New ivan's performance jet kit

Okay, so today I did some measuring and this is what I found on the right front cylinder (The bad one).

Resistance on the cap was as follows: 200K = 008, 20K = 08 and 2000 I didn't get anything. I did test a couple of the other caps and they read the same so I assumed the cap is good.

Next I tested the coil. The primary (as I understand it, It was the two wires coming off the coil) was as follow 200 = 04.6. The secondary (Again, as I understand it, from the wire on the coil to the end of the plug cap) was as follows: 200k = 21.0,

I did use a youtube video on how to test a coil on a motorcycle. The link to the video is [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRQ45lT2d3c]Testing your motorcycle coil - YouTube[/ame] Hopefully I did it right. I did test the cylinder again after completion with the fingertip method and it remained cold. If it helps any I have 32K miles on the bike.

I also took the airbox off to see if it was clogged at all, which it was not. However, upon putting it back on I found that the clamp would ride up on the collar which would have the collar move up on the carberator so I would only tighten up so much to prevent the riding up. It seemed the rubber collar was kind of soft. I am wondering if that is normal or if I need to replace the collars so they are stiffer. the left side collars and clamps tightened pretty good and tight (like the screw would tighten like any other screw, unlike the right side). Maybe they aren't tight enough and therefore have a leak.

I also took the airbox off to see if it was clogged at all, which it was not. However, upon putting it back on I found that the clamp would ride up on the collar which would have the collar move up on the carberator so I would only tighten up so much to prevent the riding up. It seemed the rubber collar was kind of soft. I am wondering if that is normal or if I need to replace the collars so they are stiffer. the left side collars and clamps tightened pretty good and tight (like the screw would tighten like any other screw, unlike the right side). Maybe they aren't tight enough and therefore have a leak.

If the air plenum above the carbs is not staying fully seated on the tops of the carbs, then you do not have it installed correctly - at least one place has the rubber folded under when you tried to put it down on the carbs. The clamps above the carbs are designed specifically so they cannot be over tightened (there is a metal bushing on the screw that limits how far it can co). It is a little tricky to get it on correctly, but that will have nothing to do with the problems you are fighting.

8K ohms for these plug caps is an acceptable reading - it is actually BELOW spec, which I have never seen, but that is probably just your meter. The quickest way for you to get a good idea if you have a bad coil or ignitor is to simply put a new plug in the cap and use some wire to solidly attach the base of the plug to some metal part of the engine, then start the bike and watch for spark. If you get regular spark, then you can be pretty sure all of your problems are in the carbs.

Goose

I did do the spark test while running the bike and I did have a constant pulsating spark. The plug was pretty black (I think it was carbon cuz it wasn't wet). I cleaned it and put it back in. I just replaced my plugs in Mar or Apr. I will try the switch with the plugs. Hopefully I get to work on it some more tomorrow and if not I guess it will be Sunday. I will try the other thing with the ohms as well after doing a search on here on what to do. Thanks all for you help thus far!

 

Also, Can I purchase just plug caps? I haven't changed the plug wires since I bought it in 2011 so not sure if maybe they are due to be changed as well.

Find an old post by me about cleaning plug caps - probably in the tech library. Be very careful to NOT try to clean the resistor in any way. If you have a problem, it will be on the base of the spring where it contacts the inside of the cap. Also do not loose the tiny thin brass disc that fits between the spring and the resistor.

The plug caps just unscrew from the wires. Check the resistance by putting one probe inside the cap where the plug goes, and the other probe on the screw that goes inside the wire when you put the cap back on. You cannot change the wires on this bike. I imagine you can buy new caps from Yamaha, but I never tried. I did do some research on available aftermarket caps - only option was NGK 5K ohm caps.

Thanks Squidley, I will keep that in mind. I also wanted ot mention that when I did the fingertip test yesterday morning when the bike was completely cool I found that the whole right side wasn't working correctly. I found that while the left side was hot the right side front remained pretty cool and the right back was just warm. Not sure if that matters but that is what I found.

Goose

If you still have the airbox off...verify the carb bowl vents are clear on the right side...

they share a common hose so check it too.

They will cause a very rich mixture if plugged as the carb will pressure up.

Today I held the throttle for a few seconds and continued to rev the engine then checked the pipe and it was hot.

