Damned thing won't go!

[magicmonkey]

Is the fuel cock set to prime.

Kill switch? must be on if you have spark.

They can be hard to start sometimes, used easy start many times but if it was left for a week or more seemed to start better on prime.

I set it to prime for about 10 seconds and then changed it to 'on' instead as I though that was the way to go. I'll give it a go on prime if I can get it to catch with the easy-start on there

[magicmonkey]

just a thought, but are your HT leads connected to the correct plugs?

if your firing order is wrong it would definately not want to start

On a slightly related note, I was thinking about putting cable ties around the leads to denote the cylinder they're meant to go in but I was a bit worried they might melt as I'm no sure how hot those leads get. Any idea if that would be ok or if I would be riding along with the stench of burning plastic as a constant companion?

[FROSTY:Me]

MM -WHERE was the engine stored for the two years and WHY was it stored?
I've had issues with those lil motors getting rust on their valve faces/seats and getting no compression.
I'd also be making sure there aint an airlock stopping fuel getting into the carbies.

[Ixion]

Drain the fuel tanl, replace with fresh fuel. Clean the fuel tap. Set to prime, leave it there (not overnight, but).

Get a car jump starter pack thingy and connect up. If it's been sitting two years, I'm presuming the battery's been sitting two years. Bikes are sensitive about voltage, an old battery may turn the engine OKish but not have enough juice for a decent spark (testing spark out of cylinder isn't always a good test) . Can't count how often I've seen this make the difference.

With the tap on prime open all the carb drains (all you can get to anyway) and let at least a couple of hundred ml of fuel run out of each (might pay to try to catch it). Then throw it away.

What Frosty said. Why was it put away ? Cos it wouldn't start, maybe?

[Ixion]

just a thought, but are your HT leads connected to the correct plugs?

if your firing order is wrong it would definately not want to start

Stuffed up firing order will almost always produce nice loud backfires 9just not start). No action at all , usually spark or fuel (or a TOTALLY stuffed engine, but unlikely on a four)

[CookMySock]

Sounds to me like it needs the good 'ol kiwi tow it up and down the road. Or else take it to the top of a really high hill and either ride it down or push it off.

Steve

[neels]

As above, fuel tap set to prime, connect it to a car battery to keep the volts up. Check that the idle is wound right back, I had trouble starting a bike that had been sitting for a while because the throttle was too open so the choke didn't work well enough to get it going.

Nylon cable ties should be fine if you put them an inch or so above the plug caps.

[quickbuck]

MM -WHERE was the engine stored for the two years and WHY was it stored?
I've had issues with those lil motors getting rust on their valve faces/seats and getting no compression.
I'd also be making sure there aint an airlock stopping fuel getting into the carbies.

I would say Frosty is onto it.
You should have got some sort of ignition by now.... Unless your plugs are wet.
You have cleaned them right?? If you can't get all the fuel off them with a Blasting Cabnet, then you need to replace them...

As Frosty Said, these little motors with their incy wincy 16 valves that move a gnats from open to closed have a habbit of rusting on the sets.
This can cause NIL compression.
As said, you need fuel/ air / spart in the right quantities at the right time.
NOW, it is no bloody good getting a 13:1 air/Fuel ratio and try to light it up with a plug if you haven't squezed the mixture to 180 psi or so....

Also, there could well be an issue with corrosion on the bores... This will also mean lack of compression, and along with this, siezed rings (as mentioned).

2 Years sitting is not good for a little engine.

[kevfromcoro]

Still reckon its bore wash.. if it was going and nothing has changed.
like timing..and got spark and gas it should go
... or should make going noises..

years ago . we acclamed a ford galaxie.. had a 392 in it
been sitting in a cokies padock for a few years..
towed it home..and it wouldnt start..
we were young . and none of us new what we were doing really.
Garfeild the cat .. was sitting on the roof.
and probably had more knowledge than all of us.
we cranked this thing over...... and it wouldnt go.
next thing. it ignited in the sump.
blew the oil filler cap straight through a tin roof. we shat ourselves
and garfield shot straight up in the air. went a couple of metres,,,
shouldnt laugh.. but is was funny at the time.
that was bore wash.......engines sitting to long .. dont like it,

