Rebuilding Petcocks & Carbs

[bikerphil]

Gauges are fine to sync with.

[DiverRay]

I use the 4 gauge setup on my bikes. It will do the job. Just remember to sync all the gauges together from one carb every now and then so you KNOW they are all together.

[ekim]

Yes, DiverRay speaks the truth!

I brought my bike over to his house a couple weeks back after replacing a pilot screw o-ring.
The bike was running 'fine' and the 30 mile trip was no big deal.
Let's call it an '8'.

Ray did his magic with the gauge set and we left for a spin.
We were no more than 2 blocks from his house and I had a HUGE grin on my face.
I commented to him "Now I remember what this bike was like when I bought it!"
The old girl is now running at "11"!

It is a noticeable difference when the carbs are harmoniously singing to each other. The bike is big and brutish enough to run fine although out of sync.
If you want the clouds to part, the angels to sing and motorcycle magic to happen...

=> sync the carbs with 4 gauges!

[sail4free]

Yes, DiverRay speaks the truth!

I brought my bike over to his house a couple weeks back after replacing a pilot screw o-ring.
The bike was running 'fine' and the 30 mile trip was no big deal.
Let's call it an '8'.

Ray did his magic with the gauge set and we left for a spin.
We were no more than 2 blocks from his house and I had a HUGE grin on my face.
I commented to him "Now I remember what this bike was like when I bought it!"
The old girl is now running at "11"!

It is a noticeable difference when the carbs are harmoniously singing to each other. The bike is big and brutish enough to run fine although out of sync.
If you want the clouds to part, the angels to sing and motorcycle magic to happen...

=> sync the carbs with 4 gauges!

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Thanks everyone for your responses -- sounds convincing to me! With no further provocation from me, got this Email from Tyler this morning:
"Synced up the carbs last night with the tool.

When did you say the last time the bike ran was? It billowed smoke for a while. But I imagine that it could have just been blowing all the old crap out. After a while it looked like it cleared up."
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This thing hasn't ran since '02 -- does this sound about right for an initial run? We're still waiting on the petcocks kit; sent an inquiry to the seller last night (thought they would be here Thu of last week). What do these engines use for a crankcase vent? Especially *now* that we have eliminated the air box?
JIM P.
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[sail4free]

I use the 4 gauge setup on my bikes. It will do the job. Just remember to sync all the gauges together from one carb every now and then so you KNOW they are all together.

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I'll forward this to Tyler -- makes sense to me!
JIM P.
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[sail4free]

I use the 4 gauge setup on my bikes. It will do the job. Just remember to sync all the gauges together from one carb every now and then so you KNOW they are all together.

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I forwarded your comment to Tyler -- his response:
"I actually have a mercury sync tool, so it doesn't require syncing. I use to have a motion pro tool that did and I hated it. So I got rid of it and found a mercury tool. Even though they're outlawed now "
JIM P.
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[DiverRay]

If my mercury tool had not been broken, I'd STILL be using it as well!

[sail4free]

If my mercury tool had not been broken, I'd STILL be using it as well!

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One of my co-workers says the new ones use a glycol solution (less of an issue *if* it gets sucked into the engine I guess) but, of course, glycol isn't nearly as dense and the reading fluctuates a lot more than it does with mercury. Oil-filled vacuum gauges would be sweet but oh-so expensive!
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[TopCatGr58]

Hey Jim,

Just read the last 3 pages of posts that I hadn't kept up with! Smoking after sitting for many years is normal. Now the possible bad news. After sitting for many years, gum/varnish and stuff could have stuck a few of the piston rings, so that they aren't sealing as well, and will need to be run a few hundred miles to help them loosen up and reseat/rebreak-in. Some folks will use a little Marvel Mystery oil in the oil to help break down the varnish and stuff and will clean the internals quite well. You do NOT want to actually ride the bike or put any LOAD/Stress on the engine with the MMO in it, just run it up to normal operating temps for about 5 minutes actuating the clutch and go thru the gears....with the bike on centerstand allowing the rear wheel to spin. Then drain the oil/change the filter and refill with good oil of your choice.

Now that it's been run a bit and hopefully the pipes have stopped smoking, run it again till warmed up, and then do a compression test. IF all relatively even 120+ then you're probably good to go. IF any cylinder is 10% or more lower....it may be one with stuck rings or just slightly glazed cylinder walls, and running it several hundred miles will hopefully help reseat the rings.

Glad to hear it's running...if compression is off/rings stuck, then after reseating/break-in a re-sync will be in order because the vacuum/pumping action will have changed once the cylinder has returned to normal value.

T.C.

[sail4free]

Hey Jim,

Just read the last 3 pages of posts that I hadn't kept up with! Smoking after sitting for many years is normal. Now the possible bad news. After sitting for many years, gum/varnish and stuff could have stuck a few of the piston rings, so that they aren't sealing as well, and will need to be run a few hundred miles to help them loosen up and reseat/rebreak-in. Some folks will use a little Marvel Mystery oil in the oil to help break down the varnish and stuff and will clean the internals quite well. You do NOT want to actually ride the bike or put any LOAD/Stress on the engine with the MMO in it, just run it up to normal operating temps for about 5 minutes actuating the clutch and go thru the gears....with the bike on centerstand allowing the rear wheel to spin. Then drain the oil/change the filter and refill with good oil of your choice.

