Just got a Vision wants to die off choke

[duckman]

So, I bought a Vision on a whim not knowing what it was at the time or what I was getting myself into. He said that it ran if it had a battery and it might need the carbs cleaned. I cleaned out the carbs and rebuilt the fuel pump and it won't stay running unless the choke is on at least halfway. Looking at posts on here  it seems like these bikes are plagued by all sorts of different problems.
After, I rebuilt the fuel pump it squirts out a little bit of fuel at a time. Is that correct? Or is it supposed to be  steady stream?
I cleaned the carb's out really good and matched the floats to each-other(they were really far apart, split the difference).
I bypassed the vacuum line of the fuel petcock so it constantly pours fuel out. Is that okay?
The hose that connects the carbs is always filled with gas so I'm guessing something has to be right?...
and lastly the rear cylinder shoots massive smoke clouds through the carb after I run it.

Has anyone had a problem like this with the carbs and have any advice? Or does anyone know where the floats are supposed to be set and any adjustments I can make?
thanks for reading - any help would be gladly accepted.

[Jimustanguitar]

Hey duckman, welcome to the forum!

I wouldn't say that these bikes are plagued, just quirky. In the IT field, we'd say "It's not a glitch, it's a feature!". In reality though, any 30 year old bike will need some work. They're cheap and available which is appealing to new riders, but that's not always the right fit.

Anyway though, we've got to get your bike running!

I cleaned out the carbs and rebuilt the fuel pump and it won't stay running unless the choke is on at least halfway.

The idle screw may be set too low, or the mixtures may be off. Do you have much experience with carbs, or is this your first go at 'em?

After, I rebuilt the fuel pump it squirts out a little bit of fuel at a time. Is that correct? Or is it supposed to be  steady stream?

I think you're describing the accelerator pump. When you twist the throttle, it squirts a stream of fuel down the carb throat. This should only happen when you twist the throttle, so yours sounds normal.

I cleaned the carb's out really good and matched the floats to each-other(they were really far apart, split the difference).

There is a specific measurement that you need to set these too or else it can cause poor performance. Search for float height and you'll find instructions.

I bypassed the vacuum line of the fuel petcock so it constantly pours fuel out. Is that okay?

The fuel petcock opens with vacuum, so disconnecting the vac line would shut off your fuel flow. There is a "prime" setting which is not vacuum dependent, that's probably why you have fuel flow.

and lastly the rear cylinder shoots massive smoke clouds through the carb after I run it.

Yikes :) Not sure on this one.

[Rikugun]

So, I bought a Vision on a whim not knowing what it was at the time or what I was getting myself into

Oh, it's a timeless tale...   :)  Welcome aboard!

Jim covered things well so I won't duplicate other than to say don't "bypass the vacuum line" on the petcock. Connect it as it's designed or run the risk of catastrophe.  :o   :D

When you questioned the fuel pump flow, (if it is indeed that and not the accelerator pump you mean), no, it won't flow a stream of fuel like an electric pump will. It's a pulse pump and as such produces a far less consistent flow but more than adequate for this engine's needs.

[Rick G]

All bikes are plagued with problems , especially old ones! I get really tired of people who expect a used bike to perform as new . Some one has gotten some or even a lot of the good out of  it and you are going to have to put the good back into it. Once this is done you will enjoy the bike very much!

[duckman]

I wasn't talking about the accelerator pump I believe that was working just fine.
On the petcock I removed all the inner workings of the vacuum thing so fuel flows freely no matter what and I plan on just using a fuel shutoff, and the gas shot out of the fuel pump this way.
I have experience with carbs, just not this type. All the ones I worked on before worked after I went through them and adjusted them and they were horizontal ones.
What should the idle and mixture be set at, does anyone know of a link?
i guess I'll just keep playing with it.

I said it seems like these bikes are plagued with problems because there is a lot of things on here about all these various little things that could be wrong with the bike and how they like to go out and I was wondering if maybe the issue wasn't in the carbs but maybe if a weak spark or bad timing or something else would cause this problem. Although it seems like fuel...

I did not expect a used bike to run like a new one, and this bike has a lot of stuff on it that most other old bikes don't have. I'm used to old bikes/dirtbikes having the bare minimum, there is a lot of stuff that seems unnecessary.

[jefferson]

If the bike will only idle with the choke half on you more than likely need to go through the carb again. There isn't enough fuel flow through the pilot circuit to keep it running, but with the choke on it is able to idle with the increased fuel flow through the choke circuit.

Jeff

[fret not]

You might check the carburetor manifold boots for cracks leaking air into the intake.  This can seriously lean the mixture.

[Jimustanguitar]

Most of us are gear-heads who've owned multiple bikes, and the Vision carbs are definitely a little special compared to those other bikes :) They're intricate compared to the horizontal CV carbs on most bikes of that era, and even the best among us have had to clean these carbs 3 or 4 times before they'll magically work for no apparent reason at all. There are tiny passages, potential casting sand residue (may be a legend), abnormal fuel tank rust, and it all forms the perfect storm for difficult to clean gunk in the carbs.

I would suggest cleaning the carbs out again.

[Rick G]

When I dip a set of carbs , they have to be right. I send them off  into the world ,(sometimes out of the country) so the have to be right ! If you need to dip them more than once , your not doing it right! I have never had a set of '82 carbs  that needed remedial action. '*3's are a differant story.