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Squid's new toy :)

Started by squidley63, August 10, 2012, 09:53:05 AM

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RichBaker

Quote from: squidley63 on September 21, 2012, 02:04:42 PM
I had an issue with a softening clutch lever that had the bike creeping a little bit at stoplights.  I of course found another stripped out screw to deal with, ended up using a left handed drill bit to back the screw out of the cover for the clutch master and the fluid was a little low causing air in the system.  I went ahead and flushed out the system with some new fluid and got the air out of the system.  I'm not sure where the fluid could have gotten to as there was no leak on the slave lines or master that I could detect.  I guess I'm going to monitor it for a bit to make sure the level stays up now that it has good fluid in it.


You most likely have a leaking slave cylinder seal, it's very common....  Look at the paint on the cover under the slave cyl for bubbling paint. Probably worth it to just order the kit (or a complete slave) from RPM Randy, the brake fluid will ruin the chin fairing if it gets onto it...
Rich Baker - NRA Life, AZCDL, Trail Riders of S. AZ. , AMA Life, BRC, HEAT Dirt Riders, SAMA....
Tennessee Squire
90 FJ1200, 03 WR450F ;8^P

squidley63

I pulled the slave off when I was bleeding the clutch and there wasn't any leakage that I could find around the seals.  To bleed the clutch faster I pull the slave off and use a clamp set of vice grips to keep it from moving out while pumping to get more pressure in the line to help bleed the air out faster.  I plan on keeping an eye on the level and the seal area to try and see where the fluid went to.  I'm almost wondering if it is clutch wear that caused the level to go down just enough...not sure if that is possible or not.

thanks for the heads up though I really appreciate the help I've gotten on this site so far between the files and the people giving their advice.

SlowOldGuy

Excessively worn clutch plates will actually cause the fluid level in the master cylinder to INCREASE.

The worn plates will allow the clutch spring to compress farther, pushing the slave piston further into the cylinder and raising the level in the m/c.

DavidR

squidley63

I will keep an eye on the level and check the seal area around the slave cylinder if it goes down.

aviationfred

Quote from: squidley63 on August 18, 2012, 07:17:52 AM
I appreciate the offer on the turn signals.  I've been looking around for something else to use and still remain legal....they like to find reasons to pull folks over around here in NY so I want to keep them separate.  I will probably start by shortening them up to make them appear a bit more modern.  I'm also looking for some mirrors that do a better job at letting me see behind me.  I like the cbr mods I've seen here, but as I'm a bit broad in the shoulders and wear a loose jacket while riding I may need something that is a bit wider.  I'm actually thinking of modifying the original mirrors by adding in an extension to the stalks.  I've noticed that there isn't a lot of adjustment to them the way that they mount up so I may do something with that as well.

I guess I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to LED stuff...for some reason the look of them turns me off on them.  I think it has to do with the way they are instant on where a bulb heats up a split second as it comes on and cools down as it goes off.  No argument from me about how much more reliable and brighter they are, but they just don't fit in with my old fashioned thinking I guess :)


My 2 cents worth on the Mirrors. From what I can see in the photos. The mirrors are not stock. They are common on Ebay and sold for use on TZ250's and FJ1200's. Stock 89/90 mirrors extend further out. The posts are thick and kind of flat. No upward bend near the mirror attach point.

Fred
I'm not the fastest FJ rider, I am 'half-fast', the fastest slow guy....

Current
2008 VFR800 RC46 Vtec
1996 VFR750 RC36/2
1990 FJ1300 (1297cc) Casper
1990 VFR750 RC36/1 Minnie
1989 FJ1200 Lazarus, the Streetfighter Project
1985 VF500F RC31 Interceptor

squidley63

I wouldn't of thought of the mirrors that I have not being stock...I guess it's a distinct possibility considering the state of the plastics.  I have been eyeing the ebay cbr mirrors that others have noted here.  Just for the heck of it does anyone have the stock dimensions on FJ1200 mirrors from mounting point to mirror pivot horizontally? 


squidley63

I have finally found myself in a no start situation with the fj.  I had it sitting for about 2 weeks while waiting for time to work on the clutch issues and the battery was a little flat so starting it was a bit rough(barely cranking over the motor).  It died and wouldn't restart one night and after charging the battery it will only chug a little with the choke full on with no throttle any throttle it just cranks.

I pulled the plugs and a couple were a little wet, but I had another set off my old bike and changed them out and it still wouldn't start.  I have spark on all four cylinders(checked with spare plug).  Pulled plugs and they were fairly dry, so I checked the fuel filter...looked a bit suspect so changed it out with universal glass one I had left over from another project.  it filled with fuel as soon as I opened the petcock.  Still no start, so I opened the bottom drains on the carbs to check for fuel...all of them had a good amount of fuel come out. 

