Topic: Another carb problem... sorry, there seems to be a lot of these

[written_black]

I've got some issues. First off, I did adjust the valves, and set timing. I rebuilt the carb's and the bike has ran fine. It's been sitting for about two weeks since I last rode it. Granted I havent rode it much since I haven't gotten tagged yet. Today I finally got it tagged and took it for it's maiden voyage and it ran like crap. I let it warm up for a few minutes then I took off. It did good for about two blocks then it acted like the petcock was off, so I checked to see that it was on, and it progressively got worse and I barely made it home. I checked to make sure the fuel was flowiing like it shoudl, and it was. Anyway this is what it's doing now: have to choke it to make it run, have to keep the engine above 3000 rpm or it wants to die, it pop out the exhaust when you give it gas. The other night I noticed that it was blowing smoke like it was running too rich. You couldn't see it unless it was out of the light in my garage. I looked at the carb FAQ and it has qualities of running lean and running rich. Thanks for any help.

[Cvillechopper]

Did you synch the carbs after you put them back together?  Do you have a fuel filter installed?  Standard exhaust/ filter ?

[dusterdude]

ask bob wessner,he`s the local carb guru.

[TwoTired]

First off, does it seem reasonable to you that we would remember what bike you have?

Clean carbs that are fed dirty fuel become dirty carbs.  Any bits in the fuel larger than about .016 inch plug up the slow jets.  Plugged slow jets do fit the symptoms you describe.

You also might want to try switching reserve.

Check your spark plug deposits for clues.

Check you points for water contamination.

[written_black]

Sorry.. it's a 73 CB500. I synced the carbs, it has new fuel filers, and I cleaned the tank out. I also switched it over to reserve. The plugs were white on the electrodes. I also forgot the other day when I tried to start it it flooded on me, and I had to let it sit. It's got me baffled.

[TwoTired]

If the plugs are white it is running too lean and you have a fuel starvation issue.  I'd guess at this point it is plugged jets.  Probably the slows at least.
See:
http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html

Please describe why you think it was "flooded".

Cheers,

[written_black]

The plugs were drenched when I pulled them, and it smoked for a bit after I finally started it. Yeah I am going to pull the carbs tomorrow and look at them. That makes sense that the slow jets may be clogged since it wont run under 3,000 rpm. I"ll keep everyone updated on the problem. On a good note I got the brakes fixed. They were squeeling horribly. The piston had crud and rust on it. I cleaned it up with 1500 grit sand paper, and beveled the pads. They work like a charm now. Probably as soon as I get it running great again, something else will mess up on me. Thats been the trend so far. Oh well, I like working on it, thats part of the charm.

[pmpski_1]

Probably as soon as I get it running great again, something else will mess up on me. Thats been the trend so far. Oh well, I like working on it, thats part of the charm.

Yesterday I rode mine without a problem* for the first time. It feels good once it's all working but sometimes it's frustrating getting there.

*I still need a blinker relay

[written_black]

Carb problem fixed!! I had a set of part carbs that i took the floats out of and put in mine, I was hoping they would all be set the same, and they seem to be doing great. Drove it around for about an hr today. I need to resync the carb's but I am going to wait for a rainy day. Guess what though... The brake squeel is back. I'm thinking I am going to have to rebuild the caliper or something. The more I used the brakes the worse the squeel got. Of course the noise ended as soon as I layed on the brakes. What a pain. Hopefully I'll have the new pics of it up soon.