getting ready to start back up after carb cleaning, etc

[arteestic1]

hey, so my 78 was sitting a while so i tore it apart and cleaned out the carb, replaced some gaskets, plugs, air filter, changed the oil, etc.   its got new gas in the tank, anything i need to know before i fire this thing up?  my electric start is shot, so its a kickstart mission.   any sort of priming i need to do or anything?

[TOOLS1]

No not really. Hope it fires right off.
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[shinyribs]

A very light squirt of starting fluid may help things along. But I doubt you'll need it, your '78 model carbs have accelerator pumps,so it should fire right off.  Good luck!

[arteestic1]

good deal, thanks guys.  I'll let you know the good news....or the questions I have when it doesn't fire up.  lol

[arteestic1]

Ok I haven't tried to start her up yet, but I threw the tank back on and hooked it up and opened the petcock.  I went inside to grab a drink of water and when I cam back, fuel was everywhere.  I haven't put the air box back on because my new filter hasnt been delivered yet.  and the coke butterflies were open. (not sure if that matters)  But fule was leaking pretty steadily from the drain tubes on the float bowls.  Is this just a rookie mistake and it was leaking because the airbox wasn't on and the system wasn't "sealed" so to speak or is there really something wrong here I need to address?  Thanks guys.

[Truck]

Sounds like a stuck float to me.

[arteestic1]

ok, everything is back together and i gave it a couple shots with the kick and no deal.  i jumped the electronic start out to see if that would help and its trying to, it fired a couple times here and there, but i suspect the fact that there's still gas pouring out of the drain tubes is the issue.  I can verify 2,3 and 4 are the ones gushing.  I didnt replace anything when i tore the carb out, i just cleaned everything, the best i could.   could this float issue be the culprit and if it is, how can i check to be sure?  should i just buy the carb re-build kits for all 4 carbs?

[TOOLS1]

Try polishing the seats with a Q-tip, and chrome, or brass polish. Then set the floats about 2mm higher. Another good tip is to put gas to them before putting them back on the bike. This way you will know if they have sealed before going to a lot of work.
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[Truck]

just pop the bowls off the bottoms, don't even have to take the carbs off. Try moving the floats up and down. If they stick any make sure everthing is assembled correctly. Blast them with some carb cleaner, make sure everything is clean, dirt and crud can gum these things up pretty easy. You should be abble to move the floats up and let them drop back into place with out any assistance, just like a spring.

[arteestic1]

ok, I'll probably do that tomorrow.  I checked them when i was cleaning it and i cleaned it out real good and they seemed to move freely without sticking....but ill pop those off and let you guys know what i find.   Thanks again!

[motogrady]

tap the bowels lightly, with a 5/8 wrench or small hammer, or a screwdriver handle,
when filling, sometimes all they need is to seat properly, the float needles might be kinda sitting
a bit crooked in the holes, tapping them with the bit of pressure the floats will be giving
can push them up where they are supposed to be.

flooding like that, it ain't gonna start.

you get them to stop flooding, pull the plugs, clean them (I hit them with starting fluid),
get that battery charged up real good and see what happens.

[arteestic1]

gonna head out and give these a shot.  I'll let you guys know the results.  thanks again for the help.

[arteestic1]

Ok, so cleaned the float needles and seats with the polish on all 4 bowls and presto!  No more leakage.  Which is awesome however, still no riding tonight.   still wouldn't start, so I traced the problem back to the ignition coil.  12v in...nothing on the wires.  so i guess im gonna have to go grab one of those and prob the wires for good measure.  

[motogrady]

make sure you havn't hit the kill switch to off

[arteestic1]

I did. checked all the fuses too.  the 12v going into the coils comes from that switch as long as its on, if im not mistaken and I had the 12v on the Bl/w wire, but no dice on the spark.  If the switch was off, I wouldn't have even had that.  electrical is one thing im pretty savvy at, I'm an electrician.  :)

[arteestic1]

ok so electrical/ignition problems have been eliminated.  coils replaced and spark is present.  contact breaker seems to be doing its job well.  yet she still wont run.  there were a few drips of gas leaking out of the drain tubes, but nothing like it was before i cleaned the float needles.   it dripped a few times and stopped.   checked all my grounds etc....   ???   not sure what to check next.....any advice?  

[TOOLS1]

I am assuming you are getting spark at the plugs. Do you have the coil wires crossed? If you connected them crossed it would be firing 180* out of time. Also, are you sure that you are getting fuel into the engine? If your jets are plugged it will not run.
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[arteestic1]

yes, I pulled one of the new plugs and checked each wire individually to see if there was spark, which there was.  And when I swapped the new coils for the old ones, I pulled each coil and re assembled exactly the way it originally was, which was the correct way...i checked the wiring diagram beforehand.   So that leaves fuel delivery issues, im assuming.  ?  I guess I'll have to tear that damn thing off again and check the jets.  *heavy sigh*  

[TOOLS1]

Try giving it a shot of starting fluid to see if it fires. That will tell you if the timing is correct, and if you are not getting fuel.
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[arteestic1]

will do.   was going to try that but i dont have any.  lol   off to the store i go.  thanks again for the help!