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MiCarl

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Everything posted by MiCarl

  1. MiCarl
    With the use of a recording scan tool I think I solved this. The codes are not a heater circuit issue. They are "O2 sensor circuit high voltage" (P0132 and it's sisters). I misunderstood the descriptions because they all contained the phrase "This code indicates that the heated oxygen sensor reading is too high", and mistakenly thought it was referring to the heater voltage. The PCM is putting a 1.725 bias voltage on the O2 sensors instead of the 0.450 volts it should. Under Symptoms the description states: "You will likely not notice any drivability problems.", which sent me down the wrong path. Here's why I think that was incorrect: As the bias voltage was creeping up it caused the PCM to determine a rich condition. It compensated by turning the mixture leaner and updating the fuel trim tables. The long term fuel trims were at -35%. So on start up (open loop) it was running lean until the oxygen sensors started to function and put it in closed loop. The O2 voltage was still indicating rich so the PCM took another 25% of in the short term fuel trims. Now it's lean enough to detonate under acceleration. The knock sensor indicates this so the PCM dials the spark advance back to about 0, causing a complete loss of power. Tramping the pedal puts it back in open loop, the extra -25% fuel trim goes away, the knock stops, the PCM puts back the spark advance and the car accelerates briskly. I sorted all this out after I pulled the connectors from the PCM to clean them. That caused the trim tables to zero out. Now that it's not aggressively lean it never leaves open loop (O2 voltages stay above 1.25) and drives just fine with the default fuel delivery. Ordering replacement PCM first thing Monday morning.
  2. MiCarl
    Yeah, me too. I think there are very few of us who have never run a light or sign. Doesn't Homer Simpson live in Springfield?
  3. MiCarl
    They do take some getting used to. Had to do it all over again when the Mrs. climbed on too. Swifty's post gave me a thought though. If the bearings were really too tight they likely created little low spots in the races and flats on the rollers. Those spots will be right at the straight ahead position. If it's got them it will tend to hunt back and forth in them at low speeds. You might want to get the front wheel up and make sure it turns right to left VERY smooth.
  4. MiCarl
    There is a difference between unsteady vacuum and the normal rapid pulsing that occurs in the intake. You need a restriction (near the vacuum port) and a significant volume (long hose) between the restricter and the gauge to damp the oscillations.
  5. MiCarl
    Everything has a cost associated with it. When you go to the dealer he has a nice facility on a prime piece of real estate. He has items in inventory so you can have it right away. Hopefully he has a warm body to assist you with your purchase. He also likely has a cute gal greeting you at the front door. The store is staffed 60-72 hours per week so a warm body is there when you want them. All of those things cost him money and get rolled into the price of your purchase. Online sellers have a warehouse in the cheap section of town (assuming they have any inventory at all). Everything is packed so tight you couldn't see one item from another if you were in there. The lighting will be minimal and there will be no extravagances like windows. They are probably only staffed 40 hours (or less) per week to ship and recieve merchandise. Their customer service may well be outsourced to some place that pays their people $4/week and lets them eat every other Thursday. Those kind of facilities cost much less and that reduction is passed along in the lower price of the item. Most people are not willing to pay for excellent service. That's why the country is buried in Wal*Mart stores and the mom and pop shops are gone. Of course most love to complain about the poor service they get from bargain outlets. They should have sent you a more polite response. It's a safe bet though that the flunky who does them has to do sixty or more an hour. He probably got beat up the day before for only doing 59. As far as sale prices go - Motorcycle Superstore did not necessarily make $35 more on your purchase. It's entirely possible the manufacturer or distributor offered them an incentive that was not in place when you placed your order. I regularly get calls that offer me sweet deals if I place orders for large quantities of an item. My
  6. MiCarl
    It's not normal (unless you're going up a steep hill, strong headwind, lots of weight). Almost certainly fuel system. Most likely carburetors. The fact that you are trying to "blow out" your jets is a pretty good indication that you know of a carburetor problem.
  7. MiCarl

