ninjette.org - View Single Post - Today was a long day, but the best day in 5 years at least !

Bob KellyIII · November 5th, 2021, 02:15 PM

OK so it wasn't all just spark plugs ! Phooie !
....
....
Ok...now I have something more concrete to go on....
it's missing and missing real bad anything below 2500 to 3000 RPM and it runs very rough. mostly rough on the left cylinder but the right one does it as well...
so that points to spark in my mind this has twin points, they look to be recently replaced
but being that it's a Triumph the question is is it actually in TIME or not.....
sense the flywheel only has a mark on it for full advance and no mark for "F" like the jap bikes have...setting the points is alot of guess work at best on this thing.
if everything is working correctly and the points are set to the proper gap it should be close to being in time but it'll never be spot on like that !!!! but that is how you are supposed to do it on this triumph ! ...
.....
I am thinking there could be 2 problems Spark or compression
...after taking the tank off it was obvious to me that the valve tappit clearance hasn't been touched in 20 years ! the dirt was that thick !
on the spark side the points look fresh BUT the spark advance could well be stuck in full advance position and causing the rough idle
... so I have 2 avanews to approach it with... tappet adjust ( which should be checked anyway) ... and if I find nothing amiss there like valves too tight, I will move on to the spark advance unit ....which I have a suspension is the cause of all the problems !
(this bike has 30k miles on it and the spark advance has no oil getting to it so they constantly freeze up ) and I have to take off the spark advance unit to put on the electronic ignition stuff....
.....
as a side note the right sparkplug I just replaced looked dark tan for the first time when I pulled it 30 min ago, the left plug ( the one not firing except after 3k rpm was black and looked wet...)
upon replacing the plugs it fired right up with quickstart and ran for a few seconds on both then the left cylinder dropped when it was at low rpm nearing idle...
( that could be fuel air mixture) but at all times it was struggling to keep running
like the spark was way too far advanced....
so a quick check would be to move the points plate to the most retarded position possible and see if it runs better... if so the spark advance is stuck !
......
this brings me back to the Old D2 cat we had at the ranch as a kid.... it was a bear to start with the hand crank... but if you played your cards right and used quick start it would fire up..... one day I was trying to start it and I pulled off the cap on the magneto to check everything and I noticed I could change the timing fairly easy... so I loosened it up and moved it a little and tried it and it kicked back real hard so I moved it the other way and it fired up the first try.... i inched the magneto back to where it was as close as possible and it still start with one crank session... and from then on it was easy to start ! I showed my Dad what I had done ,mostly not wanting to hurt the cat and he said Yah that's ok leave it like that, it's no good if it won't start ! ...
never touched the inside of that magneto sense and about 25 years later we sold it.
....
this feels like spark advance to me... but why is the left side cylinder dropping so frequently.... lower compression perhaps ? fuel/ air not adjusted right ?
...
I think I have to eliminate possibilities at this point.... I'll do a valve adjustment next
.... and see if I still have my compression tester !
if that goes off without a hitch as I expect it will..... I'll attack the spark advance.
....
so that's the plan !
....
Bob.......

November 5th, 2021, 02:15 PM	#40
Bob KellyIII Retired motorcycle Mc. Name: Robert Location: Weed, California. Join Date: Jul 2021 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, 2021 CSC TT250, 1977 Triumph Bonneville 750cc,2001 Honda XR650L. Posts: A lot.	OK so it wasn't all just spark plugs ! Phooie ! .... .... Ok...now I have something more concrete to go on.... it's missing and missing real bad anything below 2500 to 3000 RPM and it runs very rough. mostly rough on the left cylinder but the right one does it as well... so that points to spark in my mind this has twin points, they look to be recently replaced but being that it's a Triumph the question is is it actually in TIME or not..... sense the flywheel only has a mark on it for full advance and no mark for "F" like the jap bikes have...setting the points is alot of guess work at best on this thing. if everything is working correctly and the points are set to the proper gap it should be close to being in time but it'll never be spot on like that !!!! but that is how you are supposed to do it on this triumph ! ... ..... I am thinking there could be 2 problems Spark or compression ...after taking the tank off it was obvious to me that the valve tappit clearance hasn't been touched in 20 years ! the dirt was that thick ! on the spark side the points look fresh BUT the spark advance could well be stuck in full advance position and causing the rough idle ... so I have 2 avanews to approach it with... tappet adjust ( which should be checked anyway) ... and if I find nothing amiss there like valves too tight, I will move on to the spark advance unit ....which I have a suspension is the cause of all the problems ! (this bike has 30k miles on it and the spark advance has no oil getting to it so they constantly freeze up ) and I have to take off the spark advance unit to put on the electronic ignition stuff.... ..... as a side note the right sparkplug I just replaced looked dark tan for the first time when I pulled it 30 min ago, the left plug ( the one not firing except after 3k rpm was black and looked wet...) upon replacing the plugs it fired right up with quickstart and ran for a few seconds on both then the left cylinder dropped when it was at low rpm nearing idle... ( that could be fuel air mixture) but at all times it was struggling to keep running like the spark was way too far advanced.... so a quick check would be to move the points plate to the most retarded position possible and see if it runs better... if so the spark advance is stuck ! ...... this brings me back to the Old D2 cat we had at the ranch as a kid.... it was a bear to start with the hand crank... but if you played your cards right and used quick start it would fire up..... one day I was trying to start it and I pulled off the cap on the magneto to check everything and I noticed I could change the timing fairly easy... so I loosened it up and moved it a little and tried it and it kicked back real hard so I moved it the other way and it fired up the first try.... i inched the magneto back to where it was as close as possible and it still start with one crank session... and from then on it was easy to start ! I showed my Dad what I had done ,mostly not wanting to hurt the cat and he said Yah that's ok leave it like that, it's no good if it won't start ! ... never touched the inside of that magneto sense and about 25 years later we sold it. .... this feels like spark advance to me... but why is the left side cylinder dropping so frequently.... lower compression perhaps ? fuel/ air not adjusted right ? ... I think I have to eliminate possibilities at this point.... I'll do a valve adjustment next .... and see if I still have my compression tester ! if that goes off without a hitch as I expect it will..... I'll attack the spark advance. .... so that's the plan ! .... Bob....... __________________________________________________ Its too late when you've gone too far !