in DIRE need of engine help!!!

[wannabridin]

hey guys, i JUST got thru wit all my winter mods...new paint, bars, exhaust, seat, rear sigs, side mount, cat eye and new spark plugs. ill get pics up as soon as i can get a digital camera. my problem is, is that whtn i used up the LIL bit of gas i hed left in the gas container after i put it in the gas tank, the bike started up n ran GREAT. i used up all that gas and went n got a gallon of super n put it in the gas tank n now it wont fire right. it sounds like the timings off or somethin, almost like its tryin to b a harley. and when i give it even more than like 1.8 throttle, it dies cuz it seems to flood. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me out one this and actually RESPOND with anything you got. my last post about paint has been up for like 2 r 3 months it seems and NO ONE has responded. wheres the old shadowriders guys that would answer EVERYTHING id put up?? please get back to me as i need to ride SOON!!!! im jonesin hardcore!!!

thanks guys

[Tangledj]

Before you go spastic make sure your freakin choke is in,and the cables.(choke,
and push/pull throttle)arent hanging.Check plugs.It doesnt matter if they're new.
Your floats my be hanging?I havent a clue man other than lttle things like than.
Maybe Nav will stop in.

[navillustoo]

wannabe,
First you need to get rid of that Super! 87 octane is all your engine needs! My bike would spit and sputter on the 93 octane gas, even shot flames outta the exhaust! That may be ALL of your problem, or it may not be, but you gotta start somewhere! If, after you replace the 93 octane with 87 and the engine still doesn't run right, we'll have to figure it out from there. What all did you have off the bike when you were workin' on it?

Brian

[M@Man]

Also a thought, what shape is the battery in? Voltage? Cells Full?
I didn't see it mentioned, so I figured I'd ask.
And get rid of that high octane.

M@

[AirportFF]

Yea what Brian said...ditch the super. These bikes run better on 87-89 octane. The super doesn't burn right in them.

[AirportFF]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me out one this and actually RESPOND with anything you got. my last post about paint has been up for like 2 r 3 months it seems and NO ONE has responded. wheres the old shadowriders guys that would answer EVERYTHING id put up??
thanks guys


Gee, sorry we aren't more attentive to your needs, :wink_2:

Would that be the post concerning flat black paint? I personally don't care for the look, and really don't know much about painting, so I didn't feel the need to post.

[wannabridin]

damn thats wierd, cuz ive put super in it ever since ive owned it. well ill go ahead and ditch the super and fill er up with regular. also, when i was doin all tha mods, i had my tank off for about a month n a half. also, ive had my batter off n on a trickle charger for the past 2 weeks to make sure its full a juice. well ill try the regular pump gas nestead now. thanks for the help. also, all the spark plugs are good, and before i put the super in, i had put about 4 ounces of like 3 month old gas back in there and she ran GREAT on that. so i dunno... maybe the old gas had "downgraded" some from premium to low grade or somethin... ill try the 87 octane and let yall know

[RAZOR]

similar problem when i first got my bike,it would start and sputter and die.
.took it to the stealer and they cleaned the carbs out
said they were all tarnished and gummed up.found out it was my fault--i would only drive it in the morning one block and it would not warm up enough to burn out the condensation out of the cylinders and i would also never turn off the
fuel knob,the oil got watery and smelled like fuel--stealer said all the condensation
that was not burned off would bleed down into the crankcase and all leaving the fuel
knob on the fuel would also bleed down into the oil.-(of course i was charged)-
my not be your problem but just a suggestion ck to see if the oil is milky and smells like fuel----

[wannabridin]

razor, how much did they charge you? also, it wont run well enough to actually take it on the road. im gunna try the fuel suggestion, but just in case, how much did they charge you? thanks alot!! also, if anyone else has any suggestions, LAY em on me!!!

[RAZOR]

razor, how much did they charge you? also, it wont run well enough to actually take it on the road. im gunna try the fuel suggestion, but just in case, how much did they charge you? thanks alot!! also, if anyone else has any suggestions, LAY em on me!!!

sorry it took me awhile i had to call they charged me $113.00 that
was to change the gas clean the carbs and the pilot jets. oh and i remember that
my bike would not idle if i would roll the throttle back it would stay running but would
sputter like crazy,and would have no power...

[wannabridin]

well fuck... i guess ill give the lower octane gas a shot first, then if that doesnt work... i dunno wut ill do. i dont EVEN have the money to take it to the stealer. maybe illg et my buddy to help me out... either way, any more ideas are GREATLY appreciated!!!

thanks guys

[Machinehead]

Doesn't really matter what octane is in there...right now...it simply sounds like you should dump the tank and refill it with fuel purchased from another store. It's prolly contaminated.

You follow? In general if a problem surfaces after, or soon thereafter, a fill up then the most logical culprit would be the fuel. You may want to check/empty the filter as well. The carb bowls will still have fuel in them so it may take a while before the new stuff hits the cylinders.

This may not be the problem at all, but you've got to understand or get into a habit of troubleshooting using the Baby-Step-Method (Bill Murray's character perfected it) and eliminating the least aggravating and easiest possibilities before moving on.

Cool?

[NCARCER8EM]

WannaB

I did not see the year of your bike - but you did state that you had the tank off for a coupla weeks.

