plug color

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krick3tt
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Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:48 pm
Location: Denver, CO USA

plug color

Post by krick3tt »

I am in process of some work on the pinz..new starter, oil change (from 30 to 20/50 Castrol for the CO winter, due tomorrow), new cap and rotor, valve adjustment, new plugs, brake adjustment, etc.

The manual mentions that if the plugs are black the mixture may be too rich. What adjustment would I make to lessen the richness of the mixture? The carbs have been rebuilt about 8 months ago and the idle is very steady at about 800 RPM. But the wet dizzy robbed the engine of power on hills and at higher RPM.

All this came about because I went through very deep water and the dizzy got wet along with many other things. Running poorly. Water in the dizzy has been resolved.

Advice would be much appreciated.

Happy trails, Morris
Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him:
better take a closer look at the American Indian.---Henry Ford
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rmel
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Re: plug color

Post by rmel »

I've compared my plugs against this NGK article, somewhat subjective but might help.
BTW, I'm about to do the same thing except the value don't sound like a tweak is
necessary this time around, I also have the flex pipe and shocks to replace -- AND it
finally stopped raining -- till Monday that is.

http://www.ngk.com.au/spark-plugs/techn ... g-analysis

And here too.

http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html

ron
undysworld
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Re: plug color

Post by undysworld »

krick3tt wrote:What adjustment would I make to lessen the richness of the mixture?
Idle adjuster screws for idle, and rejet the mains for higher RPMs. Make sure the air filter is good, since too little air makes for too much fuel in the mix.
krick3tt
Posts: 2457
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:48 pm
Location: Denver, CO USA

Re: plug color

Post by krick3tt »

Wow, a lesson in locating all the wires before firing it up. Missed one. Lots of sparks. Naturally everything was back in place by then and getting that last wire on was very interesting. As many have probably guessed by now...I am not an ace mechanic, I just muddle through and hope for the best following the book. :roll:

Fixed that wire...runs well at idle (550 per the multi function timing light) thought it was idling at higher RPM. The timing mark really moves when RPM increases (to the left as viewed from the front of the engine). The new starter seems to help it fire up much more quickly. I think the old one is going to be gathering up dust in the corner for many months.

Tonight is the big cold snap and tinkering on a vehicle in the cold is not what I was hoping for. Guess it is going to sit for a while. Better here than on the trail. When I start to lose patience with my lack of mechanical aptitude, it's time to give it a break. I'll wipe off all the tools and clean up the area, have a beer and dream of trail rides. :oops:
Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him:
better take a closer look at the American Indian.---Henry Ford
Jim LaGuardia
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Re: plug color

Post by Jim LaGuardia »

No wonder your plugs go black, Idle speed is supposed to be 850-950rpm :shock:
Cheers, Jim LaGuardia
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"Arch Magus of Machines."
krick3tt
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Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:48 pm
Location: Denver, CO USA

Re: plug color

Post by krick3tt »

thanks, I'll get that up a bit.
Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him:
better take a closer look at the American Indian.---Henry Ford
krick3tt
Posts: 2457
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:48 pm
Location: Denver, CO USA

Re: plug color

Post by krick3tt »

Timing is set, idle is up to 950, carbs synced. With the oil change and the new gear reduction starter it seems to be running well.
I noticed in a video about the installation of the petronics system (by Scott), that the dist. cap should be secured by the screw at the far right in the counterclockwise direction. Mine was not. I checked the timing before and after putting the securing screw in the correct position and noticed no appreciable difference in the running.
Time for a little trip. Happy trails...

edit: after a short in town trip I notice there is a bit of popping somewhere while running for the first few miles. After a bit it lessens.
Pinz has been sitting in the drive way for a few hours cooling off. I notice one of the clamps on the exhaust is a bit loose and allows the flex pipe to move on the manifold pipe. I am guessing that the looseness allows gasses to escape. after running a bit it heats up and expands enough to seal and the popping stops.
Any guesses on if I am correct in my assumption? Going to tighten it up and check with another run.
Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him:
better take a closer look at the American Indian.---Henry Ford
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