[SS90]

Still reckon its bore wash.. if it was going and nothing has changed.
like timing..and got spark and gas it should go
... or should make going noises..

years ago . we acclamed a ford galaxie.. had a 392 in it
been sitting in a cokies padock for a few years..
towed it home..and it wouldnt start..
we were young . and none of us new what we were doing really.
Garfeild the cat .. was sitting on the roof.
and probably had more knowledge than all of us.
we cranked this thing over...... and it wouldnt go.
next thing. it ignited in the sump.
blew the oil filler cap straight through a tin roof. we shat ourselves
and garfield shot straight up in the air. went a couple of metres,,,
shouldnt laugh.. but is was funny at the time.
that was bore wash.......engines sitting to long .. dont like it,

What is this "bore wash", you all keep referring too?

"bore wash" is when you ride/drive a car/bike (the older stuff, that has a CHOKE, opposed to an ENRICHINER...there is a difference, and sweet FA vehicles actually have a choke anymore)

By the way, a choke is a wee flap that covers the inlet of the carb (operated by the choke lever), and reduces the amount of air an engine gets, and an enrichiner is a plunger that, when the enrichiner lever is operated (or indeed an automatic one), a plunger uncovers an ENRICHINING JET, and increases the amount of fuel the engine gets.

The result is the same, the air fuel mixture is altered to increase the amount of fuel the engine gets to enable cold starting.

Pretty much any carbed bike since, um, 1978 has an enrichiner, not a choke, same same for most cars.

Now, "bore wash" is when, you accidentally leave the choke lever on (in the case of a choke), and, after driving for some time, due to the fact that you have reduced the amount of air the engine gets (not increased the fuel, as in the case of an enrichiner), the lack of oxygen to correctly emulsify the fuel causes the fuel to return to a liquid state in the cylinder head, not burn, and simply "run down the side of the bores", washing the oil off the sides of the bore, and causing premature wear.

What you refer to when you say how an oil filter was blown off an engine is because the crank case was full of fuel (possibly from sitting so long, and having a faulty float valve, then trying to tow start it)

That is not "bore wash"

That is a "sump full of fuel"

Different causes, and different faults.

The idea of rust on the valves causing compression loss is feasible, but from what he says regarding the rear wheel locking when in gear, I would suggest that it is not so low that it won't start.

[magicmonkey]

wel, thanks for all your ideas guys, got it started last night so I'm well chuffed

I just went home and decided that as I'd charged the battery for 48 hours on a 1600Mha charger I'd give it another go with whatever petrol was left in the carbs and it just sprang into life with nothing further from me I figured that maybe the petrol had softened some gunk in the carbs and and started to allow stuff through to the engine so those are off at the moment for a much more thorough clean. Now I read the posts above I guess it could have been the battery voltage as well (that's being left on trickle charge for a week or so to get a charge deep in the plates rather than the surface charge which it probably has at the moment).

There are a few problems, of course! it seems to take a long time for the revs to drop when the throttle is closed, like an unreasonable amount of time and I'm sure the carbs are going to need to be balanced properly which I presume is going to be a pain in the arse but these are problems for later, for now, I've got over the first major hurdle and I'm pretty chuffed with it, I can finesse it as I go along

[kwaka_crasher]

I just went home and decided that as I'd charged the battery for 48 hours on a 1600Mha charger...

A 1600 Mega hecto are (hectare). Sounds cool! What does it do?

[kwaka_crasher]

It seems to take a long time for the revs to drop when the throttle is closed, like an unreasonable amount of time

Either balancing or a vacuum leak.

[BoristheBiter]

A 1600 Mega hecto are (hectare). Sounds cool! What does it do?

It should say 1600mAh.
The mAh figure quoted refers to the amount of power stored in the battery. The higher the figure, means the more power is stored in the battery.

[magicmonkey]

A 1600 Mega hecto are (hectare). Sounds cool! What does it do?

it's a 1600 millamp charger that I picked up for about $80 from repco, it's special ability is charging a battery over the longest period of time possible