Working the bugs out New(to me)'83 XVZ12t

[luvmy40]

Thanks!!

[flyday58]

I just reread the entire thread, but the last couple of bits are ringing bells. What's the condition of the battery and charging system? When I was bringing mine back from the dead I kept having issues with the battery draining while running, too much idling and bad wiring in the voltage regulator circuit. As the battery voltage dropped one, then two cylinders would drop out. After a recharge on my battery charger all would fire again till the voltage dropped again. The dropout was random, sometimes the fronts, sometimes the rears. Anyway it's easy to check the battery and the charging system.

[luvmy40]

Battery's strong, newer AGM battery. The charging meter shows 14V.

[luvmy40]

I pulled the carbs today. I'll get started on them tomorrow. I'm going to strip the rest of the plastic and get the valve check out of the way now too since I had to take most of it apart to get the carbs off anyway.

[luvmy40]

Well, the right bank carbs had the pilot adjustment screwed in tight and the left bank had the pilot adjustment out about 8 turns. I thought I'd read that two turns out was a good starting point?

 

I just finished up a quick and dirty clean up on the carbs. Not nearly a complete job but as I don' have any parts on hand, I just gave them a quick fluff and buff to see if anything changes.

 

I think the pilot settings may have been the major culprit.

[cowpuc]

Page 7-16 in 83-85 manual

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]106604[/ATTACH]

 

I just reread the entire thread, but the last couple of bits are ringing bells. What's the condition of the battery and charging system? When I was bringing mine back from the dead I kept having issues with the battery draining while running, too much idling and bad wiring in the voltage regulator circuit. As the battery voltage dropped one, then two cylinders would drop out. After a recharge on my battery charger all would fire again till the voltage dropped again. The dropout was random, sometimes the fronts, sometimes the rears. Anyway it's easy to check the battery and the charging system.

 

Just got the most recent Harbor Freight flyer in the mail,,, noticed they have FREE Multimeter's (with $5 purchase) - pretty handy little outfit for carrying in the Maintenance Dept. on your scoot!

 

Well, the right bank carbs had the pilot adjustment screwed in tight and the left bank had the pilot adjustment out about 8 turns. I thought I'd read that two turns out was a good starting point?

 

I just finished up a quick and dirty clean up on the carbs. Not nearly a complete job but as I don' have any parts on hand, I just gave them a quick fluff and buff to see if anything changes.

 

I think the pilot settings may have been the major culprit.

 

Probably wayyyyyy ahead of me on this 40 but dont forget to double check those slide diaphrams for pin holes and the like..

[yamagrl]

Well, the right bank carbs had the pilot adjustment screwed in tight and the left bank had the pilot adjustment out about 8 turns. I thought I'd read that two turns out was a good starting point?

 

I just finished up a quick and dirty clean up on the carbs. Not nearly a complete job but as I don' have any parts on hand, I just gave them a quick fluff and buff to see if anything changes.

 

I think the pilot settings may have been the major culprit.

Well, who'd a thunk it!

Edited July 31, 2016 by yamagrl
typo

[luvmy40]

Wishes don't fill fill the hand as fast as what?

 

I've got several multi meters and when I finally got around to using one of them I discovered that I have 2 bad coils and one on it's way out.

 

Well I needed the experience pulling the carbs and now I know it's a relatively easy job. I'd have had to pull most of the fairing to get at the coils anyway.

 

I am surprised that the bad coils were sparking bright. One of them is completely open on the secondary and the wire is shot as well. The other is well over spec at 55Kohm secondary and another is at 42Kohm. The fourth is text book at 36.5Kohm.

 

I gues it's time to do a little research on the C.O.P. conversion.

[bongobobny]

Yah, somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 turns is a good rough starting point. From there a CO sniffer or a colortune plug...

[gaj1917]

Yah, somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 turns is a good rough starting point. From there a CO sniffer or a colortune plug...

 

Have you used a Colortune on your Venture? Experience?

[luvmy40]

I haven't used it on the Venture yet, but it's an absolute necessity for the XJ engines. I do have the 12mm adapter coming. Some have said they couldn't get a good read through the smaller adapter but then, quite a few say the same thing about the 14mm kit too. I have no problem tuning the Hitachi carbs on my XJs to the perfect, just rich burn with the Colortune.

[bongobobny]

It helps to have a hood over yourself to see the "color" and do it in a dimly lit room...

[yamagrl]

It helps to have a hood over yourself to see the "color" and do it in a dimly lit room...

 

 

Yes it is easier to see at dusk or with the lights low.

[cowpuc]

Never even knew they existed till a couple years ago while playing around at one of @OrlinEngh 's camp ride parties.. Not sure if it was his Colortune but Shrek n I played with one on Shrek's scoot.. Wayyyyy cool outfit!! Like mentioned - its best to use in a darker corner of garage so you can see the burn better and a little tricky to get your head just right to see the window down in the plug channel (little mirror would work great) but indeed - definitely a neat little tool for tuning!! Sort of an inexpensive way to do the work of a sniffer if ya know what I mean = get that pretty little blue flame happening, sync em down and let er rip!!

[luvmy40]

The Colortune adapter and a set of used coils from fleabay arrived in today's mail. Hopefully I'll have her up and running this weekend. Then I get to finish making all the little repairs to the plastics and track down all the various missing fasteners.

 

There wouldn't happen to be a comprehensive list of fastener specs for the body parts, would there?

[luvmy40]

The new(used) coils all check within spec! A roll of new plug wire is on the way.

[luvmy40]

So, Situation Normal, All Fouled Up!

