Intro and Problems Running

[Laptop_geek]

We are not doubting your capabilities. Many on here have vast mechanical experance but you will find your XS can be a fickel b!tc# at times The carbs can be very troublesome (did mine 5 time before I got them perfect, and that is with 40 years of mechanical experance) The electrical system can have hard to find gremlins also, we all just try to help if a fellow XS member ask, good luck with your bike

Thanks for the input.

Sorry if I seemed harsh in that post, it wasn't meant to be.

What is the benefits of using the early carbs vs the late carbs? I've got a set of early carbs on my counter that I'm cleaning now (they are pretty dirty) and putting the new jets in.

Also, with respect to the early carbs that I'm working on. The float bowls on several of the carbs have had the side of the floats bent in (they are brass). Will this affect tuning in a negative way if I use 4 floats that are bent? What about mixing the bent floats with the good floats? I can try and get some pictures later today if what I'm saying is not clear.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Carbs

The early carbs are easy to tune as you dont have to drill out anything to get to all the adjusting screws. As to the floats, you will need to "carfuly" bend "all" of the them back to the stock position, 1st, because they "all" have to be the same hight, left and right side of each float and #1 through #4 floatsif not almost perfectly strait, you run the risk of one or more binding againest the carb bowl's or gaskets, thus causing the dreded GAS in your oil thing. If you have a good eye, you can get them strait, "then" adjust the hight

Thanks for the input.

Sorry if I seemed harsh in that post, it wasn't meant to be.

What is the benefits of using the early carbs vs the late carbs? I've got a set of early carbs on my counter that I'm cleaning now (they are pretty dirty) and putting the new jets in.

Also, with respect to the early carbs that I'm working on. The float bowls on several of the carbs have had the side of the floats bent in (they are brass). Will this affect tuning in a negative way if I use 4 floats that are bent? What about mixing the bent floats with the good floats? I can try and get some pictures later today if what I'm saying is not clear.

[bikerphil]

Also, with respect to the early carbs that I'm working on. The float bowls on several of the carbs have had the side of the floats bent in (they are brass). Will this affect tuning in a negative way

Yes it will. That is the classic sign of someone using compressed air thru the bowl vents to clear them out, resulting in dented floats. Always remove the bowls before doing that. Someone here had posted a method of popping them out, or just get new ones.

[natemoen]

Actually the later carbs are easier to tune, the early carbs just have more adjustability.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Sorry about that, I misunderstood, I thought you ment the whole float was bent, not crushed in. If your and old guy and have a posti-vac, pop them in there and vac em back, if you want to buy new ones, here is the cheapest I can find if they fit your carbs, less the 80 bucks for all 4

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-XS400-XS1100-CARB-FLOAT-OEM-2A2-14985-01-00-/290651843726?hash=item43ac332c8e&item=290651843726&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

Yes it will. That is the classic sign of someone using compressed air thru the bowl vents to clear them out, resulting in dented floats. Always remove the bowls before doing that. Someone here had posted a method of popping them out, or just get new ones.

[Laptop_geek]

Ok, well I'm going to try and get it running with the late carbs. If that doesn't happen I'll try the early ones.

I think the next thing I'll do is clean the fuel tank and both petcocks. I've also got a second tank that I may try.

I've seen several threads about oil and they have made everything very confusing. Should I use automotive oil or MC specific oil? I've seen answers that go both ways. From what I understand the biggest difference is the motorcycle oils have less (or none, depending on who you ask) friction modifiers in them. Is this true? From what I'm told my clutch was replaced not too long ago (haven't confirmed it, PO told me when I looked at it), if this is the case will normal dyno oils work? I'm really mixed up about this. I'd hate to spend $7-$10/qt and find out I didn't need to.

[Laptop_geek]

If your and old guy and have a posti-vac, pop them in there and vac em back,

Hahaha, nice. Don't have one but that does raise some ideas. I searched for the thread about fixing the floats, but was unsuccessful in finding it. I searched "dent float", "Float repair", "Float fix", etc. Anyone know the name?

[crazy steve]

If you still have that 'box 'o carbs', steal a good set of floats out of them rather than screw with the damaged ones. You'll probably find both the brass and plastic floats between the sets you have, use either, just make sure all four match....

[bikerphil]

If you really want to fix your brass floats, here's the best way....

Find the vent hole which is covered with a small blob of solder. Drill it out with a small drill bit. Carefully use compressed air to blow the floats back to their original shape. Solder the vent hole back up using a solder gun and doing it quickly, not letting the heat transfer over to any other soldered areas.

Another option, you could upgrade to plastic floats that MikesXS sells for $13.50 a pop. Don't order the brass ones from MikesXS as they are too wide and will not fit.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

You laugh

You laugh, but it works, I used mine, I mean I borrowed a friends, and it pulls them right back, not kidding. Just put them in a penut butter jar (or any kind of jar with a lid) drill a small hole in the lid, put it on and suck them back to OEM Mine, I mean my friends, was big enough to just put the whole float inside the tube, but that is just me, I mean his

Hahaha, nice. Don't have one but that does raise some ideas. I searched for the thread about fixing the floats, but was unsuccessful in finding it. I searched "dent float", "Float repair", "Float fix", etc. Anyone know the name?

[Laptop_geek]

If you still have that 'box 'o carbs', steal a good set of floats out of them rather than screw with the damaged ones. You'll probably find both the brass and plastic floats between the sets you have, use either, just make sure all four match....

Sure do. I know I have four good plastic floats on the rack that is on the bike now and haven't torn into the other set of late carbs to see what they have in them. Do I set the floats to the same height as before (1.012" +- 0.04")?

[Laptop_geek]

If you really want to fix your brass floats, here's the best way....

Find the vent hole which is covered with a small blob of solder. Drill it out with a small drill bit. Carefully use compressed air to blow the floats back to their original shape. Solder the vent hole back up using a solder gun and doing it quickly, not letting the heat transfer over to any other soldered areas.

Another option, you could upgrade to plastic floats that MikesXS sells for $13.50 a pop. Don't order the brass ones from MikesXS as they are too wide and will not fit.

That doesn't seem too hard, couldn't hurt anyway as it seem I can't easily use them in this condition.

$54 seems almost doable, however $80 for new floats is more than 25% of what i paid for the bike in the first place!

I think I may build one of these for tuning. It would certainly help with bench syncing carbs.

http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/66/96/

[crazy steve]

I think I may build one of these for tuning. It would certainly help with bench syncing carbs.

http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/66/96/

I like that; it's always a PITA to try to 'set' the tank on the bike and get to the carbs.

If you swap to the plastic floats, you have to set those to .906" +/- .020"...

[Laptop_geek]

Some pictures of the early carbs and floats after cleaning and installing the new carb kits.

This is one of the good floats.



And one of the bad floats.

[Laptop_geek]

I like that; it's always a PITA to try to 'set' the tank on the bike and get to the carbs.

If you swap to the plastic floats, you have to set those to .906" +/- .020"...

Awesome, that is extremely helpful.