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VM26 pilot circuit tuning and troubleshooting - big bore GS750 8V high idle after rev

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    VM26 pilot circuit tuning and troubleshooting - big bore GS750 8V high idle after rev

    I recently finally built a fresh GS750 engine with a set of NOS MTC Engineering 72mm 920cc 10:1 pistons, GS850 cylinders bored +3mm, and a performance Serdi radiused-inner-cut valve job. Valves adjusted. new carb o-rings, intake boots, intake boot o-rings and swapped to GS1000 spec VM26 carbs (the 750 carbs ran waaayyy too rich in the low-mid throttle range due to pilot air jet (fixed orifice) and needle jet (hard to find o-4 style 250 needle jets used). Vance and Hines upswept 4:1, and two K&N RC-2222 dual-carb-plenum oval open element filters (better than pods as the inner and outer carb share the same filter and plenum space).
    I have installed an AEM universal exhaust gas oxygen (wideband o2) sensor and air fuel ratio gauge for tuning ease.


    NOW... My problem all along has been the idle. with all fuel screws at slightly over 1 turn, using my timing light to spot misfires, my inner two cylinders were misfiring intermittently and often seemed like they would only fire every other cycle, causing a rough idle - and the air screws could not tune this out.
    Funny thing is, when I would rev it up in neutral, or decelerate to a stop sign and pull in the clutch at higher rpm's and close the throttle, it would seem as if the higher rpm's and hotter temps of cruising had cleaned the plugs off a bit, and I would be idling at 2000 rpm's for a while. Eventually it would sputter back down to about 1050 all of the sudden, or if I would decelerate in gear down to 1000 rpm's it would just stay there and idle slightly rough.
    Today, I tried about 7/8+ on the cylinder 1 and 4 fuel screws, and 13/16 turns out on the inner two cylinder's pilot fuel screws. I was able to get a better idle, but still a slight bit uneven at times. Playing with the air screws, 1-1/6 to 1-1/4 seemed to be the happiest spot, but I still wasn't terribly happy, AND - I still get the high idle after revving the engine or coasting to a stop sign in neutral!!!
    Idle AFR's in the lower mid 12's now.

    All of these settings outlined, I have noticed the bike is hard to kick start when the engine is hot, but cracking the throttle open a slight bit when kicking will fire it instantly with a very quick rev up and instant return to idle.

    Previously I believe I had set all the pilot fuel screws at 3/4, and I was getting a slight popping on deceleration with closed throttle (typical of a lean pilot so I have read many times on here). I don't recall the difficulty starting, and I can't remember if I had the high idle after higher rpm's back then. That was also with the 0-3 (leaner) needle jets, although not sure if they have much affect on idle.


    The bike sounds different on decel than it did in previous incarnations, and reminded me slightly of when I am running out of fuel and need to flip to reserve, but I am not getting the lean popping on decel now. Could be still too rich and it is sounding kind of boggy due to that. With the warm starting symptoms of having to crack the throttle to start, and lack of decel popping, I am thinking I am still on the rich side, and that the high idle is due to clean plugs, and the 1050 rpm choppy idle thereafter happens once the plugs get a little sooted up. I am running out to pull the plugs now after messing with the pilot screws. I may throw a gunson colortune on it in a day or two and check the idle flame color for proper richness.

    I recall before that when warmed up with 0-3 needle jets (probably out of the picture) and 3/4 turns on the fuel screws, the air screws seemed to change the rpm's much more readily, where as with 7/8 or 1+ turns, I had a less than perfect idle no matter where the air screws were set, and the air screws never really changed the rpm's much. Again, I was getting slight closed throttle exhaust popping at 3/4 out on the fuel screws and o-3 needle jets, however.

    Am I way over analyzing things here, or can someone tell me "YES, YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK." ???? I didn't have much luck with a vacuum synch yet because I did not have a solid, consistent idle (gauges would fluctuate a lot and I was afraid air screw settings and misfiring cylinders would throw off the synch), so I was saving that for after I get my pilot screw settings where they need to be. I am thinking 3/4 out or slightly slightly less on the middle cylinders, and slightly over 3/4 turns out on the outer cylinders for the pilot fuel screw settings may be where it is best, but the high idle then rough idle thing is really making me scratch my head.

    Thanks!
    Last edited by Chuck78; 09-09-2014, 08:51 PM.
    '77 GS750 920cc heavily modded
    '97 Kawasaki KDX220R rugged terrain ripper!
    '99 Kawasaki KDX220R​ rebuild in progress
    '79 GS425stock
    PROJECTS:
    '77 Suzuki PE250 woods racer
    '77 GS550 740cc major mods
    '77 GS400 489cc racer build
    '76 Rickman CR1000 GS1000/1100
    '78 GS1000C/1100

    #2
    I am running a 115 main (Air Fuel Ratio his 13.8+ at 9000rpm, 14.5+ at 10,000) but need to swap 117.5's in. I initially started with 122.5's on the 750 carbs (main air jet size seemed to need slightly smaller main jets as opposed to the GS1000 VM26's), but that was running no leaner than 11:1 AFR.

    skinny dual taper 5DL36 jet needles (stock for the 550/850/1000 vm26's) now shimmed to the 2.5 position (slightly lean - 13.5-13.7 - at higher rpm's, hoping main jet tuning fixes that. good everywhere else in the mid and higher throttle/rpm range.