Given the set of circumstances, and depending on the year of your bike, it would appear you either jostled some debris in the tank which is interefering with your fuel flow.

I would check the carbs and pull the tank again, drain it and clean it.


No - I take that back - I would grab me some beers, check the carbs and pull the tank again - turn up the volume on the stereo - THEN drain it and clean it :cheers:

[cryin'wolf]

Check your battery first.... if the bikes been down long a weak battery could be the culprit, then check the plugs for fouling or flooding. If there's flooding tap on your carbs, it's likely that sediment in the fuel has lodged between the needle and seat allowing to much fuel. If you've never changed your fuel filter do it. It's a good Idea to change it once a year. Occassionally mine will do the same for both reasons. Also, if you've advanced the timing don't run less than 91 octane. It will be an expensive lesson.

[wannabridin]

well tha battery is fine, cuz it fires the bike up no problem, its just once it gets runnin...

it sounds like the timings off or theres a slight misfire... i cant get any power, or andthing past 1/5 throttle without it dying...

i havent tried tapping on the carb's yet, ill do that when i get a chance to fiddle with it again... im going to drain the fuel outta tha tank, and also clean out the fuel filter... i dont have the money to get a new one, so if i clean it out, i think it'll be fine...

also, does anyone know how to remove the filter? i tried, not for long, but still didtn get anywhere...

the timing hasn't been touched...

and finally, when you say to check the carbs, what exactly do you mean NCARCER8EM?

thanks for tha help so far guys!!

[cryin'wolf]

check for sediment in the bowls, sticking float etc.

[kcsphil1]

Based on my experience with th eguys (I've got another engine/electrical thread going) check the carbs menas first make sure all the cables, hoses, screws, etc are ok, tight, etc. Then, and I know it sounds weird, you have to get them off and apart to make sure they aren't gummed up, and that there isn't debris in them.. Ok, do that first and THEN make sure the choke ables, hoses, etc are good. If you got bad gas, and it mixed with any residue in the carbs (which can be like varnish), then it would be really easy for a float to stick or a jet to get clogged. Carb rebuild kits run around 20-60 bucks depedning on the bike, the brand of kit, and how much jack up your dealer wants.

The fuel filter should be easy - only a couple of hose clamps holding it in the fuel line somewhere after the fuel petcock. Just make sure the replacement goes in the right way, or there won't be any fuel at all.

I feel you pain man - my 83 may well be down for the count (but the new ignition switch arrives tomorrow so we'll see).

[Machinehead]

Because the battery fires it up doesn't remove it from the equation...the twins are very much different than the ford/chevy/dodge/honda engine you have in auto under the garage.

You'll have to dump the tank before you remove the filter.

What machine is this btw?

Most of the time a pair of needle nose will work with the hose clamps.

Anyways...

Don't move swiftly with this. Remove one issue at a time so that you will (and all the other members) know what exactly you've done to rectify the problem. Once the fuel issue is behind us we can move on (providing it isn't the source).

[cryin'wolf]

Machine Head is right start with the gas, I was assumming that the gas is good

[Machinehead]

Appreciate your input cryin' (you fookin noobie) and the more the better.

Don't we all like the Baby-Steps-Method ?

If you attempt several fixes at one time and repost that the problem has fixed itself without gaining any knowledge of what it is exactly was corrected it may possibly warp the troubleshooting skills you are set out to obtain and quite possibly fugg up the brainium that consumes ShadowRiders DOT net. Going about this in a proper manner will not only help the fucker :lol: tryin' to gain riding time, but it will help the entire nation of SHADOW rider's. So, get with the program WB !

[Tangledj]

Most new cars are tested from the factory on 87.you dont think they'll spend the money to buy 93 for testing do ya.Most motors auto,or cycle will run great on low grade gas.If you wanna blow out build up,and stuff just ripp that throttle real hard for a few miles once every few months,and ride it like a two dollar bitch!!
REAL HARD!!! lol most motors will thank you for it. I drive almost everything like a granny,and I think Im hurting a motor when I drive it hard,but really it's not bad on them.Most motors were tested on cheaper fuel,and ran way harder than we the consumer wil drive them.

[RAZOR]

[QUOTE=wannabridin] it fires the bike up no problem, its just once it gets runnin...

it sounds like the timings off or theres a slight misfire... i cant get any power, or andthing past 1/5 throttle without it dying...



sounds like the same problem i was having,you may have to get into the carbs
may be gummed up and tarnished.
but like it was suggested lets rule out the gas first-repairing any type of vehicle
is really just a process of elimination-

[wannabridin]

thanks a lot guys for all tha input... sorry i havent posted anything back in regards to the problems, its just ive been busy with school n such, and on top of that, tha bikes at my buddies place, so i cant just pop in there to work on it, cuz hes not always there, and locks the door like a douche. either way, im gunna start off by emptyin tha tank and then putting new gas in it, and while im at it, im gunna go ahead and clean out tha filter, as i cant just go buy one from tha local stealer. member, im on a college budget, so anything i can do myself im going to... also, if anyone has any walk thru's of anything i might need, those would help!! thanks a lot for all tha help so far guys!! ill keep ya posted