Po' Man's Carb Sync Tool?

[Elmojo]

You did all the wrong stuff looks like! don't do any major adj it takes just a touch to do alot. Those 4 caps can't be open to the air, i used a remote fuel supply, plastic bottle with a pint. I think your 2gen with tps needs 3 & 4 -1 & 2 then all 4 can be synced together. The vac tube needs to be hooked to your tank in order to let fuel flow unless you run it on prim. If you have # i could call ya! also don't forget a fan to keep her cooled!!!

I would appear so!
That's what I get for trying to combine several different carb sync methods into one.  
I guess I need to cap off the two carbs I'm not currently syncing?
I did have to tank on Prime, so the vac line to the tank isn't needed, right?
I will definitely get a fan. I wasn't sure what the other comments meant about the fan, but I see what you mean about cooling.
If you want to email me your phone #, I'll call you when I'm about to dive in again, maybe tomorrow evening?  My email is below.
Now I just need to recharge my battery and try to figure out a good starting point for the idle adjusting screw.
If I screw it all the way in, then back it out (like when adjusting fuel mix screws) what would be a good starting point? I'm guessing it will be quite a few turns, based on the amount of turning I did this afternoon!  

Thanks for the advice, I really don't want to admit defeat and take this thing to the stealer.

Mike P.
elmojo@hotmail.com

[andrewsw]

I guess I need to cap off the two carbs I'm not currently syncing?

correct, otherwise you're sucking extra air in through those open holes and everything will be lean and the carbs won't be getting the right vacuum. runs like crap, if at all.

I did have to tank on Prime, so the vac line to the tank isn't needed, right?

correct, but it DOES need to be closed off somehow. personally, I put a clamp on it and snug it down good.



for the idle, what I would do is turn it all the way out so that it is not affecting the throttle at all, then start it with the choke, and once it warms, turn off the choke and keep it running with the throttle, try to get a steady low rev run with the throttle, then crank in the idle screw until it picks up and make s the revs climb, realease the throttle and adjust the idle back down slowly to the right speed. heh. that's how I'd to it, but then I have three hands....  

[PitterB4]

heh. that's how I'd to it, but then I have three hands....

Talk about getting all the girls!     (sorry - inside joke from the 400 forum)

[andrewsw]

       

[Elmojo]

Okay, first things first.
Thanks to your patience and kind support, my baby runs again!
Muchas Gracias para todo! LOL

Now, the bad news:
After screwing around with tiny vac plugs in an impossibly cramped and hot engine bay, I gave up, put everything back together, and abandoned the carb syncing fiasco.
I guess I'll just bite the bullet and take it to the stealer and let him do it.  

Here's the weird news:
As I was fiddling around, I noticed a sound that I had heard before, but was never able to track down.
My best attempt to describe this sound is somewhere between a *chunk* and a *spit*. I've been hearing this sound since I got el bandito about 2 yrs ago. I happens more when the engine is cold, but still some when it's warm. It only happens at idle or low rpms.
Try to picture two solid metal blocks, soaked in oil, whacking into each other at a semi-high veloicty while encased inside a cast aluminum housing. Sounds kinda like upper-end engine parts smacking together, huh? That's what I thought too!
Needless to say, it sounds REALLY bad.
During my carb follies today, I was able to diagnose it a bit better.
I'm thinking it's some sort of backfire through the carb(s).
I had my hand on the carb when it did it, and the whole carb housing jumped a few mm whenever the sound happened.
I also had my hand once on the air filter with the cover off, and the filter bumped out towards the rear of the bike, like there was a bit of backpressure there.

I still can't pin down the metal-on-metal sound, but the spitting sounds like the aforementioned backfire through the carb.
Can anyone confirm that I'm not crazy and, more importantly, that my bike isn't about to frag like a grenade?!

If anyone thinks it will help, I can record a sound clip of the engine running, and maybe you can hear the sound I'm describing.

Sorry for the long-winded post, I'm kinda freaked out here.

