mercury sync tool went sluuurp

[volks28]

Gotta admit, I'm a newbie, and I must have done something wrong - while doing a carb sync, it slurped all the mercury out of the sync tool

I first started the bike to let it warm up. I also adjusted the idle to 3000 to get it ready for the sync

I then shut the engine, hooked up the tool (all cyl), and started it again.

Then it went all wrong, the mercury went into one of the ports for some weird reason. Am I missing something? Are the carbs so far out of sync causing the mercury to overflow? Please don't laugh, I'm still learning

[Jethro]

Did it get sucked into to engine?

[Tool]

You might want to consider getting a Carbtune. OK, the cost is higher, but they are sooooo much better and quicker to use. It would even be worth seeing if you could share the cost with some friends.

[volks28]

Yeah, that's when I shut the engine off and held my breath

Did it get sucked into to engine?

[gspaul]

If it's still in your combustion chamber you may want to pull you plugs out ,squirt a little bit of oil in there,wear gloves & a mask.
Get the bike out side where it's safe( no people ) start the bike , and get the hell away from the exaust.Let it run for a few min's.
Change the oil and filter,you should be OK!

[volks28]

Thanks paul, good suggestions, I'll do that.

Can anyone provide any insight why it "aspired" the mercury? Did I miss a step?

If it's still in your combustion chamber you may want to pull you plugs out ,squirt a little bit of oil in there,wear gloves & a mask.
Get the bike out side where it's safe( no people ) start the bike , and get the hell away from the exaust.Let it run for a few min's.
Change the oil and filter,you should be OK!

[gspaul]

I have not seen this before,I would contact the vendor, could be a faulty unit.
Go through the instruction's again, nothing you could have done when you set up.
I allway's used vacumn gauges,less toxic.
Don't leave that stuff in your motor to long,OK.

[HiSPL]

That happened to me. It turned out to be a tiny crack in one of the tubes that allowed it to happen. Unfortunately I was in my garage and breathing the crap after it happened because I was fiddling with the Idle screw instead of watching the guages. If you inhale it, it can give you symptoms like asthma for several months.

[Anonymous]

The one I have (not a carbtune) says not to rev the motor too high or it WILL suck the mercury into the engine. Instructions on mine say to run the motor for at least 30 minutes to blow out the residue in a WELL VENTILATED AREA. Like, out-frickin-side!!!

Good luck. Be careful with mercury. It's really bad stuff.

[Anonymous]

Some info from http://www.calpoison.org/public/mercury.html, the California Poison Control System:

After a large, one-time inhalation exposure of mercury vapor, the lungs are the main target of mercury poisoning, although other symptoms develop as well. Symptoms may develop within a few hours and include chills, metallic taste, mouth sores, swollen gums, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, headache, weakness, confusion, shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness, bronchitis, pneumonia and kidney damage.

Consult your physician IMMEDIATELY if you think you've inhaled mercury.
Mercury poisoning can lead to long term health issues.

[earlfor]

Re: mercury sync tool went sluuurp

Yes, if your vacuum levels were high enough to pull the mercury out of the synch tool, then your carbs are so far out of synch we would need to measure the discrepancy in light years. :-) :-) :-)

Earl

Then it went all wrong, the mercury went into one of the ports for some weird reason. Am I missing something? Are the carbs so far out of sync causing the mercury to overflow? Please don't laugh, I'm still learning

[volks28]

Re: mercury sync tool went sluuurp

Earl,

I really appreciate your input (and chuckle!)

If I understand it correctly, if my carbs were so much out of sync, the engine wouldn't even idle, right?

Yes, if your vacuum levels were high enough to pull the mercury out of the synch tool, then your carbs are so far out of synch we would need to measure the discrepancy in light years. :-) :-) :-)

Earl

[vstan905]

Ah my old friend mercury. I am a mechanical engineer in the environmental field. In the olden days, furriers that made fur hats used mercury to treat the fur. Long term exposure causes nerve and brain damage, hence the term Mad Hatter's Disease. Yes that's where the character Alice met got his name.

[ptm]

Re: mercury sync tool went sluuurp

I also adjusted the idle to 3000 to get it ready for the sync

I thought the sync should be done at idle speed - 1000-1200 RPM - 1500 at most. With a small blip of the throttle after making a change to one. I thought I read a specific warning somewhere not to rev it past 3500 RPM due to the possibility of sucking the mercury into the engine.

[Macmatic]

Ah my old friend mercury. I am a mechanical engineer in the environmental field. In the olden days, furriers that made fur hats used mercury to treat the fur. Long term exposure causes nerve and brain damage, hence the term Mad Hatter's Disease. Yes that's where the character Alice met got his name.

I used to live in Danbury, CT, a big hatting city back in the day. Guess what out highschool mascot was? Wern't no rabbit...

The lifelong downtown residents seemed to be a little stranger than most too....something in the water.

Mac