Topic: i started my 550 for the first time!!!!

[xsmooth69x]

i finally started the bike!!!!

it sounded really good and idled which was nice!!

the only thing though is my carbs are leaking everywhere even after the bike is off.....

is this normal? they are all leaking out of the bottom of the carb bowls through the little tubes.... all 4 of them and then some gas started to drip out of the whole in the intake bottom.....

also the bike wont start without bypassing everything

dave500 told me to make a patch cable and i ran this cable from the battery to the black with white stripes wires on both coils

bike roared btw its amazing

[WarwickE36]

You F'd up... probably float height

Surprised it runs with gas going everywhere....

Dont take the torch to it.  unless you have everything insured.

[xsmooth69x]

You F'd up... probably float height

Surprised it runs with gas going everywhere....

Dont take the torch to it.  unless you have everything insured.

ya i have a fire extinguisher and i dont want to start it again because it keeps hemorrhaging gas

float hight? ho do i adjust that?

[Bankerdanny]

Check all of the overflow tubes for cracks too. They can be hard to see.

[xsmooth69x]

Check all of the overflow tubes for cracks too. They can be hard to see.

would this keep my carbs leaking?

[WarwickE36]

Should have been done when the carbs were rebuilt.  Floats are what actuate the needles to open and close the flow of gas to each bowl.  assuming your bike has 022a carbs the correct height is 22mm.  Measured from the carb body to the bottom of the float.  Do it with the carbs out and on their side.  Make sure the spring loaded plunger in the float needle is NOT depressed at all during the adjustment.  Adjust by bending the tang that touches the float needle with a flathead JIS (just for TT) screwdriver.  If you are unclear of the terms I used, refer to the manual or search here.  Pictures can be worth a thousand words in this procedure.  Good luck

[xsmooth69x]

Should have been done when the carbs were rebuilt.  Floats are what actuate the needles to open and close the flow of gas to each bowl.  assuming your bike has 022a carbs the correct height is 22mm.  Measured from the carb body to the bottom of the float.  Do it with the carbs out and on their side.  Make sure the spring loaded plunger in the float needle is NOT depressed at all during the adjustment.  Adjust by bending the tang that touches the float needle with a flathead JIS (just for TT) screwdriver.  If you are unclear of the terms I used, refer to the manual or search here.  Pictures can be worth a thousand words in this procedure.  Good luck

damn it!!

off comes the carbs.........

[WarwickE36]

As Danny said check the overflow tubes for cracks with the bowls off.. I find it hard to believe all 4 are cracked, unless they were cleaned with a blow torch 

Also pull the needles and make sure these isnt anything blocking them i.e. rust.

judging by your pics with the inline filters i doubt its rust, but you never know.  If rust gets lodged in the passageway of the float needle it will hold it open allowing gas to flow indefinitely.

[xsmooth69x]

no cracks and all the floats where at 22mm.....

now those damn circle gaskets got stretched out or something and i cant get them back in!!!   

[BobbyR]

You can use a glue stick like the kids use or some nail polish to glue the gasket temporarily into place while you put them on.

[TwoTired]

They aren't stretched, they are swollen.  Were these Honda gaskets or aftermarket ones you saved money on? 

Let them dry out a few days and they will be smaller again.  If you can heat soak them at 110 degrees or so, they'll shrink faster.  Use a shield on your blow torch to block the open flame.


Ain't modern gas additives a kick?

[xsmooth69x]

They aren't stretched, they are swollen.  Were these Honda gaskets or aftermarket ones you saved money on? 

Let them dry out a few days and they will be smaller again.  If you can heat soak them at 110 degrees or so, they'll shrink faster.  Use a shield on your blow torch to block the open flame.


Ain't modern gas additives a kick?

i put them in my toaster oven in between tin foil  hope my toast wont taste like gas tomorrow morning....

[xsmooth69x]

toaster oven worked great!!! 

[xsmooth69x]

so i started my bike ran it for like 5 min warmed it up snapped the throttle a couple times let it idle..... ya it idled hurray

then after the bike cooled down.... well its cold now i went and ate dinner did a compression test and it read

150 151 148 140

if you where sitting on the bike and looked straight down the number coincides with the cylinders

is that good?

[scottly]

Those numbers are fine. You have come a long way grasshopper.

[xsmooth69x]

Those numbers are fine. You have come a long way grasshopper.

i know thank you so much these forums are awesome!!! ask me about networking or building computers or tuning import cars but this 70s technology totally alludes me

[xsmooth69x]

after running the bike like i did the plugs look weird

these were fresh plugs too

before all this i took a fresh plug and went through each individual spark plug wire and boot and kicked it with the spark plug to the engine and everyone sparked

but it looks like 2 and 4 didnt even do anything.....

the bike ran and idled fine.... can these bikes run on only 2 cylinders?

[BeSeeingYou]

I hear a blowtorch is good for getting that gas off the leaking carbs.

Running at idle and snapping the throttle will not give you a real good read of the plugs as it will run a bit rich at idle but it should not be as dark as that.  It does look like two of those were not firing.

The fuel level should be below the gasket so if you have leaking it is either a float issue or needle valve leaking or both.

[TwoTired]

How long has the bike sat without running?

I'd run it with those numbers.  Have you done a vacuum sync yet?  ...Or the rest of the tune up schedule?

# 1 is on the left as you sit on the bike.

[scottly]

Cylinder #3 is too rich. Recheck the float level on that carb. Had an LOL from the new avatar, BTW. Much less spastic looking than the old one.

[Spanner 1]

Now ride your 550 for the first time... do 100 miles in , say , 2 or 3 goes then see how many 'problems' go away...  .... a regular fix with old SOHCS... ride'em.

[xsmooth69x]

ya i dig the new avatar but it makes my face look a little fat 

i did check all the float levels and they are all 22m but i did it with a ruler and comensated for the small gap at the end before it starts to measure. they couldnt be more than 1mm off

the bike sat from 2002 is when the tags expired on the licence plate when i bought it

i only ran the bike for 5 min or so 3 warming up and 2 min of running it up and down the throttle and a couple throttle snaps

but ya after i turned it off my carbs started hemorrhaging gas so i took them off and measured them

i did not have the time to take the carb syncs out and do it yet

i just didnt want to run the bike to long because i know the points are gapped right and i was running a patch line from the + terminal on the battery straight to my coils and the coils where getting kinda hot so i stopped

[xsmooth69x]

Now ride your 550 for the first time... do 100 miles in , say , 2 or 3 goes then see how many 'problems' go away...  .... a regular fix with old SOHCS... ride'em.

serious?

[scottly]

Now ride your 550 for the first time... do 100 miles in , say , 2 or 3 goes then see how many 'problems' go away...  .... a regular fix with old SOHCS... ride'em.

serious?

Spanner speaks true words. Fix your wiring so you have a proper kill switch first.

[TwoTired]

Now ride your 550 for the first time... do 100 miles in , say , 2 or 3 goes then see how many 'problems' go away...  .... a regular fix with old SOHCS... ride'em.

serious?

Yes, running it will often help re-seat piston rings and improve valve seat seal.  This assumes the engine is in otherwise good tune, of course.

Cheers,