I finished my carbs today and got 'em back on the bike but now I have some sort of electrical problem ...
When I first hit the start button there was nothing, a couple taps later I got a couple clicks from the relay? Now it will turn over just once every time I push the button.
I have a brand new AGM battery so that is good (I even hooked it up to my other bike and it started it right up). Nothing is stuck, I can turn the engine over by hand. Does anybody have an idea of what this could be? I have cleaned all the electrical connections and the ground wire that connects to the engine.
Quote from: jjmaine on June 18, 2016, 03:26:48 PM
I have a brand new AGM battery so that is good
I wouldn't rule it out just on the basis its brand new, I suggest you fully charge it then take it to a shop for a load test before anything else.
Not sure if it's related but the oil light doesn't come on when I turn the key on. All the other dash lights work.
I understand that completely but the same battery had no trouble starting my Honda. I will print out a wiring diagram and try to make sense of it. Wiring and electricity is not my strong suit...
If you are 100% sure about the battery the next thing to consider is the solenoid itself.
Do a search, plenty has been said on here in the past regards testing/replacing it.
You might have seen this other thread, they had symptoms similar to yours.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=70634.0
I have been reading every thread I can that shows up in the search. I missed this one though. I will try to find out the symptoms of a bad ignition control module (other than the bike just wont start). Thanks again sir!
I would check all wires. You may have disconnected a wire by accident
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Well the first time I cleaned to contacts on the starter solenoid I left it on the bike and cleaned them as best I could that way. I decided to take the solenoid off the bike to clean it and noticed that the connector had some build up on it. Cleaned it up nice and now the bike cranks right over nicely! So now it will turn over but still won't start :icon_eek:
I just spent 2 weeks meticulously cleaning the carbs so I'm pretty sure they are good to go though (I hope). I'm getting good spark on each coil and the spark plugs a new. After I tried starting it a few times I pulled the plugs and they were dry, would this mean it is a carb issue? Is there a way to test the CDI box? The last time this bike was ridden was 2011 and the poor old bike only has 4100 miles on it. Can the CDI go bad from sitting that long? Anything else I should look for?
Congrats on getting the starter figured out.
If you're getting strong sparks to both cylinders then your CDI is probably fine. If your plugs are dry after cranking for a while then fuel is not making it into the intake air stream. Check the level of the fuel in the bowls using the u-tube method: put a length of clear tubing on the drain of the bowl, raise the free end of the hose higher than the float bowl and then open the drain screw. The level the fuel rises to in the tube is the level the fuel is at inside the bowl. You're looking for the fuel level to be about equal to the height of the gasket of the bowl.
Here's a tip, use your mouth to blow the fuel back into the bowl and close the drain screw at the same time. No mess!
Awesome, thanks Lucas! I will definately try this. I was hoping not to have to take the carbs back off, they went on awful snug with them new intake boots... I guess if it is a carb issue than theres no way around it.
You don't have to take the carbs off to do this, it can be done on the center stand without removing any parts. You can access the drain screws from the sides of the float bowls.
You were absolutely right lucas, the fuel level was low in both bowls. I think I may know why, when I put the carbs back together using K&L kits I couldn't get the brass valves (that the needle seals against) to sit down in very well. They kept wanting to pop back out on me. I had thought I got them in there finally but I think they may have popped back out so the needle seals before it actually should not allowing the right amount of fuel into the bowls? Anybody know how to get these to sit down in where they should be?
Next time I will be testing the floats BEFORE I put the carbs on the bike...
If the valves would have to be stuck shut to keep fuel out, was that happening to you? It sounds like you were having the opposite problem, not being able to get them to seat properly. Which would tend to flood your carbs.
Before you strip the carbs again you could check "upstream" first. Inspect the hoses, make sure there are no blockages, check the vacuum like that runs from the left carb to the frame petcock make sure there are no cracks, look at the valve under the tank to make sure it is in the open position (the slot aligned vertically up-and-down), and finally pull the frame petcock and (if you're comfortable with it) apply a vacuum to the small tube to feel for the internal diaphragm clicking open and then with the selector in prime blow through the other three ports to check for blockages.
I don't even have the frame petcock on the bike. Does it need to be connected to the carbs for everything to work correctly? I just slapped the carbs back on and used a hose/funnel on the gas line to fill the carbs.
I just couldn't get the valve to sit down in where it was supposed to because of the new o ring. I would push it down and it would keep trying to pop its way back up. I think it seals fine, it just isn't sitting in all the way so the lip isn't resting on the carbs. Sure wish I would have swapped my float bowl screws for allen head bolts so I could take the bowls off without taking the carbs all the way off. Oh well, we live and learn I guess.
Oh pardon me, I forgot you had written that. Memory of a goldfish...
Of course. Ok so yeah you need to get that valve to go in all the way. If it is backed out I can see the needle not having enough room to travel downward to open the valve. Did you use the right size o ring? The fit should be snug, did you use enough force? That valve is hanging upside down on a vibrating engine so it should be snug in there.
You could apply a small amount of lube to the o ring and slightly twist while you push.
I didn't even give it a thought when I put the valve in... My impatience got the best of me and look how it ended up. :embarassed: Yes, they should both have the correct size o rings on them as they came with the carb repair kits. I will get the carbs back off the bike ion the next couple days and make sure they are seated correctly this time. I'll also be sure to check the float height on the bench this time. Thank you very much for your help lucas! This place is awesome!!!
So I adjusted the floats and popped the carbs back on and it fired right up. After it ran for a few minutes the it idled up to 3000rpm and there was some white smoke coming out of the right carb. I immediately shut her down. What would cause this and what can I do to fix it? Thanks!
Quote from: jjmaine on June 22, 2016, 08:11:59 AM
After it ran for a few minutes the it idled up to 3000rpm and there was some white smoke coming out of the right carb. I immediately shut her down. What would cause this and what can I do to fix it? Thanks!
How much white smoke? Just a puff/wisp or two? Billowing out? Quantity is likely important here. With choke or without? The details may seem quite obvious to you, but we weren't there to see & experience them.
Without the choke. I started the bike with the choke on and it was idling right around 3500, when I took it off choke it dropped down to about 1500rpm's for about 30 seconds and then climbed back up to 3000 and thats when it started with the white smoke. There was white smoke coming from the exaust (not too much) and a steady stream of smoke coming out of the right carb. It wasn't super thick smoke and it wasn't billowing out but it was steady. The carb continued to smoke for around 1 minute after I shut the bike down. There were no bad engine noises just the smoke.
The bike has 4100 miles so I know I will need to check the valves also. I just wanted to make sure I could get it running after it sat for so long before I invest too much time and money in it.
One more thing, the bike had been sitting outside for awhile before I picked it up. When I was taking everything apart *I noticed some water in the air box. I changed the oil which was pretty nasty. Maybe water made it down into the intake and thats why its smoking white? I checked the dipstick again after I got it started and the oil looked awful murky again so Im in the process of changing it again now. Maybe it will help?
My initial thought was that it could be moisture condensation/dust/pollen. Had it been me, I probably would have let it run for another couple minutes to see if it stayed the same or got worse/better.
After thinking about it, I think it is moisture. When I removed the carbs when I first got the bike there was some crud in the left hand intake on the valve which I cleaned out but the right side looked good. When it was parked last the left intake was closed and the right was probably open allowing any water to just go right in. The motor was never seized or stuck at all so that's good. Should I put a little Marvel Mystery oil down the right spark plug hole and let it sit over night? Or will running the motor and changing the oil a couple times get any remaining water out of the engine? Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.