    #15 pilot jet

    fuel screws 3/4 to 1-1/16 out and experimenting - towards the lower end of that now
    air screws seem to like 1-1/16 to 1-1/4 out the best
    bench synched the carbs with a .040 drill bit, had to crank the idle screw in slightly beyond that to get it to idle.

    bought "style #250 size o-4" needle jets based on the GS850 part number (NOS ebay find), received 250 o-3 needle jets. ran them, too lean at 1/8 - 3/16 throttle cruising at 3500-4500rpm, hit AFR's in the mid to high 14's. Swapped to 0-6 (richer) from the 750 carbs, seems to be doing better now for cruising. Initially was a slight bit rich between 11's and low 12's in the AFR - was hoping for 13.2 or so cruising - o-4's would be nice to try out. went from 1+ turn pilot fuel screws to 7/8 or 3/4 or so and now I am cruising with AFR's in the high 12's and around 13.2 at times (I think it was leaning out a little more at 4500-ish rpm's if I recall).

    I don't believe the high idle (before it stumbles down to a rough 1050 rpm idle) is a symptom of a vacuum leak, as I have replaced all o-rings and the intake boots, and the air filters seal very well and are almost new, and properly oiled also.
    Last edited by Chuck78; 09-09-2014, 08:56 PM.
    '77 GS750 920cc heavily modded
    '97 Kawasaki KDX220R rugged terrain ripper!
    '99 Kawasaki KDX220R​ rebuild in progress
    '79 GS425stock
    PROJECTS:
    '77 Suzuki PE250 woods racer
    '77 GS550 740cc major mods
    '77 GS400 489cc racer build
    '76 Rickman CR1000 GS1000/1100
    '78 GS1000C/1100

    Comment


      #3
      Dual oval filters would work better if you could connect 1 & 4 and 2 & 3 pots together. The GS firing order is 1,2,4,3. That way inlet resonances would act in synch with crankshaft timing/ignition sequences. Idle would be smoother, but not as good as using the stock airbox.

      Too many variables makes for challenging tuning. You could dispel my theory by temporarily fitting an airbox and reporting that it still idles crappy.
      :) The road to hell is paved with good intentions......................................

      GS 850GN JE 894 10.5-1 pistons, Barnett Clutch, C-W 4-1, B-B MPD Ignition, Progressive suspension, Sport Demons. Sold
      GS 850GT JE 1023 11-1 pistons. Sold
      GS1150ES3 stock, V&H 4-1. Sold
      GS1100GD, future resto project. Sold

      http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/P1000001.jpg
      http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/P1000581.jpg

      Comment


        #4
        Try your Pilot fuel screws at 1/2 turn out and adjust out in screwdriver width increments until your corresponding air adjustments for highest idle ends up as close to 2 turns out as you can get on each carburetor. After you get them dialed in and synced, connecting 1-4 and 2-3 together with high heat vacuum line through short tubes in the sync ports is beneficial for a little more low end grunt and a smoother idle. It's hot back there so use clamps on the vacuum line, they will soften up and leak if you don't. Fuel vapor will get in those lines so changing them every year is a good idea. Slight popping on deceleration is rich not lean. and normal for a large main jet pipes and pods. Stuttering at barely opened throttle (typical town speeds) and picking up power and smoothness opening the throttle slightly is too lean on the pilot screw adjust. One or two tweaks out a screwdriver width can be enough to smooth that out so keep pilot adjustments very small each time (also requiring a corresponding air adjust for highest idle). With your big bore kit, a Dynojet stage-3 jet kit for a '79-79 GS1000 will give you better transition on the main jet needle.
        Last edited by OldVet66; 09-10-2014, 10:13 AM.
        http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...ine=1440711157'78 GS1000E, Dyna-S ignition, Dyna Green Coils, K&N pods, Delkevic SS 4-1 exhaust, Dynojet Stage 3 jet kit, Russell SS Brake Lines, Progressive suspension, Compu-Fire series Regulator 55402 and Advmonster cree LED headlight conversion.

        Comment


          #5
          Looking upfactory carb settings, the US 79 gs1000s pilot air screw setting was at only 1 turn out. The other 4 gs1000 vm26 variants list only "pre-set." The UK 79 gs850 lists 5/8 out on pilot fuel screws and 1-1/4 out on pilot airs. All the gs 750's list 1-1/4, 1-1/4 - 2, 1-3/4, or 1-3/4 - 2 turns out on the air screws. Only carb ID# 45013 (late '77?) lists the pilot fuel sxrew settings - 7/8 turn out. My GS1000 carbs were untouched (paint threadlock still on screws),but on fortunately it slipped my mind exactly where that screw was set at, but I believe it was somewhere around 3/4.

          my point here is that maybe my air screw settings around 1-3/16~ may not be too far off base here if some gs1000's had the air screws set at 1 turn out. Maybe I should try around 1-1/2 max on the air screw and fiddle with the fuel screw from there?
          '77 GS750 920cc heavily modded
          '97 Kawasaki KDX220R rugged terrain ripper!
          '99 Kawasaki KDX220R​ rebuild in progress
          '79 GS425stock
          PROJECTS:
          '77 Suzuki PE250 woods racer
          '77 GS550 740cc major mods
          '77 GS400 489cc racer build
          '76 Rickman CR1000 GS1000/1100
          '78 GS1000C/1100

          Comment


            #6
            Your jetting for pipes and pods changes everything and near factory settings do not apply. I'm running the Mikuni equivalent of 132.5 main jets (DJ 142) with a stock GS1000. It seems that with your big bore kit, you are a bit small on the main jet.
            Last edited by OldVet66; 09-10-2014, 12:41 PM.
            http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...ine=1440711157'78 GS1000E, Dyna-S ignition, Dyna Green Coils, K&N pods, Delkevic SS 4-1 exhaust, Dynojet Stage 3 jet kit, Russell SS Brake Lines, Progressive suspension, Compu-Fire series Regulator 55402 and Advmonster cree LED headlight conversion.

            Comment

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