Author Topic: Please help!!! (Read 3127 times)

Honda550k · « **on:** April 21, 2013, 05:13:21 PM »

I have a 78 cb550k. When I was looking around the engine I noticed that there is a pin hole that looks like a line should be connected to it.

Here's a picture of it.

It's the one beside the red clamp.

Also I'm about to do a carb sync and found some videos online on how to do the carb sync on a cb550. I noticed that the screws that you connect the rods to aren't in the same place. Is that the screws with the flat head in picture.

And is the brass flat head screws the screws that is used to adjust durung synchronization?

Please help me. Thanks soo much.

chewbacca5000 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:11:34 PM »

Looks like a vent tube hooks up there and vents to atmosphere.

Tews19 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:17:48 PM »

Vent tube as chewy mentioned.

Thou have pD carbs. In the first pic, the flat head screws remove and you I seer your brass tubes for syncing. Now when you sync, I think carb 2 is the master carb. You can not adjust that and you try to get the other carbs synced to that one. Start with 3 then to 4. Then carb one last.

Do you know how you adjust the carb? Remove the top 2 Philips screws. You should get the special flat head tool from motion pro. It really helps.

Also have a fan running at all times on the wngine

db22 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:45:17 PM »

Yup, the flat screws in the top pic are the ones for your synch tubes. Careful -- they're aluminum, and should not be snugged too tight. They tend to fall off the screwdriver and get lost, so try to find a screwdriver that fits the slot tightly and (carefully!) press it into the slot, so you can lift the screw out on the end of the driver when it comes loose.

Adjustments are made inside the carb. As Tews19 noted #2 is the fixed carb. The other three have a small locknut on a threaded shaft with a slot at the top. Remove the tops from 1, 3 & 4 to find it. Use a small wrench (8mm, I think) to hold the nut loose while you turn the shaft with a small flathead screwdriver. When the vacuum reading matches #2, hold the shaft with the screwdriver while you snug the locknut.

The knurled brass screws in the lower pic are the fuel/air ratio adjustments for idle. Close them, and then turn them out 1.5 turns. If the idle is rough, turn one in and out a half-turn, returning to 1.5 turns if there is no change. Try another one and listen for change. Keep going until you get some improvement. If nothing changes, start over at 1 turn out each and repeat the procedure, then 2 turns out. Somewhere in there is a sweet spot, and it took me a lot of trial and error to get there.

Honda550k · « **Reply #4 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:56:53 PM »

Thank you soo much everyone!! I was so worried. I did not know that it was a vent tube. I will report back after I've done the carb sync.
Should I play around with the air and fuel screw before I sync the carbs?

Tews19 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 21, 2013, 07:23:12 PM »

You didn't mention if you are running pods or stock airbox?

The PD carbs are a PITA. Take your time and follow DB's steps. Great write up. You can keep the idle at 3k when doing the sync but lower it to factory specs once all carbs are reading around the same numbers.

Tews19 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 21, 2013, 07:26:46 PM »

Here is my video of my last 550 I had. It's the process of syncing them.. 3 videos start to end product..

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=107533.msg1203813#msg1203813

Honda550k · « **Reply #7 on:** April 21, 2013, 07:29:36 PM »

Sorry Tews. Yeah I am running the stock airbox. Thanks for mentioning. About the vent tube. I've done some research and I was wondering does the tube actually attach to something like a pod or is it just an open tube?

Tews19 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 21, 2013, 07:30:35 PM »

Basically it is the same tube that runs from the bottom of your float bowls. I had nothing attached to mine.

Honda550k · « **Reply #9 on:** April 21, 2013, 07:41:43 PM »

Thanks alot for your contribution!! Your video will definitely help me with my carb sync. This whole thing is new to me. I might be reporting back with ridiculous questions. I knew the members of this forum would help me get my bike in running condition.

Tews19 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 21, 2013, 07:55:10 PM »

You are talking to someone who was scared to remove the gas tank not to long ago.... This site is great... The 550 gurus are Dave500 and TwoTired... Deltarider is keen too.. There are a lot actually. Just those names stick out at the moment

db22 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 22, 2013, 11:44:17 AM »

Quote from: Tews19 on April 21, 2013, 07:55:10 PM

You are talking to someone who was scared to remove the gas tank not to long ago.... This site is great... The 550 gurus are Dave500 and TwoTired... Deltarider is keen too.. There are a lot actually. Just those names stick out at the moment

Ya, what TEWS19 said! My bike hadn't run in 9 years when I got it. I had not owned a bike in 30+ years, and this forum's members helped me get it titled, tuned and running great. All us noobs owe the gurus a lot -- if you meet one, buy him a beer!

Honda550k · « **Reply #12 on:** April 22, 2013, 03:34:50 PM »

I definitely will. There was a member that made a video on how to replace the fork seals. Thought it was going to be hard but that video made it straight forward.

So here's the update. I was about to do the carb sync as I tried to turn the engine on I noticed that the battery was dead. So this made me worried. I was able to start the engine through the kick starter. Here's when it gets wired. I pulled the positive from the battery while the bike was running and it died. 3 weeks ago when I did this it was still running. Is it possible that because the battery was out of juice that it wasn't powering the alternator?

