78 kz 650 RUNNING ON TWO ARRGGG

Hi fellas finnaly got the bike to fire its running on 1 and 2 only pulled the bottom off the carbs cleaned everything that was brass blew everything out the slides are free and smooth...as it idles i can take a can of starter fluid and give 3 an 4 a little shot and it revs up...arrg this thing sat for 25 years changed out the harness it was burnt and im getting so close any ideas???thannks in advance....

hey when it revs does any heat in the other exhaust pipes appear...i bet you either have a set of points not working or a coil not hooked up right ect.ect

i will check the points next 1 and 2 pipes get hot 3 and 4 no the coils are split 1 and 3 2 and 4 so im firing on 1 and 2 utillizing both coils hmmmm also weird because when i give it a shot of either in 3 and 4 it revs up oddddd? thanks again

coldkz wrote:

Hi fellas finnaly got the bike to fire its running on 1 and 2 only pulled the bottom off the carbs cleaned everything that was brass blew everything out the slides are free and smooth...as it idles i can take a can of starter fluid and give 3 an 4 a little shot and it revs up...arrg this thing sat for 25 years changed out the harness it was burnt and im getting so close any ideas???thannks in advance....

Do you have a repair manual? If not get one.

Completely go thru the carbs.They're going to be cruded up from sitting so long.

1 & 4 fire at the same time of off the same coil and 3 & 4 do the same.So if 1 & 2 are firing and 3 & 4 are not it shouldn't be the ignition (check the plugs though) .

Also check carb boots.
They are the rubber parts between the carbs and the Cylinder head.Spray a little sarter fluid around them and any change would suggest they leak and need replacement.

coldkz wrote:

i will check the points next 1 and 2 pipes get hot 3 and 4 no the coils are split 1 and 3 2 and 4 so im firing on 1 and 2 utillizing both coils hmmmm also weird because when i give it a shot of either in 3 and 4 it revs up oddddd? thanks again

1 & 4,2 & 3

check plug wires

Float needles (valves) could still be sticking due to wear, even though the carbs have been cleaned. This will prevent gas flowing into float bowl. If you can see a ring around the taper area of the needle, you should replace both needle and seat.

If 3&4 kick in when you fully open the throttle, then you probably have something wrong with the pilot system, which controls fuel flow at idle/low throttle position. This may require disassembly again and a more thorough cleaning of those passages with spray cleaner and some compressed air (maybe even some wire to clean out the passages.....be careful with that, as you could damage the passages if you are too aggresive with the wire. A carb cleaning tool with several sized wires is available, but I can't remember where I saw it.

You probably have already done obvious things such as compression check to eliminate problems in the cylinders to make sure they are able to fire.

Suggest you get a factory service manual somewhere if possible. Mine has a pictorial of the passageways in the carbs, so you will be able to understand how the passages were drilled and connect together.

Maybe some other more informed folks will be able to suggest other possibilities.

Good luck.

Check to make sure carbs 3&4 are getting gas (check by pulling drain screws carefully). Since 3 & 4 both get fuel through right side of fuel T if that is clogged only 1&2 would run. Ed

One other thing.....while you are spraying into a particular orifice, you obviously should see spray coming out the other end. The service manual with pictorial will let you know where to look to make sure the cleaner is coming out the correct location.

coldkz wrote:

the coils are split 1 and 3, 2 and 4 so im firing on 1 and 2 utilizing both coils

As already mentioned by Nebr_Rex one coil should fire cyl. 1 and 4, the other should fire cyl. 2 and 3, so if your coils are split like you describe, the plug wires are connected wrong, no wonder you're running on 2 cylinders - you likely have spark on all 4 cylinders, only two of them are firing when not on the compression stroke.

Remove the points cover and look at the timing plate, one set of points will have a green wire attached to it, the other set will have a black wire. The left/rear set of points fires cyl. 1 and 4 (whether it has a green or black wire, don't rely on color codes, you never know what some po did), the right/front set of points fires cyl. 2 and 3

To recap, check that the coil connected to the left set of points has the plug wires connected to cyl. 1 and 4 and the coil connected to the right set of points has the plug wires connected to cyl. 2 and 3.

Edit: After rereading your post, first try switching the plug caps on cyl. 3 and 4 (3 to 4, 4 to 3), if I understood you right that should do the trick.

Good Fortune!

yes sorry guys 1 and 4 2 and 3 im a big dummy im going out in the morning to attack it again thanks so much for the help...if your in canada and need something painted drop me a line my paint is way better than my wiring skills but always fun to learn

Welcome coldkz.
Hope you figure this out soon.
Check it out again, and report back.

Where are you in Canada?
I'm in Ontario.