Engine Won't Run... I havn't found an answer yet...

[agentjosh77]

Well... almost everything is good. The darn thing is just running terrible!

It has absolutely no bottom end.

It is sputtering like crazy.

Any slight incline and it just dies.

It will not idle at all.

I will be going down the road and it will sputter out and die on me.

Here are some of the facts:

I have checked the bowl of the carb and the jet isn't lose. The only thing that is loose in it was the float like it should be.

I have the idle screw turned all the way in and backed out 1 and a 1/4 turn.

I prime the engine 3-4 pumps.

I get to pedaling and get going to the road, release clutch and it fires away.

I adjust the choke half then to off (down, I am assuming this is correct).

Then the problems ensue after I have ridden for about 20-30 seconds.

I checked my spark plug and it is pretty wet.

Anyone have any suggestions???


Thank you everyone,

 

[give me vtec]

I would run the choke fully open... what ratio of gas/oil are you using???

 

[Shadeslay]

Well... almost everything is good. The darn thing is just running terrible!

It will not idle at all.
Adjust your idle screw so it will idle, turning it in then out 1 and 1/4 turns won't work on every engine, it will vary depending on mix, altitude etc.

It has absolutely no bottom end.
This could be an air leak, your mix "because of break in" or your needle setting. spray water, carb cleaner or wd-40 around the carb and intake to look for leaks. Your idle will change, if there is one.

It is sputtering like crazy.
See above, depending on what your plug looks like. You may want to adjust your c-clip "needle" in your carb.

Any slight incline and it just dies.
Kind of sounds like your carb may be tilted to much or it could just be the above problems. See how it does after making the a fore mentioned adjustments.


I prime the engine 3-4 pumps.
I checked my spark plug and it is pretty wet.

I never prime mine and it starts up no problem. That could be why your plug is wet, try it with out priming. If it's still wet you are getting to much fuel, you'll likely want to adjust your float then.

I'm not sure what you are mixing at, but 20:1 is good enough for break in.

 

[agentjosh77]

Thanks for the replies,

I am started running it full open, only a slight improvement was found.

I am using a 16:1 for break in.

When I get a chance to set down with the bike again I will go through the checklist Shadeslay.

Thanks guys, I will be posting with a update asap.

 

[give me vtec]

do you live at an excessively high altitude???

 

[agentjosh77]

Ha, no I live on the flat Oklahoma plains. I will post some pictures of my build for anyone that wants to look it over to see if they spot anything glaringly wrong.

Thanks again,

 

[bigdan]

Are you getting good spark. This is a little tricky but It works to test for spark.

try taking the spark plug out of the engine but leave the boot and wire connected and then while pedaling down the road hold the electrode end of the spark plug against the side of the engine (or some place that is electrically grounded if your engine is painted) and engage the clutch. The engine should turn over and and you should see a spark. I haven't tried it but you might be able to use a timing light instead of pulling the plug.

 

[Hawaii_Ed]

this is a new build? Could be an air leak at the carb mount, very common problem.

 

[spad4me]

Check for a clogged jet, or needle valve where the float lets the gas into the carb.

 

[GearNut]

If his sparkplug is pretty wet, I would not suspect a plugged fuel jet.
Perhaps a too big of a fuel jet though.
A float setting adjusted too high will easily cause the problems he is having.
That was one of the first things I had to do to my first MB.
The thing would cough, sputter snort and die every single cotton pick'n time!
My biggest clue was gas drippin' out of the exhaust pipe after running myself ragged pedalling the darned thing in circles. Trying to start it, just to hear it start, rev up a bit, "wing-ding-ding-ding-ding", sneeze and die.
Sometimes it would just go Wing-ding-ding-ding-*Pluah*! out the pipe and stop. Trying to throw me over the bars!
I bent the 2 float lever arms down, away from the carburetor body, just a teeny bit to lower the fuel level in the bowl. It made a world of difference!
Oh yeah, I had to blow out the bottom end with compressed air too. The flywheels were drowning in raw fuel! I got a good misty spray out of the sparkplug hole for a minute or two!