starting problem...

[JunoAF]

hey all, new guy to the forums, hows it going? I have a problem that I hope that you guys can help with. I posted it on Kawiforums.com and got nothing...

I have a 1988 Ninja 600R that i bought for 400 bucks (doesnt run, of course). Anyway, I had a slight hicup with the fuel tank being crappy, not sealing right, fuel tap was put together wrong, yada yada yada. So this is what ive done so far...

New oil filter and oil
New spark plugs (not gapped exactly but close)
New fuel tap (petcock)
New air filter (old one was a sock....lol)
Fuel tank has been refurbished and painted as much as possible ( de rusted )

I cant think of anything else at the moment as im sure theres more. I'll admit, im a new rider...VERY new. but i do my own maint on my car so its not too bad. When i got the bike, i removed the fuel tank, not paying attention to where the tubes go to, then i pulled off the carburator to clean it, again not paying attention to where the tubes go. So now when i put the tank on i have 4 vacuum hoses that go somewhere on the tank which has 3 ports. and of course 1 fuel line, but i think i know where that one goes.
Finding out exactly where these lines hook up would probably help out a lot. anyone have any ideas? Oh and the bike does start with starter fluid... thanks guys

nate

[RandyO]

vacuum hose to your fuel petcock, if unhooked, the gas won't turn on

[TBOX]

Buy a bike that runs. I'll let you ride the Ducati next week. Glad you found your way here. Kind of scarey here at times but these guys can help get that thing back together.

[JunoAF]

yeah im trying to get around a loan! ill be looking forward to finding out how that ducati rides. thats def a sick deal you got TBox. oh good news, i was able to match up the vacuum lines so they are all accounted for.... now the battery is dead. ill have to wait for tomorrow so it can charge. the vacuum hose to the petcock is in and seated, tried many times and double checked. Gas is definetly flowing through the petcock also, checked before and after the attempts. ah well, well see what happens tomorrow...

[JunoAF]

damn, still not starting... im at a loss... anyone?

[Ericthejet]

Check the condition of your battery first. Fluid levels are important.
Charge the battery fully.
Try to re-start, if the bike won't start pull a plug or two to inspect for wet/dry condition. Are your plugs working?
Did you open up the carbs are give them a good cleaning? If not make this your first step.

Much of what is at this website will help you with your Ninja.

The GPZ Zone - Support

[JunoAF]

thanks for the reply, i replaced the plugs with brand new D8EA ones. The manual says i should use D9EA but would that make that much of a dif? it should at least start up shouldnt it? The battery is brand new, and ive pulled the carbs apart 2 times so far to clean them out... no evidence of rust or any blockage. ill pull them apart again, just in case. Like i said before, the bike does start when i shoot starter fluid, but only lasts as long as there is fluid. ill check that site out. Thanks all, any ideas or suggestions would be great!

[stoinkythepig]

Take the carbs off and clean them out. The rust that was in the tank has done them no favors and odds are very good that the pilot jets are clogged. Test for spark, starting fluid will ignite on compression alone, like a diesel. There is a vacuum hose for the petcock. I know of no other vacuum hoses on the tank. There are two drain hoses that attach to the tank, one for the filler and one for the gas gauge sending unit. Petcock should have a prime position. Use it to fill the carb bowls when they are dry.

[JunoAF]

ok will put them together again once they dry. I thought the 600 models had a off, main, and reserve selection. If i put it in Pri, gas should pour in without vacuum assistance? or is it still vacuumed? me and my roomate tested the fuel tap with a vacuum tool and gas came out in Pri, dont think we had enough gas to test the main selection. Oh and for some reason, kawasaki sealed off a lot of the carb to restrict people from messing with it. I cant get to the pilot jets by removing, all i can do is spary car cleaner in there.

Just checked and its On, Off, and Res... is Res the same as Pri?

[JunoAF]

little bump in the road.... one of the float valves are bad so now i have to wait for them to come in..could be days, could be a week...who knows. on a lighter note, i cleaned off the air vacuum switch and valves just in case. will try to test the carbs tomorrow, at least for vacuum's sake. Oh also, checked the spark plug for a light. all lit up fine when tested so they work as advertised.

