[Andy Salmonsen]

Risk not risk sorry spell check

[Andy Salmonsen]

Ok, I gave the carb a clean and the jets were in good shape no clogs. Adjusted the fuel mixture screw to what the manual said and check the timing and was still spot on so no chain jumping. But, I did find my problem...I didn’t put the carb on all the way!! Leave it to me to run over something as simple as that
Ran out of time tonight to work on it but when I get home tomorrow I will fire her up and I’ll let u guys know the results

[Back2-2]

Excellent work Landon. That would and could be exactly what gave you the lean / hot running condition. Did you remove the pilot jet and verify it was keep on all the orifices?

Ray, Jim and I are only a few days apart in age. I tried to make humor and that we we're twin brothers separated at birth - but he did not see any humor...
Speaking of Jim, this is the longest and least we have heard from him in,,,since forever.

[Andy Salmonsen]

Yep, cleaned her good and made sure everything was in good shape. Hopefully I don’t have a lot of homework today so I can get to work on the bike as soon as I get home!

[Aussiecrf230]

Neil,
That's the trouble with the CRF family.
They don't post for a few days and you start worrying if there OK.

Or they are having too much fun riding somewhere.

[Andy Salmonsen]

Well guys i've got more problems.

Got the bike to fire up today after carb clean and adjust fuel mixture screw but it won't idle at all once you turn the choke off. I must have screwed around with the idle and fuel mixture screw for an hour and 30 min to try to get it to idle, and on the rare time it did, the pipe got glowing red hot. Bike still backfires. I just can't seem to find the right spot with the idle screw and fuel mixture screw to get it too idle. Ive tightened the fuel mixture screw, loosened it, taken it off and put it back on, turn the idle up and down and nothing works. I know that rebuilding these bikes is a process but my patience is starting run thin with the old girl and I'm seriously considering bringing it into a shop and having them get it to run properly for me. Do i need to try and reset everything in the carb or do i maybe need to re-jet it? If any of you know what the problem is please let me know, thanks.

[Andy Salmonsen]

Also the bike is really really hard to start. Takes a lot of effort and a little bit of playing with the throttle when kicking it to start up.

[JimDirt]

Still alive guys

And yes Ray , I rode Sat,Sun, Mon , and was tired when I got home each day , track riding , 3 minute lap times , 10 laps , 4 motos each day , so 4 - 30 minute motos for this 60 year old 3 days in a row , I was actually lapping a 20 year old

I actually destroyed my rear brake caliper and master cylinder , I was so hard on the brakes I eventually lost them , and ended up having to ride my 450X on the track Monday ... did get some good air on it though , this will be the 3rd rear caliper I have cooked , I drag the brakes in corners , and the rotors usually turn purple from the heat , I just replaced my front rotor as I wore about half of it away dragging the front brake in corners .....

I had to go see my heart Dr. today (all checked out good) I see another Dr. tomorrow , then on the 5th I get my cancer follow up to make sure all is still clear , then on the 10th I see the cancer Dr. for the results of the scan (every 6 months for 5 years , on year 3 now to make sure the cancer has not returned) ....... So yea , not dead yet , guys , just busy riding and making sure I am not falling apart again in between rides .....

As far as the carb issues , I would say REPLACE the Pilot jet , cleaning does not always work , as the orifice is so small that even the slightest amount of blockage can cause a lean condition .... if you have to open the fuel screw more than 3 turns , there is a blockage somewhere , or a serious air leak ..... I would also look at the Needle Jet (and needle) being worn , if the needle and needle jet (the needle jet is the long brass tube that the main jet goes in and the needle goes thru) , if it is worn it will cause inconsistent idling , so you adjust it , and its good , give the throttle a couple wacks and it dies or is too high ......also look at the flat o-ring on the floating valve on the slide (that removable plate) also make sure in taking the carb apart that you did not put it on upside down , it won't idle if it is ....the fuel screw should be between 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 turns out , it is recommended to be around 2 to 2-1/4 out , any more or less than the max means either a blockage , or incorrect jetting for your elevation ....The needle should be on the 3rd clip , the Pilot should be a #42 , main will vary depending on elevation make sure there are no exhaust leaks they will cause the same symptoms (I just cracked my header on my R , so I know from experience , and no one can weld Titanium around here , so EBay is what I had to do).... That should be the baseline , if everything is correct it should run ..... when starting cold , you may have to blip the throttle 5-7 times , then full choke , then slowly kick it over till you feel it hit compression , then give it a good kick , it should fire right up ....

