[don oller]

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I HAVE CHECKED FOR VAC. LEAKS TA SENSOR ,RUN SEA FOAM THRU SEVERAL TIMES CLEANED THE CARBS BY SPRAYING INTO TOP OF CARBS .WITH CARB CLEANER NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK BIKE HAS 97000 MILES ON IT .BEEN TOLD THAT SOME OF THE 88 WINGS HAD THIS PROBLEM . AND HONDA HAD A FIX BUT NO LONGER OFFERS IT .DOES ANY ONE KNOW ABOUT IT. THE IDLE STILLS GOES UP AND DOWN 500 RPM 900 TO 1500 RPM.

 

[William_86]

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i have heard that turning the idle adjustment in and out fixes this problem in some 1500s.

 

[don oller]

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TRIED THAT NOPE STILL SAME

 

[rayworx]

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Don...



97k miles sounds like it gets driven on a frequent basis but the question HAS to be asked:

Has the bike been in storage in the immediate past? and do you winterize the bike during the PMS season?



Fuel starts to turn bad after 2 months and can cause build up inside the carb jets. Since the idle jet (or called the slow speed jet) is the smallest jet in inside diameter it's also the very first to be effected by yearly buildup. Sometimes fuel additives will work.... sometimes they won't. When they don't work then it's time to remove the carbs, open them up and clean them out. Obviously it's also the time to check the float settings; adjust if needed and to check the vacuum hoses that are under the carbs and almost impossible to get to if the carbs are in place.



The next suggestion is those previously mentioned vacuum hoses. They are real hard to diagnose and one in particular is notorious to fail.... it's a u-shaped hose that connectsthe intake manifolds and they are directly under the carbs and the rubber mat shield.



Good Luck.

 

[don oller]

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the bike has set some and one dude tried to work on them and did not know what he was doing i had to ck. every hose so they are right as far as i can tell have not removed the carbs was hoping i would not have to do them.

 

[busdriver]

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Could be cracks in the carb to intake rubbers.
You need to spray some starter fluid onto them while the engine is running and see if the idle increases.

 

[AZgl1800]

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or use unlit butane torch, or WD-40

 

[don oller]

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tried all the above still got problem

 

[Bike...and Dennis]

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Sounds vacuum related to me. Hoses, intake manifolds, slide diaphragms.

I think you are going to have to pull the carbs.

 

[don oller]

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ithink you may be right.

 

[agnogel]

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Hi don pull the plugs and see if you have a prob on a bank of cynilders will let you know what carb also you will need to sync the carbs before you remove same just to elimate that also, if you do go in after the carbs you will need to resync make sure your air filter is clean and the choke is shutting off all the way

 

[Dusty Boots]

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Download the Service Bulletin concerning the 88 low speed driveability improvement bulletin and see if that fixes your problem.

 

[BikerBruce46]

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I have the "typical hesitation" but not the large rpm swing. I took the service bulletin to the dealer. He said the parts indicated in the bulletin would have to be ordered separately and would get expensive. He suggested a carb clean first. I'm debating now on cleaning them myself and go from there. I already put on the 4 Degree trigger wheel and made no difference.

I was wondering if something like the "torque monster" headers would do anything for this problem. Any thoughts out there?

 

[Ogrebro]

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I had the typical hesitation in my 89 and replaced the timing belts and put in the 4 degree timing trigger. It cured the problem on mine. I put the torque monster pipes on in place of the collector box. I didn't see any difference in idle or hesitation but it sure has a nice sound. It might be my imagination but it seems to have a little more torque but its hard to tell. I like the pipes and am waiting on some macs mufflers to show up.
Bill

 

[stevielinker]

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Hi all

I have an 88 1500. The tsb about the low speed drivability problem says if the parts to fix the low speed drivability broblem were installed, there should be an (X) stamped on the frame under the battery cover twards the front. Mine had the X but still bad hesitation and surging. Then I read on the forum someone had a 1200 with the same hesitation, cleaned the carbs, no difference. Took them off again and found a drillbit the same size as the needle jets and just reamed them out. No more hesitation. I did that( after having the carbs off on on 3 times) no more hesitation. The smallest needle jet I had to buy a set of tourch cleaning tips( I know your not suppose to do do this) and found one that fit and ran it through, then blew it out with compressed air. Nice and smooth now:action:The needle jets are so small its hard to believe gas can flow through them. Just my 2cents worth

 

[Wingnumberone]

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'88s and '89s were good for those headaches. I eBayed a set of '95 carbs, rebuilt 'em, and threw 'em on - problem solved.

 

[stevielinker]

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don oller wrote:

I HAVE CHECKED FOR VAC. LEAKS TA SENSOR ,RUN SEA FOAM THRU SEVERAL TIMES CLEANED THE CARBS BY SPRAYING INTO TOP OF CARBS .WITH CARB CLEANER NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK BIKE HAS 97000 MILES ON IT .BEEN TOLD THAT SOME OF THE 88 WINGS HAD THIS PROBLEM . AND HONDA HAD A FIX BUT NO LONGER OFFERS IT .DOES ANY ONE KNOW ABOUT IT. THE IDLE STILLS GOES UP AND DOWN 500 RPM 900 TO 1500 RPM.

My experience ( which isn't much ) with sea foam, a little too much anyway will file out the plugs. You might want to check the plugs and clean them.

 

[BikerBruce46]

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Thanks for all the input. I can't believe I've had the bike 3 years and have never joined this great site!

Sounds like the newer carbs might be my best option at this point especially since the last set that sold on ebay went for $38!

Just wondering, did the carb swap require any hose changes or other modifications?

 

[Wingnumberone]

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Your manual will show the vacuum and fuel hose routing for various years of 1500. Components from your old carbs, and the later set can be combined to make the swap work. 10 inch straight and 45 degree needle nose pliers will make your life a lot easier as well.

The only issue I had with my '88 was the throttle cables have a wee bit of extra slack in them, even with the adjusters opened up all the way. I made a small spacer to take up most of the slack, and the system has worked very well for over 10,000 miles. Cables from a later model would likely resolve this issue. My '88 also had an "altitude compensator" in the front right fairing - that I disposed of entirely, with no ill effects. She ran great right to the top of Mount Mitchell last month.

Just be careful when you overhaul the carbs. The needle and seat assemblies that came with my Sirius kits were junk. I had to go in again, and put the stockers back in.

 

[BikerBruce46]

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Thanks so much for the info, I'm excited that I may finally resolve this irritating problem .