Another 81 brought back to glory

[NobleHops]

A complete starter rebuild kit is $18, I just did this with my 400F. Let me go get you a link. Rebuilding that will take you an hour, is easy and satisfying.

[NobleHops]

Paste from a thread elsewhere:

Same kit, but for the CBX:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/140669965646?lpid=82


OK, on to the starter. I had no idea of its condition but I was curious to get into one anyway and freshen it up, and I thought I'd replace the o-ring and brushes, and lube it, so I cracked into it.



Crusty carbon-ey stuff in the cap by the brushes.



Brushes themselves were fine, barely 20% worn.



Commutator (copper bit at left) a bit grimy...



Seal at the end totally failed, weird white powdery junk everywhere




...Got the starter all cleaned up inside, cleaned the commutator and the magnets, all the contacts...



Ordered a rebuild kit for the princely sum of $18 or something, replaced the sealing o-rings on the body, the oring on the splined shaft, and the failed seal. Lubed the shafts and bushings, put it back together.

Made the executive decision to not fuss with the bushings on either end, they looked fine and the new ones fit no closer to the shafts than the old and they would have been a minor pain to extract. These things see momentary use. Cleaned and greased and free of gritty junk I think this thing will now likely outlive me.








Hooked up a 12v battery, grounded it to the starter body momentarily to test it. Fire in the hole!



Works perfectly. Totally refreshed for $18.

Next!

[pgilliam1]

Great write-up, THX. I will go ahead and rebuild it. I don't know enough about starter motors to know if they get weak, but mine did run when I had it off the bike and put 12V to it. After your rebuild, when you put 12V to it did it seem stronger or more torquey (if that's a word)? Thanks Again.

[NobleHops]

Great write-up, THX. I will go ahead and rebuild it. I don't know enough about starter motors to know if they get weak, but mine did run when I had it off the bike and put 12V to it. After your rebuild, when you put 12V to it did it seem stronger or more torquey (if that's a word)? Thanks Again.

I've never heard this 400 run either, so I can't say. I kind of did it just for good measure, but given what I found I'm glad I did. I'm still not convinced that's your issue, but it's a fast easy job and will give you peace of mind.
N.

[pgilliam1]

Great write-up, THX. I will go ahead and rebuild it. I don't know enough about starter motors to know if they get weak, but mine did run when I had it off the bike and put 12V to it. After your rebuild, when you put 12V to it did it seem stronger or more torquey (if that's a word)? Thanks Again.

I've never heard this 400 run either, so I can't say. I kind of did it just for good measure, but given what I found I'm glad I did. I'm still not convinced that's your issue, but it's a fast easy job and will give you peace of mind.
N.

OK, so I'm feeling sorta stupid right now. I had a new battery on order and it came in yesterday and today I installed it and cleaned all the terminal connections and the bike fired right up - UHG!, but pleased at the same time. Lots of work, simple solution.

Now that I have the engine running I find the carbs are leaking like a sieve (one on each side). They are dripping from the screws that hold the float bowls on but I imagine the bowl gaskets dried out and cracked (actually I'm clueless). The fuel lines look to be OK. I don't have the confidence to remove the carbs so I guess I'll find a shop somewhere close (I really hate taking it to someone I don't know and trust). It's hard to believe that the bike will run and idle as well as it does with that much gas leaking out??? Time for me to spend time on the carb forum here.

All the other systems seem to check out OK. New brake fluid flush with no surprises, but the rear brake seems to drag a bit. The caliper does "let go", but there's just a light pad touch to the rotor. I did take the caliper off and grease the pins and pistons and it seems to operate fine. Maybe it will get better with use (bikes been sitting for over a year). Time for me to spend some time on the brake forum here.

It's a real comfort to have people that will help me through the confusing periods I have when working on this machine. I will try not to be such a dolt with my troubleshooting attempts in the future. Thanks Again!

[EMS]

I don't have the confidence to remove the carbs so I guess I'll find a shop somewhere close (I really hate taking it to someone I don't know and trust).

Seriously, P, if all you are going to do is replacing the float bowl gaskets, the risk that anybody in a shop you take the bike to, will have less of an idea of what to do than you, is rather big. They most likely will screw something up and still charge you big time. Go ahead, face your demons and do it yourself! There will be a ton of people here willing to help with good advice (free of charge!) to get you put of a pickle, should you get into one.