 

While I appreciate that each individual task that I have performed on the XVZ12 has been easier than it looked to be, I am frustrated to no end right now.

 

The more I dig into things the more surprised I am that this bike ran at all, let a lone as smoothly as it did. I wonder what the PO sacrificed to what god to make her run till he found me?

 

The battery box, TCI and coils came out quick and easy. The vacuum line on the advance module was not connected to the engine. The connections on the TCI look like they have spent a good bit of time under water, as does the coil/tci mounting bracket. To top it off, the coils all check within spec off the bike. The one that was showing open had been checked 2 or 3 times with the plug wire removed before I pulled them.

 

I have a feeling the TCI is fragged but I cleaned it up and reinstalled it with the new coils anyway. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I was going to put her back together with the best of the eight wires I have, but now I think I'll wait til the new plug wire shows up.

 

Where is the vac line from the advance supposed to connect up on the engine? One of the intake vac ports?

[Prairiehammer]

Where is the vac line from the advance supposed to connect up on the engine? One of the intake vac ports?

 

On the 1983 Venture EXCLUSIVELY, the "Boost Sensor" vacuum line connects to a spigot on the number 2 carb body. Again, this connection is unique to the 1983 carb. All subsequent years the Boost Sensor vacuum line connected to the number 2 intake boot/manifold.

[luvmy40]

I just ran a compression test and got some interesting results. The rear cylinders are pumping 190-195psi and the left front 150psi. The right front 180psi a couple straws full of oil in the left front cylinder did not change the results at all. I didn't oil the right front.

 

Funny thing is the left front is the cylinder that seems to be running the best. At least it was the one that had the most rpm shift when adjusting the pilot mixture and had the most effect(engine stalls) when pulling the plug wire at idle.

[garyS-NJ]

I just ran a compression test and got some interesting results. The rear cylinders are pumping 190-195psi and the left front 150psi. The right front 180psi a couple straws full of oil in the left front cylinder did not change the results at all. I didn't oil the right front.

 

Funny thing is the left front is the cylinder that seems to be running the best. At least it was the one that had the most rpm shift when adjusting the pilot mixture and had the most effect(engine stalls) when pulling the plug wire at idle.

I think I had similar compression variation after I got my motor unseized and I was chasing down carb and ignition problems. My carb bowls and jets were full of gunk and Tci would not advance the spark (& I tested and swapped boost sensor). Some of my plug wire caps were bad too.

Wishes don't fill fill the hand as fast as what?

 

I've got several multi meters and when I finally got around to using one of them I discovered that I have 2 bad coils and one on it's way out.

 

Well I needed the experience pulling the carbs and now I know it's a relatively easy job. I'd have had to pull most of the fairing to get at the coils anyway.

 

I am surprised that the bad coils were sparking bright. One of them is completely open on the secondary and the wire is shot as well. The other is well over spec at 55Kohm secondary and another is at 42Kohm. The fourth is text book at 36.5Kohm.

 

I gues it's time to do a little research on the C.O.P. conversion.

 

So, Situation Normal, All Fouled Up!

 

While I appreciate that each individual task that I have performed on the XVZ12 has been easier than it looked to be, I am frustrated to no end right now.

 

The more I dig into things the more surprised I am that this bike ran at all, let a lone as smoothly as it did. I wonder what the PO sacrificed to what god to make her run till he found me?

 

The battery box, TCI and coils came out quick and easy. The vacuum line on the advance module was not connected to the engine. The connections on the TCI look like they have spent a good bit of time under water, as does the coil/tci mounting bracket. To top it off, the coils all check within spec off the bike. The one that was showing open had been checked 2 or 3 times with the plug wire removed before I pulled them.

 

I have a feeling the TCI is fragged but I cleaned it up and reinstalled it with the new coils anyway. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I was going to put her back together with the best of the eight wires I have, but now I think I'll wait til the new plug wire shows up.

 

Where is the vac line from the advance supposed to connect up on the engine? One of the intake vac ports?

 

 

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

[luvmy40]

These carbs don't look bad at all. The pilot jets were at least partially blocked in 2/4 but they're not really gunked or full of debris at all.

 

I just got the new plug wire today and I'm going to give the carbs another going over and double check the float settings as I have a habit of being too cursory with this kind of thing and missing small stuff that tend to make big problems. Maybe get it done tomorrow?

[luvmy40]

Carbs are spic-n-span and the floats are set. Now I'm just waiting on a shim tool to pull the rocker boxes and check the valves clearance.

 

Does the fuel tank absolutely have to come out? No way to work around it?

[camos]

Now I'm just waiting on a shim tool to pull the rocker boxes and check the valves clearance.

 

Does the fuel tank absolutely have to come out? No way to work around it?

Fuel tank? No Radiator? Yes, but not out just loosened. I'm sure there is a reasonably good write-up about this job in the Tech section.

[gaj1917]

What camos said, but very tight quarters. The covers will come out with considerable fiddling. Getting them back in with gaskets attached is also tricky. A good sticky gasket cement helps hold them in place. Do a trial run without a gasket to figure out the just-right angle of attack.You might also consider replacing the rubbers around the cover bolts.

[camos]

Another thing, use 2nd Gen gaskets rather than 1st Gen gaskets because the former have little tabs on them which make it easier to adjust the fit of the gasket into the slot. Maneuvering the cover into position without disturbing the placement of the gasket can be a real trial. Once the cover is in position be sure to check the joint all the way around for any indication the gasket is not properly aligned. A good flashlight will be necessary for this.