

Color tune tool works, but without the sync tool NOTHING works. I would color tune as a last step, once it has been running a while, and you want to try and get the last HP out of it. A GOOD sync, and set the mixture, will get you VERY close.

[DGXSER]

I have watched Dbeardslee tune more than a few sets of carbs with his colortune and synch gages. He can make an engine sing with those tools. Typically he will synch, then colortune, then resynch, then re-colortune, then resynch.

Like DiverRay stated, synching is a big piece of these machines running smoothly. Also, that colortune is a tool, not a replacement for experience. So, while it is useful and a help in seeing what is going on inside the chamber, it is not a fool proof tuner. For one thing, the plug on the colortune is not specific to your bike, so its like taking a universally accepted spark plug and running your bike on it instead the specific one to your bike. You really need to get one and play with it a bit to learn how to tune with it. That being said, I have one and I am learning.

[cywelchjr]

Color tune tool works, but without the sync tool NOTHING works. I would color tune as a last step, once it has been running a while, and you want to try and get the last HP out of it. A GOOD sync, and set the mixture, will get you VERY close.

The only issue here is that adjusting the mixture will likely affect the sync. So you need to at least sync, color tune and then sync again. It might be useful to do the color tune first then sync, and multiple passes probably wouldn't hurt things much.

[Rickrod3]

Pilot adjustment screw

Hey Guys:

As you may know I got my bike started.
But it will only start and run with the choke full open even on 1/2 on it dies.

I did remove carbs and cleaned (I realize that doesn't mean it may have to be done again)
As far as adjustments I left carbs on the angle Iron so as not to disturb the sync.
replaced Idle adjustment screws. I counted the turns of the old ones and installed the new ones as per.
I figured this would give me a place to start.

Replaced jets floats and carb holders.
BTW. excellent posts on cleaning carbs here thanks to all who contributed and steered me to the info.

So I'm thinking problem is in the slow circuit. I looked at a drawing of the slow circuit and it looks to me that if the Idle adjustment is in too far could it completely block the slow circuit?

Any theories on why 1/2 choke dosent keep the bike running?
I did not run the bike too long (less than 5 minuets)since I figured running on the choke can't be good.

Thanks again Guys
Rick

[DGXSER]

First off, if it needs the choke to run, your not hurting it to run with it on. All your really doing is making the mixture richer, it does not cut off air flow like a true "choke" does. That is most likely to soot up the plugs to the point it will miss if anything.

Out of curiosity, have you checked the fuel level in the bowls? is it equal in all fo them?

Depending on how gummed up the carbs were to start with and the condition of the old components, it is entirely possible that your mix screws are way off. I would set them at 1-1/2 or maybe 2 turns up from bottom and start there.

Also, changing all the things you did will change the synch of the carbs. Synching the carbs is less about the throttle plates being in identical positions as it is about the same amount of power being created in each cylinder on each stroke. Identical throttle plate positions are a good start to a synch, but it does not equate to synchronized carbs. And any change to the engine that changes how well it combust the fuel air mixture in a cylinder will change the synch, even changing spark plugs could change it.

[Larrym]

All Four One and One Four All...

How very interesting.

First you're right about how if the idle circuit were completely closed off the bike wouldn't idle. The standard AFAIK starting idle mixture screw setting is 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 turns out from lightly seated. (Too tight and the tips can break off in the earlier models....)

But first things first: When you do run the engine do all the exhaust pipes get hot? I mean all 4 cylinders have to be firing before the half choke/enrichment will work. Have the spark plugs told you anything so far??

Be prepared for the possibility that the carbs are fine and the problem may be elsewhere. That's how I got my bike: It didn't run right and so the PO's spent considerable time and $$$ going in and out of the carbs and failed to find a bad spark plug wire cap-to-wire connection.

Your situation is exactly why I chose to build a test bank/rack of carbs: Is or isn't the problem carb related??

[Rickrod3]

Out of curiosity, have you checked the fuel level in the bowls? is it equal in all fo them?

No I have not. I haven't checked anything yet.

But first things first: When you do run the engine do all the exhaust pipes get hot? I mean all 4 cylinders have to be firing before the half choke/enrichment will work. Have the spark plugs told you anything so far??

I'm leaning toward your observation I'm not even sure all cylinders were firing.
I do know we had exaust gas from both pipes.
Probably makes the most sense to look at this first.

Really helps to have all of your inputs.

Much thanks
Again

Rick

[Rickrod3]

#3 not firing

Well I guess I have my place to start.
Pulled the plugs and 1,2,&4 had soot #3 looked pretty clean.
Will check my high tension wire to #3 since #2 fired and they use the same coil.
BTW new green coils and yellow wires with NGK boots.

looks like I may not have properly made a connection.
would be nice if its this simple.

Will keep you posted
Rick

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Rick,

All these guys have great advice but unless I've missed something, and that wouldn't be a first, no one said anything about checking the idle mixture screws to see if any have broken off.

If the tip has broken off on the #3 screw it would pretty much cut the fuel off at an idle or even just above idle.

Pull those screws out and check the tips. On that 79 carb the tips should be sharp as a needle. That's what makes them so easy to break.

If the tip is blunt you most likely have a tip broken off and stuck in the idle /low circuit.

Maybe I'm just paranoid but I'm funny that way. I had 3 of the 4 broken off in the set I rebuilt.

JAT

[Rickrod3]

Good point!

If the tip has broken off on the #3 screw it would pretty much cut the fuel off at an idle or even just above idle.

no pun intended
I'll pull the screw and check the old ones as well.

Just an after thought wouldn't the cylinder run on the enricher circuit even with the broken tip?

Thanks

[bikerphil]

Spraying water on the headers when the engine is running will tell you if they are firing.

[tarzan]

Yes, the cylinder will run on the enricher circuit with a broke off screw.

[Larrym]

Fuel or Ignition??

Rickrod3,

Tech tip for removing a broken idle mixture screw tip:

http://www.xs11.com/xs11-info/tech-t...p-removal.html

(I've used the boxed end wrench and push pin method twice successfully...)

So the #3 spark plug was clean and wet or was it clean and dry??

No need to answer that one, eh? We know that you're on-the-job and hopefully close to that Eureka moment.

[Rickrod3]

So the #3 spark plug was clean and wet or was it clean and dry??

It was clean and dry. wires seemed to be okay. Looks like the carbs are coming back out. I'm not too suprised.

Rick