Need help in Idaho please

[BillyRok]

I'm in ID and have the valve cover off...clearances are all within spec. Mark says bike runs fine. Was going to install the ACCT but found something odd. the dots on the cam vs. arrow on cam caps seems off

Intake dot lines up perfectly with the arrow on the cap. The exhaust dot hasn't quite reached the arrow, short by about the width of the dot itself. What I'm wondering about is the position of the timing mark indicator and the timing wheel. With the dots in the place described above, the timing indicator mark is on the 10 degree position and not the "T" ----why would this be??? Thanks for the help.

[3Phase]

Don't Panic!

Did you turn the crankshaft clockwise to check the camshaft and ignition timing marks?

Where are the camshaft timing dots when the timing plate is turned clockwise to TDC and not 10* BTDC?

If the cam timing marks are still off, the engine is out of time because:
the cam chain is loose and the tensioner is out of adjustment
the cam chain is worn and stretched
the cam chain was not installed correctly
the camshaft gears were not installed correctly

Relax, check the timing again and come back before you dig in any further. Someone will let you know what to check, how to check it and how to fix it if it's hosed so you don't break something!

I'm in ID and have the valve cover off...clearances are all within spec. Mark says bike runs fine. Was going to install the ACCT but found something odd. the dots on the cam vs. arrow on cam caps seems off

Intake dot lines up perfectly with the arrow on the cap. The exhaust dot hasn't quite reached the arrow, short by about the width of the dot itself. What I'm wondering about is the position of the timing mark indicator and the timing wheel. With the dots in the place described above, the timing indicator mark is on the 10 degree position and not the "T" ----why would this be??? Thanks for the help.

[BillyRok]

OK...at TDC the exhaust dot is not quite to the arrow, off half a dot width. The intake dot is past the arrow by a dot width.

[BA80]

Your OK Billy. It sounds like one or both cam gears may have
been bolted on 180 out. It's no big deal and will run just fine that way.

Put your ACCT on and fix it when you get home.

[BillyRok]

Ok, put the ACCT in and turned the motor over by hand a couple times, dots are still in the same position as before the install so all is good. Seems to run a bit rough until 2-2500 rpm then smooths out. #3 plug is dark brown, other 3 look ok. #3 header was a little cooler at idle, around 180* while the others were about 220*. Plugs are still in idle mixture screw towers, gotta be factory settings. Put the synch gauge on...after slight adjustment to bring the 2 pairs equal had 1/2 pulling more vacuum than 3/4. Balanced them together but not pulling much vacuum on the sticks, idle was 7-800 so reset that back to 1100. Resistance on #3 spark plug boot is 5.47k ohms, trimmed plug wire back a bit as well. WMarshy suggested running some Seafoam through a couple of tanks so I will do that. Also suggested checking p/u coil wires. Have not taken it back on the road yet after all this, it was getting late.

[cajun31]

Hey Billy

A little off topic from your discussion but I was looking a the pic you posted on your ride report... an old picture maybe... but I thought I noticed some heat related discoloration in the rear rotor. Mine did that once from the brake dragging. Just thought I would mention it... You were probably planning on brake work before your trip anyway.

[3Phase]

... Resistance on #3 spark plug boot is 5.47k ohms, trimmed plug wire back a bit as well.

Billy, the spark plug will look dark/rich if it's not firing correctly too and the spark plug boot's internal resistor might be dirty or corroded. Inside the boot where it goes over the spark plug there should be a screw that holds in a small brass disk, the resistor and a small spring.

Without dropping and losing the small parts, take out the screw and clean the inside of the boot along with the resistor and its friends, then put it back together and check the resistance again.

.

[WMarshy]

I made a post in your ride report accidently... I will come back here for tech discussion and keep it out of your ride report.

Did your adjustments make any improvement?

Since the pilot towers are still have the caps I suggested he do a vac sync and see how it responds. The bike sounds more than ride-able in its condition so I suggested a seafoam treatment and riding it.

From his post above I'm not sure much has changed from the sync alone. However, I can tell you Bill has the bar set pretty high. His XJ runs like a Swiss watch so he might just be overly critical. Just short of diving into a full carb cleaning out on the road I stand by my seafoam suggestion. He has the vac sync tool with him but no colortune or much experience (I believe) in setting the pilot screws, that's why I suggested leaving them alone for now if it's tolerable. Otherwise it sounds like your on your way to ruling out everything besides a pilot screw adjustment.

Dont put too much throught into the header temperature you are reading with your pyrometer. It sounds like it is on the rich side but those temps are subjective and you have to consider a lot of other parameters.

Looking forward to the next update, ride safe.

[BillyRok]

I put new plugs in this morning before leaving to see if that made a difference. Haven't taken Scott's advice about cleaning the internal resistor as I just read the post after stopping for the day. Here are the plugs after running 75 mph for 120 miles before stopping tonight, last couple miles were much slower speeds.
[IMG]http://s1249.photobucket.com/user/billyrok19/media/imagejpg1_zps2606d86f.jpg.html]
Not sure if you can see the pic, the copy/paste on this IPad is different. But there is virtually no coloring of the porcelain on the plugs. Too lean considering I was getting 41+ mpg today at 70 - 75 mph?? Plugs are still in the pilot towers so I can't back out the mixture screws...thoughts?

