ready to toss a match in my fuel tank!

Okay i have an 83 kz550 that is running like smashed assholes. it smells horrible and shoots flames outta the exhaust if you jump on the throttle( i like doing that)
im guessing it runs super rich the plugs were fouled and wet with fuel. the gas is probally bad so i put fuel system cleaner in it and some fresh gas. what should i do to fix this issue. it idle like crap sounds like pop corn popping and dies off around 4K rpm underload.

Could be a ton of stuff. Carbs, holders, ignition...........etc. Check to see if you are getting spark on all 4 cyclinders. Then proceed onto the carbs. Do you have a manual ?

I'd check the input voltage to the coils. The smaller wires are the primary side of the ignition coils and should be at battery voltage or a little less. If your getting 8-10 volts your coils are not putting out what the bike needs to run properly.

Fully charge the battery, and with the tank removed turn on the ignition, take a multimeter set on D.C. volts range of 50 and touch the probes to the terminals. It should be the same as battery voltage. If not go to www.wgcarbs.com and read up on using a relay to bypass the ignition wiring circuit.

"If not go to www.wgcarbs.com and read up on using a relay to bypass the ignition wiring circuit."

Alternately, you could just do the maintenance that your 30 year old wiring system is begging for.

Clean the connections, disassemble the switches, clean them up and try again. I'd never consider a parallel system till I'd tried to maintain the stock system and failed.


KZCSI

arai59 wrote:

Could be a ton of stuff. Check to see if you are getting spark on all 4 cylinders. Then proceed onto the carbs. Do you have a manual ?

as much as i hate to admit it, arai is right.
first make sure all 4 cylinders are firing.
if so, you already need new plugs and most likely an oil change.
then your onto carbs. was it sitting for an extended period of time?
if so, you need them rebuilt. fuel turns into varnish and wreaks havoc on carbs. i really don't know your abilities so i would suggest you find someone to clean them for you if your not comfortable doing them yourself.

then like kzcsi said, your bike is 26 years old . time to start at the beginning.
buy a factory service manual and read it.

after all that, go to www.z1enterprises.com
they will have damn near every part you need to get her in tip top shape.

were here for you, but we require pictures as well.

idle jets clogged

im guessing its the carbs all 4 cyl are ot on the exhaust side i will check the ignition coils tommorow. it was sitting over winter but before winter when running down the road it would spit a little and pop like crazy when you let off the throttle

1. Check compression. Are you in spec with ALL cylinders.

2. Check valve clearances. Are they in spec?

3. Check timing.

4. Clean carbs. Make sure all passages are clear, all needles and jets are clear and not worn, and everything is adjusted as per spec.

You could assume it's carbs and spend a lot of hours and needless headaches chasing demons that aren't really there if you haven't made sure that you have good compression, have proper valve clearances and timing. Any one of these areas could make your bike run like a pound of smashed assholes, but you'll never know for sure if you don't verify each of these things BEFORE assuming it's the carbs.

damn shouldjust junk the bike! will update more tommorow

Could you give us some history on the bike? Did you just get it or have you had it for a while? You said that the gas is probably bad, so I'm assuming it's been sitting for a while? If so, you're going to have to clean the carbs if its had the same gas in it for 1-2 years.

The good thing about having to do this is that you become more familiar with the bike. If you aren't willing to work on it, you probably won't be riding it long. Take some pride in getting an old bike to run and have fun working on it. If you don't like it, you're better off with a new bike. Just my two cents.

im willing to work on it. the bike is just not that great. i bought the bike last year maybe july/august. i put the bike away for the winter since well its to damn cold to ride here. the gas should only be about 6 months old. there wasnt much fuel left in th ebike so i didnt bother with stabil. i wanna keep the bike around i just dont want to deal with the headaches day after day.

2low4NH wrote:

i wanna keep the bike around i just dont want to deal with the headaches day after day.

Than do things right once and don't worry about headaches down the road...