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Worst friday morning...ever!!

Started by JakeC, August 12, 2006, 07:33:02 PM

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JakeC

I decided to go ahead and clean my carbs to try to eliminate the misfire.  I got it all put together Thursday night, so it would be ready Friday.  Got on it Friday morning, hoping the very small amount of gas in the tank would get me the required 10 miles to the gas station and also desperately hoping that the problem would be solved.  Well, I got on and took off at 6:30am.  It was about 60-65 with no wind...perfect.  I zipped through the gears up to about 65mph and after about 30 seconds of not breathing realized that the misfire was indeed gone!!  Yeah!!!  I continued to cruise in pure bliss until a little over a mile from the gas station.  You have probably already guessed this, but I was a little overly optimistic about how far the gas would get me.  Once I had coasted about as far as possible, I pulled over onto the shoulder.  Things got a little worse.  I had pictured hard packed gravel, what I got was soft sand.  I can't even remember if  I was on the front brake or not, but I do know that as I was ever so gracefully "abandoning ship", hearing multiple cars going by.  I could just picture them laughing at the stupid biker on the side of the road tipping over when he was barely moving.  Anyway, pushing a bike a mile on a gravel (sand) can't be too bad, can it.  Well a half an hour later as I finally pushed it up to the pump, I decided that pushing a bike a mile sucked, and that it should be avoided at all costs.  So, I call work and tell them that I'll be late, and proceed to fill my bike.  That felt good.  I never knew how enjoyable it could be to fill a gas tank, even if it cost $3 a gallon.  Reset my trip odometer and take off.  About a mile down the road, I felt something like a misfire.  I paniced, but then quickly reminded myself that it is an old bike after all, and I can't expect it to run like a swiss watch.  I proceeded to gun it.  You know, to clean out the carbon and whatnot.  I got about a 2 second bog and then it took off.  CRAP!!  The rest of the way to work it ran like crap.  Great start to my morning :'(.  I have more to post on what I discovered may have caused it, but I'm sick of typing and my kids are being little monsters.  I'll post more later.

Jake


bikehandle

  I wonder how much junk got suck out of your tank when it ran out of gas? Have you por-ed the tank?
Hope things get better!
god, save me from my fondest wish!

tattooedtaz69

I am curious as to what you find, I am going to have zore rebiuld my carbs as soon as I get done with his paint work on his bike. I have the same problem with mine at one time when it was running but it seems to have gotten worse cant hardly run mine now. Lucky told me partially plugged jets (not sure which ones he said mine may be) But hopefully after zore gets them done i wont have same problem your having. Mine would run rough kinda spit and sputtering then roll on the throttle and it would take off like a bat out of hell. Then it cleared up again thought it may be gone hahaha now it is doing it at idle and cant hardly keep it running.

JakeC

Yeah, I have the tank por'ed and an inline filter.  When I did the carbs again on Thursday, I did find some gunk plugging the one of the little screens covering the inlets on the needle seats.  So, when It ran bad after I ran out of gas, I assumed I had sucked something up and maybe plugged one of those again.  I started to take everything off, and discovered that I had left the vacuum line to the flapper disconnected!!  I'm hoping that was the only problem.  Now I know why it was backfiring also, because it was running so rich!  How it ran good for that first little bit is beyond me.  Probably because it was cool out and the engine was cold, maybe ??? !?  I did check the screens on the needle seats, and they looked fine.  I've dipped these twice now, so I've gotta be close to getting everything out ;)!!

Later,
Jake

YellowJacket!

Not to add insult to injury Jake, but when I run out of gas (a regular occurrence since I dont have a fuel guage), I just switch to reserve, wait a minute ond go on my way.  ::)

I have tipped my bike before right after filling it and it misfired and bogged sown a lot.  I noticed a lot of fuel coming out of the overflow tubes on the carbs.  Once that sorted out and a few well placed taps on the float bowls and things got going better. 

Don't knock the tipping over, mine seems pretty tip prone too.   :o  ;D

David


Living the dream - I am now a Physician Assistant!!   :-)

JakeC

Thanks, Dave

My reserve, unfortunately, doesn't work.  I rebuilt my petcock, but  I messed something up.  With it on "on", it'll suck every last bit out.  I just haven't had the time to mess with it.  I think maybe I should get that fixed, huh ::)!  Thanks for the encouragement, though.  I'll take it out for a test run this morning to see if I've got it fixed.

Jake

Serendipity

Hey don't feel bad I ran out of gas on Friday too. I felt like such a dork! Especially cause I thought it was breaking down on me, not running out of gas.....so I didn't think to switch it to the reserve until it had already died at which point it was too late. Luckily it wasn't more than a mile or so from home, and Dave came out and saved me (we threw it in the truck). Double-lucky as Hilary had stopped by to visit, so he watched our son during the rescue mission.

Once we got it home I had to hook it up to the charger a bit, as it seems if it's having a hard time 'waking up" I run the battery too low before it comes alive.....anyhho, charged her up. added gas and ta-daaa!!!!

I am going to try to take her to work sometime this week as I have a long dinner ride planned (100 miles each way) on Saturday with my Women in the Women Chapter and i need to make sure she's running well, which I believe she is.

