I fix something, I break something else..

killtrip

So, the latest chapter in my reality show of a bike..

I'm going to break down the events of last night to today as detailed, but short as possible..

Two Days ago:
Check spark, good.
Spray starter fluid in intake, and in spark plug holes.
Kick start the bike, starts for the few seconds worth of starter fluid. Wash, rinse, repeat. Sprayed starter fluid and started the bike reliably three or four more times.

Yesterday:
Take off left engine cover to get to the stator wiring
Isolate the wire that the chain chewed through
Splice in new wire to hopefully fix electrical problem
replace side engine cover
dismantle blinker switch, clean thoroughly with electrical cleaner and wire brush.. get metal sliver in process..
go inside, go to bed.

Today:
Spray starter fluid in intake
put carbs on (did not attach pods)
go to gas station to fill up gas can
get home
hook up jumpers from bike to car (battery is toast)
Turn on bike, everything lights up..
Blinkers work! SWEET! FIXED THAT!
Kick start.... no compression.. WTF?

What did I do that could have caused this? When I kick start, there is very little resistance.. seems to want to catch, but doesnt.. almost like using a wrench on a stripped bolt. Got a few sputters out of the intake, but no kickstart..

and Since I removed my electric starter, thats a no go.. since I've had the bike, I've always kick started it, so I dont even know if all the parts required for electric starting it are good.

I did find that the oil tube going up the front of the engine.. the bolt at the bottom of that was loose, and oil was seeping out. Tightened that up, still no kickstart. I'm assuming that this is what compression is, since I honestly have no idea.. only what I've ready here.

I'm getting super frustrated over this.. if anyone has any ideas, please throw them at me? or you can take my 27mm wrench and throw that at me..

tweedy64

was there plenty of compression before? if so it could be your kick start knackered, i'd check your oil level too. cheers tweedy

killtrip

I never used a gauge to check compression before, but it started every kick, reliably..

what am I looking for on oil level? too much? too little? prior to the start two days ago, it was overfilled quite a bit.. not sure how that happened..

but I drained it down today.

BigGeorge · Full Member Joined: Apr 13, 2008 Posts: 267

Killtrip first off an overfiled crankcase if you are sure you didn't add too much oil is a sign that you may have gas leaking from your carbs into your cylinders washing down the cyl walls. Now combine that with spraying starting fluid into the cyls which will wash down the walls even more and its quite possibly the reason why you have low compression. Does the oil smell of gas?. Try squirting about 1/2 ounce of oil into each cyl, install the plugs and see if your compression is any better.............BG

tweedy64

Hi killtrip i know we spoke yesterday but big george maybe right if you got petrol in there thats not good. cheers tweedy

xsjohn

With the kick start if the clutch is slipping even a little from a funky adjustment it would make it feel like there is little compression.........?????

xsjohn

sschering

Thought I would mention that Starter fluid will wash cylinders down big time if you are shooting it in the plug holes.. The stuff is nothing but ether and heptane. Like they said.. try a little oil in the cylinders and check the oil for a strong gas odor.

Let me know if you want to borrow the CR gauge. my 400 will pump 150 psi.

killtrip

ok.. got it running again..

and if anyone says that too much oil wont cause a kicker problem, they're fibbing.. Razz

coincidentally though, my battery is toast. But after getting it running, the voltage across the terminals was 12-13.. hopping around.. when the bike wasn't running, the voltage was .01.. so I think I fixed the charging system, but the battery wont hold a charge now.

Retiredgentleman

Reminds me of something that happened to me on my first bike. I had bought this 1967 Yamaha 305 scrambler 2-stroke. It came in pieces and needed cylinders rebored/rings, crankshaft seals and various other fixes. OK, got the engine running, so out for a test ride, and wow, the clutch is really slipping alot. Took clutch apart, looked good, test ride, still slipping. Talked to Yami dealer, he gave me clutch springs for a 750 Yami. Test ride again..............still slipping. Couldn't get any help from the internet since it hadn't been invented yet. Scratched my head, and decided to drain the oil down some on the "wet" clutch. Test ride..............amazing this clutch works perfect now. Not knowing any better, I think I had a couple of inches of oil in the clutch housing, when in fact it only needed a tiny amount in the bottom................wet clutch actually means damp clutch Embarassed

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Yamaha xs650