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Need to synch, maybe?
It never fails... I've got everything back together after upgrading the crank pulley on my alt conversion, I'm ready to run it to get ready for road test, and now the left back (#4?) cylinder isn't firing. I've got spark, and fuel to the carb, but I pull the plug wire when running (rough) and no change.
I've been reading the carb posts, my eyes are starting to glaze over, but I'm hanging in.
I've not done anything with the carbs since purchase last year. Just before putting the bike in the garage for the winter/upgrade, it was finicky about running on all 4 until about a mile down the road. I changed the fuel filter at that time.
I'm willing to synch the carbs (there's always a first time) but I read the #4 carb is the one that doesn't adjust, every other carb adjusts to it. That's my bad one now, will synching be the answer?
I've also experienced the fuel smell.
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#1 04-04-2009, 08:06 PM,
I wouldn't try a carb sync until you get it running on all four. If pulling the wire doesn't make a difference, remove the plug and see if it's wet or dry. If it's dry, possibly a stuck float, needle/seat. If it's wet, it could be just about anything from carburetion, to compression.
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#2 04-04-2009, 08:15 PM,
The plug is dry. I did open the drain and got plenty of fuel.
Is it possible/practical to remove one carb for repair?
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#3 04-05-2009, 07:39 AM,
Since you have fuel in the bowl, and no fuel at the plug, it stands to reason the idle circuit is plugged. You should be able to verify this by raising the rpm's above 2,000. By that time you'll be out of the idle circuit, and the engine should start picking up on that cylinder. Another way to verify is by removing the sync PORT screw on the intake runner and shooting some carb cleaner into the hole. Do this at idle. If the rpm's pickup on that hole, it's carb time.
If you need to rebuild, overhaul a carb, pull the whole rack assy.

Remove the lower fairing skirts. Remove the storage compartment and the faux tank.
At the left front corner of the compartment area you'll see a "tee"with three vacuum hoses.
Remove the hose that leads back down to the carbs. (I use a lighter to apply a SMALL amount of heat to soften the hose so I don't break the fitting)
I remove the left case gaurd for more "flexibility" when removing the carb assy.
Remove the air box, air filter and the gold colored "stand" for the air cleaner.
Remove the intake tubes. #4 should have a vacuum hose that leads back to the carbs. Remove it from the intake runner if at all possible.
Gently pry the air tubes out of the head. It seems to work best if you pry at the rubber supports, while applying a slight amount of down force on the portion that goes into the head. These need to come straight up to avoid damage. At this point the carbs are just "hanging". and ready for removal.
Position the plug wires as far aft of the frame as possible. You're going to need this room to get the carbs out. It's a very tight fit.
Place a rag over the valve cover (left) to prevent scratching.
Remove the fuel line from the fuel pump that leads to the carbs. Make sure your petcock is turned off.
From the left side, gently pull the carbs out a few inches. This should give you enough room to access the nuts for the throttle cables. Remove them.
At the front left corner of the carb/rack assy you'll see the choke cable mount. Remove the two screws from the BRACKET. This makes it a lot easier to remove the choke cable from it's operating arm.
The air tubes that you removed from the heads are a PITA. Make sure they don't hang or bind while removing the carbs. Be careful to not disturb the coolant transfer tubes too much. They could leak upon reassembly.
If you hold your mouth just right, the carbs should now be on the floor.
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#4 04-05-2009, 10:18 AM,
Patience, patience. Before leaving the bike last night I took the fuel line loose again and sprayed carb cleaner liberally into it.
After fretting all night, I went over to see if maybe it had helped, even add some Sea Foam if neccessary before taking it apart.
I hit the switch and vrroom! I couldn't believe it at first so I took the spark plug wire off of the "bad" cylinder and it started cutting out. Plugged back in...bingo!
Good ol' carb cleaner and a few hours.
Thanks for all your help, I'm sure I'll need that valuable info some time in the future!
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#5 04-05-2009, 01:27 PM,
Next issue,
Before I took the bike apart this winter I was experiencing this problem but after the above mentioned fix I've had over 500 miles of issue-free riding.
Now sometimes after start-up the the #4 carnival will cut out for a bit, but the real stumper is that after a little bit of highway speed it acts like it has run out of gas. After pulling over and hitting the starter for a while, it fires right back up and runs fine for a few miles. I've sprayed #4 fuel inlet with carb cleaner again, added some Sea Foam to this last tank, and yet now the frequency of these episodes is increasing!
Since the carbs have never been synched I'm wondering if they're vapor locking themselves, or is the fuel pump going....?
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#6 05-25-2009, 05:44 PM,
Update...
The fuel pump was the culprit. I ordered one from E-bay and am back in business.
My local Honda dealer only wants $44 to synch the carbs (half an our labor). I think I'm going to take him up on that deal. Maybe he'll let me watch.
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#7 05-31-2009, 07:13 PM,


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