Elmojo
2002 Silver 1200S
Mechanically stock

[Daytona]

With the filter out they sound like a bunch of pissed cats, i had # 4 carb just stop fueling at idle one time, i pulled the air box cover,filter, then the screen (just toss it away if you take that out it will just get ya mad tryin to get it back in) and did the polish carb cleaning trick. Used a paint can top over #4 inlet after reving it up! Fixed the prob! Ran a half can of sea foam thru it but it was spitting from all the carbs making noise. Its normal i was told. Did the carb sync!! Nice and quiet at idle, smooth, less or no vibs! What a diff. Carb sync will do the most for making these run better than any other thing i have done!!! To bad you gave up, you were so close!!!          

[Elmojo]

Daytona, I have no idea what you just wrote!
What is this carb cleaning trick of which you speak?
I'm so confused.
Please be patient and post again, using small words for my feeble mind to grasp.

Elmojo

[Daytona]

="Elmojo"]Daytona, I have no idea what you just wrote!
What is this carb cleaning trick of which you speak?
I'm so confused.
Please be patient and post again, using small words for my feeble mind to grasp.

Elmojo

Just ramblin i guess! disregard, It wont help your prob!  

[Elmojo]

Hey, no problem. If I had a nickel for every time I've solved a problem by 'just rambling' I'd have...errr....26cents?! What? How is that even possible? Did I give CHANGE or something?
*ahem*
Sorry, got a bit sidetracked there.  

Anyway, thanks for the tips.
Does anyone else wanna take a stab at playing doctor with my spitting carbs?   Pleeeez?  

Elmojo

[Rocketjock]

First to ChuckD. Wow. Nice pipe. How do you get along with your neighbours?
Second, my real question. I bought a carb sync kit for under a hunnert dollars. One of those no name brand jobs with four gauges like what you'd see in one of those super cheap tuneup kits from some big box store. It seems to work fine allowing me to carb sync all the carbs at once. The point is that with a water tube between two of the carbs there is no doubt that you are actually syncing those two carbs. With these gauges I've got whose to say the gauges themselves are acting the same. I mean they are adjustable to line up the needles and all but what if the springs have different tensions?
And to answer my own question... I guess when I hit the 6000k tuneup for my 06 B12, I'll sync up and then switch the tubes around to see if they remain the same. Hey, why didn't I think of that? Wait a minute....never mind....

[andrewsw]

rocketjock: to use the dial type, just use 1 cylinder to calibrate the thing. hook the first dial up to cylinder 1 (or whatever you want, but use the same cylinder for all dials) and note what it reads. Then in succession, hook the other three dials up to that same cylinder and adjust the dial until it reads the same as the first one did. I'd probably then go back through all four dials and double check them. then they should read consistently for each cylinder.

Now I have to say, that the type you have are probably BETTER for cards that are way out of whack, otherwise you'll just suck tubeful after tubeful of water/oil through your carbs while you try to figure out how to get them closer. However, once they're close, I think the water/oil in a tube is probably MORE accurate because it sure as hell is touchy to adjust...

[Rocketjock]

My gauges do have individual screw valves on each of the tubes that you turn down till the shaking needle becomes steady. But thanks for that input on how to set them all the same.

[Daytona]

I have been wrenching for so many years i don't want to think about it! manometers,flow meters of the best quality, Water, mercury, etc etc! The Po' mans snyc'er is as good as it gets! No need for all those (I hope they are all reading the same gages) They can cause more probs than good!!! With the tube and liquid even a cave man could do it!!            

Just kiddin!! But if you got thru it one time it would all make perfect sense after!!!!  

[Elmojo]

Wow, thanks Daytona.
Now I feel like the above mentioned cave man, only dumber.  
I battled with this setup for parts of two days and only succeeded in scraping my knuckles and learning a few new words.
I just can't imagine what you guys are doing differently that makes it so easy?!

Oh well, I didn't need that $90 anyway, I'll just take it to the dealer..sniff...