Dead Spark Plug

[Rintzler]

"My bike was running rich before I installed the pods as the plugs where pitch black. I knew it was going to be lean after I installed the pods, so I just rode the bike to the mechanic to have the main jets upsized and the carbs synchronised.

I rode the bike to work for a week +/- 230kms total during which I noticed very irratic idling and also later backfiring from the exhaust on the 1 & 2 cylinder bank (i have a two pipe exhaust) I havent ridden the bike since out of fear of damaging the internals and i'm now contemplating putting the old filter box back or modifying it a bit so it suits the cafe look, but im clueless about the backfiring and irratic idling... maybe I'll also put the standard jets back seeing that i removed the pods. with regards to the backfiring i suspect it to be valve timing like with cars but im not sure. any advice will be highly appreciated."

I decided to take off the carb's and clean them just in case they where dirty. To my surprise the new jets the mechanic put in there where 92's. the stock jets before I put the pods on where 93's. This had me furious however when I checked the spark plugs, 4 was perfect brown, 3 was black, 2 is soiled with fuel(not firing and 1 is black). The bike also still backfires I'm not even considering riding it... Could the backfiring be timing of feul pump and what do i do about the dead plug at the 2 cylinder besides obviously replacing it?

Seriously desperate for help...

[usbear]

Hello:

A good place to start is go back to stock, make that work right and then IF you want to modify it, do it one change at a time. Keep it simple.

Get a manual and read the troubleshooting, carburetor and tune up section.
You will have a better understanding of the advice being given you, and be able to walk through some of the basic steps on your own.

Do a tune up to verify proper mechanical operation. (compression and so on)

What does Troubleshooting chart say about backfire and popping?
Would you rather have a reliable stock bike or a modified one that does not run?

Verify clean carbs, tank ,filter and fuel valve!

[usbear]

Forget the look. Go for function! Then modify one step at a time.

[Rintzler]

Hi Guys thanks for the advice...

I have a manual and have been reading up...
Checked the carbs and and idle jet for cylinder 2 last night and replaced the dead plug, but still no spark.
Furthermore I will be flushing everything over the weekend and checking compression and timing as well.
I will also check the ignition for faults as it could lead to backfiring as per the manual.
I think its safe to say that it is definitely backfiring on cylinder 1 as cylinder 2 is currently dead(no spark at plug). These two run into one exhaust.

With regards to the Accelerator pump, how do i know if its faulty? do I just check the diaphragm. it seems fine and when I press on the shaft it makes a sucking sound while fitted to the float bowl.

Regards
Ryan

[usbear]

So you can swap coils and see if it fires on that plug. swap the wires.
Did you pull spark plug and snap back into plug wire and hold against block to verify spark?
Check Air Gap on pulsar generator. (ignition timing unit) and ign timing.
You may have spark plug wire or cap leaking and spark jumping. You can see a lot at night in the dark if you are fighting a short or ignition leak.


The exhaust pipes you have require a jet change from stock.
Once you have reliable timed spark then back to carbs.

[Rintzler]

So you can swap coils and see if it fires on that plug. swap the wires.
Did you pull spark plug and snap back into plug wire and hold against block to verify spark?
Check Air Gap on pulsar generator. (ignition timing unit) and ign timing.
You may have spark plug wire or cap leaking and spark jumping. You can see a lot at night in the dark if you are fighting a short or ignition leak.


The exhaust pipes you have require a jet change from stock.
Once you have reliable timed spark then back to carbs.

The jets that were in there when I bought the bike was 93. So I'll opt to go back to the 93's after sorting the spark and timing?

[Rintzler]

So you can swap coils and see if it fires on that plug. swap the wires.
Did you pull spark plug and snap back into plug wire and hold against block to verify spark?
Check Air Gap on pulsar generator. (ignition timing unit) and ign timing.
You may have spark plug wire or cap leaking and spark jumping. You can see a lot at night in the dark if you are fighting a short or ignition leak.


The exhaust pipes you have require a jet change from stock.
Once you have reliable timed spark then back to carbs.

The jets that were in there when I bought the bike was 93. So I'll opt to go back to the 93's after sorting the spark and timing?

I checked the the plug wires and there definitely is spark. I have orderes 98.5 main jets and hope to be receiving them within the next 5 days.

[gggGary]

So I'm tracking down hard starting (yah think?) I have two accelerator pump nozzles not spraying. What's a good method to clean them? Bend a wire to try to clear them in place? press them out of the bodies? Help me before I blunder (yet again).

didn't find this addressed in a search.

[Pinhead]

The accel pump port holes are pretty tiny - I can't think of a source for wire small enough to fit them.

I was able to clear the jets in my '79 with a liberal amount of carb cleaner and seafoam. I took the pump out of the side of the carb body and forced cleaner through the holes and then sprayed "back" through each accel pump port.

I found, though, that the accel pump in my carbs wasn't pumping because the accelerator rubber diaphragm had stiffened with age and wasn't being depressed by the light spring on the accelerator actuator. The ports weren't fully clogged.