    virago help

    MiCarl replied to oldgoat's topic in Watering Hole

    Motorcycle transmissions are very difficult to shift when things aren't moving. The different relative motions of the gears in the gearbox let the tabs and slots slide together to engage. When it's stationary the transmission will only shift if everything happens to be perfectly aligned. Attempting to shift while rocking and working the clutch will often let you get to that next gear. It's entirely possible that in 2nd gear you didn't have enough leverage to turn the engine through a compression stroke. It's also possible that he has a leaking float valve and it filled a cylinder with gasoline while he was parked and hydro-locked it. I would pull the spark plugs and try to push start it (kill switch off) to clear the engine of any pooled fuel. Of course if he has a cylinder full of fuel he needs an oil change too. The noise you described sounds like failed starter clutch though. Very common on the early Viragos I understand. It doesn't have a "bendix", but a clutch behind the rotor just like on the Ventures. Oh, the clutch is a one way affair. Even if the starter was stuck you should be able to push start it.
  8. MiCarl
    Been there, done that, chose the wrong time to glance down at a switch - loaded the Venture on the trailer for the haul home myself. Glad I was wearing the gear. The armor may or may not have prevented breaking my arm and shoulder when I struck the car. The broken engine side cover and toes that hurt for six months tell me that the heavy leather riding boots were just barely enough to prevent serious injury to my foot. The front of my full face helmet speaks volumes about what the pavement would have done to my face. We all make mistakes. Every time one does not result in a crash is because we were fortunate that no one near us was making his mistake at the same time. I also have fire insurance - even though I've avoided ever having a house fire and have known many people who avoided house fires their entire lives.
  9. MiCarl
    It changed in 86 for the MKII. However I believe the change was in how the bars mount. The lower part of the tree is the same all years. I've had my hands on two that were hit pretty hard in the front. The forks seem to break before the steering neck bends. The steering neck on the Ventures is pretty beefy. Unless you've got something mounted wrong your problem is likely bent forks.
  10. MiCarl
    Interchangeable.
  11. MiCarl
    She goes to school out of town. End of Dec. she called and said she skidded on the ice, hit a sign, and damaged a strut. $400 to fix. In March she was home and when I saw the car I realized she'd spun through more than one sign. Thing looks like it's been through a garbage disposal. No getting rid of it unless I pay someone to haul it away. Besides, it has an almost brand new water pump.
  12. MiCarl
    We're having an issue with the 2002 Intrepid (2.7L V6) my daughter drives. Sometimes (and becoming more frequent) when accelerating from slow speed or stop there is a massive hesitation. The RPMs might rise a little bit but then acceleration stops and the tach stays steady. I can hear the intake noise from the open throttle plate but there is no power. No perceptible stumble, just no power. If the pedal is released the engine idles fine. After 15 seconds or so everything straightens out and it runs great. The service engine light seems to be non functional. The OBDII is showing five codes, four for the four oxygen sensor heater circuits and one for a multi cylinder misfire. I'm assuming the multi cylinder misfire is being set when we see the hesitation. My understanding is that the O2 heater circuits should not create a driveability issue. For those of you that have been around outboard boat motors: The engine sounds just like when you open the throttle butterflies on an outboard without pushing the linkage that works the spark advance. There is the BWAAAA of intake noise but little RPM increase and no power. I had similar behaviour with a Virago where the TCI was not advancing the timing. So I suspect the hesitation is being caused by a failing PCM not advancing the ignition timing. Of course the problem is intermittent enough there is little chance of verifying that with a timing light. Appreciate any feedback on my reasoning or alternative thoughts. Thanks.
  13. MiCarl
    It might. Even with the clutch pulled there is still a little drag. Probably doesn't spin quite as fast as in neutral.
  14. MiCarl
    OUCH! That's how you guys do it removing only the windshield. I hate wiggling those bent screwdrivers in tight places. If you pull the signal/marker lamps it's a straight shot to those screws with a long Phillips driver.
  15. MiCarl
