PaulG Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 I'm glad I found this forum! Hopefully someone can help. I've got a 1986 Radian that won't start anymore. I rode it from Detroit to Sturgis in 2000 along with 4 Harleys, it always started, was one of two bikes (the other, a brand new Sportster) that never broke down, and surprised all people who said it'd never make it, or that it couldn't keep up. It was my first long distance ride and I loved it! Comfortable and reliable (wish it had a bigger tank though). I rode it for a few years after that long ride and never had a problem, until... I left it sit for a few years while I was in the process of moving around and never drained the fuel. Big mistake on my part, you live and learn... So I took the carbs off and cleaned as much as I could with the help of the service manual and Clymer manual. The slides and floats were totally stuck, now they glide with ease. I didn't remove the jets, but have run carb cleaner and most recently, lacquer thinner through it to clean all the nooks and crannies. Now all the cleaner that I put into it runs out clear so I figure it's clean. I reinstalled the carbs and fueled it up but it won't start. If I spray starting fluid into the air box, aiming at each of the carbs equally, it will run rough, but I can keep it going. I was trying to warm up the engine 'cause I know it doesn't like cold starts (less than around 60 degrees). Still nothing. I've removed and reinstalled the carbs more than 6 times, each time cleaning and running more clean fuel through it even blowing a little air through it to see if the air comes out where it should, and scratching my head while staring at it. All the seals and needles look good. I removed one pilot needle to check it out (yes, I know it's factory preset, but I carefully counted the turns and observed what it looked like compared to the others) and it was a bit dirty, but cleaned it up with a bit of laquer thinner. I'm not a pro mechanic but I have rebuilt many lawn mower and mini bike carbs with success. I don't know technical specifics about the procedeures. Is laquer thinner horrible to use? It's only been in there a couple of hours at a time, then flushed with gas. Should I remove the other pilot needles even though they're factory preset (this makes me a bit wary of removing the other three)? I used a small piece of plactic broom bristle to clean the jets so I wouldn't damage them. Getting the carbs in and out is a bit of a pain and I'd rather fix it once and fix it right, myself, to get the satisfaction that we all get when we can work on and get to know our machines. I tell you, I take great pride in my bike now more than ever, even if it isn't running, because I've had it apart a few times! Does anyone have any other tips/procedeures to help bring my bike to life? It really is a good, no, great bike and I'd love to get back on two wheels! Sorry for being so long-winded but I wanted to give a good description of what it was and what it is. Please help me and anyone else who will read this in the future. Thanks! Bummed its not bangin' in the Detroit suburbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 you are going to have to clean the carbs properly, jets out and cleaned, emulsion tubes removed and cleaned possible the needle has some varnish stuck to it. The jet that will give you most trouble is the starter jet which is fixed in the float bowl and has to be cleaned in situ and the hole in the jet is tiny, if this isn`t cleaned properly you are wasting your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulG Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 Would it be cheaper/easier for me to buy 4 new carbs? I'm out of work for now so I can't afford it right away. Guess I'll keep trying to clean things out. Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 When i got my xj650 it had been sat with fuel in for 7 years, it took around 3 days to clean all the varnish out of the carbs and a further couple of days to get the jet in the float chamber cleaned, a lot of that time was spent soaking parts to loosen things up. Also dont forget to blow the airways clear. If you bought another set there would be a good chance they would still need cleaning, so save your money and get stuck in its worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 You need to take the plug leads off and clean the plugs as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulG Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 OK, I cleaned all the jets out, you're right, the pilot jets(starter) are a pain! Very small holes and very hard deposits. I used a .010 wire I had and kept, gently!, poking at it while keeping it wet with cleaner. I found out: DON'T USE LAQUER THINNER! It softened up the rubber (vitrol?) tips on the float needles and the local bike shops wanted $70 for one assembly! Aftermarket needles from Mikuni only $15 but I found 4 needles on ebay for $17. Check Hard Parts in Clearwater,FL for any parts you might need. I haven't gotten them yet, but George has 99+% feedback and cut me a great deal. Now I'm working on getting the brake sludge (it used to be fluid) out of the front lines. Cleaned the master cylinder assembly, after removing it, and flushed the hoses with brake cleaner. Now I'm having a bit of a time filling the brake lines. I've bled brakes on cars before, but for some reason the fluid doesn't want to go through the lines to the caliper. So, I removed the caliper (one side first, I'll do the other when I work on that side) and moved the pistons and made sure everything was clean and free. Still can't pump fluid down the hose though. Well, at least I have something to do while I wait for the float needles to arrive. I'll post again when more progress is made. If anyone has any tips on refilling the brake system, I'd love to hear them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 I found with my front brakes it did not like to pump fluid through open lines, seems like it needs slight resistance. I did this but by slackening the bleed nipple by the smallest amount i could then it seemed to bleed ok but you still need to pump the lever like a demon until the fluid starts to go through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulG Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 Yes, a total pain. I read others' posts about the same problem and I don't know what I did, but after 90 minutes of pumping and tightening and pumping and loosening, lifting and lowering the caliper (yup, I got desperate) lol. I finally felt some resistance and saw it pumping fluid and air bubbles out. I connected a clear tube to the brake bleeding hose and sucked on the end to create a bit of a vaccuum. At first (yesterday) this only helped a little but for some reason, today it seemed to help. Like I said, I'm not sure what exactly I did, probably a bit of everything, but it seems to be working. I won't know for sure until I get on the road. I just got an email from the ebay guy and he said he's going to mail the needles out today. Hopefully I'll bring life back into that '86 by early next week! (Keeping my fingers crossed and trying not to jinx myself...lol) The old post I read earlier is titled "No pressure in the front brake!" and is from 2004. I'm not sure how to link to it, but if you search for it you should be able to find it. Good luck for anyone experiencing this difficulty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulG Posted May 30, 2008 Author Share Posted May 30, 2008 So once one side was done, the other side was no problem. Now I have brakes, not spongy or anything. I guess the trick is to somehow prime the master cylinder when putting it all back together so no one else has this difficulty, or try to avoid emptying the master cylinder in the first place. I used a brake bleeder hose from an auto parts store, the kind with a spring loaded ball on one end to act like a check valve. With air in the lines, the pressure isn't enough to move the ball against the force of the spring, but once the master cylinder had fluid in it, it worked great. If I don't get the float needles in the mail today, I'm going to look into changing the fork oil and seals since the fork tubes are covered in oil. Guess I'm off to read some more posts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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