Hey everyone,
  1st I wanna butter y'all up and say that I have been reading this forum and the heise-workstations.de for like 6 months now and you guys really know your stuff.

Ok enough brown nosing and down to the problem.  I was riding one day and my bike started sputtering, really rough.  Then I drove it back home, and took out the brass slug for the idle mixture screw adjusted it 1/4 a turn out, changed the oil and filter and it ran like a dream.  I was suprised at its power and I was so happy until I pulled into my driveway because it just cut off.

would not start again, after crying silently, and reading every page of our forum IM kinda fustrated.

I thought it might be a bad spark plug so I read ur forum , disconnected both hoses and speedo cable,took the tank off, changed the plug.  I tested to make sure I got spark and after getting shocked with some fake rubber insulated plyers and I put it a new nkg spark plug.  Still wouldnt start, not even on prime.  

So i took off the tank, injected 1/2 to 1 cc of gas in the sparkplug hole, reinstall the plug, put it on prime for 2 mins, prayed and it still doesnt start.  I can hear the starter turning, and I thought maybe the problem could be the compression cable, which I dunno what it looks like or anything, or maybe my carb is flooded.  Can anyone help me.  I have no manual or anything, except good looks

Im thinking it maybe my carb being flooded or the compression cable but where are the fuses located just in case?  Sorry to be such a pain in the butt.  ps thank you in advance

Well, if the starter turns over, and you have normal operation of all lights...forget about fuses.  They are okay.

You got shocked by the plug.  Good (for the bike).  You have a spark, too.

Place a small glass jar under the carb, and loosen the drain screw on the bottom of the bowl.  Does gas come out?  Is there dirt in the gas?  Are there any "water bubbles" in the gas?

Oh, even real rubber insulated pliers will allow you to get shocked.  The high tension voltage from the coil can actually travel on the outside of the pliers...especially if the plug is not really grounded well and your other hand is touching the bike...you were the ground.

give the carb a small, and I do mean small, shot of starting fluid and crank it. if it fires a couple of times, timing and ing, a ok. you gots a fuel problem. if it don't fire, you gots more than fuel problems. I know, this is not too safe a pratcice, be careful. spray, then crank, DON'T spray while cranking.

Sounds like the decompression value is out of adjustment and or not closing properly.  I would wait until you get the repair manual if I were you.  
Good Luck

Jim_R wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:06:


Okay...well, you checked the gas, but that was just the first step....I was waiting for that before you continue (unfortunately I can't be here all the time)....checking to see that the carb HAS gas and Good gas was the point.  You found no dirt or water so THEN we need to move on to, IS the gas getting in the engine as it should?....even as Red Wine says, check the carb....

Forget decompression....they don't "Not Run" because the decompression isn't working.  That is just an AID in starting the engine, but it will start even if it is totally out of adjustment.  It will start anyway...after all it slightly opens the exhaust valves during starting to accomplish that, so what's the point.....?

I hate the idea that people feel the need to waste a tank of gas or drain it when it isn't needed.  So much extra work.  Gas isn't as critical as some think, and a running engine (which it was) will comsume water without you even knowing it....There wasn't any dirt or water.  So, did you have a good full bowl of gas when you drained it?  Did it continue flowing or stop?  Was the petc0ck turned to PRI or ON? (important to the flowing petc0ck issue).

You said that you got shocked while holding the plug.  Did you check the plug for wetness (as Red Wine said)?

3 things an engine needs: Air, Spark, Gas...that is it.  All you got to figure is what has changed or stopped working.    That is the key to troubleshooting an engine.

Remember...the bike was running fine even before you messed with the brass plug and the idle mixture screw, and that didn't fix it.  You injected gas/starting fluid (which may or may not work) but unless there is gas from the carb it still won't run.

Go back and check to see that you have a good flow of gas from the petc0ck to the carb.  Pull the hose off the carb and check that it pours out in the PRI position.  Make sure that both hoses are connected correctly to the carb...Then check the spark again, but make sure that the plug, not you, is grounded.

And you aren't a "pain in the butt" 'cause we like this stuff here  

Best guess (cause it happens alot) is that the fuel hose is old, and you sucked a tiny piece of rubber into the pilot jet. Drop the bowl, pull the float, and unscrew the jet. Spray some aerosol carb cleaner or contact cleaner through it. Reassemble. Put on prime, fire up, go for a ride (works about 80% of the time).

If the bike was out of time, trust me, you'd know. The only way these bikes go out of time is if the timing chain stretches and/or snaps. Period. Not like the good old days of breaker points...I miss those...

Happy tinkering.
-WD

Before doing anything major, try running it with the petc0ck on PRI.  Does it run?  If it does, switch it back to ON with the engine running and see if it eventually cuts off.  Try the same thing with the RES position.  If it cuts off, you probably have a vacuum problem.  There is a vacuum hose on the right side of the carb that connects to the petc0ck (left side).  It may be kinked.  If it is, pull it off the carb, route the hose so that the curve in the hose is as gentle (not sharp) as possible where it connects to the carb and then pull the spring over the hose  where it is connected to the carb and make sure it stays in position.  If it isn't the hose, it may be the diaphram in the petc0ck.  Either way, you can run using the PRI position, just switch to ON when you turn the bike of to prevent gas running down through the carb, into the engine, and into your oil (which probably won't happen, but could).



Sorry if someone already covered this - I just scanned the messages so I may have missed it.  I've had this problem before and is was a kinked vacuum hose - a quick 2-second fix once I figured it out

Jim_R wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:06:


Explain "limped it back home", please.  How did it act, and how did you make it go?

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Sure bring it on over

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The timing is fixed on the Savage.  Don't worry about that.

So, you opened the bowl drain, turned the petc0ck to PRI and gas came out of the bottom?  Right?

Were you able to check the spark plug without being shocked?