The_Proletariat 550 project

Patton wrote: Stay tuned

Thank you.

Thanks Patton.
Steve

Patton wrote:

And here it is for better or worse, in the Projects forum under topic, The_Proletariat 550 project.

Good Fortune!

Hopefully for better, but may be worse.

I think loud has it. Couldn't do better myself.
Steve

Thanks guys

I put the stock jets back in. Needle clip still at #3. Rechecked float levels, and lowered 3 of them slightly. Have not seen a fuel leak today.

Checked for spark and have blue spark on all cylinders. It is running much better however still a little uneven and has a miss.


Water test.



Perhaps #3 is dead? 1 2 and 4 all steam the same. I don't know it is hard to tell. Advice?

Local auto parts store lacks the correct adapter for a compression tester.

I put my manometer on the bike and #3 pulls far more vacuum than the other cylinders.

It's a little hard to see how much water you sprayed out on video due to the steam etc, but if it was basically the same amount each time, then yes, #3 seems a little colder. Sometimes, for the sake of videos, it's easier to see if you can dribble the water just above the knee on the pipe. If any wetness can be seen then, it is too cold. The water drops should dance off on a layer of steam, and never make the pipe look wet.

But in any event, it appears #3 must be firing at least somewhat, since the wetness did not linger for very long.

Unfortunately I have to go to work, but will try to check back in late tonight. (Kzrider is now blocked at work )

EDIT, just saw the last line of your last post. That would normally indicate that the throttle slide plate needs to be opened more on #3. Then it should start firing more. That basically is what a carb-sync does... tells you which throttles are closed by indicating higher vacuum. However vac leaks should still be checked for after you correct the sync.

Today I put it back together, did a sync (what a pain tightening the locknuts without throwing off the sync) and went for a ride.

Wow pods sound fantastic! Bike seemed to run well. Pulled hard. I think an exhaust gasket is leaking; can hear it knocking. I think I noticed a slight surge at a steady 55 mph. Heard some spark knock at moderate rpms/moderate throttle. I know 550's knock under certain circumstances but I feel like I should have been able to give it some more throttle before it happened.

I still have a big problem though. As I was pulling home carb #4 started leaking out of the drain pipe. I quickly put a clear tube on the nipple and the fuel level was well above the bowl gasket. I drained the bowl, and rechecked and the fuel level was at the level I set it per Lou's website. I have new float valves all around. I don't want to keep lowering the fuel level as any more and it will be under spec. Is this my only option? I only have this problem on this one carb.

Might have some crap in the valve. Sounds like it's running lean with those pods.
Steve

Look very carefully at the tongue on the float. If there is a dimple there, that can cause the valve to hang up, especially if you park on the side stand. Take some very fine sand paper and try to smooth the dimple. If it's deep, don't try to remove it. You might remove too much metal. Just try to smooth everything as much as you can so the needle's spring-loaded nipple will easily slide into and out of the dimple.

Make sure the spring on the nipple is still springy.

I've never checked on the availability of new floats, but I doubt they're cheap.

Every now and then you should empty the bowls to make sure the petcock does not leak. This way if it leaks while parked, you only lose the few ounces in the bowl, instead of the whole tank.

Recheck the fuel level after sanding the dimple.

swest wrote: Might have some crap in the valve. Sounds like it's running lean with those pods.
Steve

Will flush fuel system.

Look very carefully at the tongue on the float. If there is a dimple there, that can cause the valve to hang up, especially if you park on the side stand. Take some very fine sand paper and try to smooth the dimple. If it's deep, don't try to remove it. You might remove too much metal. Just try to smooth everything as much as you can so the needle's spring-loaded nipple will easily slide into and out of the dimple.

Make sure the spring on the nipple is still springy.

I've never checked on the availability of new floats, but I doubt they're cheap.

Every now and then you should empty the bowls to make sure the petcock does not leak. This way if it leaks while parked, you only lose the few ounces in the bowl, instead of the whole tank.

Recheck the fuel level after sanding the dimple.

Will recheck. Did notice a tiny dimple. Noticed buildup on the float hinge pins and used a scotchbrite to clean. The floats were not full of fuel.

Progress has slowed considerably over the last two weeks due to a cold I cannot get rid of. I am confident that hopefully, someday soon, I will recover. I swear, ever since I turned 30 it has completely fallen apart. I am not just tired, but utterly exhausted all the time. I believe my hair to be thinning, I cannot overcome a common cold, and my wife reminds me on a constant basis how bad my memory is (says I have old man memory.)

Ah, back on topic, I have temporarily resolved my fuel leak. Carb #4 float needle was hanging up in the float seat, and I believe the buoyancy of the float was insufficient to force the float needle up into the seat. The float tang appeared a little twisted and I gently straightened it until the float needle would repeatedly move all the way up into the seat. I also smoothed all four float tangs, and checked all four fuel levels.

My next issue is what sounds like a vacuum leak. It is not very noticeable at idle, but it becomes very loud at about 4000 rpm. A tapping noise that changes with rpm that sounds like an air leak somewhere. It is not valve train noise, which I do have, but I can hear the difference. I have replaced the carb holders, re-tightened the exhaust header pipe nuts, and am running on "prime" with the sync nipples plugged to bypass the petcock diaphram, all with no change.

I also have an intake backfire at idle on cyl #3, especially with the choke on. Does not happen with any throttle applied.

A visual inspection shows what appears to be a small amount of fuel leaking past the airscrew O rings and onto the screw face. They are wet. How can this happen?

I believe somehow these issues are related to the pods, as I did not have these problems with the airbox. Would a leaking pod filter flange or seal cause this noise? I don't think so because they are not behind the throttle, but these pods really do fit terrible.

I feel like I need to experiment with jetting but I need to fix these issues first. The bike pulls hard until after 1/3 to 1/2 throttle. Then the engine tone changes and the throttle response is not as eager. Not necessarily bogging down, just "not as much as there was".