Front left fork seal leaks and there ends up being a bit of film on the left rotor but I don't know what I can do about it now. Would differing oil amounts in the forks cause it to handle funny? It wants to wander until I get to around 40 mph and then steadies up. I have a TKAT brace with me but decided not to install it...at least now the dust cover keeps the oil from just running down the fork. Maybe at gas stops I should lift the cover and sop up the oil, might be better for the rotor.

Speaking of rotors, Cajun you have a sharp eye. The rear rotor is indeed discolored from heat as the rear pads are shot and the rotor is grooved now.

Signals need attention. Right side blinks at 2k rpm or higher, left side doesn't blink and the dash indicator light stays on. If I put the hazards on, the dash lights blink and 3 lights blink but front left just stays on.

The motor doesn't pull at all from idle, need to rev it and slip the clutch a bit to get going. It's rather unnerving in traffic when stopping for gas. Doesn't pull very well through most of the rpm range, seems to hesitate...almost like it's missing. Guess I better pull the timing cover and tug on the pick up coil wires. Possible the coils could be weak, too? I did bring a test light and multimeter so let me know what to check and how.

WMarshy asked about how things seemed after the synch (thanks for answering your cell phone by the way). Hard to say really. I did discover today at a gas stop that we had kinked fuel lines when replacing the tank. They were up against the two small plastic vent tubes that come out near the top of the air box between 1&2 and 3&4. What is supposed to hook to those anyway?

Long story short there are several things that need attention, some I may be able fix out on the road and others probably have to wait until I get home. As always any advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[rdmcguy]

weepy fork seal

Glad to hear most things are going well on your adventure...
You can put 10=20cc's of alcohol in your fork leg it may puff it up enough to stop leaking....any pharmacy should be able to give you a syringe to squirt it into your weepy fork....

[motoman]

I would suggest stopping at a bike shop/dealership and spend the $6 for a MotionProSealMate. If runnin' that down and around the seal pullin any fine forgien material out doesn't stop it, then new seals are in store.
If your able, sealmate.com and watch the quick video of how to instructions.
No 'snake oil', it works....if the seal itself isn't 'toast'.

Was somthing we used to do decades ago on our moto-x bikes with a piece of 35mm film. Whatever might of been caught just got pushed in, but hey, kept ya' in the game.
This product is shaped to pull out the foreign intruder as you rotate it around fork pulling it out as you come around to starting point.
Worked on my Venturer a few weeks ago before the rally.......1100+ miles and dry as a bone.

If all else fails, to keep any unseen oil of pads, tie a shop rag around fork leg above fender. It'll stay there just fine and trap any escaping oil......since it sounds like front brakes are the only REAL usable ones.

[jjz28]

I saw were you said it had no power from idle and wondered, is your vacuum advance hooked up? I forgot to hook mine up one time and it had less power down low. I don't know a lot about different years, so I don't know if yours has the vacuum advance like the 79 or not, just a thought.

[WMarshy]

His bike does have the vac advance. When I talked to him he said it did so I recommended him checkin the pickup wires under the advance cover. Although if it were the issues spark would be intermitten because that triggers the coils and a break in the wire would mean no trigger = no sparky. It's good to check though.

Bill, I hate to say it but it sounds more and more like you need to take the carbs off and giving them a clean to get it acting right. The pilot jet is has a very fine hole in the end of it and if it was blocked it could be contributing to its behavior. Keep in mind, adjustments to the idle screws cannot compensate for a dirty pilot circuit but you might find it helps.

With the bike warmed up, (find a secluded spot) pull out your enriched and try to take off and see how it handles accelerating with the extra fuel. It will either be way overly rich and act as ba or worse, or it might run strong. If it runs stron it supports the theory of a lean pilot circuit (which we think it is anyways).

If you come across a bike shop ask about rear pads. They might be able to get them in a day. Don't worry about the grooving, just throw them in it shouldn't worse. It never crossed my mind, I had a spare set you could have used for the rear if I had thought of it... :/

[WMarshy]

Update from Bill

I spoke with Bill this AM and he discovered a damaged pickup wire down at the advance. He's in the process of trying to find a soldering iron to make the repair. He has some shrink material with him, just trying to find a hot iron to splice it.

His question for the gurus is, does the break in this blue wire cause an entire coil to become dead?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I told him when it's not making connection he would lose the entire coil because it doesn't have a trigger signal... That means he's only runnin on 2 cylinders when it's not firing, and that is not a very fun ride when that's happening.

I'm posting this for him.

[BillyRok]

KOA to the rescue!

The fine folks at the Butte, MT KOA have a soldering iron, solder, and flux so we may be back in business before long. Just gonna review the repair tip post and go from there.