Really fouled plug?

[spartanbiker_117]

So I was riding this weekend at my grandparents farm, and my bike dies on me. We were riding in a field that wasn't really huge and no track or anything, so I was lugging around on it quite a bit. We stopped for about a half an hour, started the bike back up and it ran for about fifteen seconds and then slowly bogged down until it died. I kicked the bike over for a couple minutes and after I couldn't get it started I then decided to push it home.

I had noticed earlier that the powerband was fairly hard to get into. If you slowly accelerated through one of the first three gears and tried to slip into the powerband, it wouldn't let you. It just kind of sat there and if you tried to gas your way through, it would bog. If you accelerated quickly from the bottom of the gear you had no problems getting into the powerband. After we pushed the bike back to the house, I popped the plug out and it was VERY fouled. I didn't have time to clean it up and try to start it again because we were leaving right then. Now I left my bike up there because we're going back up for Thanksgiving so I can't work on it. I just want to make sure that all I'm going to have to do is pop a new plug in. Do all these problems (powerband bogging, not starting etc.) sound like just a fouled plug to you?

EDIT: Oh wow, I really rambled there. Sorry

[Tperkins]

i had the same thing happen to me i couldnt get into my powerband, if i clutched in it would rev up but not in gear, i tried different plugs, cleaned air filter and was about to try to mess with the jetting and float and i came across a thread to check the packing, i got the silencer off just earlier to find it completley stopped up, i then realised how things made sense, the day i was having problems i got away from putting around and got on a straightaway and let it scream and after that it ran better most likley cause i got the packing heated up and it allowed more air flow, this may not be your problem but its none the less worth looking into, good luck let me know what it ends up being

[Shoei_391]

Yeah you're just fouling plugs. If you havent had this problem before, I would say it could just be from lugging around the engine.

If this is a reoccuring problem I lean out the main jet a couple sizes.

Regardless, I would clean out the carb and reset the float

good luck!

[spartanbiker_117]

I recently cleaned out the carby, but I know that my bike runs rich anyway. I'm sure that the re-packing wouldn't hurt either. That thing is as loud as all get out

The bad thing is, I won't see my bike for like another week and half

[ossagp]

Take a couple of spares with you. Buy some packing, and I would bet there is a drill motor somewhere on the place. Take a bit with you that would allow you to drill rivets if your silencer is riveted. Plan on checking the float while you are there (sets at 16mm if it is the stock Keihin).

All that stuff has to work together. If you are going to be riding slow for most of the ride, you may want to lean out the low speed jetting a little with the air screw.

That particular carburetor (you set the idle with what amounts to being the choke or enrichenor) has it's own set of problems. Once they wear a little the tiny piston that acts as the starting enrichenor leaks and you run rich at low rpms. Especially on downhills without the throttle. Screw that down TIGHT. Dont just push it down, turn it down and see if that helps your fouling or makes it run cleaner. This shows up more on an older plug sometimes, than it will with a fresh one.

The scenario about fouling it warm like that goes right a long with a float that is set improperly though. You shut it off, the engine heat builds up for a few seconds after the shutdown, the fuel in the already high float bowl gets warm and percolates down the intake. In other words, it floods itself sometimes. Then the choke circuit on a warm pj carburetor doesnt help either.

[spartanbiker_117]

You can pull the back of the silencer out by taking some hex screws out, so I won't have to mess with drilling rivets out.

I think I heard that somewhere that screwing the idle speed thing down all the way would help some on the jetting. I think that's what you meant, right? Screw the idle speed thing all the way down so I have no idle.

I set the float earlier this summer, but I'm not sure if I used the right specs because I was using a '98 manual. Thanks for all the replies!

[ossagp]

Yep Spartan, that is the downside of screwing that enrichenor down firmly: You won't have an idle. My early CR's drove me nuts until I found out about that. I got used to riding without an idle (that started in 87 for me). As a racer I didnt like them to idle anyway, but for trail riding I always found it handy.

Another thing that sometimes makes them seem rich and foul plugs is a bad clutchside crank seal. That takes longer though.

Low compression, which you don't seem to indicate will do it too.

[spartanbiker_117]

I just replaced the left and right crankcase seals

[spartanbiker_117]

I was just looking at muffler packing and I'm kind of confused. At bikebandit, the stock packing is like $30. At rockymountain, aftermarket packing is only $6. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] is a link to the packing @ rockymountain. Would that particular packing work for my silencer (powercore II)? I'm still confused about why some would be so expensive and some would be so cheap

[RMudslinger 250]

I use fmf from rocky mtn,i think yhe last i bought was something like 7dollars or so i buy 4 bags at a time so will last for a while,

[spartanbiker_117]

Any one else have thoughts on whether the packing will work or not?

[Blitz393]

the replacement packing you are seeing for your powercore silencer is pre-formed into a tube shape to fit around the silencer core. the $6 kind is the same stuff- just flat. honestly, it takes about 0.3252881 seconds longer to measure, cut (with scissors), wrap, and tie with string the regular $6 kind than to wrestle the pre-formed thing on. and, you save some $$$. it would be prudent to order $30 worth of the regular kind, which generally one pack comes with enough fiberglass for 2 silencers, and stock up and not worry about silencer packing for months. plus, it is a little dumb to order $6 worth of parts and pay $7 for shipping i found that out the hard way... ordered $150 in parts for my bike, realized i forgot a clutch cover gasket, went back and ordered it by itself (12 dollars....) and paid a total of $20 to have it shipped to me. a word of advice: rocky mountain offers FREE ground shipping on orders over $100.

definite heres-your-sign moment for me, which made me feel even worse about trying to ride my bike into the back of my truck with the butt-plug (exhaust plug for washing the bike) still in the exhaust, an hour prior to ordering my parts. rrreeaaaaallll winner here, fellas

Rob

[char393]

Welcome to the world of OEM vs. Aftermarket parts.

IMHO the cheaper stuff will do what you need it to.

[spartanbiker_117]

lol, I have not problem with cutting the stuff down. I was just kind of confused as to why it was so much cheaper

[spartanbiker_117]

The problem was the idle screw/choke. Even after I replaced the spark plug it still wouldn't run until I totally shut off the idle. It's kind of inconvenient, but it's back up and running again

[ossagp]

put a pwk airstryker carburetor on the christmas list. kind of found the choke thing by accident,,,in oh,,i think `1989'

[spartanbiker_117]

Heh, good thing for me you found that out! I never would have done that