[vintage ex race]

ok will put them together again once they dry. I thought the 600 models had a off, main, and reserve selection. If i put it in Pri, gas should pour in without vacuum assistance? or is it still vacuumed? me and my roomate tested the fuel tap with a vacuum tool and gas came out in Pri, dont think we had enough gas to test the main selection. Oh and for some reason, kawasaki sealed off a lot of the carb to restrict people from messing with it. I cant get to the pilot jets by removing, all i can do is spary car cleaner in there.

Just checked and its On, Off, and Res... is Res the same as Pri?

The things that are cappped off are air screws not pilot jets , they are in the bowl next to the main jets, or main jet tubes, they are a serviceable part, and sounds like they are plugged also keep the starting fluid away from the bike bad,bad idea

[JunoAF]

ok no starting fluid...why is that, out of curiosity? and ive cleaned every single part of that carb that i could possibly clean without removing the sealed off parts. there isnt an ounce of dirt in there that i can think of. is there a way to prime the carbs even though i dont have the option of PRI like on most bikes? i have RES instead...

[Doc]

If it is vaccumed I would think just turning it over would prime the carbs fine. I bet when you get your new float valves it will run.

[Ericthejet]

Your fuel tap only has two poisitions, "ON" and "Res"?
Most of that vintage have a "prime" poisition.

[JunoAF]

yeah my tap only has On, Off, and Res. no prime, i double and triple checked just to make sure. I inspected the float valves last night, found 1 bad. but what are the odds that that one valve is whats stopping this thing from turning over? the bowls are not getting gas so far as it just smells like starter fluid.

[Doc]

If the bowls are not getting gas check your float height. That or something is clogged.

[JunoAF]

ok i got a couple things im gonna try. first i need a new float valve then:

will hook the carbs back up, but leave off the tank. hook the fuel line to a funnel and gavity feed fuel down the line. ill try starting it that way and if that works then its gotta be the vacuum line. right?

if that doesnt work, then im going to bring my carbs in to be professionally clean, am very tired of pulling them apart lol.

if none of that works, what do you guys think? inlet valves maybe? i dunno

[keeena]

The things that are cappped off are air screws not pilot jets , they pilot jets] are in the bowl next to the main jets, or main jet tubes, they are a serviceable part, and sounds like they are plugged also keep the starting fluid away from the bike bad,bad idea

This is all corerct. Not specifically stated, but air screws are serviceable too. You should probably pull the caps (requires drilling them out) and remove the air screw to properly clean. There will be a small spring and tiny o-ring w/ washer underneath...be sure everything comes out and that you don't loose 'em.

If you have On/Off/Res, I would think that there would be no vacuum actuation. 'On' should flow gas via gravity only. You can use a temporary IV-like hookup just to keep things easier to work on.

I posted this link in another thread...great tutorial for rebuilding carbs. The GSResources - Carb Rebuild Pg. 1 of 9

Are you trying to start w/o airbox and filter? That can be a bit difficult; if it does start, it will run like shit.

[JunoAF]

the airbox and filter are still in, the only thing ive been leaving off is the gromits that connect the carb to the airbox. those things are a pain in the ass to have to keep puttin on and reseating for a "maybe it will start." ive tried starting the thing with them on and off and still nothing.

[TLRMan]

Come see me...or where are you?
I know a little bit about carbs and such.

[JunoAF]

i live in westfield. it would take me about 2 and half hours to get out to salem

[JunoAF]

throwing a repost, still waiting on parts...

[JunoAF]

ok guys! good news if anyone is reading this thread lol. parts came in for the bike. got new float needles put everything back together. Tried to gravity feed gas through a funnel and it looks like the bowls are getting gas now. bad news is, carbkitcapital sent me the wrong gaskets. instead they sent me a different kind of float needle that doesnt fit my bike. and what do you know, gas is leaking out of the gaskets. now i gotta wait to see what they are going to do.

[JunoAF]

ok new problem, bike starts up but jumps straight up to 6000 RPM's. i have to open the throttle just to bring it down. any ideas? doesnt really seem like anyone reads this thread anymore... might have to start a new one

[TBOX]

The white trail on top of East Mountain has a great 100 foot drop. Start it up and let 'er rip. You are spending way too much time on this bike. Lets get you a bike that runs. Yea its 4am but I can't sleep from my surgery yesterday. The night goes by real slow.