79F Choke Lever Stuck

[boofer]

Howdy, newbie on this board but an old geezer on the FJR1300 boards I have lurked a bit for the last year though.

I'm finishing up the "frame up" restoration of my 79F (which I bought new in 1979 by the way.....). All is going as planned, yeah, right........anyhow......the carbs were fine and I stored them well for about a year (bike ran fine prior to tear down). I'm getting the engine ready for firing and noticed today that the choke lever seems to be stuck.

Is there a thread about this issue anywhere that I can check out? I searched but did not find one readily handy.

The preliminary check seems to show that one of the choke plungers (if that is what it is called) might be bound up. The carbs are in great shape otherwise.

Thanks much,

[James England]

The choke activating rod could be stuck. There are two detent ball bearings and springs which keep the two-position choke in position when the lever is pulled. These can get stuck sometimes. Also the rod itself is long and goes through four alloy 'tunnels' in the carb bodies which can get a bit crusty.

I think you are looking at removing the carbs for this though. Each plunger is pulled by a little claw which is locked to the long activating rod by a grub screw. To check the plunger, the claw has to be loosened and the screws are usually very stiff. You'll never get at them with the carbs in position.....

[mack]

Restore

If it's a frame up resto, you'll want to clean those carbs anyway. I've had several of those enrichment rods get oxidization and crud on them and can't pass through the tunnels cleanly and they become very stiff. Carbs one and four have the little ball bearings and springs in them so when you disassemble, do it over a pan( I use a cookie sheet) so you don't lose the spring or ball bearing. Look at the carb cleaning 101 tips. Everything is there to guide you through it. Look closely at your enrichment plungers as well. I've seen those shafts bent as well and that can cause the rod to not slide freely. Also check the plunger end and the plastic for wear or damage. If there is any deformity it won't seat well and cause that cylinder to run rich. Pretty tough to tune when that happens.
Good luck.

[D0wn5h1ft]

If it's a frame up resto, you'll want to clean those carbs anyway. I've had several of those enrichment rods get oxidization and crud on them and can't pass through the tunnels cleanly and they become very stiff. Carbs one and four have the little ball bearings and springs in them so when you disassemble, do it over a pan( I use a cookie sheet) so you don't lose the spring or ball bearing. Look at the carb cleaning 101 tips. Everything is there to guide you through it. Look closely at your enrichment plungers as well. I've seen those shafts bent as well and that can cause the rod to not slide freely. Also check the plunger end and the plastic for wear or damage. If there is any deformity it won't seat well and cause that cylinder to run rich. Pretty tough to tune when that happens.
Good luck.

I've gotten quite paranoid about those ball bearings + springs so I usually get a clear plastic box with a lid and put my hands and carbs in there like a blasting hood when I disassemble For the last set of carbs I re-did, when I went to reassemble I put a little bit of anti-rust lubricating oil on that rod and in the alloy tunnels to help prevent that sort of stuff. It's smooth as silk now.

Warning: if your carbs are old and crusty like mine were you might not see the little springs right away. That's because they usually are gummed up and are still stuck in the little hole in the carb bodies. Just dig them out with a mechanic's pick to prevent losing them.

[boofer]

Thanks much and your advice has been right on target ! The carbs were already out and on the bench to it was a quick job to get right to them this morning (Florida time that is...). I see the point with regard to those little bearings/springs I surgically extracted the parts and placed them in a safe deposit box at the bank just to be sure I know where they are

I am confident that the internal carb mechanics are in really good shape, but will give them the once over for sure.

One assembly question on the choke......are there any tolerances / measurements that I need to worry about with regard to those 4 "plunger clips" (the ones with the set screws)? It appears to me that the placement of those is kind of "self evident"....but does not hurt to ask.

Thanks again for the expert advice, it really helps as I am pretty okay with the non-engine stuff but not so much with the power plant. Although I did watch the primary drive chain transplant a few years back !! I have learned a lot from this board and will share the final build pics with you all for sure. She will be totally OEM parts and stock when done.

Maybe I'll see some of you down here in Daytona one of these days

-Craig

[jetmechmarty]

Maybe I'll see some of you down here in Daytona one of these days

-Craig

Or come to one of the rallies! XS East is coming up soon, and XS Southeast is in September.

[James England]

Yes, placement of the claws is indeed self evident. The grub screws are conical at the end an the mesh into a cone shaped depression in the long choke rod. Up I can't get the claws wrongly positioned if the cone on the grub screw goes into the cone shaped depression on the long rod.....

[3Phase]

Look For Bent Clips

One assembly question on the choke......are there any tolerances / measurements that I need to worry about with regard to those 4 "plunger clips" (the ones with the set screws)? It appears to me that the placement of those is kind of "self evident"....but does not hurt to ask.

Craig,

While you have the carburetors off the bike, be absolutely certain that the enrichener clips aren't bent. When the enrichener (it's not a real "choke") lever is off, the clips should be a loose fit on the enrichener plungers. If plunger(s) aren't seated closed that engine'll suck gas like you would not believe and eventually foul the spark plug(s).

.