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frankd

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Everything posted by frankd

  1. frankd
    Pgunn has a point. What year is this bike?? You posted your question in the 1st. Gen section, but your profile doesn't say what year and model bike you have?? Frank D.
  2. frankd
    Are you certain that it's running on all 4 cylinders? When the TCI goes bad and a couple of cylinders have no spark, some report that the tach doesn't work any more.
  3. frankd
    Thanks for posting a great video. I've still got a lot of their albums in my record cabinet... Frank D.
  4. frankd
    Chris, Thanks for the info. I ordered 4 of them today from my local dealer. Tazmocycle, Now I'm thinking that the seats needed to be replaced. I've owned this bike for 4 years, and since I bought it you always heard the fuel pump cycle if it's been sitting a half hour or more. You're probably right in assuming that any particles from the hose would get caught in the screen above the seat. Bkuhr, Thanks for the info. I ordered them from my local dealer for a little less. The big saving will be that I can just pick them up there and no additional shipping will be added. It'll also be a bit quicker. My local dealer gives a 20% discount if you order the parts online. If the parts are in stock in the warehouse south of Milwaukee, I could get them tomorrow afternoon. If they come from California, it'll be Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Frank D.
  5. frankd
    Here's a post by the driver of the Vette, and he says the rider may have injured his wrist. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-general/3150753-victim-of-the-tail-of-the-dragon.html
  6. frankd
    It's hard to believe, but this article say that he walked away. Frank D. http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/10/accident-watch-this-lucky-motorcyclist-survived-a-head-on-collision-with-a-c5-vette-video/
  7. frankd
    At least 1 of my needles has been leaking for as long as I've owned the bike and while I've got everything apart, I'm going to replace all 4. Whenever the bike was shut off for more than 1/2 hour, when you turned the ignition ON, you'd hear the fuel pump cycle a couple of times. Overnight it would cycle 5-6 times at least. I saw a post somewhere that said that the fuel pumps on Mk II bikes might have a cracked inlet valve that would cause this and it sounded about right. Well, it wasn't. I replaced the fuel hose (between the carbs and the fuel pump) and got the idea that I could block off the end of the new hose, cycle the fuel pump, and see if it leaks. It's been sitting about 3 hours now, and still hasn't needed to cycle. That means I've had 1 or more needles seeping or leaking for the last 4 years. Needles are $13.08/ea. at my dealer. JCWarshawsky has them for $36 for a set of 5, but they're not available at the JCW store, which is only about 35 miles from me, so I'd have to get them shipped. Anyplace else I should check for prices?? Frank D.
  8. frankd
    Twigg, I've been having the same thoughts because as you said, there are only a few things that would cause this...... The floats appear to be fine and everything was put together properly. When Squidley asked me if I'd changed the needles, I started wondering if the tips might be getting hard on the old ones, although Viton holds up pretty well. That leaves crud on the seat. I couldn't see any, but I blew out the seats this time. Where did the crud come from??? The carbs were clean when I pulled them apart, so it looks like it's something I disturbed. This could come from 2 sources.....the first is the hose falling apart, and when I replaced the missing clamp or moved the hose around it could happen. Or did something get in the hose while it was open and the carbs were out. It's also a possibility. I'm going to stop at the auto parts store and see if I can buy some 1/4" gas hose, hopefully with some kind of high temperature protection like the original hose has. If not, I will flush out the hose by cycling the kill switch before putting it back on the carbs.
  9. frankd
    No new parts were installed. I didn't tap the float chamber, but I did drain the gas out of the carbs and then refilled them and that stopped the overflow. I don't think that one of my floats has taken on any gas because all 4 show the same level (as close as you can get them) dry (when compared to the line on the jet tube) and the gas level is within .5mm of each other. I would think that a heavy float would give me a higher gas level. After the first re-assembly, I adjusted the idle mixture, carb. sync. and idle speed the bike idled for quite a while and it was running great. Then I took it for a ride and THEN the gas level went up and overflowed and the idle speed started coming down. Is it normal to replace the needles? They appear to be fine, but I'm sure the tip has gotten harder over time. Brad, you said something about particles in the gas. I was wondering about particles coming off the gas supply hose. When I took it apart, there wasn't a clamp on the line, but there was a mark where one had been. It hadn't been leaking though. Of course I put a clamp on the hose. I wondered if some of the hose liner had broken off the hose. Nobody else has had that problem though, and I did swab the inside of the hose with a Q-tip.....I did get some black discoloration from the hose, but no particles. I probably should change it just in case. Frank
  10. frankd
    Twigg & Mbrood....Thanks for the ideas. Actually I came up with a slightly different way and already had them put back together. I took my 3/8" air impact, put a #3 phillips bit in the socket that goes on my hammer-impact, and turned the torque way down so it would hammer but not put a lot of twist on the screws. They came out relatively easy. Now about the carbs. I adjusted all 4 floats and now they are in spec. I put it all back together and it was running great. I took it for a ride, and I noticed that my idle speed was getting slower and slower. Then I started smelling gas and when I got back home I noticed that gas was coming out of the left rear carb overflow hose. I drained the 2 left carbs and let the fuel pump fill them back up. No more overflow. I took it for another ride and about 10 minutes after I left home I started smelling gas again and the idle speed started dropping. I took everything back apart and checked the floats and needle valves. I could find nothing wrong. I checked the fuel level again on the left carbs. and both were fine, and the level was stable. When I opened the float chambers, everything looked fine. The spring was hooked around the float tab like it's supposed to be, and the chamber was clean. I blew out the needle's seat, but they looked clean before I did. Any ideas?? Frank D.
