hard starting

[kf4anm]

the last week my xj has become extremely cranky about starting. i've never had much trouble before. the plugs are less than 2 months old and are all nice and tan. the fuel is flowing fine and there is a new filter in the box. junk in the carbs maybe? tonight it would chug but took forever to hit. any ideas where to look? thanks,

[chevy45412001]

Whats the tempiture down there? Mine dose'nt like the cold very hard to start below 40 degrees

[kf4anm]

temps

not to bad was in the upper 50s today. its cranked ok in the low 30's before. its just suddenly got contrary. i got a hot battery ( i had better since i sell them for a living). the weather is supposed to crap out tonight so i will re examine all 4 plugs tomorrow. forecasting 40mph winds tomorrow, so i'll spend the day in the shed. got a new set of fork ears to install as well.

[strom]

Check/adjust pick-ups, ignition timing, some choke thingie in the carbs got plugged up, old gas, goo in gas filters... petcocks or in-line... battery weak... I mean... TCI doesn't like to work much below Iforgothowmany volts... bad ground connection starter -engine (unlikely) - frame, forgot the lights, mice in the airbox, banana in the exhaust, bad compression, poor spark plug cap connection, poor ign. coil connection or fuse connection, rotten wiring... or the bike simply hates you.

LP

[buffalo]

Don't forget to check you ground cables... both of them

[strom]

Clogged air filter(s)

LP

[kf4anm]

oh joy

after dorking an hour or so discovering the universal fork ears i picked up for the front headlight and lights wouldn't fit i turned my attention to the real task at hand. i rechecked the plugs all a nice tan, everything nice and tight at the coils, clean new air filter (30$ thanks yamaha) and a good battery. i decided to pull the carbs and clean the bowls replace the fuel line. when i popped them out of the boots and slid them out i noticed the far right (throttle side) boot had a split just behind where the hose clamp seats. it was all the way through and 3/4 of the way around the boot. i can only imagine how much air it was sucking in. it will need to be replaced. i went ahead and dropped the first bowl to see how it looked. it was reasonable clean except for the mud pie in the bottom drain. before i go any further its off to the zone for an industrial can of carb cleaner.

[kf4anm]

steppin in it

on the carb tops the two inside diaphrams are stretched a little and do not want to seat back into the grove. is there a trick to working them back in or are new ones in order?

[wildbill]

Re: steppin in it

Originally posted by kf4anm
on the carb tops the two inside diaphrams are stretched a little and do not want to seat back into the grove. is there a trick to working them back in or are new ones in order?

What little I know but have had the carbs apart I would ask are you working on the carbs where its warm or cool to cold.They might just be a little stiff,warm them up a little and should fit right back in the grove.When I first worked on my carbs it was a little cool and I could not do anything with the diaphrams.I let things warm up and then had no problems.Bring them in the house or somewhere where its warmer and that might solve your problem.After all they are not the only things that get stiff in cold weather Take care.

[steelcat]

The last tiem I had problems seating the diaphrams I used a little bit of high vauum grease that I got from the local Caterpillar dealer.
Ken

[kf4anm]

diaphram

thanks bill for the tip, i let them set over night and when i got in from work today they went right into place. i ran over to sears hardware and picked up new screws for the inside 2 and fancier allen heads for the outers. gonna go tomorrow and pick up a new intake boot from crc2 after work. hopefully i can get the carbs back in and the bike fired by tomorrow night.