Problems starting...

[Shootoo]

It won't fire!

It turns over fine, just won't fire

The spark is good on all plugs

The battery reads 11.8v

The fuel coming out of all the carb drain plugs is alright. Not super clean, but definitely not dirty

I can't figure this out

1980 midnight special

[Radioguylogs]

Fully charged lead-acid battery is 12.7V.

Believe it or not, 11.8V is almost completed discharged.

[Shootoo]

Fully charged lead-acid battery is 12.7V.

Believe it or not, 11.8V is almost completed discharged.

Hmm... Let me investigate that...

[BA80]

If your getting spark I doubt it's the battery.

More than likely a fuel issue. Just because the bowls are full it doesn't mean it's getting to the cylinders. If it's getting to the combustion chamber and it's not firing the plugs will be wet with fuel. What do the plugs look like?

[Shootoo]

If your getting spark I doubt it's the battery.

More than likely a fuel issue. Just because the bowls are full it doesn't mean it's getting to the cylinders. If it's getting to the combustion chamber and it's not firing the plugs will be wet with fuel. What do the plugs look like?

They're dry and regular color. The fluid levels in the batter are at the very lowest line

Do I fill them or just get a new one?

[BA80]

They're dry and regular color. The fluid levels in the batter are at the very lowest line

Do I fill them or just get a new one?

If the plugs are dry then there is no fuel getting to the engine. I see a thorough carb cleaning in your very near future.


Go ahead and fill the battery with distilled water ($1 a gallon at your local grocery store) and put a 2 amp charger on it for 4 - 6 hours and recheck it.

[Gmac]

They're dry and regular color. The fluid levels in the batter are at the very lowest line

Do I fill them or just get a new one?

Fill to the top limit with distilled water.
Charger overnight.

[Shootoo]

Will try and report back. A couple of the Chambers are about half an inch below the minimum line... Lol

I don't know how this happened

[BA80]

Will try and report back. A couple of the Chambers are about half an inch below the minimum line... Lol

I don't know how this happened

It's water, evaporation is a pretty natural occurrence.

[TopCatGr58]

First, I just bought an 80 midnight last month. Second, I'm slowly doing modern upgrades to make everything run more efficiently. I switched out the fuse box for a blade style box today and I feel like it made a difference.... My next project scheduled for Monday will be running new ground wires from the battery/chassis/block.

A couple more questions: should I switch out the main fuse on the left by the battery for a new blade style? Are there any other easy things I can do?

It doesn't slip out of gear like I've read some do. It does, however, not start for a couple hours after it's rained. I didn't know if that's something I should be worried about. I cleaned the carbs two weeks ago, they're good. The bike runs great! I just want to make sure I do some good for it too
__________________
The fuel lines are changed out, octy is gone, ground wires set. It runs great. Almost completely different than when I got it 2 months ago!

I will tear in to the kill switch and key hole tomorrow.(posted 7-12-14)

Hey Shootoo,

I found and copied/quoted your earlier comments in another thread to give the membership a little more background on what you've done to your bike and that it HAS run since you've owned it. When you don't provide the DETAILS, then we can't know the whole history and can often suggest things you've already done, ie. clean the carbs when you had already cleaned them!

So...you've replaced the fuses/block, ground wires, and you said you were going to work on the kill switch and keyed main switch....DID YOU?

You have a Special...bypassed/removed the OCTY, you say you have fuel in the bowls but the plugs are dry. How did you clean the carbs....did you fully disassemble them, remove all of the jets, the emulsion tube, etc.?!

The bike has run before, what did you do to the bike since it last ran??

Yes, evaporation of the battery fluid is common, especially where you are in DRY HOT Utah. But if the REG/RECT is messed up and OVERCHARGING then it can boil the water out, but hopefully it's just plain evaporation. Once you get it charged, and then get the bike started, check the charging voltage with a meter while at 2500 rpm or more, should be ~14.5 volts. IF much higher...ie 16 or so , then it's overcharging....if it's ~12, then it's NOT charging.

IT takes more energy to fire the plugs under compression than in open air, so you might be able to see a spark when testing on the head, but may not have enough oomph to fire under pressure!?

T.C.

[MaximPhil]

Batteries "make" water when they are charged. ONLY ADD sufficient distilled water to cover the plates before charging. Once fully charged top up as necessary. Best done on the bench where you can see all the cells on a level surface. A hydrometer is a cheap tool for checking the condition of a battery.
Phil

[cajun31]

dielectric grease

would be a good investment at this point. In the thread that TC copied you stated it does not run when it rains.... I had this experience and once I applied the dielectric grease that problem alleviated. You want to use it on all electrical connections from inside the headlight assembly all along the wiring harness. Make sure you get some inside your plug caps where they make contact with the spark plugs. I also used it to seal the rubber caps on the tops of the plug caps. This provides somewhat of a water seal and will probably help when it rains. I also applied bulb grease inside my signal lights. Another good investment that you might want to consider is if you are close to a Radio Shack go get a can of deoxit and clean all the connections before applying the grease. All I can say is I only thought my bike was running good until after I did this to the bike. It runs perfectly since. If you do the job correctly it will take a few hours but is well worth it. It may help alleviate your charging problems with the battery.

[Shootoo]

Hey Shootoo,

I found and copied/quoted your earlier comments in another thread to give the membership a little more background on what you've done to your bike and that it HAS run since you've owned it. When you don't provide the DETAILS, then we can't know the whole history and can often suggest things you've already done, ie. clean the carbs when you had already cleaned them!

So...you've replaced the fuses/block, ground wires, and you said you were going to work on the kill switch and keyed main switch....DID YOU?

You have a Special...bypassed/removed the OCTY, you say you have fuel in the bowls but the plugs are dry. How did you clean the carbs....did you fully disassemble them, remove all of the jets, the emulsion tube, etc.?!

The bike has run before, what did you do to the bike since it last ran??

Yes, evaporation of the battery fluid is common, especially where you are in DRY HOT Utah. But if the REG/RECT is messed up and OVERCHARGING then it can boil the water out, but hopefully it's just plain evaporation. Once you get it charged, and then get the bike started, check the charging voltage with a meter while at 2500 rpm or more, should be ~14.5 volts. IF much higher...ie 16 or so , then it's overcharging....if it's ~12, then it's NOT charging.

IT takes more energy to fire the plugs under compression than in open air, so you might be able to see a spark when testing on the head, but may not have enough oomph to fire under pressure!?

T.C.

I didn't do that because I didn't have a problem the next day. Or at all until now

Update:

new battery charged, still not firing. Turns much better now though

So I pulled the carbs and did a thorough clean again
Got new plugs
I'm going to get some fresh gas now


I'll update soon

[Shootoo]

Still no start....

[red bandit]

If you haven't already, pull the plugs, put a few drops of gas in each cylinder, replace the plugs and try it.