1990 xt600 cannot start

[njenduro]

Well this is my story last year before winter had it outside covered for 3 weeks cold out. Had it on a battery tender. I went to start it up and started ran for about maybe 2 minutes on choke then it stalled like it ran out of gas tried to start it and cranked but would not start up. What I did was put it into the trailer with the tender on it. Now the fun starts , I tried to start it up and cranks but will not start. I put a new spark plug in still no go. Now started to check coil all good,stator ohm good,pick up coil ohm good. Now I tried starting fluid still no good check spark it sparks but it’s there but not really bright but I got shocked. I checked the wires going to the coil the 12v bulb tester I have lites when the starter cranks. I checked valves on tdc also checked the piston to make sure that is tdc and adjusted valves now I did noticed that the feeler was real tight so maybe the valves were open so readjusted intake and exhaust and still will not start. I take the carbs off to see if they were dirty looked good even in the bowl looked good. Now I hooked up a fuel line with a cup to bypass the fuel tank. Help is needed thanks

[WD Forte]

I'd be checking the carb diaphragm hasn't hardened and/or
split over the years.
If it has, it may not be lifting and be stuck down
and it wont want to go if it has.
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bikers smell of wee

[njenduro]

Now you are talking about the diaphragm on top of the carb correct. Now I have 2 on here now even if I use starting fluid to start it still doesn’t start. My concerns are now getting parts they are getting difficult because of shipping of supplies. I like the oem cause everything perfect. Now if that diagram is split symptoms would be what. Thanks for the quick response

[WD Forte]

Just looked it up and see it has a dual inlet carb
and only 1 has a diaphragm so may well have misunderstood it
as I initially assumed 1 carb

Some pics show a vac operated fuel pump for '90 xt600
if the plug is dry after repeated cranking, maybe its that not working?
could be just a cracked/split vac pipe if you're lucky
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bikers smell of wee

[doggone]

The way it ran for a couple of minutes then stopped sounds like water or dirt in fuel but air leak in fuel lines is a good guess.
Unlikely the valves are involved when it initially ran, they can stick open or closed especially if a bit of damp got in somehow

[Dan Norse]

[njenduro]

Thanks everybody for the quick response’s. I did have the carbs off and I did clean the screen, jets on the one primary carb and I did not clean the jets on the secondary carb I did not remember there is another jet in that one. I did not check the diaphragm which I should of. I will check that as well in taking the carbs back off. Anything else I should be looking into. Thanks again

[MCN]

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[njenduro]

This bike is a runner. I ride this bike just about all year and in the rain basically it stops is for 3 months for winter. But before I put away it sat outside covered with a tender. It started then stalled. My concern is it wouldn’t start back up. I did put stablizer on it anyway. Now if it was cold out and moisture was in the carb maybe something split in the carb? Any other idea for when I take them out again. I will take a look at the second jet and diaphragm. Thanks again

[A100man]

You say you ran it dry.. my bet would be some crap from the tank has blocked a circuit in the carb most likely the choke circuit...

Thoroughly clean the carb and then try again from your auxiliary tank.
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Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600, Skorpion

[njenduro]

Never ran dry, the bike sounded like it ran out gas when it stalled but will check all again. Thanks all

[WD Forte]

If it does have a vac operated pump check that
they're not powerful and the slightest of leaks can stop them

Easy to test though, just whip off the outlet pipe and crank the motor
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bikers smell of wee

[stinkwheel]

My first thought was it having water at the bottom of the tank due to the ethanol content sludging out but using fresh fuel in your remote tank should have sorted that.

American pump fuel is appallingly poor quality and degrades rapidly when left to stand for any length of time. As one youtube channel demonstrated, the "regular" grade wont even run in a lawnmower after sitting for 12 months.

For the majority UK readers. In the USA, "regular" is 87 octane and "premium" is 91-94 octane. Most of it is either E10 or E15 ethanol content.

When you say you cleaned the carb, did that include removing the jets, washing them with solvent, blowing them through with compressed air and visually checking against a bright light that they have a clear, perfectly round hole in them.

For starting purposes, you only need to bother with the slide carb.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Nobby the Bastard]

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[Nobby the Bastard]

[njenduro]

I did do the primary carb which does have the diaphragm. I did take out the float jet and tube all good and clean no clog the secondary did not clean Because I forgot there was a jet there but we’ll take apart again and check the diaphragm I am going to do a compression test over the weekend to make sure that’s good. This is really baffling me thanks again everybody for your help

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

Sounds like it ran out of fuel so I’d work on that basis and start by assessing the fuel pump as indicated by WD Forte.

Alternatively, did you knock the choke off in time or is it flooded?

[stinkwheel]

In fairness, those big singles can be a bit of a dick to start when they've been stood for a while. Maybe try sticking a few drops of petrol down the sparkplug hole?

One thing maybe worth a check. Could the cable operated decompressor be stuck?
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[njenduro]

Electric start only and vacuum for carb

[MarJay]

[xX-Alex-Xx]

RON, MON, and AKI.


Difference between RON, MON, and AKI......

Because of the 8 to 12 octane number difference between RON and MON noted above, the AKI shown in Canada and the United States is 4 to 6 octane numbers lower than elsewhere in the world for the same fuel. This difference between RON and MON is known as the fuel's sensitivity, and is not typically published for those countries that use the Anti-Knock Index labelling system.[/i]
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DILLIGAF

[Nobby the Bastard]

Either way, the US version of standard unleaded is 1-2 ron less than the UK version.

This is where being a member of a common market where the same standards are applied is useful....
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