I did put it all together yesterday so I can't check the carbs at the moment without taking it apart again. I am not sure where to check on the carbs for the vent.

Goose, do you mind if I give you a call for verbal guidance? I am also trying to use propane to see if there is an air leak somewhere but can't get to the top of the carbs so I prob will have to take the tank off again anyways.

Ok, after putting the new plug in and running it a couple/few minutes I am still getting carbon on the spark plug. Could this just be a carb synch issue? Is the screw you adjust the fuel air mixture screw?

Also, I did check the new spark plug (prior to putting it in the bike) by putting it to ground and it was sparking consistantley.

I did move the tank and tried to put the hose for the propane behind the carbs and I couldn't hear a change in the idle so I am thinking there isn't an air leak. I can only guess I got it far enough back there.

It is very tough to tell you specifically what the problem might be without a lot more detailed information. But based on what I have seen so far, I'm pretty confident it is all in the carbs. Some of your posts make me think that you do not have much knowledge about the carb adjustment and sync processes on this bike - all that info is available on this site for a little research.

Have the carbs been properly cleaned? Are the floats set correctly? Have you verified the pilot jets are all in the correct carbs (four carbs and three different pilot jet sizes)? Are the caps and vacuum hoses on the vacuum ports in like-new condition? (If the two caps are over 3 years old, I guarantee you they are not, and the vacuum hoses are often damaged by careless mechanics.) Although the elimination of all vacuum leaks is important for proper running, I will say that it is unlikely to be your main problem. On the other hand, proper routing and functioning of the carb vent lines is critical on CV carbs for good operation above idle.

But your first problem is to just get all four cylinders to fire properly at idle, and that really only involves clean, properly sized pilot jets, a reasonable setting of the air screws, and a decent spark. Minor vacuum leaks will not particularly affect idle operation, but an open vacuum port will. A really screwed up carb sync CAN give you fits at idle simply because the sync process just changes how far the butterfly valves are open on each carb, so it is always a good idea to make sure the sync is reasonably close before you do anything else.

One more comment - good tools are important. You need to be able to assure your idle is set to 1,000 RPM (NOT just guessing by ear unless you are very experienced with this bike). And using real vacuum gauges to do the sync also gives you one more important piece of information that other tools do not - how much actual vacuum is your bike pulling? If you are not seeing at least 10" Hg at idle, that is a strong indication of probable clogged pilot jets. If all four are low, the issue is probably the carbs, but if one or two are low and stay low, it may well be an issue with rings or valves.

I have no idea if you are the first or subsequent owner of this bike, but there is always the possibility that some ham-fisted bozo has really screwed up the pilot jets in your carbs by sticking something in them trying to clean out the gunk. Unfortunately, there is really no way to tell that without having new or otherwise known-good jets to try.

Feel free to give me a call, my number is in my profile. I often do not have my phone with me when I am out working on the property, so just leave a message and I will try to call you back.

Goose

Goose, you are correct, I do not have much mechanical experience to include carbs.

Either tomorrow or Friday I have a guy that knows about carbs coming over and we are going to take a look at them and I will update. I am afraid to go into them by myself without much knowledge. I will let you know when we complete it how it went. Thanks for all the help so far!

I got plugged pilot jets, I got 44 mpg yesterday, I divided the miles (48.8) by the gallons it took to refill the tank (1.01) and got 48 mpg but that was almost ALL freeway miles @ a very carefully controlled 60mph. There are only a couple of hills but quite a few long ups and downs that you really can't call a "hill". I just changed the oil to Lucas 10W30 synthetic, changed the NGK (stock plugs), made sure the tires were pumped up to 41 psi each, aired up the suspension too. I blew out the air filter too. I was alone on these trips.

I am pleased and won't be riding at an indicated 65 to 68 mph for extended distances any more. Duh.

The MPG before my little experiment was in the 30s. I had Rotella oil, plugs had about 8 k on them. tires were @ 38 and 37 psi.

Ok, I just finished cleaning my carb and after putting it back together the front right cylinder still does not get hot on idle. The person helping me doesn't think anything is wrong with the jets. So still at square one with the cylinder. I guess a carb synch is the next logical step.

All, the caps read the same, being 8.

