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Post by ellpee on Nov 20, 2017 12:53:28 GMT -6
My Magnum has been sitting idle for awhile; I finally got it to start consistently last spring after bringing it back to Tucson, but have not yet titled and registered it here for a variety of reasons. I have, however, been starting it once a week or so, running it until the engine is warmed up, and sometimes driving it around the private streets of our neighborhood for a bit.
Went out this morning and started it up, and about the time the temp gauge went up to the second mark, it started running rough and would not keep running if I let off on the gas. Before I start chasing my tail again, wondering if anyone has any thoughts about why, after many successful starts and short rides, it would suddenly develop this problem. What should I check first? (FWIW, it WAS a little harder to start this morning, had to crank it longer than usual.)
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Post by cyborg on Nov 20, 2017 22:58:01 GMT -6
the auto enrichner stopped pouring gas into the carb after it warmed up,,, I’d say the lo speed jet is gummed up of plugged with a bit of debris
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Post by ellpee on Nov 21, 2017 8:20:34 GMT -6
Will try to shoot some carb cleaner into the intake of this brand new carburetor and see if that clears it up. If not, guess I'll have to pull the carb and clean it thoroughly.
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Post by cyborg on Nov 21, 2017 9:00:48 GMT -6
I had (a lady friend ) has a 650 quad v twin ,,,it was real hard to start and no idle,,,I didn't want to tear it apart to get the carbs off,,,it had a bad fuel pump that was working intermittently so I changed that still hard start no idle,,,dumped the old stale gas in it with a healthy dose of seafoam ,,,after a few sessions of running it starts and idles fine
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Post by ellpee on Nov 21, 2017 18:42:45 GMT -6
Always possible; as I said, it's been sitting idle for several months except for more or less weekly "health checks." I suppose under those conditions the gas could have gone bad too, although until yesterday there was no problem. Will play with carb cleaner, then if necessary carb remove/clean/reinstall, then if still no go, drain tank entirely and start over with new gas. BTW, I have starter fluid but nothing actually called "carburetor cleaner." Will that work the same, or do I need to make a run to AutoZone?
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Post by cyborg on Nov 21, 2017 23:11:36 GMT -6
Time for a run
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Post by cyborg on Nov 22, 2017 7:41:11 GMT -6
I have manual petcocks and shut them off at every ride,,,it's gonna get to the point here in SoCal where the cold and rain will mean 3-5 weeks of inactivity,,so parking at the end of the "last ride of the season" I let the engine idle with the valves shut off and run the carbs dry,,,I'm sure you can pull the vac line to the auto valve on yours or use locking pliers to pinch off the vac or fuel feed line and do the same when you anticipate a few weeks of off time,,,a bit of a pain in the rear but better than pulling carbs and stuff
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Post by ellpee on Dec 1, 2017 8:23:32 GMT -6
Thinking it might be worth the trouble to add a shutoff valve to the fuel line just before it gets to the carb (easy to get at) and do what you describe. Bought some carb cleaner yesterday, will try clearing it in the next few days and see what's what.
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Post by cyborg on Dec 1, 2017 8:58:02 GMT -6
Post how it goes please
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Post by ellpee on Dec 3, 2017 11:45:59 GMT -6
Dec 3: Wouldn't always start, but got it running this morning using starter fluid and then spritzed in some carb cleaner, but no luck. Either it died right away or it continued to run roughly. So okay, time to pull the BRAND NEW carb and clean the jets and everything else thoroughly because sitting around little used has probably clogged up something. Now have the carb off and on my workbench, generally okay with everything as have done this 2-3 times before, BUT:
The four screws to open the carb bowl so I can get at the jets are plugged, metal of some kind. Don't want to start drilling or otherwise applying brute force tactics until I know what my options are. I'm sure this is a common, generic question, as I've encountered it before with, as I recall, the idle mixture screw on some previous carb or scooter. So anyhow, have hit the pause button for a bit pending input from here. What should I do about those plugs so as to not screw up anything and have to buy a whole new carb?
BTW, the screws to open the diaphragm chamber were so tight that I considerably damaged one of them, finally resorting to vicegrips. So I'm probably going to have to get a comparable screw in better condition before putting it all back together. Some standard degree of torque, might be nice, screwdriver was fine for one but not for the other ....
Oh, PS. I'm going to add a fuel shutoff just before the carb so in future I can run the carb completely dry if I anticipate a longer period of inactivity. $10 at Lowe's lawnmower dept, no luck at AutoZone or PepBoys. Might be I have such a shutoff underneath the fuel tank on my Magnum, but a big hassle to find out.
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Post by cyborg on Dec 5, 2017 8:58:42 GMT -6
Yea the manufacturer puts tha anti tamper bs screws so you don't open it,,,I switch all the butter bolts and screws to allen head screws,after I cut a slot and use a straight blade screw driver to remove the originals,,while you have it off pull the sheet metal cap that's pressed into the bore around the idle mixture screw
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Post by ellpee on Dec 5, 2017 13:15:30 GMT -6
Just discovered that myself this morning after making the rounds of several shops. I tried to cut a slot in one and couldn't get it to turn, thinking now about using an Easy-Out tool to get them all out and replace them with regular screws. Presumably a California emissions thing, they don't want anybody to be able to change out the jets thanks to their nutso emissions laws. Grrr. Might also just be able to fill the float chamber with carb cleaner and let it soak overnight, but would never know for sure. Prefer to remove and replace those funny screws if I can.
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Post by cyborg on Dec 6, 2017 7:45:50 GMT -6
I live in SoCal myself and I run into that bs all the time,,,,maddening,,,
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Post by ellpee on Dec 6, 2017 18:20:58 GMT -6
Well, I gave up on the screws for now and just filled the float chamber with carb cleaner overnight, am now putting everything back together to see if it'll run better. Had to ask RapidJim about one hose connection I wasn't 100% sure of, so waiting for his reply before proceeding. Did add a shutoff to the fuel line just before the carb, though.
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Post by cyborg on Dec 10, 2017 8:43:59 GMT -6
How is it now? Did the soak do any good?
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