Bandit Alley
MODEL SPECIFIC => SUZUKI BANDIT 250 & 400 => Topic started by: PitterB4 on July 23, 2005, 05:13:00 PM
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:duh:
I know it's been said here many times before but in-line fuel filters SUCK!
I've been beating my head up against a wall the last month or so with a bad idle. I've had no more than 3 cylinders at idle, sometimes two. It's been running fine once it revs. You shoulda seen me at the track limping between the pits and the track and then ripping pretty good once I was out there.
Anyway - It was missing at idle and it seemed to move around. At first #s 2 and 3 wouldn't fire at idle. I thought ignition and swapped in a different coil (thanks, Chris!!!). Same shitola. I tore apart the carbs, cleaned them. That seemed to get #2 back but still no #3. Tore 'em apart and cleaned AGAIN. It would run well for a bit and then get bad again. Now, #1 was the culprit. What the F*%$???
Then, I thought about fuel delivery. I had a 1/4 urathane hose feeding an in-line filter and then a section of the stock tubing to the carbs. I remembered people saying to stay away from in-line filters so I suspected it as the problem. A foot of 5/16ths tubing and I'm back on the road! At idle, it wasn't drawing enough fuel to feed all 4 cylinders. God, when it runs well, I love that bike!! :banana:
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jESUS calm down mate! Pingle high flow in line fuel filter cleanable and as there saying goes "pass more gas" Just chalk it up to exsperience!
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congrats! So did you lose the filter all together?
Damn we spent a whole day messing with that bike and it turn out to be a fuel filter!
Still seems odd though because the bowls were filled everytime we went to remove the carbs. I remember this because some jackass spilled a whole cup of the drained gas all over your garage.
Anyway congrats again, now lets ride!
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Well Chris, if it makes you feel any better, it was NOT the fuel filter after all. Woke up this am to go for a ride and I'm back to 3 cylinders. #1 will not fire at idle. It seems to be running ok above that, though.
I pulled the tank and airbox so I could check the synch. Synch was fine but I did notice something. If I cover the two little holes at the botom of the intake, the idle comes up and that cylinder comes back to life. If I cover them the others, the idle drops. Ideas????
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I AGAIN pulled the carbs. Pulled the boot for #1, made sure everything looked ok there. The vac line to the petcock seems to hold pressure well. Took the idle screw out and flushed everthing with carb cleaner. Pulled the cap, made sure everything there looked good. Put the carbs back on... fired it up... same thing - no #1 (unless I cover those metering holes).
With the airbox off, when I look down into the throat of that carb, there is fuel visible splashing around the needle only in that cyl. Why????
God, when it runs well, I love that bike!!
And when it's not, I really want to take a baseball bat to it!!!!!!
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Could your floats be out of adjustment or possibly sticking?
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Could your floats be out of adjustment or possibly sticking?
Although I didn't check the float today - other than to make sure it was well-seated, I've checked it several times over the last couple weeks.
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Forgive me if you have already been this direction, but my brother had given me advise a long time ago about carbs and it seems to always work. Every hole in the carb has a purpose and must be clear. If the floats are correct and the needle is not leaking, the air screws are at about 2 to 2.5 Turns out, all of the holes are clear, it has to work. The test where you covered the air bleed hold and the idle kicked up eliminates all mechanical and electrical culprits and isolates the carbs.
With my Bandit, I had the carbs off and on about 3 times before I discovered varnish in one of the pilots that chemicals would not remove. I had to run a wire through it to clear it out. This fixed it for a few days, but then the problem came back on a different cylinder. Again, in disassembling the carbs, I found a very unlikely source of contamination. I had put a small amount of bearing grease on the needle jet o-rings to aid assembly, it had come loose and been drawn into the idle circuit. The hole is so small that it would not allow it to disolve and be pulled through the carb. Upon cleaning, it cleared up again.
My advice, start over. Disassemble everything under the float bowls, including removing all of the pilots. Clean thouroughly with good carb cleaner and make sure every hole is clear with compressed air. You should be able to see a definite hole through the pilot. Don't use any thing thicker than WD-40 during reassembly. Put your inline fuel filter back on (the smallest flake of rust and you will be doing it again) and you should be in business. Balance the carbs if you haven't already and it should idle and run like new.