OK, here is yet another test that can prove if the cylinder can fire or not - remove the cap from the vacuum nipple, and when the engine is idling, spray some starter fluid or carb cleaner in the nipple - idle speed should pick up and header pipe should get hot. If it does, then you know for a fact that the carb is NOT feeding proper fuel at idle.

Goose

Hey Goose, I just want to verify that the readings I got from the secondary were not to far out of spec so that I can rule out the coil as being bad before I take it to the shop to let them figure it out. The specs on the secondary were:

The secondary (Again, as I understand it, from the wire on the coil to the end of the plug cap) was as follows: 200k = 21.0,

The Clymer's book shows the resistance as being between something like 8,000 and 16,000 Ohms. Unfortunately I left the book at work so I can't verify those numbers. Or maybe it's between 12,000 and 16,000. Either way I think the highest number was around 16,000.

Also would it do any good to swap the front right and front left coil wires to test?

I just thought of something else while going through the threads tonight. When we pulled the jets I think we put them back in all the way down. It seems that the pilot jet should be set out an x amount of turns. Seems the basic standard without an analyzer is 2 1/2 turns. I guess I should check that to verify. I just have to verify which one is the pilot jet. lol

I think you need to find someone that knows these bike and lives near you, dealers are only good for selling you parts. I really think all you needed was to sync the carbs from someone that knows how too on these bikes. To me it sounds like the carbs on the right side are/were out of adjustment, don't know now with what has been done. you can only get so much help on the boards and sometimes you just need someone that knows to come over and take a look. I'd check with star touring riding to see if you have any chapters near you and get in touch with someone from their chapter and see if they can help you. you know your area around you so you can figure out how far away help is. looks like your an the west side on Tenn so maybe they have one near you in AR. Best thing I ever bought for my bike was a carb tune and do that myself, very easy. it was cheaper than paying a dealer to do it.

Thanks for the reply Billmac. I guess I will give that a try and see what happens. Also, I was looking at RPM gauges and can't figure out what to use. What RPM gauge do you use? I have been looking at them on Amazon but there are just too may choices. I was thinking of buying the Carbtune anyways so I would have it.

I don't have a tac,but when I sync I turn up the idle screw until the rods in the carb tune is bouncing in the middle of the window when done turn the idle back down. just going by the sound and the sounds of friends ventures with the same pipe. Think carbonone bought one, check his posts or search tacs and look for him.

Hoochster, did you try the last test suggested by Goose? What was the outcome?

I did try that test and nothing happened. I am assuming I did it correctly. I took the "rubber boot" off of the vacumm thing (Assumed it is the "Vaccumm Nipple that was referred to) and sprayed some carb cleaner in it and there was no change. The hole was really small but I think I was able to get the cleaner in it. I order the Carbtune on Thursday and will try to synch once it comes in. He is absolutely correct in me not being a huge mechanic so this is all new to me and I am not the original owner so not sure if anything was done to the bike prior to me owning it.

Attached is a pic of where I sprayed the carb cleaner to see if the idle changes as goose suggested. Is that the correct place? I just want to ensure I am testing it correctly since I didn't get any change. I only prayed it for a couple seconds because I wasn't sure how long and didn't know if carb cleaner is corrosive on the other parts of the bike.

Ok, so today I did a carb synch with the carbtune. My reading prior to the synch were cylinder: 1=26, 2=22, 3=30 and 4=36. After the synch they were all roughly 27 CMHG. My front right cylinder still doesn't get as hot as the rest at idle but it did get warm. within about 1 min. So, I am thinking maybe it needs a valve job. I know it hasn't had a valve job since I have owned it. I bought it used in 2010 and have put about 20,000 miles on it (current miles is 32,800). It did it for a year from end of 2012-end of 2013 (Not sure if that would have anything to do with the anything just thought I'd mention it). A carb job done by dealer in MAR of 2014 from it sitting.

On a separate note, I ended up putting a slit in one of the hoses while pulling it off for the synch. It isn't very big but is there anything I can put on it to seal it or do I have to replace it? Just looking for a temp fix until the winter ends but may ride a little during winter so I thought I would ask. Thanks!

Okay, time to close this out. I now get about 40 MPG. The cylinder fires right. The issue was the jets were different sizes. There were three 17s and one 45. The one with the 45 was the bad cylinder. Replaced all the jets with 20s and all is now good. Thanks again to all for your help.