I'm guessing a carb cleaning is in my near future....oh well some more get to know it time with the fj :)

FJmonkey

Since I don't use my bike daily so I put fuel stabilizer in at every fill up. I use Seafoam and others use a variety of other successful products to combat the crappy gas we have to use. If I go more than a few weeks of not riding, I fire it up and run it long enough to get fuel flowing through the carbs and the oil hot. This keeps the jets clear for me.   
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

squidley63

I've been planning on a carb overhaul over the winter since I purchased the bike just to make sure that it has the correct jets and everything is put together correctly in them.  The previous owner wasn't a mechanic, but played one on the FJ which of course causes more problems than were fixed.

I found the plugs were all in hand tight, the rear wheel didn't have a cotter pin in it and was loose, the bolts on the subframe were loose, several wires were just taped together, etc. 


FJmonkey

Scary to find all that. Give it a full safety check during your carb overhaul. Get the SST kit from Randy and replace all buggered up fasteners with some quality stuff. I already have my kit ready for the next carb tear down when I put UNIs on and re-jet.
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

squidley63

I've been huffing carb cleaner the last couple of days while staring at my disassembled fj carbs....amazing how dirty these things can get.  I'm about halfway through the cleaning process working a couple of hours after work and everything seems to be going pretty well.  I've answered most of my questions about what parts I have in the carb and how to set it up to get it to idle enough to tune on it. 

While letting my brain come down off of the carb cleaner high I've been going bolt by bolt over the bike to see what has been messed with by the previous owner.  So far I've done the complete front end, all the engine mount bolts, the swingarm bolts, and various other bolts.  I'm actually amazed at the number of bolts that did turn with only moderate pressure.  Now at least I have some confidence that parts aren't going to fall off the bike once I get the carbs done.

I haven't been doing a good job of taking pictures as I go, I blame the carb cleaner high :)  I'm hoping to finish up the carb cleaning and get them back on for the idle adjustment and carb synch done over the weekend, maybe even a test ride if everything goes well :) I really appreciate all the info that I've found on this forum about my bike...takes the guess work out about owning one of these things :)

squidley63

I finished the carb cleaning and put them back together and on the bike yesterday.  I found 3 of 4 carbs had no fuel supply for the choke due to gunk in the bottom of the bowls blocking the inlet along with several other air passages that were at least 3/4 full of grime.  I used a small ultrasonic cleaner for the jets and bowls(had to change the liquid 3 times per carb set because of all the stuff that came out of the already sprayed off scrubbed parts(mostly from the tube cast into the bowls).  I picked up the cleaner at a salvation army store for 2 bucks and it holds about a quart of fluid. 

Over the winter I'll pull the carbs and take them to work to zinc and chromate the tops and impreg the bodies after a thorough chemical dip(sometimes it pays to work at a plating shop :).  For now they are back on the bike and it fired up after just 3 hits of the starter button(took a bit to get the fuel levels up in the bowls).  It's amazing what a functioning choke can do :)

I still need to adjust the idle mixture and synch the carbs, but thanks to ny weather it's about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday and raining :(  I hope to at least get the major tuning done on the carbs done before winter so that I have a good baseline for next spring.


fj11.5

Nice work mate, amazing what a clean choke port will do, ,idle so much better on choke and the  backfire vanishes, , that ultrasonic was a bargain,   :good2:
unless you ride bikes, I mean really ride bikes, then you just won't get it

84 Fj1100  effie , with mods
( 88 ) Fj 1200  fairly standard , + blue spots
84 Fj1100 absolutely stock standard, now more stock , fitted with Fj12 twin system , no rusted headers for this felicity jayne

I make oil

Excellent work squidly.  Your bike has found a good owner. 
Semper Fi

squidley63

I thought I would do an update on where my fj is at the moment.  After getting the carbs cleaned up and back on I tinkered with the synchronizing and adjusting the carbs a bit, but found a couple of seeping areas on my fuel transfer tubes.  Instead of messing around with just putting in a couple of seals I ordered Randy's o ring and bolt kit to refresh all the seals and get rid of the annoying pot metal screws.

I have the kit installed and re synched the carbs...it runs much better, but I've been having an on again off again fuel overflow out of one of the carbs.  While I was installing the o ring kit I made sure to double and triple check the float levels.  I'm guessing that I'm going to need some new float needles.  Will probably be going with all new just to keep from messing around with more leaks. 

I will say that the test riding between fuel over flows has been much more eye opening.  I was impressed with the grunt and power before, but since cleaning the gunk out of the carbs it is much better.  I am still having an issue with floating revs after letting the throttle close and there is still a soft spot off idle.  At full throttle it does pull nice and strong so I think the jetting is fairly close.  I'm holding off messing with the needle height until I get the carbs to keep the gas in them instead of randomly puking some out.

While I'm waiting for more carb parts I think I'm going to do some wiring on the FJ to sort out some of the hacking that has been done to the original wiring.  It looks like at one time it had an alarm on it as several wires have been tapped into with wires leading to no where.