It always runs better.......with the wires on the right plug!

[Guest]

Doh and double doh.

On the new 550 project, I pulled the plugs to clean them and drop some Marvel Mystery Oil in prior to turning it over after it has sat for 3 years. I also checked that I had spark to all cylinders.

Yesterday, I put in a fresh battery,changed the carbs for a freshly rebuilt set added the I/V bottle and fired it up. It ran................like crap.
I fiddled and farted but it still ran like dirt. I t would run and idle but it seemed to me like, on three cylinders. Not happy

Today I'm thinking of changing the coils since I think I might have an arcing problem. Just as I'm about to do that I see wire four is on plug threee and wire three is on plug four. Doh, doh and double doh did I do that??????????????????????????????????????? Likely.

So all you newbies for goodness sakes check things over...recheck things and check them again! If I can do it so can you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel dumb

Cheers all,
Spyug

PS It runs sweet now

[sedelen]

I'm surprised it ran at all.
It only goes to show you just how easy it is to get into trouble when working on these bikes. I'm always double and triple checking stuff when I work on them. Make a small but critical mistake and you just want to rip the thing apart because it could be this or that and as one thing leads to another you just compound the problems.
I try not to get to far into them without a frequent "test" run every so often, so as to have a reference point should something go awry. Sometimes that's hard to do, depending on the work you do.
When I do work on them, I try to do it when I'm "fresh" as in rested, and after I thought the work I'm doing through, and I never try to rush anything. If things aren't going well, I'll stop. I've learned to do this after making so many stupid mistakes myself.
Now where did I put that impact wrench? Just used it a 5 minutes ago!

[ptexotik]

HA! just did this yesterday. That first backfire lets you know real quick!
I've been in & out of the valve cover so much recently ... it had to happen sooner or later. Glad to hear you got it sorted.

[old_skool]

I find I have to double check the tightness of any and all bolts when I work on something, a lot of the times when removing something, I may only have had to loosen something else to get to what I wanted to work on, thiining I'm finished and spot a loose nut/washer....oooops, I always go back and double check everything, and still forget stuff

[850 Combat]

I sometimes put some small zip ties on the lower numbered plug wires so that I can easily see which one they are.

[Mercaholic]

Doh and double doh.

On the new 550 project, I pulled the plugs to clean them and drop some Marvel Mystery Oil in prior to turning it over after it has sat for 3 years. I also checked that I had spark to all cylinders.

Yesterday, I put in a fresh battery,changed the carbs for a freshly rebuilt set added the I/V bottle and fired it up. It ran................like crap.
I fiddled and farted but it still ran like dirt. I t would run and idle but it seemed to me like, on three cylinders. Not happy

Today I'm thinking of changing the coils since I think I might have an arcing problem. Just as I'm about to do that I see wire four is on plug threee and wire three is on plug four. Doh, doh and double doh did I do that??????????????????????????????????????? Likely.

So all you newbies for goodness sakes check things over...recheck things and check them again! If I can do it so can you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel dumb

Cheers all,
Spyug

PS It runs sweet now

Had the experience of cross connecting spark plug wires on an older Mercury in-line 6 outboard motor.

Helluva sound with a two stroke motor and with three wires cross connected. Surprised it ran as it was pre detoning on two of the cylinders. I must have spent a half day working on tearing into the carbs, timing etc until I read the wire numbers and realized the PO had repositioned them wrong (probably to throw me off)