  11. frankd
    This leads me to the question: Is it possible that coils and/or spark plug wires could be delivering a weak spark to the spark plugs causing poor fuel ignition. If so what is the best way to verify hot spark current at the spark plug cap? Pull the spark plug cap, and plug in a known good spark plug. Make sure the base is grounded. Then start the bike and look at the spark. If it's strong and blue things are fine. Frank D.
  12. frankd
    Bob, The dark plugs say all 4 cylinders are running rich.....Most Venture plugs come out almost white. Have you checked the float levels? Frank D.
  13. frankd
    I THINK it has something to do with the air cleaners. First Gens have one air cleaner, so the carbs draw from a common chamber....and the carbs have identical jets. 2nd Gens have a left and right cylinder air cleaner. The difference in main jets may be to compensate for different amount of restriction between the left and right air cleaners. Frank D.
  14. frankd
    Squidley, You can get the headlight plug at Autozone, Advance Auto, or Pep Boys. Heck, you can probably get it at any auto part store. The plug is the same as any 2 filament headlight. Inspect it before you buy it though...some have mighty light gauge wire. Frank
  15. frankd
    I would say 'ditto' to what the others have been saying, but the only difference is mine is a 1st Gen. Rick took my seat which had been modified by a local upholsterer and transformed it from something that was very uncomfortable into something that is so good that you never think about it. That's a big difference. In the 7 months since he's worked on it, Barb and I have ridden 14,000 miles, including some 550 miles days. No butt pain for either of us. Send your seat(s) to Rick. Frank D.
  16. frankd
    Well, I split the carbs into 2 sections, and pulled the float cover off of the first pair. I fiddled with them, but I didn't get them right. Then I went and re-read what Dingy and Squidley had to say when Squidley was working on an 86, and that info. made setting them relatively easy. Thanks Squidley and Dingy!!! Then I went to the 2nd pair......I got the first 7 screws out of the float covers, but one wouldn't co-operate. I ended up drilling the head off of that one and replacing it. I set those the same way, and all 4 are now reading very close to 16mm below the center line. Tomorrow will be a shorter day, but I'll work on putting the carbs back together. I will work on getting them flatter (all 4 at equal height) than they were. I know they weren't put together correct because I could get the left side level when they were on the bike, and then the right side wouldn't be level. So much fun. Twigg.....My carbs worked, except my gas mileage went down quite a bit after I replaced the diaphragms. 3 of my floats were a little high, but one was 5mm high. I was surprised how clean the float bowls were. Frank
  17. frankd
    Well, after a fight, I've got the carbs on the bench. By fight, I mean that first I couldn't get the choke cable clamp screw to turn, even with an impact driver. I was supporting the bracket with a screwdriver so it wouldn't bend, and with the other hand I held the impact driver. My wife (the carpenter's daughter) hit the impact driver. Nothing. We finally finished stripping out the head. I ended up drilling the head off the screw. And then shank of the screw just turned right out. Then I couldn't get the carbs out of the boots. Yes, I had the clamps very loose--actually to the end of the screw, but still I had to pry them up to get them to move. I don't remember fighting with my 1200 the 2 times I had the engine out (2nd gear and then broken frame). Now it looks to me like I have to split the carbs into left and right pairs in order to remove the float cover and adjust them. I can't get the bracket screws to move with a #3 Phillips (by brackets I mean the pieces that hold the carbs to each other). Do I need to use the impact driver OR are they Loctited? Or are mine just more stubborn than average (like the choke cable screw)? Frank D.
