I think these carbs are having an ignition problem ....

[HalfCentury]

If its running and pulling strong at all RPMs and the plugs are just a little sooty, I would not go chasing the soot. I would make sure everything else is ship shape; brakes, brake lines, wheel bearings, fork seals, tires, etc etc etc.

For sure, balancing the carbs and making sure the pilot screws are adjusted properly would be last thing to do to the carbs before tackling everything else.

My XJ1100 left me stranded recently due to the safety interlock relay. Same result as your tipover relay. Nothing works if the relay fails. The relays are 35+ years old and I think they are way past their useful life. My interlock relay is now bypassed until i figure out how to troubleshoot it and devise a work-around.

You are not using the airbox. You do not have a stock exhaust. The fact that the bike runs and pulls well with more than one non-stock important component should make you feel like you won the lotto twice. Even with all stock systems, these bikes can be difficult to get running.

You can spend lots of time trying to adjust the carbs when you are trying to compensate for no air box and non-stock exhaust. If it were me, I would button it up and ride it.

cheers....

[Barbarosa]

110 and 42.5 jets. No plug chop as of yet. It seems to be loading up in every position though. Amen on the filter thing. Was thinking it would crap out real fast though lol. The enrichment plungers looked good, but I didn't actually test for leakage. It makes sense being rich if they don't seal so I'll pop one off and look at it through my magnifier. That or the needle are my next wags.

[Barbarosa]

If its running and pulling strong at all RPMs and the plugs are just a little sooty, I would not go chasing the soot. I would make sure everything else is ship shape; brakes, brake lines, wheel bearings, fork seals, tires, etc etc etc.

For sure, balancing the carbs and making sure the pilot screws are adjusted properly would be last thing to do to the carbs before tackling everything else.

My XJ1100 left me stranded recently due to the safety interlock relay. Same result as your tipover relay. Nothing works if the relay fails. The relays are 35+ years old and I think they are way past their useful life. My interlock relay is now bypassed until i figure out how to troubleshoot it and devise a work-around.

You are not using the airbox. You do not have a stock exhaust. The fact that the bike runs and pulls well with more than one non-stock important component should make you feel like you won the lotto twice. Even with all stock systems, these bikes can be difficult to get running.

You can spend lots of time trying to adjust the carbs when you are trying to compensate for no air box and non-stock exhaust. If it were me, I would button it up and ride it.

cheers....

Not just a little sooty, but not quite enough to quit firing. I have not ridden this bike any distance and am pretty sure it would start dropping cylinders at much more than 20 miles. I assume it's a low mile bike, 18k on the clock, and it feels safe going down the road, minus the occasional thrill that leaky fork seals provide. I do plan on getting rid of as many of the failure prone components as I can when I have it running well enough to trust it not to leave me walking lol.

[HalfCentury]

Not just a little sooty, but not quite enough to quit firing. I have not ridden this bike any distance and am pretty sure it would start dropping cylinders at much more than 20 miles. I assume it's a low mile bike, 18k on the clock, and it feels safe going down the road, minus the occasional thrill that leaky fork seals provide. I do plan on getting rid of as many of the failure prone components as I can when I have it running well enough to trust it not to leave me walking lol.

Under what conditions are you checking your plugs?

The method that I learned on xjbikes.com is to run the bike at highway RPMs for 5+minutes. Find a nice stretch of road with a parking lot that you can coast into. Run the bike above 4000 RPM for as long as you can (select a gear that is appropriate for the speed limit). Just before the parking lot entrance, pull the clutch and immediately hit the kill switch. Coast into the parking lot and pull the plugs for inspection.

If you can do this in your neighborhood and coast into your driveway, so much the better.

You want the state of the plugs frozen at the condition you would be spending most of your time; at highway RPMs.

If you are afraid of fouled plugs leaving you stranded, try riding around your neighborhood for an hour or two or three.



Just my 2 cents worth.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey again,

More thoughts now that your comments have stimulated a few more brain cells!

As you said, the bike hasn't been run much for some time, with very little highway miles, temps! After sitting for some time, the rings can get partially stuck and not seal well.

A technique to help loosen them is to put some Marvel Mystery Oil in the Oil, and run the bike a bit. I used to suggest not putting any load on it, but GREG/BA80 says that he's run his with the MMO in it for quite some time...it's OIL, although it's very high detergent type in it's cleaning action, helps to remove and loosen gum/varnish and can help Unstick piston rings. Also, running the engine at decent rpms for an hour or so for several days can help reseat the rings, which may also help reduce the soot buildup.

Can't recall if you've done a compression check? Do one cold, and then again warmed up. And then recheck after several hundred miles of Re-breakin running and see if it changes/increases! Take an extra set of plugs with you if worried about fouling plugs, and be aware of how the bike feels when running on all 4 so you can tell when it drops a cylinder/plug.

T.C.

[Barbarosa]

It had 105 psi across the board when I first got it. Wasn’t that concerned because they were even. Last check was 135-140 after it ran a spell. Pretty sure compression is up to snuff enough to run well. Thought about carrying a set of plugs but hoping to get this sorted and not worry about running problems. 40 yrs ago I would have took off on most anything with a roll of duct tape and bailing wire, but that was then and this is now. My driveway is 8/10 mile up the side of a big ol’ hill so sometimes it’s an adventure just getting to the road.

[DiverRay]

Compression is still low for the bike. I use a 50/50 mix of ATF(auto trans fluid) and acetone. Squirt a little into each spark plug hole,( about 3 ounces) wait overnight,(with spark plugs in a few turns) and then remove plugs, turn over for 3-5 seconds, re-install plugs and ride like you stole it for about 10 minutes. You should see a little higher compression, and it should help the black on the plugs.
The other thing is it could be the valve stem seals, and for those I put about a pint of B12 Chemtool into the oil, idle with a fan blowing over the engine for about 10 minutes, and let cool and change the oil/filter. If that doesn't work, you WILL need to pull the head to change the seals.

[Barbarosa]

Now that's old school. Like winding a wore out beater truck to 5k while dumping a qt of tranny fluid down the carb to do a valve job. Worked great and fogged the crap out of the skeeters at the same time. I may not make it past the carbs on this thing much less thinking about doing valve seals lol.

[DiverRay]

Nah, old school is putting a 50/50 mix of Kerosene and water down a hot engine as you rev it. That is how my dad used to de-carbon an engine without disassembly.