Post by Krash on Dec 10, 2003 12:47:00 GMT -5
Hey all,
I have a 1980 XR500 that has recently decided to give me fits with the carburator. So I decided I'd best share my thoughts and solutions with you, just in case it happens to you.
What happened to my bike, was that it was running too rich, it was smoking like a 2 stroke and fouling plugs all the time. I knew what the problem was but I just didn't know how to fix it properly without just guessing and checking.
My solution to this frustration was a repair manual from Clymer. This thing is awesome. It tells me every single thing I could need to know, from how to change the oil to how to line up timing chains, to proper tire pressure. I mean it has everything.
The first thing you should do if you are having carburator problems is clean it out. This is easy, you just remove it from the bike, dismantle it and look for any thing obvious that is plugging up either your float or your jets. simple enough. If that didn't work and your stilll convinced that its just dirt, go to step two. Fully dismantle the carburator, soak all the parts in a cleaner degreaser and take the main carb body to an air compressor [glow=red,2,300] MAKE SURE YOU REMOVE THE FLOAT[/glow] if you do this. compressed air will collapse floats, which means your gonna have to get a new one, and they are extremely pricy. (36 dollars for a 1976 yamaha enduro
) After cleaning you should refer to a repair manual for proper float adjustments and jet settings. When you remove your pilot screw (little screw right next to the float bowl on my XR) turn it all the way in and count how many turns it takes, this is how you will adjust it when you put your carb back together. Make sure all the little holes and crevasses and such in the carb are clean, and reasemble.
If this fixed the problem you have two more steps to do, first off your going to want to refer the the previously posted thread on how to clean an air filter, and second your goign to want to drain your fuel tank (keep the gas its getting expensive) and remove your switch that switches between on off and reserve. Dismantle this switch and clean the screen and make sure there are no tears in it. youve got to remember where did the dirt in the carb come from...either through the gas or air so keep that in mind. If you have an older bike (like mine) with a metal tank on it, you should check the bottom of the tank for rust etc. If there is rust I would recomend using some rust remover and cleaning that baby out, or you will have problems everytime you kick it over to reserve. So with this all said, you should be able to maintain your bikes carburator and do the basic maintanance without dishing out bookoo bucks to your local honda shop.
P.S. remember...EVERY SINGLE BOLT on a Honda is metric...dont try to use standard, that will only desroy bolt heads and nuts. Spend the 15 bucks at sears for a metric socket set, it will save you alot of time and frustration. (you would be surprised how many bikes ive repaired that have 95% of the nuts and bolts stripped out)
I have a 1980 XR500 that has recently decided to give me fits with the carburator. So I decided I'd best share my thoughts and solutions with you, just in case it happens to you.
What happened to my bike, was that it was running too rich, it was smoking like a 2 stroke and fouling plugs all the time. I knew what the problem was but I just didn't know how to fix it properly without just guessing and checking.
My solution to this frustration was a repair manual from Clymer. This thing is awesome. It tells me every single thing I could need to know, from how to change the oil to how to line up timing chains, to proper tire pressure. I mean it has everything.
The first thing you should do if you are having carburator problems is clean it out. This is easy, you just remove it from the bike, dismantle it and look for any thing obvious that is plugging up either your float or your jets. simple enough. If that didn't work and your stilll convinced that its just dirt, go to step two. Fully dismantle the carburator, soak all the parts in a cleaner degreaser and take the main carb body to an air compressor [glow=red,2,300] MAKE SURE YOU REMOVE THE FLOAT[/glow] if you do this. compressed air will collapse floats, which means your gonna have to get a new one, and they are extremely pricy. (36 dollars for a 1976 yamaha enduro
) After cleaning you should refer to a repair manual for proper float adjustments and jet settings. When you remove your pilot screw (little screw right next to the float bowl on my XR) turn it all the way in and count how many turns it takes, this is how you will adjust it when you put your carb back together. Make sure all the little holes and crevasses and such in the carb are clean, and reasemble. If this fixed the problem you have two more steps to do, first off your going to want to refer the the previously posted thread on how to clean an air filter, and second your goign to want to drain your fuel tank (keep the gas its getting expensive) and remove your switch that switches between on off and reserve. Dismantle this switch and clean the screen and make sure there are no tears in it. youve got to remember where did the dirt in the carb come from...either through the gas or air so keep that in mind. If you have an older bike (like mine) with a metal tank on it, you should check the bottom of the tank for rust etc. If there is rust I would recomend using some rust remover and cleaning that baby out, or you will have problems everytime you kick it over to reserve. So with this all said, you should be able to maintain your bikes carburator and do the basic maintanance without dishing out bookoo bucks to your local honda shop.
P.S. remember...EVERY SINGLE BOLT on a Honda is metric...dont try to use standard, that will only desroy bolt heads and nuts. Spend the 15 bucks at sears for a metric socket set, it will save you alot of time and frustration. (you would be surprised how many bikes ive repaired that have 95% of the nuts and bolts stripped out)
Any little help on maintaining our machines is always welcome. 
Thanx for the help. 
stay vertical