Extremely odd carb issue.

[Guest]

So I'm trying to get my Kat project to run again after a 5 month hiatus.

The bike ran flawlessly in May when parked. There was Seafoam in the tank so I didn't think there would be any issues starting. Long story short, it would not start without full choke. Carbs 3 and 4 didn't seem to be working correctly as the bike ran only on cylinders 1 and 2 and it would not run off choke. I changed the gas and pulled and recleaned carbs 3 and 4. No change.

Yesterday, for some reason, I decided to crank her over without choke and to my surprise it fired up ( with a little throttle). This time cylinders 3 and 4 were firing but not 1 and 2 which now seem to be lacking gas ( there was spark....I checked). Again it would not idle. No surprise there as half the engine is "missing".

I am completely confused and baffled at this.

The bike was very hard to get going originally back in the winter after the rebuild ( carbs stripped, dipped and rebuilt with new o-rings per SOP) but it did start after much persuasion and once synched it ran and idled like a Swiss watch. Nothing else has changed other than I'm running ( or trying to run) with out the pod filters at the moment.

I'm going to fiddle with it again today. Boy is this frustrating...again.

Any ideas guys?

Cheers,
spyug

[Dave8338]

No filters on the bike, at all?

[cowboyup3371]

When you say you are trying to run without the pod filters does that mean you have no filter on at all? Or are you using the stock one?

[Steve]

Take a shop rag, fold it in half, drape it over the carb intakes. Secure it to the outer carbs with hose clamps or zip-ties, see if the bike runs (better).

I have found this to be enough restriction on the intake to take the bike for a test ride, but probably not accurate enough for jetting checks.

I have always been a fan of Sta-Bil for storage and have started using Seafoam. I have had some starting issues, to, might switch back to Sta-Bil.

.

[tkent02]

Have you ensured the choke feed passages in the float bowls themselves are clear? The one that goes from the bottom of the bowl over to the well that the brass choke intake pipe fits into? If this is clogged, the choke adds only air, not fuel. This and some kind of a filter restriction as Steve suggests may get you going.

[spyug]

Thanks guys. I tried it again this afternoon and for a minute or two I thought I had gotten it to co-operate but eventually it went cuckoo again with only the 3 & 4 cylinders firing.

Talking to my mechanic bud, we are of the opinion now that another strip, dip and rebuild is in order and the next logical step.

The weekend is looking like crap so that's what I'll be doing I guess.

Dang this is tedious.

Cheers,
spyug

[SqDancerLynn1]

I would drain the carbs and hook up an aux tank with some fresh gas and a heavy dose of seafoam. Fill the carbs. Start it and then let it sit for an hour and retry

[spyug]

Actually Lynn that's what I have been doing. There's about 1/3 of a can of 'foam in 1 gal of fresh gas. I have the I/V bottle rigged.

My bud and I looked at it again last night and couldn't get any better results so they're coming off today ( I think I'm playing hooky this afternoon...one of the few perks of owning your own business).

I just hope I can find something obvious to account for this but I suspect everything will be as clean as a whistle when I peel them open.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the symptoms i.e. cylinders 1&2 only fire on choke and 3 &4 only fire without choke. That's telling me something but what?????

I hate not knowing worse than the fact that it doesn't run.

We'll see what this weekend brings.

Cheers,
Spyug