Is the jetting close?

[Goob]

I have a 09 400x hmf full system k&n filter 155main 42 pilot 2 1/4 turns out on fuel screw all keihan jets and was wondering if that would b pretty close but also sometimes while in a wheelie it will start cutting out thanks

[honda400ex2003]

sounds like you should be pretty close on everything. maybe a bit lean depending on elevation. maybe a 160 would be a bit better with the full exhaust. i would check out the plug and see how it looks. the attached pic is what it should look like, golden brown. what setting is your needle at too? a 42 should be good with the pilot the f/a sounds good at 2.5 the 155 might be good if you are at 1500 ft or more. anything less and you should probably go up on the main to a 160. i would keep the needle at 3rd slop from the top of the needle and you should be good. steve

[Goob]

K my elevation is 499ft so you think I should try a 160? And my needle is stock settings

[honda400ex2003]

i would try it but check your plug first and see how it looks. if it is a bit white or silver then definitely go to a 160. if it is brown then you should be good. you could do a couple of plug chops on a new one too to see how it looks. good luck, steve

[honda400ex2003]

i ran a 150 with my k&n with my slip on at 1500 ft. just for a tidbit of info. steve

[Goob]

K man thanks alot my plug is more white and silver than brown so I'll bump it up to a 160 and c how that does

[honda400ex2003]

you may even be able to go to a 165. that may be on the rich side though. i would start with the 160 and see how it goes though first. steve

[Goob]

K I'll try it and see how it goes

[honda400ex2003]

sounds good let me know how it comes out. make sure you test it when warmed up and with a new plug and you should be good. i would go for a good ride at all rpms and see how it looks after that. i would say a good half hour ride around on a new plug to find out how it looks. steve

[Goob]

It runs a lot better now I did what u said and it helped a lot man I appreciate it

[honda400ex2003]

good to hear what was your final setup? 160 3rd clip position 42 pilot and 2.5 turns out f/a? or did you change the f/a some more? steve

[Goob]

It's at 2.5 turns out 160 and 42 it's running great so far Lol

[honda400ex2003]

great no more popping or dying while doing wheelies then, congrats on the jetting!! it is always a great feeling to look at your plug and say oh yeah it is right on. lol, steve

[Goob]

Well man I spoke to soon lol today I rode for a while and I noticed at idle it was puffin white smoke I think it was running hot cause I pulled the dipstick out and smoke came out so that can't b good what could b wrong ?

[honda400ex2003]

i dont think it is jetting anymore. i think white is more of a water type of smoke or antifreeze but we dont have to worry about that. check your plug and see how it looks. I would say that there is moisture in the packing or it is burning the packing inside the silencer myself. give it a smell. if it really stinks then it is most likely the packing. just a quick bit though. i guess you could be getting some blow by to to get smoke into the tank. that is weird that you would have it that far. I have not heard of this before. ill keep thinking about it. steve

[honda400ex2003]

is it running ok or chugging. you may have water in your gas too. just an idea. also do you leave it outside at night? steve

[honda400ex2003]

also check around your exhaust and your headgasket, something could be leaking in around them and leaning it out again. if it was running good yesterday something happened different or came loose. steve

[Goob]

Well I leave it outside under a top the smoke coming off the oil I belive was cause it was running hot it wasn't that bad though I did adjust the idle screw today but I turned it back down idk if thy had anything to do w it and I also just recently oiled my filter

[Goob]

Well I leave it outside under a top the smoke coming off the oil I belive was cause it was running hot it wasn't that bad though I did adjust the idle screw today but I turned it back down idk if thy had anything to do w it and I also just recently oiled my filter And the plug looked pretty good

[honda400ex2003]

the filter oil usually burns black. it could be caused by making it leaner again. i would probably move it back some and see if it goes away. but i still think it is moisture since you can get them pretty lean without any smoke. just my .02 though. steve

[Goob]

The idle screw ? Whenever I turne it up it just seemed like it was being held back in higher Rpms bit when I turned it back down it ran strong the only reason I turned it up is because when it sets idling if I stab the throttle it will kill it sometimes

[honda400ex2003]

you could try to go up another jet size but i dont know. how does the plug look? it should run good when stabbing the throttle. i guess you can leave it down and look at the needle and such too. maybe it is a bit off. steve

[honda400ex2003]

maybe you should go to a smaller pilot jet. that may help out the stumble from low end. leave the f/a alone if it is running good up top. maybe you are running a bit rich down low. did you try to lean it out some more with the f/a to see what happens? steve

[Goob]

Really though the only time it stumbles is when I have it sitting in neutral and stab it like that's it just kind of stumbles sometimes but when I'm riding I don't have much problem the only promlem I had Is when I turned up the idle screw that's when it seemed like it was running hot and I haven't messed w the fuel screw since I turned it out to 2.5 should I go in a little but like I said when I turned up the idle it was just like it flattened out in higher rpms and didn't want to go but after thati turned it down ran strong I did take out the end cap on my exhaust and there was a good bit of black soot but that could just b normal lol maybe there's nothing really wrong just need a few adjustments

[Goob]

Well I been thinking I have noticed that when I get in a wheelie in first it stumbles sometime but in like 345 I have no problem w it so maybe if I lean out the f/a screw it will solve it

