Getting it to start: Part 2

[gulfstorm]

Hey there,

So following yet another carb clean I ALMOST got the spree to start. This time, it fires up ( I hear the engine running at very very very low rpm ) and then it dies...drained the battery trying to start it. Carb is full of fuel so i guess supply is not the issue. Spark plug was wet though but i guess this is after me trying to start it a dozen times. Battery eventually went flat. Where do I go from here. My next thought was to buy a compression gauge to check that, but beyond that I wasn't really sure....

Gulfstorm

[fightingplankton]

9 times out of 10 its just your carb.
so, if its got fuel, maybe your idle speed is just set too low.
try that before you move on to anything else.

[gulfstorm]

Good and bad update!
Good news is that I finally got the spree to run following another carb clean. It started no problem with the electric start. A lot of hesitation though and revs going up then eventually stalling. After I ran it more and more, the stalling happened less and less. Finally took it out for a ride the other day and everything went fine. I just need to spend some time getting the brakes adjusted and all that. Last night though (after filling the gas tank the night before), the spree wouldnt start at all!, I tried kick starting it also and the kick start pedal broke (well, it just slides to the side past the angle it is supposed to be at. So I am thinking, i might just drill a hole through the arm and the pedal and put a retention nut and bolt there. Seems logical. As for the battery, It kept dying on me after I cranked it for a minute or so with the electric start. Is this quite normal or an alternator problem? hmmm. I rode it for 45 mins the day before so shouldnt have charged the battery. Another thing is that when I do ride, the battery seems strong. Anyway, that is the least of my worries at the moment. Took the spark plug out of it yesterday and it was rather black! but not wet with gas. Oil seeping past the piston rings? Grrrr. Not too sure. Anyway back to the garage with a fresh battery this morning since I have the day off work. Lets see what happens. I am going to have to look back at the older post re: carb adjustment screws. I think the idle...is WAAAAYYYY too high.

Keep riding the spreeeee!

Gulfstorm

[gulfstorm]

What a busy day. I did get the spree to start this morning, mainly by draining the carb with the drain screw. It start fine after that, but with a fully charged battery. I went for a little cruise only to find spree stalling after about 5 mins into the ride. It would start and idle fine, however as soon as I gave it any gas at all, it stalls! Starts up fine immediately at decent idle speed but dies if I give it any gas. Had to walk half a kilometer home. Angry, as i was, i decided to ......CLEAN THE CARB!!!! this seems to be the answer to 98.9 % of all the problems that people have with these bikes. Using faithfull carb cleaner, I actually got a lot of gunk out of the carb (this is third clean now). New carb installed and the bike started and ran perfectly! What is going on? is it the carb? Another question that I had was the air screw has to be fully screwed in for me to start the bike. Air filter is clean however? why is that? If i try to have it 1 -7-8ths out it stalls the bike. Any ideas? Lastly. when i reassembeled the carb, the longer screw holding the carb on the left seemed to have broken the tread and I can only put a bit of torque on it before it gets loose again. Seems to be tight tough. I guess I ll keep an eye for leaks and maybe just get a nut on a back of it to hold the manifold onto the carb. Blahhh there.

Thanks for your interest

Gulfstorm.

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Quoth GulfStorm:

Another question that I had was the air screw has to be fully screwed in for me to start the bike. Air filter is clean however? why is that? If i try to have it 1 -7-8ths out it stalls the bike. Any ideas?

See below... There could still be an issue with clogged pilot circuit. Search for Legendary Pin-* of Light.

Lastly. when i reassembeled the carb, the longer screw holding the carb on the left seemed to have broken the tread and I can only put a bit of torque on it before it gets loose again.

This is NOT a trivial issue. Address this before you ride again or you will be buying a new piston soon. Trust me on this one. You may not be able to adjust your carb correctly until this is corrected. The Idle Mixture screw is an air bleed, and it sounds plausible that the engine is already inhaling too much air due to the loose carb mount.

Seems to be tight tough.

It may seem that way but I can almost guarantee it's not. That engine is not suspended, and the tire hammers it going over bumps. It will loosen, leak, and lean your mixture to dangerous levels very soon.

I guess I ll keep an eye for leaks and maybe just get a nut on a back of it to hold the manifold onto the carb.

That's one good way to address this, but it's fussy to try to hold the nut back there and keep everything aligned.
Another way is to purchase a cheap ($9) Harbor Freight set of taps in SAE sizes. Use the 1/4" x 20 size. The quality is awful, but it's good enough for the carb body pot metal. Run it through as-is; there's no need to drill the existing threads first.

Now any hardware store can supply 1-1/2 to 2" long hex bolts. You have to drill the manifold flange and carb insulator out to 17/64ths, but then the assembly bolts up the same as stock using a 7/16ths open-end wrench. Check the length so you don't poke a hole in your float bowl. Go easy on the Wheaties when you tighten. The 1/4" threads are stronger, but the cast aluminum metal is easy to shred. You only need to compress the o-ring.

[gulfstorm]

Thanks for advice,

I am going to look at the carb mount issue sometime this week. Good to know of the potential mishaps that could happen. As far as engine getting too much air, I had this issue before this last round of carb removal so I am not sure if it is the mount. I will look up the forums for the pin * thingy. I have been finding that cold starts are near impossible on this thing. I had it in the garage with the outdoor temp around +5 celcius and no way would it start. As soon as it warmed up to 10-15 degrees. whola!..hmmm. i think i saw a few posts earlier regarding this. Will take a look. Meanwhile Had no issues whatsoever going for a ride today. Went through half a tank of gas. was a blast!!!

Cheers,

Gulfstorm.