    I was thinking that we ride through some corn to get there, and could grab some corn cobs. In June though the cobs are still pretty skinny. Perhaps you should move Maintenance Day to late August when a good supply of "full size" cobs will be available......
  16. MiCarl
    If your gauge reads like min 1/2 tank is less than 2 gallons. I think when you fill up you're going to be pleasantly surprised.
  17. MiCarl
    As you described the position of your bike next to the lift it was an accident waiting to happen. And the parts should be protected when they're laid down. I'm wondering how they can afford to tie up a lift for as long as yours was apparently on it too. That's expensive real estate. Gotta get them on, get them done and get them off. A few weeks ago I scratched the rim on a customer's wire wheel changing a tire. I refinished it as best I could, told him what I'd done and offered him a new rim or $200, his choice. He took the two bills and headed for the hills with a smile on his face. Hurt like heck to part with the $$, but it was the right thing to do. On the plus side, he'll be my customer for life.
  18. MiCarl
    If the error is fairly consistent it can be corrected. You'll need to disassemble the instrument cluster and remove the speedometer. This is an excellent time to lube the bushing where the drive cable connects. When you look at the speedometer you'll see that it is an aluminum cup attached to one end of a shaft. On the other end is the pointer (needle). There is also a spring which pulls the assembly toward 0. On the back of the pointer there is a brass sleeve. The sleeve is pressed on to the shaft to attach the pointer. If you hold the cup steady you can twist the pointer on the shaft. It's a tight fit, so twist the pointer by grasping the base rather than pushing on the end and possibly breaking it. To precisely set the pointer: You'll notice that behind the aluminum cup there is a bracket. Turn the pointer to 50mph and hold it steady. Using a very fine marker draw a line on the cup where it passes the bracket - it is helpful to extend the line onto the bracket. Now you have a mark that shows how far the cup is rotated when the speedometer reads 50 MPH. Now you can hold the cup in place, keeping the lines matched, and rotate the pointer to the correct speed. So, if when the speedometer reads 50 when you're actually going 65 you rotate the pointer to 65. Now your speedometer will be exactly correct at that speed. It's tough to hold the cup steady - that's the reason for the marks. It'll likely take a couple tweaks to get it where you want it. YOU NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL THAT YOU ARE HOLDING THE CUP FROM TURNING - NOT PUSHING ON IT. The cup and shaft are fairly delicate and if you bend either the speedometer is junk.
  19. MiCarl
    Deleted
  20. MiCarl
    Actually according to the GPS mine is spot on at 52mph.
  21. MiCarl
    You start with all screws turned completely counter clockwise. The way you calibrate it is to connect all four hoses to the little manifold that comes with it. Then you hook the manifold to one vacuum port. Start motorcycle and let warm up. Adjust the four screws down until all columns are equal near the bottom of the gauge. Once it's calibrated you take out the manifold and hook each tube to one intake port. If you're out of sync they'll be at different heights. Adjust the sync screws to bring the columns back into alignment.
  22. MiCarl
    I wonder if a spray chain lube wouldn't be a good choice for that bushing? Seems it might wick in then firm up. When I remove the cluster I pull the windshield and headlamp. Removing the headlamp lets me get a long extension with a 10mm socket in to take the mount bolts out. Unplug the electrical connectors and disconnect the speedo cable and it lifts right out.
  23. MiCarl

    spark plugs

    MiCarl replied to oldgoat's topic in Watering Hole

    Yes, but why order there when the VentureRider price at Thunder Valley Powersports is 36 cents cheaper? (shameless plug)
  24. MiCarl
    4! We ride two up on 2. To need 4 I imagine I'd have to pick up a really fat chick, her twin sister and all their cats. He's got a MKII Royalle. No place to hook up the bicycle pump. Automatic controller won't over inflate them.
  25. MiCarl
    Two pieces you have with rubber on them go above the headlight one in each pair of holes on the windshield. Rubber points down. Only one hole gets a screw (the one with threads). At the corners of the windshield there are no brackets. On mine I don't have the OEM bolts, I just use a 6mm screw with washer. I tighten down until the windshield is snug against the rubber piece that goes between it and the panels that hold the speakers. Your description of the bracket isn't ringing any bells for me either. Pic please.
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