been sitting too long

[echomadman]

dont suck fuel out of the fuel outlet, apply a vacuum to the other nozzle on the petcock, it doesnt take much suction, you can test it with a bit of tubing and sucking with your mouth, remove the fuel line and apply suction to the vacuum pipe and see if fuel is flowing, it should stop quickly enough after you remove the suction

what do your plugs look like after attempting to start it? I read through the thread but i didnt see anywher that you tried new ones.

[b4cruz]

so its fired now the plug wires were in wrong!
however i'm leaking oil really bad

the gaskets i changed are leaking the gaskets i left original are clean
i must have sraped the old one off too hard or something
i torqued everything down to what the manual said
but its really leaking bad & fast,  
can i use high temp silocone over the gaskets?
i can't seem to get the exhaust pipes into the engine right either
they are leaking lots of smoke too
the bike runs but like a mess

i am so embarrased

[TheKillerB]

What did you use to scrape off the old gasket?

Did you clean the mating surface with a solvent before putting it on (cover and crank case)?

Did you begin tightening at the middle holes and work your way outward?

These two steps are important.

[b4cruz]

did not use solvent but i did tighten around evenly like your supposed to
so there is no way to save this gasket huh?

gotta buy a new one and some solvent and redo it?
what solvent do you use?

looks like the gaskets were original from '91
so the stuff was really caked on took a long time to scrape off

no way I can use silicone huh?

[TheKillerB]

With the gaskets for these bikes you have to be sure not to gouge the mating surface when scraping and make sure the surfaces are very clean.  You could use something like acetone, maybe laquer thinner, probably even WD40.  You just want to put some on a rag and rub down the surface.  Acetone and laquer thinner will evaporate quickly and clean metal well.  I don't see any harm in giving some sealant a try.  I would use something intended for engine assembly (something oil resistant).  Try not to gob it on too heavy as you don't want it squirting out too much on the inside where it might break loose.

Anyone on the board see a problem with using a sealant?

[Red01]

Any of the commercially available RTV (silicone) sealants rated for engine use will be fine... they'll also help if you have any small imperfections in the mating surfaces as they aren't as picky about a perfect surface as a paper gasket.

Think of it this way, if paper can be used, RTV can, too. Just don't get overzealous with it. If you get excessive squeezeout on the inside, and it breaks off, it can clog oil passages.

[b4cruz]

So I was able to use the new paper gaskets.
I just cleaned the surfaces better with solvent.
I also tightened the main oil line.
And I replaced a bolt that was damaged.

However she won't stay running still.
At a cold start It fires up great, revs happy and stays on as long as its choked.  It is smoking and the exhaust is smelly/rich and smokey/white.  

After I turn it off and try to start it up again it acts completly different.
It won't rev at all.  Almost seems like it is running on 2 cylinders.  And it immediatly dies if you aren't holding the throttle open.

What could be preventing the bike from staying on and running smoothly?

[b4cruz]

I just let it rev as long as i could to get it warm
Then I adjusted the idle speed screw so It would
match were I thought the carbs should be.

It ran better, but it still drops power randomly.
It won't rev up at all. you have to hold the throttle
wide open just to keep the rpms from droping to nothing
or else the engine dies.  

Sometimes it will come back to life after a few minutes of
this power loss, but then back to nothing again.

Its really frustrating.
much to ramdom to take it out to ride yet.


Any ideas on what it could be?

[PitterB4]

Random ideas:  Carbs WAY out of synch?  Intermittent connections in your plug wires (a common problem that can be fixed with a couple bucks worth of new wire)?  Vacuum leaks?

[b4cruz]

only the wires can be intermittent correct?
The coils and plugs can't sometimes
work and sometimes not work correct?

because it still can rev and
run really well
just not consistently

[Red01]

Just about anything and everything electrical can be intermittant.
Spark plugs are generally very reliable - as long as they aren't fouled.

[b4cruz]

so on the BSF400 the wires are part of the coils
you have to buy two and they are $80 each
my plugs are $8 each $11 for iridium

I checked the continuity of the wires and coils with
a fluke meter as instructed by the manual
the coils/wires seem ok, but they look stock 91
never changed.  

should I go ahead and spend the $200+
anybody else out there know how long
our BFS400 coils/wires should last?

[PitterB4]

so on the BSF400 the wires are part of the coils

Nope!  They unscrew from the coils just like they do from the plug boots.  Dennis Kirk sells a spool of several feet (maybe 5???) of 7mm wire for less than $10.

[b4cruz]

wow!
thanks
i'll get some right now
my boots are a bit
messed up though
can I glue them ?

or maybe I should try to get some
newer boots from a salvage place?

[b4cruz]

my local NAPA has 7mm wire for $.69 a foot!
woo hoo!
I only need 4 feet for the b4!
I'm gonna go for the all wire 7mm for better spark
they also sell standard carbon fiber for cars
but thats just for radio interference

that's so cool i found a replacement
rubber bottom for my boot too

i hope this works