Starting up for the first time after complete rebuild/rewire

[Benettard]

So I rewired the bike because there was a lot of patchwork in the harness from the PO and lots of corrosion and I know how hard it is to find all of the little tiny shorts and corroded through wires. I followed the wiring diagram religiously and tried to match all of the colors exactly. All of the wires are run, and I will shrink tube/tape them up as soon as I can guarantee that there aren't any errors.
I will pull the carbs and shoot a little starter fluid in there to make sure it isn't a fuel delivery problem (I did clean the carbs very thoroughly) and if that doesn't help I will swap the coil leads, and if I still can't get to go, I will look into the timing a bit more.
The PO did have it running the night I bought it, so I know it isn't completely toast. It has good compression (from what I can tell with the starter motor) I haven't opened up the top end or checked the valves, it's on my to do list though.
Thanks for the input, I'll try to keep you posted on the progress with videos.

[Benettard]

Still having trouble

Hey guys, I fixed the ignition problem by swapping the orange and grey coil leads.
I have a new problem, fuel delivery. See the following video, the bike starts up with a quick shot of starter fluid, runs for a bit and then dies.
http://youtu.be/_9rKTp3NCKw

On a maybe related note, number one and two carb overflow line is just leaking consistently. I rebuilt the vacuum style petcocks with all new seals and diaphragms, but the drips persist, I can't shot off the petcock either!
Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

[BA80]

Put your petcocks on PRIME and see if that helps.

Do you have the vacuum lines hooked up to the petcocks?

[Eastcoaster]

My first guess

My first guess to the short run time is the small holes in the bottom of the carb bowl are clogged not allowing fuel to get up the brass pick up tube .if you are not getting a good stream of carb cleaner to blast from the small hole in the bottom shooting up the side hole of the bowl the brass tube sits in you need to get them open they can be a pia get a good can of cleaner with the red tube and check if you have not already

[fredintoon]

On a maybe related note, number one and two carb overflow line is just leaking consistently. I rebuilt the vacuum style petcocks with all new seals and diaphragms, but the drips persist, I can't shot off the petcock either!
Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

Hi Benettard,
those taps have no OFF position, they rely on the auto-off to do it for you.
I've read that the rebuild kit's diaphragm shut-off thingie is not quite long enough to work right.
I switched my Standard tank gas taps to manual by swapping the right and left levers into the opposite tap bodies.
The carb float needles should regulate the gas level regardless but what I found on mine was if the carbs were completely drained (as in, I ran it out of gas) the floats dropped down far enough that the needles locked open.

[HalfCentury]

A video is worth a thousand words. If the bike has been siting a long time, the enrichment circuit is probably clogged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yBwrcqwArA

[Benettard]

Another thing

While I am checking the carb bowls and brass tube, here is another question. With the air filters off, when it was running I could like see bursts of air coming out of the intake side of carb #4. Is that a problem?

[BA80]

While I am checking the carb bowls and brass tube, here is another question. With the air filters off, when it was running I could like see bursts of air coming out of the intake side of carb #4. Is that a problem?

Not unusual with the long duration 79 cams.

[Benettard]

A video is worth a thousand words. If the bike has been siting a long time, the enrichment circuit is probably clogged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yBwrcqwArA

Ok so my carb bowls definitely do not shoot out like that video, one and four seem to be completely clogged and no amount of compressed air or carb cleaner is working to open them up. Any suggestions?
2 and three will bubble up and the carb cleaner will flow through, but still not like in the video, I am assuming the video is how they ought to be right?

[kboehringer]

Sewing Needle!

I am assuming the video is how they ought to be right?

YES! These holes can be EXTREMELY difficult to get cleaned. If you get a flashlight and look down into the hole (from where the video shows the fluid flying out of) you will see a tiny little brass sleeve was placed inside that hole about 1/2" from the bottom. The hole in it is about the exact size of one of my wife's sewing needles! (she keeps wondering where they are all going ) It can also be quite difficult to hit that little hole within the brass insert.....

Personally, this was the one area that proved I was getting what I was paying for when I purchased "CHEAPO" carb cleaner from K-Mart. The "Good Stuff" - "GUMOUT" setting in them for a little while worked quickly, where the other seemed to do absolutely nothing!

Sincerely,
KURT

[HalfCentury]

I boiled my bowls in lemon juice. Took them out one at a time. Spray the carb spray while the bowl is still hot. That allows the softened goo in the circuit to be ejected.

I used boiling lemon juice to completely strip all the crud off of 35 year old brake caliper parts.

Lemon juice leaves a sticky film that must be removed with hot water or whatever cleaner du jour you fancy.

Boiling lemon juice also removes rust from steel parts. Do not mix aluminum parts with steel parts in boiling lemon juice. Staining will occur.

[Rasputin]

Hey guys, I fixed the ignition problem by swapping the orange and grey coil leads.
I have a new problem, fuel delivery. See the following video, the bike starts up with a quick shot of starter fluid, runs for a bit and then dies.
http://youtu.be/_9rKTp3NCKw

On a maybe related note, number one and two carb overflow line is just leaking consistently. I rebuilt the vacuum style petcocks with all new seals and diaphragms, but the drips persist, I can't shot off the petcock either!
Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

In this video it looks as if you have the fuel running to the top Tee"s which they should not be. The top Tee's are vent lines and the bottom ones are for fuel. If I am correct and you have fuel lines routed to the top, then switch them to the bottom fuel Tee's and see how it runs.

[Benettard]

Ha

Ha! Well now I feel like an idiot! I will switch those around.
I will also be boiling my bowls in lemon juice to try to clear up the enrichment circuit. Here is another question, does that long brass tube that goes into that hole in the bowls need to be clear?

[BA80]

In this video it looks as if you have the fuel running to the top Tee"s which they should not be. The top Tee's are vent lines and the bottom ones are for fuel. If I am correct and you have fuel lines routed to the top, then switch them to the bottom fuel Tee's and see how it runs.

Nice catch Doug! Made that same mistake myself a looooooooooong time ago.

[Rasputin]

Ha! Well now I feel like an idiot! I will switch those around.
I will also be boiling my bowls in lemon juice to try to clear up the enrichment circuit. Here is another question, does that long brass tube that goes into that hole in the bowls need to be clear?

Yes the Brass tube needs to be clear. It fits down inside the fuel bowls and the fuel is drawn up it for the enrichment circuit.