[honda400ex2003]

adjusting the idle screw will not mess with the top end at all unless you are talking about the fuel/air screw. if it runs good where it is then leave it. when it is cold how does it start up. do you have to pump it about 4 or 5 times or can you just go turn the key and let er rip? if you can do that it is too rich and you should be running a bit smaller pilot. this may be why it is bogging when idling and revving in neutral. maybe a 40 would be better or moving the f/a in to lean it out a bit more. you can go in and see how it is pretty easily. see how it runs with it at 2 turns instead of 2.5. if it is better leave it if not go to 3 turns out. you should be able to get it to clear up easily with that. the leaner you go the better it will run to a point. you cant make major adjustments the the f/a so it wont hurt to try it other places. that is the best way to see how it is running at idle. the main should be fine but will have alittle difference with the f/a. the f/a is only for fine tuning really for the whole circuit. another way to check out the f/a is to turn it to the highest idle you can and then go back a quarter turn and see how it runs. good luck, steve

[Goob]

I haven't really had any cold weather to c I haven't had the quad but for about 6 months it's an 09 but usually I pump it about twice and it fires right up it's doesn't bog really bad or anything just a cuts out a little so maybe I can just go in on the f/a a little and maybe it will clear it up thanks a lot man I really hate bothering you so much but you have really helped a lot and seem to know what your doin lol this is the first time I have ever jetted so I'm just trying to learn thanks again

[honda400ex2003]

hey no prob bro, it is no problem or i would not type back lol. good to hear you are attempting to do it anyway it can be a pain in the butt to start off. once you get it dialed in though it is like a new machine. steve

[Goob]

K i'm gonna stop and get some plugs when I get off work and go test and c if I'm lean or rich do you the the white smoke will hurt it it hasn't done it since I turned the idle back down I think the jetting is pretty close it runs strong I can pull it up in third with no problem and fourth with a little effort

[honda400ex2003]

i would say that the white smoke is alright. if it is running good then you have to be close. maybe a bit of fine tuning to get the studder to go away but that should be it. you can go a bit more on the f/a in to lean it out some more it sounds like. it does sound like you might be a bit rich on the pilot stuff so give it a shot and check out your plug. warm it up on the old one, then replace it with the new one. ride for a good 20 minutes and see how it looks. you should be able to see brown black or white depending. good luck, steve

[Goob]

K man appreciate it

[Goob]

Do I need to turn in the a/f screw before or after new plug

[honda400ex2003]

i would do it before so that you can see if it is good where it is or not. once you use a plug once to check it you cant use it accurately anymore. i guess you could see if it is richer if it is lean cause it will go black or brown but it cant go from rich to lean easy. it doesnt really burn the carbon off of the plug once it is on it. i would go another .25 first and see how it runs before doing anything with a new plug. turn it until it runs good either way then you can check your plug that way you are not wasting plugs from checking them. the real process is called plug chopping but it is tough to get a good reading doing this unless you can do it for a long time. ill find a link after i am done to show how it is done. like i said though i just ride around cause that is what you will do anyway. steve

[honda400ex2003]

found one from another thread

I was looking up a search on "Plug Chopping" And I think this will help you....


plug chopping
the plug chop is an essential step in setting up jetting. not only does it help you get good performance, but more importantly, it helps you make sure yr bike is not running so lean that it will blow up!

1. wind it out! . warm the bike up well (5-10 min) with a new or fairly clean plug, correctly gapped, then wind the bike out in a gear. generally, i like to do this in 3d, but it depends how fast yr bike goes in each gear and where y'r doing this test (trying to run a bike out in 4th is not advisable in, say, a school zone). at least get into 2d.

2. hold it there ... even though you will be nervous, hold it in gear at max rpm for a while... what you are trying to do here is simulate the hardest use the bike will ever conceivably see. if you jet for the most stressful conditions, then yr normal use will be well within safe margins. keep yr hand on the clutch, as you could (doubt it, though) seize if you are jetted too lean to begin with. as always, use yr own judgment!

3. kill it. simultaneously hit the kill switch and pull in the clutch. hitting the kill stops the plug sparking; pulling the clutch stops the clutch from turning the engine over (bringing in more unburnt fuel). thus, you get a perfect picture of what the sparkplug looks like at the moment you hit the kill switch.

4. pull over, pull the plug out you will want to have gloves or a set of pliers, cause the plug will be fking hot!!!

5. read the plug. if the plug is:

black and wet: yr jetting is too rich

chocolate brown: yr jetting is right on! you kick ***!

white and burnt smelling: yr jetting is too lean! upjet now . you might also notice a blistered insulator. this is real bad. you are lucky you haven't hurt yr bike worse!



steve

[Goob]

Well o went down to a 152 main and it never missed a lick it runs great I can even stand it up in fifth wo clutching doesn't cut out any when in a wheelie either but I'm a little on the lean side the plug is mor silvEr and pops a little on decel I have the screw 2 1/4 out if I turned it out a little more would it solve it or do I need to bump the main up a size

[honda400ex2003]

it would make the popping go away but it will not make it rich enough to make the plug brown i dont think. you can give it a try though. otherwise you will have to put in a size or two bigger and you should be set. just keep doing this until the plug is brown and you should be good. steve

[Goob]

K I got a 155 I'm gonna try maybe that will b it thanks for all your help

[honda400ex2003]

you will be right back where you started 3 pages ago. lol, steve

[Goob]

Lol true I just now realized that well I may just keep the 152 in for now and check the plug later and do the test u showed me in the thread but the fuel screw will control the popping right ?

[Goob]

Lol true I just now realized that well I may just keep the 152 in for now and check the plug later and do the test u showed me in the thread but the fuel screw will control the popping right ?

[honda400ex2003]

it may it depends on how lean it is. there is only so much you will be able to do with it. steve