I went to Auto Zone today and picked up 2 new hoses for the petcock. Unfortunately I bought the wrong size for the vacuum hose so I will have to go back tomorrow and get a new one. I came home tonight and checked the spark plug connection(everything was straight)...I stuck my gas tank back on the bike and hooked up the vacuum hose and fuel supply line and tried to fire it up. I took two videos of myself trying to fire up the bike and put them on my flickr page. In video 16 I try to fire it up at first without putting the choke on and then I put the choke on and turn it over some more....You can tell there is a big difference. In video 17 the choke is on the whole time. The results I got tonight were exponentially better than last night. Last night the engine only popped a few times...tonight it sounded like it was almost there. Also, in both videos the petcock is in the off position(there was gas in the carbs though. This was actually by accident...I didn't even realize until after I made the second video and by this time the battery was starting to die so I put it back on charge. I am going to go back out later tonight and make another video with the petcock in the on position and I will post that video.
Here is the link to my profile. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sttlnb53/ Thanks. Dustin. On Jan 11, 1:30 pm, Kyle Munz <[email protected]> wrote: > The petcock is automatic. Even though it's in the ON position it > closes when the engine isn't running. There's a spring and a diaphragm > that performs this magic all driven off of vacuum pressure from the > intake manifold. That's that line that keeps slipping off. If it's not > attached, or just has a crack and is letting the vacuum bleed off > it'll shut off your fuel and kill the bike. Scratch together a dollar > and take the old hose with you to any autoparts store and ask for > about 14" of vacuum line. > > > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 11, 2011, Dustin Mcclure <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I fixed the Pilot screws last night and the guy that was helping me > > said that I would need to sync the carbs once I got the bike > > running...he told me the bike should fire up regardless though(it just > > may run a little rough until I get them synced). He took my shop > > manual home last night though and said he was going to think about it. > > I have a feeling that it will end up being something really simple > > that has just been overlooked. Overall the engine and carbs are in > > good shape. Before the bike was sold to me my brother in-law had > > poured a couple hundred dollars into the engine and carbs. I have > > noticed some small things though. The hoses that run from the petcock > > to the intake manifolds and carbs need replaced and need a couple of > > clamps(the hose that goes to the intake slips off pretty often). It > > also looks like there used to be a bar that attached all of the pilot > > screws to each other so that you could adjust them all at once within > > a half turn or so...it is broken off now. Once I get the bike running > > again I will probably take it to a mechanic and have them give it a > > full tune-up. > > > On Jan 11, 12:35 pm, Kyle Munz <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Nice clean bike. Those pilot screws are actually pretty important. You have > >> to make sure the tips aren't buggered up at all. Then tighten them in all > >> the way until they're barely snug, and then turn them out about 2 5/8 > >> turns. > >> At that point you're also supposed to synchronize the carbs with a > >> tachometer capable of 50rpm increments or something like that. > > >> -Kyle > > >> On Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 12:29 PM, Dustin Mcclure > >> <[email protected] > > >> > wrote: > >> > So I took the carbs off again last night with a friend who owns and > >> > maintains 8 of his own Motorcycles(so that I had a pair of experienced > >> > eyes). We tested the spark plugs and they were fine. I backed out the > >> > Pilot screws a couple of turns(I had no idea when I took the carbs off > >> > the first time and tightened them until they were snug). I also fired > >> > some ether into the carbs as I tried to start it. The good news is > >> > that it did a little bit more for me this time that it did the last. > >> > It sounded like the engine was actually trying to catch...there were > >> > some loud pops coming out of the muffler...and some smoke. I should > >> > have time to work on it again tomorrow. I will take a video of the > >> > bike as I am trying to start it. > > >> > Here are some pictures of the bike when it was still running and my > >> > brother in-law owned it. > > >> >http://www.flickr.com/photos/sttlnb53/ > > >> > On Jan 9, 9:27 am, "Allen Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > > Open the throttle fully and squirt ether in the carbs holding the > >> > throttle wide open. it will start if you have spark regardless of what > >> > the > >> > carbs are doing, use small burst of starter long cranking wears them out. > >> > > Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T > > >> > > -----Original Message----- > >> > > From: Dustin Mcclure <[email protected]> > > >> > > Sender: [email protected] > >> > > Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2011 16:19:03 > >> > > To: Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!<[email protected]> > >> > > Reply-To: [email protected] > >> > > Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Just started cleaning my carbs > > >> > > It turns over and you can tell it is trying to do something but it > >> > > doesn't pop or anything. It is just a smooth turn over...it doesn't > >> > > sound like the engine is trying to engage at all. > > >> > > A friend of mine listened to the bike and he said it sounded like the > >> > > float needles inside of the carb were getting stuck. This also fits > >> > > with what was happening before I bought the bike from my brother in > >> > > law. He said that after he tried for a long period of time to get it > >> > > to start the filter would have gas on it. This happens when the floats > >> > > get stuck and the bowls overflow. My brother in law bought some carb > >> > > cleaner from the local kawasaki dealership and my mechanic friend > >> > > thinks that the cleaner that they sold him made the neoprene on the > >> > > end of the float needles swell up. > > >> > > The bike is 27 years old though and it could probably use a carb > >> > > rebuild. Do you know where I could get rebuild kits? I have a 1984 > >> > > Nighthawk 700 S. > > >> > > Thanks. > > >> > > On Jan 8, 5:47 pm, Kyle Munz <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > > > Have you checked for spark? Is it trying to fire at all or just > >> > > > cranking over with no response? > > >> > > > On Saturday, January 8, 2011, Dustin Mcclure < > >> > [email protected]> wrote: > >> > > > > I did get the carbs back on but the bike is still not starting. I > >> > > > > fired some starter fluid into the carbs while trying to fire it up > >> > but > >> > > > > nothing. Now I guess I will go ahead and rebuild them all :(. > > >> > > > > On Jan 8, 5:25 pm, Kyle Munz <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > > > >> You have to remove the rear wheel if you want to completely remove > >> > the > >> > > > >> > [email protected]<nighthawk_lovers%2Bunsubscrib > >> > > > >> > [email protected]><nighthawk_lovers%2Bunsubscrib > >> > [email protected]> > >> > > > >> > . > >> > > > >> > For more options, visit this group at > >> > > > >> >http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > >> > > > > -- > >> > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > >> > > > > To post to this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]. > >> > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]<nighthawk_lovers%2Bunsubscrib > >> > [email protected]> > >> > . > >> > > > > For more options, visit this group athttp:// > >> > groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > >> > > > -- > > >> > > > -Kyle > > >> > > -- > >> > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > > Groups > >> > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > >> > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]<nighthawk_lovers%2Bunsubscrib > >> > [email protected]> > >> > . > >> > > For more options, visit this group athttp:// > >> > groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > >> > -- > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > >> > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > >> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]<nighthawk_lovers%2Bunsubscrib > >> > [email protected]> > >> > . > >> > For more options, visit this group at > >> >http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected]. > > For more options, visit this group > > athttp://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > -- > > -Kyle -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