I have it on a trickle charge right now but I'm worried that it could be something bigger.

And another vent tube question. How long is the tube and is it facing down towards the crankshaft or up towards the tank.

Thanks again.

Tews19 · « **Reply #13 on:** April 22, 2013, 03:42:58 PM »

Not sure how long the tube needs to be. I don't think it's that vital for operation although I could be wrong. My tubes aim up but go back towards rear

Charge the battery and be on your way. I think the 550 is known for a weak charging system when not driven above 3k Rpms. Lots of fiddling will kill the battery power and sitting for a time if its a cheap Walmart battery.

Honda550k · « **Reply #14 on:** April 22, 2013, 04:27:09 PM »

Thanks for responding Tews. I really appreciate it. I was actually fiddling with the bike last night. I had the lights running without the engine, playing around with the signal lights just admiring this beautiful machine.

I'm going to have to continue the carb sync tomorrow as I have it on a 1 amp charger.

Is there any other things I should be addressing?

Here's the list of things I've done:
Seafoam
Full synthetic oil change
Spark plugs
Drive chain tightened
Brake fluid
Break pads
Fork seals
Fork oil
New battery

Also I've read on this forum that it is good to run on gas with no ethanol and that running high octane gas is bad because of carbon build up. But the only ethanol free gas available here in Toronto is 91 and up. Should I just stick to running 91 0% ethanol or go down 83 with 10% ethanol?

Tews19 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 22, 2013, 04:46:12 PM »

If you can run w/0 ethanol I would.

I've read on the site synthetic oil is actually bad for these bikes. It will make the clutch plates slip.

Make sure your chain isn't to tight. Follow the manual for the amount of movement allowable.

Other then that take the bike for a quick spin prior to syncing then after. See if you can tell a difference. Also we all like pics so snap a few of the bike!

Honda550k · « **Reply #16 on:** April 22, 2013, 06:31:31 PM »

Off course Tews. Sorry I don't mean to make this thread boring with all the questions. You saved me 100s of dollars. I just put on some motul 300v oil. And I was planning on doing it every 1500 miles.

Here's the bike when I first got it home

A bit about the bike and myself. This is my first bike and I got it off ebay. I paid 1500 for her, which in Toronto is a decent price. People like to price gouge everything here. The equivalent to paying 1500 for a cb here in Toronto is either an unfinished project or not too far from being a basket case. The PO claimed that he had the engine rebuilt. But who knows. When I went to see the bike the PO also claimed that he was a collector of old bikes and cars. And he was. So I thought that the bike would be in decent shape. I always liked old things whether it's bikes, cars, clothes etc... But I haven't owned anything old. So I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this one.

Here pictures of the bike after some work.

This is my first project. This whole thing took a bit over a month. I'm trying to tighten the loose ends of this bike as the riding season is approaching fast.

A couple of buddies of mine came over last night to come look at my bike. These guys all went for the new ninja 300s and 250s as their first. You should have seen the look on their faces when she fired up. Lol.

Hey Tews I love the way your bike sounds. Is yours a 550? And stock exhaust?

Sorry for a long post. But I tried entertaining.

Tews19 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 22, 2013, 07:01:47 PM »

Ahh. My first cb was the same but black.
Here is that adventure! http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=92055.msg1027533#msg1027533

This is my next 550 purchase and the one you saw the videos on. Picked it up not to long after the first 550.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=92989.msg1037281#msg1037281

Here is that bike build. http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=95480.msg1062589#msg1062589

BTW, there isn't a such thing as a to long of a post.

I saw your pics posted on the site on another thread looks great!

Honda550k · « **Reply #18 on:** April 22, 2013, 07:40:04 PM »

Great reads. Both look awesome. So did you end up keeping your first 550 stock?

About to do a compression test so hopefully I don't have to rebuild. She reads 66000 km on the clock. But its also not the original engine. But still a 78 motor.

Tews19 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 22, 2013, 07:54:17 PM »

Yep the black one stayed stock. I sold it the following summer for over triple what I paid for it.

The one I built I miss more then anything. Great bike. Handled awesome. The exhaust was the stock 550f header and a lossa reverse megaphone muffler. I started a 750 build thread. The 750 is now my new baby.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=110580.msg1240087#msg1240087

Stev-o · « **Reply #20 on:** April 22, 2013, 08:13:09 PM »

Kudos to Tews for all the help he's given you. He's an old pro now!

PS. Don't ever believe what a PO tells you. Why do you think it's not the original motor?

Honda550k · « **Reply #21 on:** April 22, 2013, 08:26:23 PM »

Quote from: Stev-o on April 22, 2013, 08:13:09 PM

Kudos to Tews for all the help he's given you. He's an old pro now!

PS. Don't ever believe what a PO tells you. Why do you think it's not the original motor?

Yeah I really appreciate him giving me all this help.

