I blame Loomies, I was there on Sunday, my Guzzi played up!Though it’s OK NOW.
I must have left before you arrived. We had a little Guzzi group in a patch of sunshine presided over by Stuart. Maybe see you in future?
All the best,
I fitted the individual richening pistons yesterday and now feel more positive that they are closing properly.
Bike started first touch (as always).
Noticed that the RH cylinder was getting quite hot whereas the LH side remained Luke-warm. I screwed both idle mixture screws in to the closed position and then out by one and a half turns. I then fiddled with the throttle stop screws until both cylinders were puffing about the same. The temperatures evened up very quickly and the engine sounded much happier and not so lumpy.
What is the next step? I tried fiddling with the idle mixture screw on the LH cylinder but not much happened.
I also took the plug lead off the RH side and the engine began to die. I quickly popped it back on and was rewarded with a massive back-fire that shocked me rigid!!!
All the best,
DavidCylvaBirch2013-02-24 22:54:28
After checking the valve clearances and ignition timing, you really need to warm up the engine and balance and synchronize the carbs with vacuum gauges.
Have you got the little O ring on the end of your idle screw ? With the idle screw it is not for certain 1 1/2 turns , just a starting point . When the bike is warm turn the idle screw 1/8 at a time letting the revs settle between turns. You will notice that the revs will rise and fall slightly. When the revs are at their maximum that is where the screw should be. Some say turn it out ( or in ) another 1/8 at that point. I don’t !
Don’t know where you live but I have been know to travel with my carb balancer.
Love and kisses
theone&onlymin
x
I replaced all the fule hose on my V1000 the end of last week along with the in line filters wow they were so thin had been eaten away, which explained the gunge in the carbs …replaced with ethanol proof fuel hose.
IF you have an older carb bike may be well worth replacing the fuel hose and filters as well as cleaning the carbs prior to Spring/Summer
I am now in USA but will check for the little O rings this weekend. My son in law has a set of vacuum gauges so we can have a crack at that too. I am pretty certain my valve clearances are spot on but am not confident about the timing so will have a bash at that. I checked the carb needles were on second groove from the top. However I could not actually see a gap between the bottom of the throttle slide and the carburettor body and am wondering if my throttle stop screws are miles too far out.
all comments. Ah yes the O-rings! I believe I was told (Motomecca? Most likely) that when new the carbs can away without using them, but should have them really, especially when have got older. Translate as, idle screw threads a bit worn and leaking air. I did this, does help. Appendix ~ I tend to find motor’s not properly warm until ridden about 10 miles. You can set it up more or less at home, as best you can, then I find after 10 miles throttle stops need reducing again, then that completes the set-up. On mine the idle screws are about 2.5 turn out.
Just checked on a spare carb. If you look from the air filter side you will see a gap at the bottom even without a tickover screw, from the engine side you won’t. If you put the slide in back to front you will see a gap at both sides.
\
theone&onlymin
x
Thank you. I was looking from the engine side.
All the best,
Just checked and both O rings were missing. I have quite a few carburettor overhaul kits in with all the bits that I have bought and Gerry gave me so was able to summon up replacements.
I have installed and have had another go at setting the carbs. A ride-out when the weather is better will reveal whether this TLC has made a blind bit of difference.
I decided this morning to start from square one. I rechecked the valve clearances on a completely cold engine. I then removed the petrol tank and tackled the distributor. I re-set both points at 18 thou. I then used a lamp and battery to set the right cylinder points to be opening at full advance ( I know, I know!). I could not adjust the left side points as some previous owner has rogered one of the screw heads so badly that I cannot move it. I cleaned and gapped both plugs to 23 thou (they were both exactly equally sooty).So I have now put it all back together and started her up. She sprang into life enthusiastically without enrichening (I had forgotten to set the pistons before starting! The slow running speed was too fast so when she had warmed up a bit I backed off both idle speed screws a bit so the pace was not so frantic. The rev counter tells me she is doing about 1500 rpm. After a while she starts to go more and more lumpy until I apply a tweak of throttle to stabilise the situation.
When she was warmed through I took her up to 5000 rpm briefly (to avoid complaints from the neighbours). All sounded OK but when I hold her at a constant throttle of about 3000 rpm the revs move around quite a lot.
Sorry to drone on but I still do not feel confident that she is OK to go out on the road again. Any suggestions?
All the best,
David.
Ah this is now starting to sound like an ignition timing problem. All this time we’ve been assuming ignition is OK The LH points always have to be separately timed, ergo the extra screws for that points set. I would consider getting the backplate off and get those screws sorted out/replaced. Very difficult to time it properly without that ability. #2. albeit the points are same as for a Fiat car so the contact faces last for absolute yonks, did you know that the plastic heel bit which rides on the cam wears out eventually, also it wears unevenly until the timing wanders about all over the shop. Worst case example is if every time you repeatedly adjust and re-check the static timing it’s always different! Guess how I know. #3. just checking/setting that the gap is ‘correct’ no way guarantees that the timing is then correct as a consequence. Actual timing relative to the crankshaft marks must always follow if gap setting screws are disturbed. #4. previous mention of backfiring further suggests possibility of wandering timing syndrome. #5. If I remember rightly I tended to time it on fully-retarded position instead. #6. There is no ‘6’. Unless I think of something else in the meantime…
Mike H2013-03-10 16:53:43
Oh right #6 - Order of setting timing sequence is, sort out the RH side first, set gap then rotate distributor body; then use the extra adjustment screws on the backplate for the LH points so that LH cylinder is correct while the RH side is (already) correctly set. In practice I have in the past had to ‘cheat’ the LH points gap as well to get the amount of movement I need within the available range of the separate adjustment for the LH points. HTH
Mike H2013-03-10 17:04:00
I set the timing very very very carefully on the right side and I am sure it is dead on. The left side could not be changed but the contact breaker gap is dead on at 18 thou.
If I change to electronic ignition will the kit come with a new backplate and screws?
when i put Dyna111 on mine the new ignition came on its own backplate with the sensors mounted on it
Are you pleased with the Dynatec? I am debating the 200 Euro spend with the house treasurer.
All the best,
David
very pleased with mine fitted and forgot about i was lucky mine was ebay at £65.00
there is one for sale on ebay at the moment
good picture of the mounting plate
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DYNATEK-DYNA-111-ELECTRONIC-IGNITION-MOTO-GUZZI-BIG-ENGINES-1974-1987-/330819765679?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item4d066505af
I have ordered the Dyna 3 from Gutsibits along with new springs for the advance mechanism.
Will fit at the weekend and then balance the carbs using a manometer.
All the best,
David.
Let us know how you get on