Newish engine, now with more smoke and no idles!

[Valkyrie]

Hello! I am back after a month of parts searching. I have dropped a newish engine into my bike and she runs! Sorta. When I got the engine it had water in the oil so I have flushed almost all of that out. Want to run another cycle or two of fresh oil just to be on the safe side, but the oil is clear now. I used my carbs off the engine that died which ran great and put everything back together. Now it struggles to start. I have to run full choke and throttle bump it to get it to start up. Once running its great other than some white smoke occasionally from the lower left side that I can't figure out.

I have drained the carbs only to find nice clean gas, taken them out and apart to find they are spotless as well. I have checked for vacuum leaks and found nothing.

It sounds very similar to this post here https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=241319, except for the smoke and I can't even get the bike to idle without the choke on.

Do I just try adjusting the fuel air or is there some other culprit at work here.

[Ghostt]

Did you check the valve adjustment when the motor was out?

How much water was in the oil? And was it coolant?

[Valkyrie]

No because I'm dumb and didn't think about it. And it was just water from sitting out. The motor only has like 3500 so I didn't even think to check the valves.

[kxpower?]

Originally Posted by Valkyrie

Hello! I am back after a month of parts searching. I have dropped a newish engine into my bike and she runs! Sorta. When I got the engine it had water in the oil so I have flushed almost all of that out. Want to run another cycle or two of fresh oil just to be on the safe side, but the oil is clear now. I used my carbs off the engine that died which ran great and put everything back together. Now it struggles to start. I have to run full choke and throttle bump it to get it to start up. Once running its great other than some white smoke occasionally from the lower left side that I can't figure out.
I have drained the carbs only to find nice clean gas, taken them out and apart to find they are spotless as well. I have checked for vacuum leaks and found nothing.

It sounds very similar to this post here https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=241319, except for the smoke and I can't even get the bike to idle without the choke on.

Do I just try adjusting the fuel air or is there some other culprit at work here.

I'm not sure I'm understating your issue? The two bolded parts in the quote seem to contradict. Needing choke and a little throttle to start cold isn't a big deal, mine seemed to prefer a little choke even starting warm. Or what am I missing? If it won't idle you can raise the throttle stop by turning the black knob under the carbs to the right until it will maintain an idle. And both of these could be helped if not solved by adjusting the valves like Scott said.

Where exactly is the smoke coming from? The outside of the exhaust pipes will smoke for a little while after it's been apart, that's just burning off grease that came off your hands when you were putting it together.

[Valkyrie]

Originally Posted by kxpower?

I'm not sure I'm understating your issue? The two bolded parts in the quote seem to contradict. Needing choke and a little throttle to start cold isn't a big deal, mine seemed to prefer a little choke even starting warm. Or what am I missing? If it won't idle you can raise the throttle stop by turning the black knob under the carbs to the right until it will maintain an idle. And both of these could be helped if not solved by adjusting the valves like Scott said.

Where exactly is the smoke coming from? The outside of the exhaust pipes will smoke for a little while after it's been apart, that's just burning off grease that came off your hands when you were putting it together.

It was poorly worded. I have to babysit the throttle unless I turn the idle up to around 4-5k. Any lower and with the choke off it will drop rpms and stall out.

[kxpower?]

Originally Posted by Valkyrie

It was poorly worded. I have to babysit the throttle unless I turn the idle up to around 4-5k. Any lower and with the choke off it will drop rpms and stall out.

Does it run OK otherwise? Good get up and go midrange and high end?

If so it sounds a little lean on the pilot. You could try setting the pilot screws to 2.5 turns out, and if it behaves the same back them both out by a quarter turn at a time and see if anything changes. READ THIS CAREFULLY before getting started: http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_...dle_mixture%3F

And all this assumes the valves are already adjusted properly.

And BTW, watch out for the water in the oil, I had some in mine from a head gasket blowing and even after 2 changes (a lof of rotella ><) to flush it out I developed a nasty noise in the bottom end. I've not started on the post mortem but I suspect the sticky stuff that frothed up blocked an oil passage and starved a bearing.

[Valkyrie]

Originally Posted by kxpower?

Does it run OK otherwise? Good get up and go midrange and high end?

If so it sounds a little lean on the pilot. You could try setting the pilot screws to 2.5 turns out, and if it behaves the same back them both out by a quarter turn at a time and see if anything changes. READ THIS CAREFULLY before getting started: http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_...dle_mixture%3F

And all this assumes the valves are already adjusted properly.

And BTW, watch out for the water in the oil, I had some in mine from a head gasket blowing and even after 2 changes (a lof of rotella ><) to flush it out I developed a nasty noise in the bottom end. I've not started on the post mortem but I suspect the sticky stuff that frothed up blocked an oil passage and starved a bearing.

Just finished adjusting valves and threw new plugs in, I have it idling at 1500, but still tough to get started. And I've flushed the oil at least 7 times now, its nice and clear. Going to see if adjusting the mix makes it any easier to start.

Just kidding, as soon as it warms up it will jump back up to 3k and won't play nice. Still going to try adjusting the mixture.

[kxpower?]

Originally Posted by Valkyrie

Just finished adjusting valves and threw new plugs in, I have it idling at 1500, but still tough to get started. And I've flushed the oil at least 7 times now, its nice and clear. Going to see if adjusting the mix makes it any easier to start.

Just kidding, as soon as it warms up it will jump back up to 3k and won't play nice. Still going to try adjusting the mixture.

Sounds like you're on it. Mine idled all over the place, 1500 to 4 grand just depending on its temperament at the moment, so yours isn't all that bad. But mine started on the first lick every single time.