Btw, speaking of Hilary....he hasn't posted much I don't think, but I figure it's ok to let you guys know that he is riding the heck out of his V! The boy is in love!!!! :D

haunter

been there done that pal!  forgot to put my petcock back on on from reserve when I ran low and ran her empty on the way home, d'oh!
82 with fairing, rejetted, 83 turbo seca fork and brakes coming whenver I acquire the rest of the parts, and she stops breaking long enough to be in the garage for an upgrade instead of a repair.

hfarley

Been there as well. I got stuck right across from a gas station but could have sworn I wasn't out of gas. I left the house with plenty. But what i had forgotten was that i had stopped the bike and sort of tipped it over in stopping it and gas ran out of the overflow tubes. I must have miscalculated how much ran out. DOH!! Anyway after calling my husband, waiting 1 hour for him to show up, tried to restart the bike, then decided to look in the tank to see how much gas I had.Double DOH!!. When all I ahd to do was walk across the highway and get more gas. Talk about feeling like a complete moron. And to top it all off all I heard for the next two weeks was my husband going "dumbass" everytime I looked in his direction. LOL! Oh well, we live and learn right?
-Heather
Sometimes being insane in an insane world IS being sane

I don't suffer from insanity....I enjoy every minute of it!

Night Vision

you can put me down for two out of gasses. both were coming off an interstate off ramp... switched over to prime for a minute then reserve..

Quote from: JakeC on August 12, 2006, 07:33:02 PM
......proceed to fill my bike.  .....  Reset my trip odometer and take off.  About a mile down the road, I felt something like a misfire........... I got about a 2 second bog and then it took off.  CRAP!!  The rest of the way to work it ran like crap

yup, .... after my last dry run.... I thought I picked up the 4k vision stumble.... wouldn't idle right, actually had to turn the idle knob up....... probably just got a fleck in a passage

next time it happens  ::) .... try putting about a 1/2 oz of techtron into half a tank of gas. run the bike for a couple of minutes at idle... let it sit for awhile.... run it a couple of more times and sit... the idea is to let it work in and soak.

worked for me, might save ya the trouble of pulling the carbs out next time  ;)


if it ain't worth doing it the hard way....
it ain't worth doing it at all - Man Law
;D


if it ain't broke..... take it apart and find out why


don't give up.... don't ever give up - Jimmy Valvano

JakeC

Thanks so much guys and gals for the advice and encouragement!!  I have good news!!  After putting it all back together yesterday, I rode it in to work today and it ran 100% better.  Still not quite perfect, but close.  No more misfire, no more bog, no more backfire ;D!!  The only thing it is doing right now is that when I let off the gas slightly, like you would when you're just adjusting your speed, it will surge for a second or too and then even out.  I'm actually suspicious of my airbox flapper.  At any rate, it is fun to drive again and I am happy!  I'll let you all know if I got the surging fixed.

Thanks again,
Jake 

Night Vision

Quote from: JakeC on August 14, 2006, 10:31:14 PM
..........The only thing it is doing right now is that when I let off the gas slightly, like you would when you're just adjusting your speed, it will surge for a second or too and then even out.  I'm actually suspicious of my airbox flapper. 

you could try putting one nickel on the flapper. might be a quick easy fix
if it ain't worth doing it the hard way....
it ain't worth doing it at all - Man Law
;D


if it ain't broke..... take it apart and find out why


don't give up.... don't ever give up - Jimmy Valvano

JakeC

Well, I rode in this morning and my bike ran awesome!!  You aren't going to believe what I did.  I took the flapper off :o!!  I just did it for kicks and giggles, but it seems to have made a huge improvement!  I left the vacuum and the actuator hooked up, just removed the flap itself.  I'm going to ride it for a while like this and see what happens.  Pretty wierd, huh!

Jake

JakeC

NightVision-  Just wanted to let you know that I did not purposefully do the exact opposite of what you suggested ;D!!  I saw your post this morning after I had already taken it off.  If(when) I run out of gas again, though, I will try your suggestion of running something through my carbs before I pull them apart.  I'm getting sick of taking them apart ;D.

Jake

Night Vision

I'm not sure if anyone has gone flapperless but whatever works is always the best fix.
if it ain't worth doing it the hard way....
it ain't worth doing it at all - Man Law
;D


if it ain't broke..... take it apart and find out why


don't give up.... don't ever give up - Jimmy Valvano

Lucky

note the air tempurature now, if it bogs as the air gets colder in the fall, you might want to put it back on then.  cooler air is denser, and the whole reason for the flapper is to restrict airflow
1982/3 XZ550 Touring Vison, Gold on Black

JakeC

Good point, Lucky.  I'll keep that in mind. 

Jake

dchakrab

One thing Haunter and I noticed while taking my carbs off is that my airbox has no flapper...either Dion or the previous owner(s) took it off at some point.

Of course, if I ever get around to finishing the carbs, I'll report on how it runs :)

Hmmm...maybe I should swap the airbox off the other bike...

  Dave.
Dave's Blog on community technology, Drupal, website development, and nonprofit SEO.

Project Manager at the Chicago Technology Coop, focusing on nonprofit web development.