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It could be that the carbs need a good balance. make sure all the balancing screws are free and that there is no play in the throttle linkage. If one of the plate is closing off at idle from time to time that cylinder will drop off as well because of lack of fuel. this is where a very good carb balancing unit comes into play. Our shop one cost us $168.00 US and yes there is a difference in how well they work. Cheaper ones get you close to perfect, this one gets them dead on. When i'm done balancing my carbs my bike holds the steadiest idle you have ever heard from a hot little 400
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I think the synch is good. When it's running well, the idle is rock solid and the throttle response is perfect. Plus if it was a synch issue, I would think it would always be the same carb that was cutting out.
The floats are at stock height, needles are in perfect shape, needle jets are brand new, screw is at 2.25 out. I will do the wire-through-all-the-passages/carb cleaner routine and see how I make out. Looks like it's time to Kreem the tank. I was hoping to make a winter project out of that, though.
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It could be that the carbs need a good balance. make sure all the balancing screws are free and that there is no play in the throttle linkage. If one of the plate is closing off at idle from time to time that cylinder will drop off as well because of lack of fuel. this is where a very good carb balancing unit comes into play. Our shop one cost us $168.00 US and yes there is a difference in how well they work. Cheaper ones get you close to perfect, this one gets them dead on. When i'm done balancing my carbs my bike holds the steadiest idle you have ever heard from a hot little 400
LOBE CENTERS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
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As I am heading to bed for the night, there are 4 - count 'em 4 - warm headers on the B4. Idle is like a rock. Throttle very responsive. It's given me false hope before but I'm hoping this is the end of it. Although I was able to pass air and carb cleaner throught the pilot jet, I removed it and cleaned out in there good this time and I guess that was the ticket. Thanks for your help everyone! :banana:
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Those pilot jets are tiny, I can see them being a reoccuring problem. Even the smallest grit particle with clog one up. Hopefully that'll do it for ya! :congrats:
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Wanna come over and fix mine? My bike now doesn't want to idle on cylinder #3. Grrrr.
I'm getting sick of removing the carbs. I've tried different a carb setting every night for the last two weeks. I think I'm close now, but I'm pretty much back where I started. What a kick in the balls.
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simple green or the orange stuff?
it would seem that these cleaners would be
safe for all the parts on the carbs
and also dissolve and loosen any grease or grime
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Wanna come over and fix mine? My bike now doesn't want to idle on cylinder #3. Grrrr.
I'm getting sick of removing the carbs. I've tried different a carb setting every night for the last two weeks. I think I'm close now, but I'm pretty much back where I started. What a kick in the balls.
Sure - I'll be right over! :motorsmile:
Gotta say - I'm totally sick of the whole carb removal thing too! I haven't really ridden my bike on the road since mid-June. I'm anxious to get back out there.
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I'm getting sick of removing the carbs.
I'm totally sick of the whole carb removal thing too!
Man, I'm with you both on that. I can remove mine in my sleep now.
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I'm getting sick of removing the carbs.
I'm totally sick of the whole carb removal thing too!
Man, I'm with you both on that. I can remove mine in my sleep now.
Yeah that goes 13 years for me im sick of carbs!LOL
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As I am heading to bed for the night, I was able to pass air
And your wifey does mind?
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As I am heading to bed for the night, I was able to pass air
And your wifey does mind?
Why would she? I waited until after the 'passing' to head to bed like a considerate husband should. :lol:
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Not me id pull the covers over her head! :stickpoke:
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Not me id pull the covers over her head! :stickpoke:
:congrats: The classic dutch oven. But Rob should lay-off the Olestra before he attemps it.
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Be more suttle, just tell her you are going to spit up into the air and let her pull the covers over her own head.
RacerRuss
15 years experience in being married, this time!!!
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But Rob should lay-off the Olestra before he attemps it.
Yes - oily discharge on the bed linens would be bad!
15 years experience in being married
I'm only 1 year behind you, Russ.
Not to stray too far off-topic but did you know that my bike is actually running???? :beers: :motorsmile:
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We sure did bro just thought i'd change it to something more interseting than carb cleaning,carb cleaning,carb cleaning,carb cleaning! glad ya got it fixed tho! :beers: