'72 CL350 Questions Issues

Mardo · 09-05-2011, 07:41 PM

I picked up a '72 CL350 a few months ago that had the new rings put in and had both cylinders honed. Since riding it there have been a few issues that I need some help addressings.

1.) After riding it a few times I noticed that once the bike heated up it tended to stall at idle but does not stall when first fired up.
2.) The oil smelled like gas and I have changed the oil twice and rode around the block and checked the oil and it doesn't smell like gas anymore.
3.) Before I changed the oil and what caused me to check it the crankcase vent tube was smoking and venting smoke that smelled of fuel. I have't rode the bike enough yet to see if the oil changed solved this because I am concerned about doing damage to the engine that will require more work.
4.) I pulled the plugs and they are black on both sides.

Modifications that are done on the bike include foam pod filters and the original CL pipe has a baffle cone muffler on it.

This is my first bike so by no means do I know exactley what I am doing but I figured with a little help and guidence I can get it all figured out.

Thanks in advance for all the help!

eric123 · 09-05-2011, 08:06 PM

Try here. These guys know their stuff...

http://www.hondatwins.net/forum/

Mardo · 09-06-2011, 07:05 AM

Thanks, I just posted over there too. Any help from the ADV crowed?

rufusswan · 09-06-2011, 08:16 AM

You'll get this 'over there' but ....

Make sure the petcocks work, then make sure the float valves work. That should take care of the gas issue.

Mucking with the air intake on those bikes really upsets the carbs, to the point of rejetting, and it ain't unusual to find mis-matched jets, so you need to pull and verify what jets are in the carbs today before you start tuning. Nice cold idle and funky hot idle does like a tuning issue.

Mardo · 09-06-2011, 10:23 AM

Thanks for tips. Petcock is fine and does not leak, I took the fuel lines off the carbs and put them in a bucket to test if it leaks and no fuel ran in the bucket overnight. The rejetting is a good point with the pod filters, how do I determine which jets to buy given the addition of the filters and muffler?

rufusswan · 09-06-2011, 11:37 AM

I have no idea what the muffler is contributing to things but it can be easily removed. The guys at HondaTwins can assist in jetting which will depend on where you are at in elevation and whether or not you have stock jets or not.

Did you also get the original air boxes? as they can be rebuilt. A stock 350 will run pretty damned well.

Mardo · 09-06-2011, 11:56 AM

I did not get the stock filters just the uni pods. Now I wish I got them to see if swapping them back to the original will help.

HamboneSlim · 09-06-2011, 01:06 PM

If the plugs are black, the bike is running rich. The filters could only cause this if they are dirty and impeding air flow.

Running the bike rich can lead to premature wear of the cylinders and rings, maybe why yours needed rings? It will also crud up the valves.

Is the timing set correctly? Have you adjusted the tappets? They should be adjusted every thousand miles. You should adjust the cam chain tensioner at the same time.

If the bike is adjusted properly, the filters are clean, and the carb floats are adjusted properly, and it is still running rich, you need to rejet with smaller jets.

Another potential cause of stalling at idle is improper clutch adjustment. If the clutch is not fully disengaged while stopped and in gear, the slightly engaged clutch can cause enough drag on the engine to stall it, especially if other adjustments, i.e. valves, timing, and carbs, are not quite right.

Mardo · 09-08-2011, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HamboneSlim

If the plugs are black, the bike is running rich. The filters could only cause this if they are dirty and impeding air flow.

Running the bike rich can lead to premature wear of the cylinders and rings, maybe why yours needed rings? It will also crud up the valves.

Is the timing set correctly? Have you adjusted the tappets? They should be adjusted every thousand miles. You should adjust the cam chain tensioner at the same time.

If the bike is adjusted properly, the filters are clean, and the carb floats are adjusted properly, and it is still running rich, you need to rejet with smaller jets.

Another potential cause of stalling at idle is improper clutch adjustment. If the clutch is not fully disengaged while stopped and in gear, the slightly engaged clutch can cause enough drag on the engine to stall it, especially if other adjustments, i.e. valves, timing, and carbs, are not quite right.

Well HamboneSlim that is an overwhelming list of things to check which means I have my work cut out for me. The timing was set correctly not sure about the tappets though. Filters are clean although they are foam pod filters and I am guessing they restrict the airflow more than the stock air filters. I will be checking the float levels this weekend to make sure they are set correctlly.

One question on the clutch, if the clutch is not adjusted correctley wouldn't this problem occur both when the bike is started cold and when its hot? The idleing problem only occurs after the bike is run for a while not when its started cold.

Here are pics of the plugs if this helps at all, plugs are NGK B8ES.

Grider Pirate · 09-09-2011, 06:12 AM

You're definately too rich! Plugs should be a nice tan to very light brown color. Running too rich costs power, fuel economy, and engine life.

Sniper X · 09-09-2011, 07:56 AM

Drop a size on the pilot jet, and the main and see what happens. Pod filters can be hard to jet for as can a after market exhaust not designed specifically for the bike. but there aren't hard to jet because they aren't all too picky. Show pics! Of the bike that is!

killfile · 09-09-2011, 09:50 AM

Before you put ANY efforts into rejetting for the foam filters, I would tear those things off and chuck them right into the waste basket.

I'm assuming your are running something like this:

I personally prefer to run the K&N pod filters just like inmate Stevel Knievel is doing here:

in this thread:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=495770

I have never had a good experience with the "foam filters". If they are not properly maintained they can disintegrate and get sucked into your carb. I have had great success running the K&Ns in contrast.

Give us some pictures of the bike. Is it running a stock exhaust?

