Thanks SpokeXX! Well written and informative. I really appreciate the time you took. I've adjusted valves on other bikes so it shouldn't be too bad. Got the book now too.
Mine only needed new shims three or four times from '86 to '03. And two of those were after breakin of an engine rebuild. Both times I did it myself I just removed the cams. It is like 8 bolts to pull the cams plus loosening the cam chain tensioner. So, as long as you don't drop the timing chain down into the motor, it takes about as long as screwing with the Yamatool. But IMO it is not a DIY job unless you have some wrench spinning skills. There are a lot of ways to seriously fuck your motor up if you don't do it right. If you remove the cams you must get the timing reset correctly. Bad things happen when you have a valve meet the piston in an XT350. This one was either a dropped valve or a fuck up in the auto decomp system. Whatever happened, it was ugly. So, trust me, you want to do it right the first time and every time.
Well here is the story, Rode the bike 160 miles stoped for about 2 hours.When I came out the bike wouldn't start there is a spark but when you kick the bike gas would come out of the carb of the float drian. also it does not seem as if there is any compresstion. ( kick start can be pushed down by hand) while driving i did not hear any funny noises the bike wasn't over heating and was running as good as it ever has in the past. the next day we checked the valve clearances and the intake was inspec and the exhaust one was good but the other one was like 8 thousandths over spec (.008) also if i kick it really fast i get a backfire i'm wondering if it could be the cdi unit or the coil i'm not really sure what a good spark looks like.
Greatdog, I'm ready for a replacement battery, and was looking forward to getting one of those you recommended (below, post 205). I remember looking at this when you first posted. But the link doesn't work any more. Can you give me more detail so I can google for it somewhere else? Thanks. -- Neal
well here is the update changed cdi with on from a running bike no deal changed coil from running bike no deal we did get a little sputter and a back fire though after kicking it really fast about 15 times gas does come out of the over flow of the carb going to try a diffrent carb off of a running bike tomorrow
You're jumping around to very different systems. If you have spark, don't worry about the electrical. The XT has a good ignition. I don't ever recall one having a weak spark. It's either nothing or intermittent(loose wire) or good. You should never have gas coming out the overflow unless you dump it. At this point it sounds like the float. What does your plug look like. Is it wet. Drain the oil. Does it smell like gas? Either one of these would indicate a stuck float.
hows the kill switch? I only ask because well... I've NEVER done that Agreed, if you have spark at all, it not likely any of the solid state ignition stuff. You can get flooded because there may be a chunk of crap in the float needle holding the floats open. Check your air filter, too, it may have gotten gummed up, and not letting any air in equals a way rich mix. Back to basics, man... Spark, fuel/air, compression. If you got those three the bike will run. You've got the facilities to do a valve check, so run a comp test.
It happens. It only takes a little piece of crud to lodge in there and hold the plunger open. Assuming you pull the float bowl off, be carefull not to knock the floats out of adjustment. They are a pain to put back. Remove the little tube going to the secondary first and you shouldn't have any trouble.
Just hit a local battery shop and get a sealed battery for starting a small Honda or similar type lawn mower and you should be about perfect.
heres the battery ive been using in my xt350 since last nov. it's worked without any problems with my stock headlight and led turn signals and led brake light. http://www.zbattery.com/Universal-12V-0-8Ah-Sealed-Lead-Acid-Battery
So in an attempt to get my 99 xt running better I decided I'd take the advice of others here and open up the carb. Long story short, I removed and cleaned the the main jet, no prob, BUT when I was removing the secondary jet I ran into issues. Basicly the secondary jet was unscrewing with no problems. Just as I was about to have it out it stopped spinning. I couldn't make it unscrew all the way, SO, (for better or worse) I tried to screw it back down, it made it about half way down and stopped. Now I can't make it move at all. I soaked it for several days with a good penetrating oil and tried several different scew drivers to get it out no dice. LONG STORY SHORT the slot for the screw driver is stripped the threads obviously are dicked up and the jet is stuck inside the carb, NOW WHAT? I bought an ease out, should I just try to get the jet out and salvage the threads in the carb? Order a stock secondary jet from Yamaha and hope for the best? Any advice or direction is appreciated. I'm going to go jump off a bridge now!
wow. THat blows. regardless of how it happened, that jet has to come out, if you are to salvage the carb at all. It is possible to use a drill or a drill press even to carefully bore out the fucked up jet. Using successively bigger drill bits may cause the jet to collapse inwardly without further damage to the threads in the carb. At that point you might just need to carefully chase the threads out and get a new jet and thank the gods. regardless, consider the jet sacrificial compared to the carb body. Sometimes its better to leave well enough alone but I cant do that, either.
Yes, Easy-Out, tap to clean, and get a new main jet. This would be a swell time to jet it properly. If you live anywhere near sea level, get a 125 (rather than the stock 106 -- I know it's a rediculously big jump). Order a 130 while you're at it. See my post a couple pages back about using Weber jet (only stock is readily available). That screwed in fine, but the jet is a little shorter than stock. I used a shim to put the bottom of the jet near where it's supposed to be ("bottom" as it sits on the bike). That earlier post has the thread size, so you'll use the right tap. Then order leaner main jets for the primary carb. I'd start with about 125 (which is stock) or 122 (again, for sea level), but get a few to see what works best. Google the part number (see much earlier post with complete listing). Skidmarx has a post a few back with a link to another BBS. This described a great approach to rejetting. Trust me, this rejetting is worth the effort.
Hi fellers Ive just found this XT350 thread, loads of good info. Im in the in between stage of rebuilding my XT350 after it was stolen by a local scum bag. it was a tidy bike, but when i got it back of em , it was in a sorry state. Its fully stripped down to the frame and engine , swing arm and front end has all had a paint, polish or general tart up. The wiring be a new made up loom , making the lights DC not AC , its a Q plate so no need for winkers.. they have gone , along with rear rests, lugs cut off from frame and lugs for chain guard gone also. the original clocks , front light and ignition was thrown sold?? by the scum.. Therefore im using a Garmin streetpilot 111 for my speedo and looking for an after market enduro headlight. I need a good beam, any ideas on what to fit?? The paint is going to be satin black and a gloss mix, with silver swing arm. pic before
A pic of frame and tank in satin black As im not sure how to upload multiple images on one thread , im not going to add loads of pics. Ill keep you posted with rebuild project Keep the dirt flyin XLHammer
I was looking at some specs for the XT350, and it appears that Yamaha derated the bike from 27 HP to 17 HP in the late 1980's. Is this true? If so, was it done with a simple carburetor restrictor that can be easily removed?
The restricted were euro bikes because of our license restrictions for young riders and emission standards. The only difference on the 17hp bike is that the aluminium part of the inlet manifold is cast with a smaller hole. So you simply cut the excess stuff out of the manifold and voila: you have 10 more horses under your ass
