With a little over 8,000 miles on my bike I have been taking care of the maintenance schedule for that interval.
One of the many things on the maintenance schedule is to check the carb sync. Now I know the discussion on the forum about rarely needing to sync the carbs unless you've taken them apart. And I've been getting about 44 mpg lately, which is pretty good for me. But -- I've noticed popping on deceleration lately, and hesitation unless the engine is really hot.
So today I listened more thoroughly. I found that cylinders 1 and 2 (left side if you're sitting on the bike) are popping quite a bit both on deceleration and at higher idle speeds. I pulled the plugs which only have 4,000 miles on them and cylinders 1 and 2 had oily deposits on the base of the plugs (see photo).
Questions:
1. Now I know the bike leans to this side when on the side stand and that oil collects in the air box on this side. Could that be where this is coming from... working it's way down from the air box?
2. Also, why am I getting the popping? Do I need to perform the idle drop procedure and sync the carbs?
Additional:
At the coastal wrench session in January, we put in the Dave Dodge Shim and Jet kit along with a K&N air filter. I am running the modded stock pipes. I don't remember where we set the mixtures screws. I think it was 2 7/8 turns out. Greg, do you remember?
Quote from: MagnaMan
I've noticed popping on deceleration lately, and hesitation unless the engine is really hot.
At the coastal wrench session in January, we put in the Dave Dodge Shim and Jet kit along with a K&N air filter. I am running the modded stock pipes. I don't remember where we set the mixtures screws. I think it was 2 7/8 turns out. Greg, do you remember?
From one of Greg's posts: adjust to 2 3/4-3 turns out from a light bottom seat. http://www.magnaownersoftexas.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=299
I noticed from your posts back in Jan. you were having the same problems but it was on the right side, what did you do to fix the problem back then?
Could it be any of these:
intake gasket leak
incorrect heat range plug
engine timing
lean fuel mixture
Quote from: silveradocowboyFrom one of Greg's posts: adjust to 2 3/4-3 turns out from a light bottom seat. http://www.magnaownersoftexas.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=299
Ah. Then the 2 7/8 turns should be pretty close.
Quote from: silveradocowboyI noticed from your posts back in Jan. you were having the same problems but it was on the right side, what did you do to fix the problem back then?
In January the problem went away after we shimmed and re-jetted the carbs. So at this point I was thinking it was maybe just a carb adjustment.
Quote from: silveradocowboyCould it be any of these:
intake gasket leak
incorrect heat range plug
engine timing
lean fuel mixture
The plugs are the NGK iridium equivalents (only $1 more so what the hey) for the stock NGK plug, so I'm pretty sure I've got the correct heat range.
I guess I can try the old "carb cleaner spray around the intake gasket to see if the idle changes" trick.
I will have to consult the manual on the timing.
I was thinking it was the lean fuel mixture, but isn't that controlled by the idle drop screws we set on the bench? Why would one side require different adjustments? Can the carbs have that much variation?
Richen up the pilot jets to 3 turns out. Remember these carbs are not made on CNC equipment so they are all different.
You also could slightly open the throttle plate (same thing you adjust when sync'ing the carbs) about a 1/32 of a turn richer on the # 2 and 4.
Plugs #1 and 3 look good, I also would not have changed plugs at 8000 miles unless I noticed a fuel mileage or performance drop.
Thanks, Greg.
I will do the adjustments. I think I can wrangle my hand up there for the idle drop adjustment with the D-tool from the kit. Now if I can just find it...
Do I need any other special equipment for the throttle plate screws? It looks like a right angle racheting screw driver or nut driver would be really handy. Or maybe I need a skewdriver.
Oh. And I am not changing the plugs. I just pulled them to see how they were doing. The iridiums are supposed to last much longer than the stock plugs and they've just got 4,000 miles on them.
Jesse if you can wait for MOOTMaG I have the special tool for the throttle plate, that will be no big deal to adjust.
If you can squeeze your hand in for the Pilot Jet adjustment (D-shaped) then turn it out about an 1/8 on the left side carbs.
Thanks, Greg. I can wait until MOOTMag on the throttle plate adjustment. Although I think this tool will do it (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=360-179) and I can think of a lot of other uses for it. Hard to resist a new toy.
I think adjusting the mixture will fix my biggest problem. So far I haven't been able to find the D tool from my kit. I'm pretty sure I have it though. I remember bagging up the old jets and the D tool.
Jesse if it is long enough you will have a nice little tool set there. The one I have is, http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/product/pilot_screw_adjusting_tool/ and I also have the very expensive and not very good http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/product/90_degree_1-4_hex_driver/ It would be much better if the two gear out on the end would mesh tighter to give a nice no slop silky mesh feel. Then it would be the absolute greatest.
http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/product/90_degree_1-4_hex_driver/ these are the gears, they sit in a perpendicular arrangement, might have to beg, plead, bribe, sweet talk a machinist into making me a better set of gears LoL.
Actually if I could make the gears fit tighter by moving them closer to each other that would work as well.
On the manufacturer's site they show a video of the tool combinations. Evidently you can put the extension shaft in place and make it about as long as the specialty screw drivers. I know one individual who uses a skewdriver to sync his Magna. I'll check with him to make sure this one will work.
Jesse really all you need is a 1/4" drive socket set with a couple long extentions, a swivel extension, and a 6mm or 8mm (cant at the moment remember which LoL) socket as the adjuster is both slotted and hex'ed.
Yes. I was thinking about that too. I think it's a 6mm, because I managed to get my 8mm racheting wrench near it, only to find out it was too big... and that is the smallest rachet wrench I have. :(
I may try that route. I'm sure I've got everything but the u-joint swivel.
Here is what I used to do mine. It worked great.
(http://members.sparedollar.com/billyc/synch-tool.jpg)
The only thing I had to buy was the wobble. I happened to find one at Big Lots of all places for less than 2 bucks.
The other day I was talking to my mother about my bike. (She loves to hear updates). I mentioned that I was going to have to adjust the mixture on my carbs and that I found it odd since I hadn't changed anything since our carb work at the wrenching session in January. She pointed out to me that during the big gas shortages in the 70s, my old man had to readjust the carbs on all the cars because of the ethanol they were cutting into the gas.
This could explain the deceleration popping (which is now on all cylinders). Because in theory the ethanol would make the mixture leaner, right? And leaness is what causes deceleration popping.
I wasn't having any problems until a couple of months ago -- which was right about the time I noticed all the ethanol stickers on the pumps. Hmm.
Quote from: MagnaMan
This could explain the deceleration popping (which is now on all cylinders). Because in theory the ethynol would make the mixture leaner, right? And leaness is what causes deceleration popping.Quote
Searching the web(http://tinyurl.com/prdbq) turned up a lot of info. on ethanol and how it relates to lean conditions and your popping during deceleration.
According to one source(http://tinyurl.com/dqbac) I did find that the mixture will cause a lean condition: "The fact that there's oxygen in the alcohol's structure also means that this fuel will naturally be "leaner" in comparison to gasoline fuel without making any changes to the jets in the carburetor. This is one reason why we must enrich the air/fuel mixture (add more fuel) when burning alcohol by increasing the size of the jets, which we'll discuss further in another section."
Great now I have to change all my settings for all the elthanol man oh man well at least I have that choice lololo
Hey Allen, if you don't have the deceleration popping then you probably don't have to worry about it. My 2 7/8 turn setting was probably right on the fringes, and then the ethanol made it leaner.