09-05-2011, 07:41 PM	#1
Mardo ^OP Adventurer Joined: Jul 2010 Oddometer: 12	'72 CL350 Questions Issues I picked up a '72 CL350 a few months ago that had the new rings put in and had both cylinders honed. Since riding it there have been a few issues that I need some help addressings. 1.) After riding it a few times I noticed that once the bike heated up it tended to stall at idle but does not stall when first fired up. 2.) The oil smelled like gas and I have changed the oil twice and rode around the block and checked the oil and it doesn't smell like gas anymore. 3.) Before I changed the oil and what caused me to check it the crankcase vent tube was smoking and venting smoke that smelled of fuel. I have't rode the bike enough yet to see if the oil changed solved this because I am concerned about doing damage to the engine that will require more work. 4.) I pulled the plugs and they are black on both sides. Modifications that are done on the bike include foam pod filters and the original CL pipe has a baffle cone muffler on it. This is my first bike so by no means do I know exactley what I am doing but I figured with a little help and guidence I can get it all figured out. Thanks in advance for all the help!

09-06-2011, 08:16 AM	#4
rufusswan Studly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2007 Location: Branson MO Oddometer: 901	You'll get this 'over there' but .... Make sure the petcocks work, then make sure the float valves work. That should take care of the gas issue. Mucking with the air intake on those bikes really upsets the carbs, to the point of rejetting, and it ain't unusual to find mis-matched jets, so you need to pull and verify what jets are in the carbs today before you start tuning. Nice cold idle and funky hot idle does like a tuning issue. __________________ 1971 BMW R75/5 Toaster LWB 2002 Baja Chetak http://zenhuckfinn.wordpress.com/

09-06-2011, 11:37 AM	#6
rufusswan Studly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2007 Location: Branson MO Oddometer: 901	I have no idea what the muffler is contributing to things but it can be easily removed. The guys at HondaTwins can assist in jetting which will depend on where you are at in elevation and whether or not you have stock jets or not. Did you also get the original air boxes? as they can be rebuilt. A stock 350 will run pretty damned well. __________________ 1971 BMW R75/5 Toaster LWB 2002 Baja Chetak http://zenhuckfinn.wordpress.com/

09-06-2011, 01:06 PM	#8
HamboneSlim ಠ_ಠ Joined: May 2008 Location: in the chair that really fits me Oddometer: 3,286	If the plugs are black, the bike is running rich. The filters could only cause this if they are dirty and impeding air flow. Running the bike rich can lead to premature wear of the cylinders and rings, maybe why yours needed rings? It will also crud up the valves. Is the timing set correctly? Have you adjusted the tappets? They should be adjusted every thousand miles. You should adjust the cam chain tensioner at the same time. If the bike is adjusted properly, the filters are clean, and the carb floats are adjusted properly, and it is still running rich, you need to rejet with smaller jets. Another potential cause of stalling at idle is improper clutch adjustment. If the clutch is not fully disengaged while stopped and in gear, the slightly engaged clutch can cause enough drag on the engine to stall it, especially if other adjustments, i.e. valves, timing, and carbs, are not quite right. __________________ Lost on a wave that you're dreaming Dream on, on to the heart of the sunrise. Sharp, distance - How can the wind with it's arms all around me? HamboneSlim screwed with this post 09-06-2011 at 01:07 PM Reason: spelt more better

09-09-2011, 06:12 AM	#10
Grider Pirate Beastly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2007 Location: LV, NV Oddometer: 1,669	You're definately too rich! Plugs should be a nice tan to very light brown color. Running too rich costs power, fuel economy, and engine life. __________________ Please don't tell Mom I'm a pilot. She thinks I play piano in a whorehouse. http://griderpirate.smugmug.com/ http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum

09-05-2011, 08:06 PM	#2
eric123 Gott Mit Uns Joined: Mar 2009 Location: Idaho Oddometer: 1,433	Try here. These guys know their stuff... http://www.hondatwins.net/forum/

09-06-2011, 07:05 AM	#3
Mardo ^OP Adventurer Joined: Jul 2010 Oddometer: 12	Thanks, I just posted over there too. Any help from the ADV crowed?

09-06-2011, 10:23 AM	#5
Mardo ^OP Adventurer Joined: Jul 2010 Oddometer: 12	Thanks for tips. Petcock is fine and does not leak, I took the fuel lines off the carbs and put them in a bucket to test if it leaks and no fuel ran in the bucket overnight. The rejetting is a good point with the pod filters, how do I determine which jets to buy given the addition of the filters and muffler?

09-06-2011, 11:56 AM	#7
Mardo ^OP Adventurer Joined: Jul 2010 Oddometer: 12	I did not get the stock filters just the uni pods. Now I wish I got them to see if swapping them back to the original will help.

09-09-2011, 07:56 AM	#11
Sniper X De Oppresso Liber Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Central New Mexico, 7420ft above sea level Oddometer: 30,406	Drop a size on the pilot jet, and the main and see what happens. Pod filters can be hard to jet for as can a after market exhaust not designed specifically for the bike. but there aren't hard to jet because they aren't all too picky. Show pics! Of the bike that is! __________________ "I claim to be frightened of horses but do so only to get out of attending parades. It's peculiar but ...it works. The Horses get it. RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE. IT'S VOLTAGE DIVIDED BY CURRENT

09-09-2011, 09:50 AM	#12
killfile 49/50 Joined: May 2010 Location: SF, CA Oddometer: 353	Before you put ANY efforts into rejetting for the foam filters, I would tear those things off and chuck them right into the waste basket. I'm assuming your are running something like this: I personally prefer to run the K&N pod filters just like inmate Stevel Knievel is doing here: in this thread: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=495770 I have never had a good experience with the "foam filters". If they are not properly maintained they can disintegrate and get sucked into your carb. I have had great success running the K&Ns in contrast. Give us some pictures of the bike. Is it running a stock exhaust?

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