Sick of Problems
XS400 Member
Hello all, and may I thank you for supporting such a wonderful and helpful site.
Two weeks ago I bought a 1978 XS400 (2LO VIN) for $50. It had been sitting for 3 years, but had run when it was parked in a shed, or so the PO said.
I brought it home and me and a friend sprayed some starting fluid (actually carb cleaner) into it and got it sort of working on one cylinder with the right sometimes firing, but bogging down and stalling if you throttled it over 2000 rpm. I bought new plugs. My stepfather, a mechanic, helped me check the coils on that side ( the swap test), which were fine. It started and idled great, on the left cylinder. I cleaned the carbs via Green Clean soak and tooth brush; they are spotless.
I put the carbs back on and they just poured gas out the back. Cleaned them again ( the float chamber) and bent the tangs down; wouldn't start. Pulled it again and bent the tabs even with the (brass) float plate (the little metal piece that hangs the floats). It flooded. Took it apart and readjusted till it didn't flood, and it just popped a little when the starter turned it. I took it apart and adjusted the float height to 32mm factory specs in the manual I found.
Someone told me recently that 25.7mm would be an ideal height for the floats. Dunno. I just want to know if it would be the carb floats that are the problem, or something else. Also, if I should adjust the floats to the XS360 level of 26mm? As of now, the needle (that is not clipped onto the tang
, it relies on gravity to drop) barely moves down at all, maybe 2mm. I wonder if that's enough to let fuel in or if it is starving, which is what I think. Any thoughts would be helpful.
D.
Two weeks ago I bought a 1978 XS400 (2LO VIN) for $50. It had been sitting for 3 years, but had run when it was parked in a shed, or so the PO said.
I brought it home and me and a friend sprayed some starting fluid (actually carb cleaner) into it and got it sort of working on one cylinder with the right sometimes firing, but bogging down and stalling if you throttled it over 2000 rpm. I bought new plugs. My stepfather, a mechanic, helped me check the coils on that side ( the swap test), which were fine. It started and idled great, on the left cylinder. I cleaned the carbs via Green Clean soak and tooth brush; they are spotless.
I put the carbs back on and they just poured gas out the back. Cleaned them again ( the float chamber) and bent the tangs down; wouldn't start. Pulled it again and bent the tabs even with the (brass) float plate (the little metal piece that hangs the floats). It flooded. Took it apart and readjusted till it didn't flood, and it just popped a little when the starter turned it. I took it apart and adjusted the float height to 32mm factory specs in the manual I found.
D.
