As is tradition, I f***ed something up

I didn't read the MCM mod properly, and put the coat hanger wire in holes with the KACR shoes in, not out. I'll open it up tomorrow and remove the wire. I didn't know I could just remove the spring :/ I dunno if that would cause my idle issue, but it's worth mentioning.

Bike starts fine, with choke on. It idles fine with choke on. Won't settle down, even after a while with choke on. Turn off choke and it dies if I don't hold the throttle or turn up the idle rpm. Best I could do was get it to settle down to 3000rpm. Any lower and it would drop off and stall.

Pulled the carb 3 times. Cleaned all the passageways, removed and inspected pilot and main jet. DJ kit was installed correctly. Kouba T-handle screw set to 2 turns as a starting point. Float bowl measured 15mm from the lip of the bowl.

Bike was running fine before I opened it up to install the Dynojet kit, MCM mod and Dial a Jet kit.

I looked up some possibilities, and saw that the float level can effect the idle. Since I installed teh Dial A Jet kit, there is a clear tube showing me my float level at all times. It was way up above the lip of the bowl, so pulled the carb, adjusted the tab on the float. It was 15mm before and 17mm afterwards (from the lip of the bowl). Reinstalled carb and hooked up petcock. Fuel flows into carb and right back up to past the lip. Very frustrating.

I've got a few ideas why it might not be working, but it's wayy too late and my patience is expired. I kicked the bike tonight

 

We desperately need a new MCM guide with proper guidance..

Pry off your coat hangar, pull the KACR spring, and you are done with KACR issues. Your bike will start instantly.

I have no idea about tuning with a dial-a-squirt leaking fuel into the induction system, but your altitudes do not require special jetting needs - you can use standard Stage I, Stage II..

 

8 Different Types of Steel Wire
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Al Hickson

Steel wire is an extremely useful and versatile material that can be found in many things you use everyday in the home, as well as in the car you drive. Steel wire is also useful in commercial, industrial and military applications—for cleaning, for spring-loaded devices, for reinforcing, for structural integrity, and even for making music.

However, not every piece of wire can be used for everything. Steel wire is manufactured to different levels of strength, elasticity and thickness for different purposes. Here’s a quick overview of 8 common types of steel wire.

MUSIC WIRE
Named for its use in piano strings, music wire could be considered the “work horse” of steel wire. Its high carbon content makes it a strong, durable, all-around wire that is excellent for high levels of stress and repeated loads (for example, in springs or surgical equipment).

OIL TEMPERED WIRE
Similar in structure to music wire, oil tempered wire is usually drawn to thicker diameters, then heated and “quenched” with oil to make it both strong and flexible. This wire is also used for spring applications, such as garage door springs.

BROOM WIRE
Most commonly used in the brushes of street cleaners, broom wire is usually a strong, high-carbon wire that is galvanized or PVC coated to endure repeated friction.

DUCT WIRE
This is a flexible coated wire that is commonly used to provide structure and flexibility, such as with heating and air ducts that have to curve around corners while retaining their shape.

HARD-DRAWN WIRE
This is steel wire that has simply been drawn to a certain diameter without any additional treatment or tempering. It’s a good all-around wire for bending into wire forms or springs, but it is unable to endure high amounts of stress the way music wire does. It’s frequently used in products like metal baskets, shopping carts, safety pins, and some auto parts.

CHROME SILICON WIRE
This steel alloy wire is cold-drawn and heat-treated to be exceptionally strong, able to withstand shock and high-impact loads that the typical wire spring could not withstand. It’s an excellent choice for recoil springs in guns or in high performance vehicles.

LOW CARBON STEEL WIRE
High carbon content makes steel strong, but at the expense of flexibility. For applications where the wire needs to bend more easily, (like low-stress springs or coat hangers) low carbon steel is a better option.

PATENT WIRE
Patenting refers to a specific treatment process by which steel wire is heated and quenched to make it stronger and more durable. Patent wire is useful for high tension applications and for wire rope.

-from "8 Different Types of Steel Wire" Madison Steel

Taubensee Steel and Wire on low carbon steel wire -

Low carbon steel wire has < 0.20% carbon content. This is a general purpose manufacturing wire suitable for a large range of applications. This type of material has good formability, will take moderate bending or flattening, and can be roll threaded. Its strength is primarily a function of its carbon content, increasing with carbon amount. The ductility (or malleability) of carbon steel decreases as the carbon content increases.

 

Yes having the compression release held engaged will tend to want to stall the engine since it is holding the valve cracked open. It will require a higher idle to keep running. Fix the CR either with it locked open or without the spring.

I have valid reason for wiring it in fixed position based on history of the similar design unit on KLX650s. I restaked the rivets on my 650 when we rebuilt the top end, they had too much side play - the reason the rivets will get looser. So I fixed the position in the 250 until I have it apart again - then I will have the CR pressed out. Until then I'm going "houshold" I feel more assured of no problems.

 

Tldr.

 

TLDR indeed.. I call bull$h-t on "flapping around" and the idea of this supposed flapping causing failure points.. The device is designed to overcome spring pressure and fully extend at all RPM's just above the electric starters' capability to spin the engine.. Pull the spring, and the device begins to extend the moment the engine begins to revolve with the starter - AND STAYS fully extended forever.. In fact, the "unsprung" KACR may stay fully extended or partially fully extended while at rest - depending on its' resting position!
On the other hand - unless the "wire" is carefully designed to hold the flyweights at absolute max extension with minimal pressure, there is guaranteed to be movement and pressures exerted onto the "wire" during all running - causing eventual failure.

You should design and sell this "wire" so that members won't be left in the cold to design it themselves. After all, coat hangars are cheap..

 

I'll be a little ashamed if all this is due to my locking the KACR into the engaged position. I'll undo that first and report my findings.

The dial a jet isn't doing anything at idle, and I plugged the air intake on the Dial a Jet to make sure it wasn't an air leak. The DaJ isn't giving any gas/leaking/changing fuel at idle, just to clarify.

My su****ions aside from the KACR include the possibility that the air fuel mix screw might have lost an o ring or washer. I won't know until I remove it to see. I'm pretty sure I just pulled one screw and put the other in without touching the spring, but can't remember. Too many mods at once

 

I had the exact symptoms the first time I changed my main jet. Ran fine for a few minutes, long enough to get out in the pasture and open it up. On one of the full throttle passes, if died. Had to ride it home on the choke.

Best I can tell, the slide was either sticking or some trash worked its way in there. Like you, I pulled it apart, cleaned it all... was VERY careful reassembling the slide/spring/cap. I think it took me two tries before it ran right again. Others have had a similar situation and slide assembly seems to be the issue.

Your issue may be different, but it sounds the same: Runs on choke, about 4000 rpm. Drop the choke and it dies. I don't think adding throttle without choke helped on mine, but I could add throttle while the choke was on.

Keep at it, you'll find it.

 

Ok, so it all came down to the KACR.

Removed the wire, replaced valve cover, hit the juice... sparked up and idle was fine. Ran with choke in for a bit till it wanted to die, pushed it in and adjusted idle to 2000rpm.

Screwed the Kooba link in till it wanted to die and backed it out 1.5 turns. It wouldn't bog out no matter how far I backed the screw out... does this mean I could go with a bigger pilot jet?

Anyway it's running great. I'll plug it all back together and try out my new bike, let ya'll know how it goes

P.s
Can we remove the whole wire thing from the MCM? Yes, I could have read the DIY properly and avoided this whole mess... but why add that extra bit of work if it's not necessary? Encouraging us common pleebs to install coat hangers in engines is asking for trouble Just my 2 cents

 

My thots exactly!