[Andy Salmonsen]

Ok, I’ll take the carb apart and see what’s what in there so I can finally get to the bottom of this. For exhaust leaks, would not put a sealing apoxy(which the manual says to do) on the header and muffler and the joint parts between them and the engine cause an exhaust leak? If so that’s probably my problem. Also would a breather tube getting melted by the exhaust on accident cause this as well?

Thanks

[Andy Salmonsen]

One other thing, every time I kicked or fired the bike up last night the leak jet would start dripping gas out the carb. I had the screw tightened so it shouldn’t have been dripping but every time I did it started dripping away. Could this be a problem?

[Back2-2]

From what you described the floating valve seal in upside down would be my first guess. It's easy to do and happens all the time.
One other thing is to make sure that you have the correct orientation of the o-ring, washer, spring on the fuel air screw and that the little o-ring is not damaged. Since you stated it is an aftermarket fuel air screw be certain that the tip is not broken off or damaged, The cheaper screws are aluminum instead of brass. Put it at about 2 turns out from lightly seated. It is not that vital to have it in the exact setting to get the bike going decent. The setting can and will be dialed in once the engine is operating properly.

Do not mess with the needle, if it's worn it is not going to suddenly give you this condition, They can and do wear but very slowly and over long periods of time. But that is not your problem.
Buy a new pilot jet if you wish but if you are certain that you cleaned it and verified it is clean in the orifice and the emulsion holes [side holes] then you are good. They are brass and can easily be cleaned for the entire life of a bike and further. Buying and waiting for a new jet is well....

Have a fan blowing over the engine radiators while you are doing this to keep it cool.

You are almost there - stick with it.

[Andy Salmonsen]

Ok, I may need to get a new fuel mixture screw because I did not see any o ring on it just a spring. What is the float valve seal exactly?

[Aussiecrf230]

The o ring often stays up inside the carb body.
As the others have said make sure the tip isn't damaged or bent.
On the idle mixture screw you should first have the spring followed by a small washer(so the spring doesn't wreck the o ring) and the o ring last closest to the pointy end.

Did you use carby cleaner when you clean the carby? The valve plate seals don't like carby cleaner.
You can use pool acid to clean a brass jet as it eats the corrosion and crud.
Put jet in hard plastic container with a bit of acid and swish gently.
Obviously safety glasses and gloves etc are a good idea.
Stay upwind as the fumes aren't nice. Rinse jet well.
There are probably acid based house hold cleaners like CLR that would work as well.

The guys will explain which way up the valve plate goes as well as what to look for in the seal. As you can see by my signature I don't have those issues.

Landon,Now is not the time to loose faith, you are doing just as well as some people that have been working on bikes for a living. Try not to rush because that is when you make mistakes or forget to tighten things up.

[Back2-2]

Like Ray stated. The o-ring is really small and likes to sometimes get stuck - then it likes to fall out while the carb is being messed with and lost in the garage or shop for all of eternity.

The manual will show the correct orientation of the floating valve seal. From memory [ which gets worse all the time ] there is a hole that goes to the back and only one way it goes in place like that. But, I may be thinking of my YFZ450 but they are the same brand of carb. Also inspect the seal for any damage.

As for the pilot jet makes sure when you clean it that you look very closely to see that nothing is in the channel leading to the end where the very small orifice is. If you dislodge any gunk and it does not get completely out of jet channel it immediately goes right back to the small orifice and you are right back with the same problem, happens all the time to people.

You'll get it - look at everything you have done and learned already.

[JimDirt]

This explains how to install the Floating Valve