Oh I never believed that the PO did rebuild the engine. I'm actually going to do the compression test tomorrow. Hopefully it will be good results. He probably ran the original engine to death and needed a replacement.

Stev-o · « **Reply #22 on:** April 22, 2013, 08:32:23 PM »

Do you have a motorcycle compression tester? An auto tester will not give you accurate readings.

Look closely at the gaskets on your engine (between the case, cyl, head and cover). Sometimes it is obvious if someone has been in there cause they have been changed

Honda550k · « **Reply #23 on:** April 22, 2013, 08:42:02 PM »

Quote from: Stev-o on April 22, 2013, 08:32:23 PM

Do you have a motorcycle compression tester? An auto tester will not give you accurate readings.

Look closely at the gaskets on your engine (between the case, cyl, head and cover). Sometimes it is obvious if someone has been in there cause they have been changed

Crap. I thought an auto tester would've done it. I rushed to the automotive store too and made sure it was the same size as the spark plugs.

I have checked the gaskets on the case. They seem like in good condition. But I haven't checked for the cylinder, head and cover. Will definitely check that out tomorrow. Thanks Stevo.

Honda550k · « **Reply #24 on:** April 23, 2013, 02:43:52 PM »

So the battery was charged through the night. The bike started with no problem. I took the battery terminals out and the bike is still running

So I went ahead and took the tank out to make way for a compression test.

The results were:
Cylinder 1 : 140
Cylinder 2 : 135
Cylinder 3 : 135
Cylinder 4 : 140

Choke knob all they way down. Throttle fully open. This test was not performed with pouring oil where the spark plugs go.

After I was told by db22 to close the brass screws and turn them out 1.5 times.

So after I carb synced the bike. I went ahead and did the procedure told by Tews. I synced the as accordingly. 3 4 1 to match carb 2.

The bike idles nicely at around 1400 to 1600 rpm. Is that ok or should I play around with the fuel air mix?

Also during idle when I blip the throttle the rev hangs for a second and climbs back down. Is that normal?

After all of the work. I went a head and took the battery terminal out to see if it would still run. But the bike shut off. Is this because I was not constantly at 3000 rpm for the charging system to kick in?

I noticed during the carb sync that there's these little pipes that look to be connected by rubbers before because of the clean markings

Here's a picture of it

Should those be connected by a rubber tube?

Thanks for everyone's help.

Honda550k · « **Reply #25 on:** April 23, 2013, 03:20:16 PM »

I've read the manual from this site and it says connect the carbs together with a rubber. But the picture was blurry so I can't verify that it is the same thing I'm talking about.

Honda550k · « **Reply #26 on:** April 23, 2013, 07:30:20 PM »

Ok so I figured that those do connect with a rubber tube for air flow. Hopefully this fixes the rev hang issue. I will play around with the air fuel mix to so if it idles better. I know its all trial and error.

Thanks for the help guys I will get back here as soon as I do the work.

Honda550k · « **Reply #27 on:** April 27, 2013, 07:35:29 PM »

Ok. Here's the update. I've done the whole 3000 mile service except the value clearance as I just bought a feeler gauge. I did figure out why the battery died the last time I pulled it out. Someone here that the charging on the cb550 doesn't kick in till the rpm hits 3000. I placed the idle screw at 3000 and disconnected the battery terminals and it still works. I connected the carbs with fuel lines and also zip tied it just incase.

During idle around 1400 and under there is this knocking sound coming from the left side of the engine. Is that normal? I've read on this site that these engine do rattle. The sound goes away around 1700 rpm. Should I be worried?

Thanks for the help guys.

flybox1 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 27, 2013, 08:21:02 PM »

once you do your valve clearance you will want to vacuum sync. vac sync always comes last. the sound from the left could be a clutch adjustment is needed but i would do a cam chain readjustment.

Honda550k · « **Reply #29 on:** April 29, 2013, 09:16:50 AM »

Please help guys!!

Ok. I did a valve clearance adjustment. A cam chain adjustment. Checked the spark plugs. And when I go to turn the engine on it developed a ticking noise at the top end of the engine.

Here's a video of it. The noise is parallel to the rpm.m which doesn't sound like it in the video.

Thanks.

Tews19 · « **Reply #30 on:** April 29, 2013, 12:16:21 PM »

Hey not sure how you did the valve adjustment or cam chain but do not run it. Did you loosen the nut but keep the screw still when adjusting the cam chain?

Did you adjust the cam chain and valves according to the manual? It does not sound good right now.

Start over and go slowly through each procedure. The noise sounds like either valves hitting the pistons when they shouldn't or the cam chain slapping the case. Where are you located?

Honda550k · « **Reply #31 on:** April 29, 2013, 02:01:41 PM »

Thanks for your concern Tews. Well I did what you said and went through the procedure again. It solved the ticking sound. Not sure if it was the valve or the cam chain but it's gone now. I'm located in Ontario Canada. Thanks again.

LesterPiglet · « **Reply #32 on:** April 29, 2013, 02:25:02 PM »

That noise was tappets.

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Author Topic: Please help!!! (Read 3127 times)