Now that it's been run a bit and hopefully the pipes have stopped smoking, run it again till warmed up, and then do a compression test. IF all relatively even 120+ then you're probably good to go. IF any cylinder is 10% or more lower....it may be one with stuck rings or just slightly glazed cylinder walls, and running it several hundred miles will hopefully help reseat the rings.

Glad to hear it's running...if compression is off/rings stuck, then after reseating/break-in a re-sync will be in order because the vacuum/pumping action will have changed once the cylinder has returned to normal value.

T.C.

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That sounds like a *very* good sequence to follow -- and thanks for the confirmation that what he's seeing isn't all that unusual. I do remember one event from back in the day -- when I ran the ol' girl much tighter (way short of being thoroughly warmed up) than I should have . . . a new 'sound' entered into the equation that I never heard before -- always thought it might be a cracked/broken ring in at least one cylinder.
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But we'll follow your recommend to the letter and hope for the best. With only 24,000 (or 26,000 -- CSR disease) on this beast, nobody has ever gone deep -- we're hoping to coax her into compliance without getting too invasive. It's reassuring to hear that these particular machines are nothing if not long suffering and forgiving . . . it's not often that we mortals are given such consideration and forgiveness.
JIM P.
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[sail4free]

Hey Jim,

Just read the last 3 pages of posts that I hadn't kept up with! Smoking after sitting for many years is normal. Now the possible bad news. After sitting for many years, gum/varnish and stuff could have stuck a few of the piston rings, so that they aren't sealing as well, and will need to be run a few hundred miles to help them loosen up and reseat/rebreak-in. Some folks will use a little Marvel Mystery oil in the oil to help break down the varnish and stuff and will clean the internals quite well. You do NOT want to actually ride the bike or put any LOAD/Stress on the engine with the MMO in it, just run it up to normal operating temps for about 5 minutes actuating the clutch and go thru the gears....with the bike on centerstand allowing the rear wheel to spin. Then drain the oil/change the filter and refill with good oil of your choice.

Now that it's been run a bit and hopefully the pipes have stopped smoking, run it again till warmed up, and then do a compression test. IF all relatively even 120+ then you're probably good to go. IF any cylinder is 10% or more lower....it may be one with stuck rings or just slightly glazed cylinder walls, and running it several hundred miles will hopefully help reseat the rings.

Glad to hear it's running...if compression is off/rings stuck, then after reseating/break-in a re-sync will be in order because the vacuum/pumping action will have changed once the cylinder has returned to normal value.

T.C.

==========
Just learned that Tyler *got* that new job he was talking about and will be moving out of state within the next two weeks or so. Once the petcocks rebuild kit shows up, he'll get that done; get the tank back on and I'm hoping to bring the ol' girl back home (three blocks) nice and easy. Then I'll follow the steps you recommend. How much of the MMO should I add? Back in the day, I had a customer who would run his little pickup until one quart low, then add one quart of automatic transmission fluid (?high detergent?), run it for 25 miles and bring it in for an oil change. He swore by it but it's one thing to do something like that since new; quite another to start doing it 100,000 miles later, eh?
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For the compression test, will the the rubber-tipped gizmo work? Or do I need a thread-in tester? Thanks for your great feedback . . . the real-world experience of this group is amazing!
JIM P.
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[DiverRay]

I use a 50/50 mixture of acetone and ATF in a metal pump oil can for de-rusting, etc. It works very well for the initial cleaning, and I finish up with a bit of SeaFoam. This is all down the spark plug holes on engines that have been sitting for a few years. After running, I put a full can of SeaFoam into the crankcase and just IDLE ON THE CENTER STAND with a fan blowing for about 5 minutes. Let cool for about 15 more minutes, then drain the oil, change filter, and it's good to go.
It will still smoke until it's been run for at least half an hour, but it clears up and usually runs well after that.

[sail4free]

I use a 50/50 mixture of acetone and ATF in a metal pump oil can for de-rusting, etc. It works very well for the initial cleaning, and I finish up with a bit of SeaFoam. This is all down the spark plug holes on engines that have been sitting for a few years. After running, I put a full can of SeaFoam into the crankcase and just IDLE ON THE CENTER STAND with a fan blowing for about 5 minutes. Let cool for about 15 more minutes, then drain the oil, change filter, and it's good to go.
It will still smoke until it's been run for at least half an hour, but it clears up and usually runs well after that.

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This engine has new oil/new filter . . . how much of the acetone/ATF mix do you use? Just while cranking the engine over with the plugs out? And then how much SeaFoam? (Thinking it's a fuel stabilizer . . . what does *that* do for ya'?) Is SeaFoam still the fuel additive of choice to minimize our infamous XS carb issues? This engine has been collecting dust since '02 . . . always encouraging that a machine can leap outta' the grave like that -- with just a little of that gentle touch.
JIM P.
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[DiverRay]

The ATF mixture is for an engine that has not turned for a while. I remove the plugs and put about 3 ounces in each hole. Let it set for 24 hours, and then slowly turn the engine by hand. Sometimes you need to go back and forth a few times to get it to turn easily. Once it has started, and run for a bit. I shut it down, pull plugs and put about 2 ounces of SeaFoam into each plug hole. Let that set for about 1/2 to one hour, crank engine over a few times, and then re-install the plugs and start it up.
The ATF mix takes care of any light rust, and allows the rings to move a bit. The SeaFoam takes care of any varnish still behind or around the rings so they work almost like new.

[Radioguylogs]

. . . how much of the acetone/ATF mix do you use? Just while cranking the engine over with the plugs out?

Make sure there is no spark around acetone. DAHIK