  18. frankd
    My memory made me ask that question....I had it in my mind that when you loosened the drain screw the gas came out that hole. I opened the first screw and gas came out of the vent hose. I was going to come in and tell that I had it wrong, but I didn't quite get here in time....I used to drain my 83 carbs when I stored it for the winter, but lately I've just been Staybiling the gas. Anyway, I leveled the bike. Side to side was relatively easy, but front to back I had to let all the air out of the front suspension and then lower the front tire pressure. Any then I found that when the left set of carbs was level, the right carbs weren't. I'd suspect that there not quite down all the way. I split the difference and measured the fuel levels. I've got 1 cylinder that measures 15mm, one that measures 14.5mm, one 14mm, and the winner is 11mm. (Spec on MkII bikes is 15.5-16.5mm) I've also got 1 cylinder that flows very little gas when you loosen the drain screw. The level in the tubing moves very slow, at first I didn't think I was getting any gas out. I lowered the tubing and gas came out of the vent 1 drop at a time. My 89 used to get 40MPG @ 72 actual MPH (75 on speedometer), but after I put in the new diaphragms, my mileage went down. That makes sense because the needle is being pulled out of the main jet more now, but on my trip the gas mileage went real low when I started pulling those long grades if I left the cruise on. If I disengaged the cruise and kept the throttle from opening so much and shifted down to 4th gear on grades, it was better. On my last 2 tanks in Illinois, I set the cruise on 68 MPH actual, and I only got 35.5 & 36MPG with a very strong tail wind. Do I need to do more than just adjust my floats? Frank
  19. frankd
    I think you probably have a clutch issue, not a transmission going bad. If the transmission itself had teeth on gears jumping, you would hear and feel it, and it wouldn't be pleasant. The reason you only feel the clutch slipping in 5th is that 5th is a lot taller of a gear and it takes more torque to do the same job that the lower gears need. Get the bike in 4th and crank up the throttle all the way. I'll bet you hear it slip there also. Depending on how many miles you have on your bike, and how long it's been slipping, you may have to replace the clutch plates. But if it's just started slipping and the clutch plates aren't worn yet (measure them with a caliper OR a micrometer) you may be able to use a heavier clutch diaphragm spring kit. You can contact Skydoc17 for this. Yamaha clutch springs are a bit weak. I put a Skydoc clutch spring in my 89 about a month ago. It's a little harder to pull in(the spring is stronger), but now the clutch is solid when I let it out. My clutch plates were usable, but I was careful not to let it slip. Frank
  20. frankd
    I want to check the float level on my 89, and I've read the directions and other posts. If you've done this, how have you connected the tubing to the carb. drain screw so that it doesn't leak? I read where Yammie has a special tool for this, but I saw that it looks like Dingy had something just pushed into the hole that he was able to connect a hose to. What's worked for you? Frank D.
  21. frankd
    When we were in Mesa Verde, I'd guess that it was in the high 70's or low 80's....beautiful weather. Here's some pictures from the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. Our daughter lives in Albuquerque, so we were there for 5 days. Frank
  22. frankd
    Meach, Now the Pike's Peak road is paved all the way to the top, so no more soft spots. The only part not paved is the peak itself. I've heard that the Sierra Group sued the federal government for allowing the dust from the Pike's Peak auto race to pollute the atmosphere. So the road was paved to eliminate the dust. Also, the traffic wasn't that bad on a weekday in early October. June-August there's a lot more visitors Uncle DJ, It ran just like any carbureated gasoline engine @ 14,000 feet. Power was reduced, it cranked REAL fast when you hit the start button, and it idled a little lower. The clutch on my bike was flushed and bled in May, but I noticed that it was a bit spongy up there. The brakes felt pretty good though. Here are some pictures from Mesa Verde National Park where some Native Americans made a shelter in the cliffs in about 1200AD Frank
  23. frankd
    Here's a few more pictures from the Pike's Peak. I'll post more pictures a little later. Frank
  24. frankd
    Barb and I just got home from a 2 week long, 4600 mile trip. Boy was it great! The first part was down to Murfreesboro, TN to watch our 12 year old grandson quarterback a football game. Then we met up our friends (that ride a '12 Gold Wing) in southern Illinois and the 4 of us headed for Colorado Springs. There we visited the Garden of the Gods, and then Pike's Peak. For those that have never ridden up Pike's Peak on a motorcycle, I'll say that it should be on every touring rider's bucket list. Wow!! We've been up twice before, but it's been 20 years since the last time, and it was in our truck both times. As we were going up, I was watching my heat gauge climb into the red, but then we sped up a little and the grade wasn't as severe, and it cooled back down. A little later, we got stuck behind some real slow 4 wheelers and I had to go back to 1st gear quite a bit. Also there are some real tight corners with a steep grade that like 1st gear. Well, the Venture heated up again and the gauge was about in the middle of the red band (Mk II). On the CB, my friend Bill came on and said the his heat gauge was almost pegged. We pulled off on the side for a bit. As soon as we stopped climbing, my heat gauge came down quickly, but the GW took a bit longer. We started back up again and the Venture did pretty good, but the GW required another stop near the top. Up on top at 14,000 feet, the temp was 34 degrees, and it was very windy (30-40MPH). The ride down was even better than going up. Now I could relax more because I didn't have to worry about stalling on a tight, steep curve, or the bike heating up. There were quite a few bikes on the Peak the day we were there. Did I hear somebody in the back say "where are the pictures"? OK, I'll post some.
  25. frankd
    I don't think you want to use brake fluid. It may swell the seals. Frank d.
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