imported post
hockeydad33 wrote:
Thanks guys, I thought I was right and you guys backed me up. Just had the carbs adjusted and synced. That is when it started running hotter. Took it back to the dealer who did the work and they said everything was set up correctly. Guess now I am going to have to learn to set the air-fuel mixture and sync carbs. A couple of more months of this learning and I can start a new business. LOL.Any suggestions on the proper technique for setting the air-fuel mixture?
hockeydad33, your carbs would have to really out of whack to effect the engine operating temperature. About the only things adjustable on those carbs only effect low speed running. The power band & load pulling parts of the carb are non-adjustable. If the idle (pilot) circuit (pilot needles) were set too lean you would have a very poor running engine (especially cold) & it would pop & backfire as you gave it throttle. IF, the carbs were grossly out of sync it would run poorly at low throttle settings. As the carbs are opened more for road speed the sync becomes much less of an issue as the throttle plate openings are much larger there so sync differences have little effect.
A lot of modern automobiles (& trucks) have algorithms in the software to allow what is called fuel cooling. If the PCM sees a rise in coolant temperature it alters the fuel/air ratio to go rich & fuel cool the combustion chambers due to fuel evaporation & altered combustion. I have seen some that would go as rich as (10 or 11 to 1) A/F under heavy loads in hot weather.
On your running hotter problem? Make sure your radiator is not covered with dirt & bugs & that the fins aren't bent,, make sure the air flow isn't blocked by accessories or fender mud flaps. Make sure the antifreeze/water mixture isn't far from 50/50% (too much antifreeze will cool poorly).. Make sure the radiator hoses aren't pinched or twisted that restricts coolant flow.
It's also possible your engine is operating at the correct temperature but the gauge is reading incorrectly. You might try removing the temperature sender unit, then grounding it's base to the engine block with a wire,then placing it in a can of boiling (212°) water & checking the gauge reading.
Remember as the outside ambient temperature raises so will the engine temperatures so riding in real hot weather will show on the dash gauge.
From looking at the plugs (somewhat white not light brown) I would say I was a little lean. Bike runs great other than a little warmer than I would like (6 bars instead of 4 on the digital gauge)
Those 1200 Wings tend to have white plugs even when set correctly due to the lean burn of the engine for emission & fuel economy reasons. My personal 1200 will have pure white plugs even after 10,000 miles on the plugs & I only show 3 bars on the temp gauge even at 95 mph. If your bike is running lean it will run very poorly especially at launch & throttle up at 30-40 mph.
Guess now I am going to have to learn to set the air-fuel mixture and sync carbs. A couple of more months of this learning and I can start a new business. LOL.Any suggestions on the proper technique for setting the air-fuel mixture?
If you want to fool with your low speed fuel air ratio- start by counting the turns to seated on ALL FOUR carb pilot needles, write that down so you can set it back if needed.. They should probably be in the neighborhood of 2-1/2 - 3 turns out from seated if near correct.. Try setting them to 3-1/2 turns out from seated & see if that effects your low speed temperature or runability. Watch your fuel economy & if it gets down to 32-35 mpg you are set too rich.
A little more to think about- The early 1200 Wings had a service bulletin issued to re-calabrate the carbs for a poor running condition (they came too lean just off-idle). I don't remember the exact details but it involved different slide springs, different carb metering rods, & slightly richer pilot jets.
Twisty
