idle/plug question - Problem Solved - Thank You everybody

[jerzee]

UPDATE: It's true- the members of this club are great people! A simple adjustment to the dwell idle fixed the problem; that'll teach me to turn the sucker more than one full turn! Many thanks to all of you expecially Hix and Ralph, both of whom really made themselves available to help me. Thanks for all the input!
See you all soon; stay safe!



Hi everyone. I bought my first bike last week and am real glad to have found this site and all of you! I got a 98 Kawasaki 500R with 2000 miles on it and I've messed up the idle adjust. This is what happened: I took a ride from Denver to GOlden on 32nd ave out of Highlands and winding up right behind the Coors factory in Golden. I took this ride twice, and both times, once I arrived in Golden, my warm engine started stalling at idle. So last night, I really messed up. What I did was stick my hand underneath my bike and played with the idle adjust. I turned it a lot in one direction, and nothing happened. So I started up the bike and tried turning it in the other direction, still, the hot engine would not idle, but instead just kind of died, sounding like it was choking for air. I rode back to denver, and the engine was trying to die inbetween shifts! I had to throttle her all the way home, and now I have no idea how to get the ide adjust back to where it should be. Can anyone tell me- should idle adjust be done when the bike is cold or hot, any ideas for fixing the problem I've created for myself, and why everytime I get to Golden and hit a red light, I have to keep the idle up by slight throttle twist instead of just having her sit tight at around 1100 rpms in a nice idle? Also, I installed the hotter version of the sparkplugs last week along with a new air filter and oil and oil filter change. I didn't ask for these 'hotter' plugs, they were given to me by the guy working the parts department at the E COlfax Excel. Can anyone tell me what the consequences are of putting in these plugs instead of the standard ones, and if the standard ones are preferable, and might this be part of my idle problem? I was given D8EA plugs when D9EA are the standard ones...

Thanks in advance....

[Hoopty]

You don't happen to have the choke on, do you?

[gixxerjarhead]

definatly runing rich or it is getting very hot to the point of your gas is close to the the boiling point in wich it will run like shit!!

[jerzee]

Thanks for responding!

No, I have the choke off for sure.

Why or what would make her run rich? Any suggestions for how to proceed from here?

[Anonymous]

Well, it could also be lean...

Do you notice any kind of overly-"gas-like" smell in the exhaust? Also if you're feeling ok with some very minor wrenching, pull a spark plug or two and if you could, please as accurately as possible describe how the end of the plug looks (i.e. grey-white, black, oily, etc).

Do you notice that it runs rough at all or shakes with engine speed, or does it run fairly smooth?

[jerzee]

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

She was doing fine untill I messed with the idle adjust- and after, like I mentioned, she was trying to die between shifts on the way home! If anyone in Denver central has some time to spare, I would sure appreciate an opportunity to meet and possibly help me resolve this issue.

Pulling the plugs poses no problems, but I just put them in a week ago along with an oil/ oil filter and air filter change. I think the guy who I bought the bike from had it sitting around a bit (2000 miles in 5 years!?)- can anyone suggest mabey if the carb could be gunky, how I could clean it without totally getting involved with major carb removal etc?

Could the hotter plugs be involved?
Thanks

[BladeRider]

What the heck did you grab and turn? Was it the idle speed adjustment? Did you use a screwdriver or was it kind of like a small faucet knob? What speed was your original idle at when it would stall? It's hard to say what's causing the stall without knowing what you've been adjusting.

For the plugs, the dealer sold you a set that a step hotter in heat range. It should be okay since most manufacturers allow for that to help older engines burn cleaner. It shouldn't be causing the stalling problem unless they're gapped incorrectly.

[jerzee]

Hi Thanks for taking the time to respond...

I belive the knob was the dwell idle- like a 'faucet', it has a black plastic handle that I was messing with...

Thanks again for your help which is greatly appreciated.....

Idle speed was sweet on the way out on the ride- around 1100, but honestly, it would dip at stops and at red lights once warmed up. That's why I started messing with the dwell idle once I got to GOlden, becuase I was tired of all the stalling... I did fuel up before the ride, might that cause this kind of problem? And I do hear a high hissing noise from the gas tank cover, which I assume is the breather, when I stop the bike and shut her off. As far as hotter plugs and older motors, this is a 98 engine with just 2000 miles on it- Should I put in the standard plugs? Why did they give me the hotter ones when I didn't ask for it?

THanks

[BladeRider]

Sounds like you found the idle speed adjuster. It should have made a difference when you turned it (either way). There could be a problem with the fuel, if it's from a decent station, you should be okay. The hissing noise would suggest a vacuum hose has come loose or broke which would cause the stalling. You should probably pull the tank or prop it up and look at your carb lines and fitting caps.

I don't mean to mislead you on the plugs. You should be fine. The hotter heat range plug is usefull for engines that are older or ones that see alot of low rpm usage. The colder plug is better for alot of high rpm usage. You be the judge of how you ride and which ones you think will better suite you.

[jerzee]

Thanks!

By hissing noise, I mean the source of the noise, a high pitched sucking sound like a whistle, is coming from the gas tank filler cap and while I'm a newer rider, I feel confident that it is not a hose or vacuum problem like you suggested, but instead is simply the breather valve or mechanism adjusting to the differences in tank pressure as gas is consumed. I appreacite your suggestion, though, and I know it's so hard to figure stuff out with vague descriptions...

Most of my riding is mellow-er cruising (this is my first bigger bike, after all) at around 4000- 5000 rpms. I seem to be feeling somewhat slighted by the unsolicted hotter plugs I was given by Excel, of course, they are closed today (Monday) but tomorrow I plan to swing by and perhaps ask for a set of the regular plugs and why they gave me the hotter ones without asking me first...

What would you do or where would you take a bike that might be suffering from gunkiness as a result of 5 years of very light use? As far as gas, she gets nothing but the highest octane (super) and I've given her about one tankful of fresher gas (in two, half-tank fill-ups) during the week I've had her- Could some gunk be passing through her system mabey?

Thanks again.. I appreciate all your help!

[Anonymous]

I'm at Colo/I25, if you want swing by tonight or tomorrow night and I can help you take a look. (may be raining tonight, hard to say) PM me for directions if you want.

[yakuza]

Since the topic of "hot" versus "cold" spark plugs has come up here, I thought I'd share some info that I found interesting recently from the NGK website:
http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/techinf...200&country=US

Q: Why are there different heat ranges?

A: It is a common misconception that spark plugs create heat. They don't. A heat range refers to how much heat a spark plug is capable of removing from the combustion chamber.

Selecting a spark plug with the proper heat range will insure that the tip will maintain a temperature high enough to prevent fouling yet be cool enough to prevent pre-ignition. While there are many things that can cause pre-ignition, selecting a spark plug in the proper heat range will ensure that the spark plug itself is not a hot spot source. More information about heat ranges can be found here.

Hope that's helpful.

[BladeRider]

What would you do or where would you take a bike that might be suffering from gunkiness as a result of 5 years of very light use? As far as gas, she gets nothing but the highest octane (super) and I've given her about one tankful of fresher gas (in two, half-tank fill-ups) during the week I've had her- Could some gunk be passing through her system mabey?

If it's been sitting around alot, the carbs could be gummed up. They probably need to be pulled and cleaned. Pilot jets and idle mixture screws love to close up with gunk and cause low speed and idling problems. If you guys can't adjust out the stalling, pull 'em and clean 'em.