Question for all the Guru's

[Zen Dragon]

Well I finaly got the girl put back together and took her for a ride.

I got about 4 hours away from my home, and about 1.5 miles from my destination - Lucky Me.

here is what she is doing.
She was runnin well most of the day, I passed a couple cars on the freeway and then she started making a low loud blah blah blah sound from the bike (thats the best i can describe it as). and then she lost power it seemed like when i would pull the throttle it would bogg down like it was getting flooded. so I down shifted and floored it and it started acting normal, for a few miles anyways.

then it did the same thing, bogged down and lost power, this time down shifting just made it worse, lost more power and stopped. I couldnt get it to stay running after that. so I let it sit and picked some black berries on the side of the road. after about 30 min i tried to start it again and it seemed ok. this time i got a lot further, about 50 miles and it started again and now I cant get it to start again.
At the moment it is sitting down at my grandparents till i get a uhaul to pick it up this weekend.

So i messed with it for a while but I can not figure out what it is, I have to choke it to start and then when it starts (which is not very often i got it running 2 times but when i try to runn it down the drive it starts to do the same thing)
I was thinking it might be fule related, I took off all the gas lines and the tank (found my gas leak finaly) and made sure they are all clear and connected properly and there is good gas flow.

I am wondering if it could be carb related, also i was thinking that it may be electrical (something with the coils) when i started messing with the electrical I found that there is one fuse that is getting hot - so hot that it has melted the fuse block.

Im not sure what to do or where to start.

Anyone have any ideas.

I just sat here trying to think how to describe what it was acting like.
It kinda felt like someone just pulled out the choke when i was going 70. its sputters and sounds and feels like it is getting flooded.

[Dragonrider]

Three things I would immediately do/check . . .

Fix the fuse box. You did not say which fuse was heating up, but that is a clear sign that something somewhere is getting low voltage. Coils use a lot at high rpms, and the hotter they get the more low voltage can affect them.

Next,
Check your fuel delivery . . . mainly the petcocks vacuum operation (if standard) and your octopus (if a special). If the diaphrams are bad, or vacuum line to them leaking, they could be shutting off during high engine load. The bike should run ok in "prime" if this is the case.

Next,
Fuel delivery again. Make sure your tank is venting correctly. As you use gas and it leaves the tank, if the vent is clogged, you will create a vacuum that will at least cause a loss of power, and can easily stop fuel flow altogether.

After stopping for a while, the bike could be ok as the vacuum bleeds off.

Could be difficult to start though, as the carbs may be dry now, and you have to get vacuum to the petcocks to turn the gas back on. Prime should help here too (that's what it is for).

Check for kinked lines too.

Good luck and let us know if this helps.

[strom]

Check the electrics.. since it acts up when warm... pick-up coils, ignition coils, plugs....

LP

[Zen Dragon]

I checked the lines and they were ok. I am not sure about the petcocks i will check them.

as far as the fuse, it is the first fuse when looking left to right. (and actualy the only fuse, whoever hade this bike before had cut all the other fuses out)

I know my petcocks leak a bit so they might be bad. is it easier to buy new petcocks or rebuild time.

This is on a 79 XS1100SF (Special) so what about the octopus???

Thanks for the info it will all help when i get it home and can work on it.

Anyone have a spare Clymers manual for sale?


Alo I have took each plug out and started the bike to check the arc and some were very weak, could this be coils

[oldnortonrider]

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...=&threadid=103

>> "Fuseblock" >> go to the above address, on this forum.
(I couldn't figure out how to put it on here; where all you had to do wuz, click onto it.)

......wow! it did it for me.

[Mike Hart]

The PO spliced the wires that used to have fuses in them? Not a good idea. Can you see where he did it? If one is getting hot, you have to find out why.

See the Battery & Electrical Forum (Modifications) for 3 different articles on fuse box replacement.

Doesn't make a lot of sense to chase after other stuff until you are sure your circuits are properly fused and not heating up.

[Zen Dragon]

Well looks like I will go get the bike tomarrow, if uhaul has a trailer, then it will be time to tear into it.

I think the first thing I will do is play with the fuse cluster and find that short or why that fuse is getting hot.

Thanks for the things to try i will most likely be back asking more questions.