[NobleHops]

P., no worries, and good job. Happy that's not a worry anymore. Now you understand why we were all starting with "fully charged battery?"

Mike, can he get all those bowls off without tilting the engine? I've never tried it.

[EMS]

Mike, can he get all those bowls off without tilting the engine? I've never tried it.

Yes you can, but it is a pita. Especially putting in the gasket.
But last time I had a CBX on the Dyno, the tech even changed jets with the carbs installed and the engine not tilted. I think the guy had fingers like ET....

[tevan]

As far as the carbs go maybe after a day or 2 with fuel in them the gaskets will swell and seal up. You can probably replace the 2 outside gaskets without too much trouble on the bike.

[pgilliam1]

As far as the carbs go maybe after a day or 2 with fuel in them the gaskets will swell and seal up. You can probably replace the 2 outside gaskets without too much trouble on the bike.

I'll start the bike in a couple of days and keep my fingers crossed the gaskets swell. The ones that are leaking are the second ones from the outside (both sides)

[pgilliam1]

I don't have the confidence to remove the carbs so I guess I'll find a shop somewhere close (I really hate taking it to someone I don't know and trust).

Seriously, P, if all you are going to do is replacing the float bowl gaskets, the risk that anybody in a shop you take the bike to, will have less of an idea of what to do than you, is rather big. They most likely will screw something up and still charge you big time. Go ahead, face your demons and do it yourself! There will be a ton of people here willing to help with good advice (free of charge!) to get you put of a pickle, should you get into one.

Thanks for the encouragement. I have the repair manual and another manual, "Cleaning The CBX Carburetor", by Mike Nixon. I will be reading both to see if I should attempt this repair.

When I bought this bike at an estate sale a week ago, I also bought 6 boxes of spare parts (no carbs) with it, some were new. I was thinking I could swap the parts for the carb work. Removing the carbs looks like a big deal to me and I feel a little apprehensive about doing it. The bike is in incredible cosmetic condition and I haven't found any traces of it being down or abused. I'm encouraged by that. Thanks Again!

[EMS]

Thanks for the encouragement. I have the repair manual and another manual, "Cleaning The CBX Carburetor", by Mike Nixon. I will be reading both to see if I should attempt this repair.

Removing the carbs looks like a big deal to me and I feel a little apprehensive about doing it. . Thanks Again!

I was of the opinion the only thing you needed to do was replacing the bowl gaskets, not doing a complete carb job.
The most intimidating part of removing and reinstalling the carbs is probably tilting the engine. But this is a job you MUST get familiar with as a CBX owner. There are a few other jobs which may be routine over the years that will require this procedure and it should be no big deal for anyone who owns a CBX.
Once you are done with the carbs, it is always a little tough to get them back on and you should get yourself a set of adjustable clamps for that. Again, once you're there, we are here to help talking you through it.

[daves79x]

I can tell you that your bowl gaskets are not your problem. The float valves are likely stuck/leaking and allowing the bowls to over fill and fuel will run out several places when that happens. You should be seeing fuel dripping out the overflow tubes (one left and one right), unless they are plugged, and that can happen. You also likely have some leaks in the joint tubes that connect the carbs. This will show up as fuel dripping where you are seeing it also. Your carbs will have to come off and they should be completely rebuilt to avoid taking them on and off 6 times to fix some new problem. With a bike as nice as you say it is, this is a small amount of work and expense to get it running the way it should.

Dave

[Sharpie66]

[/quote]The most intimidating part of removing and reinstalling the carbs is probably tilting the engine. But this is a job you MUST get familiar with as a CBX owner. There are a few other jobs which may be routine over the years that will require this procedure and it should be no big deal for anyone who owns a CBX.[/quote]

Hi P. I'm a newbie as well and we are walking a similar path. Recently had electric trouble which ultimately led to the battery too I'm glad you solved that part of the equation.

And now onto my ......Do not be intimidated about tipping that motor out. There is an excellent thread somewhere on this forum (just do a search) that recently walked me through the procedure. Very, very clear instructions. I truly have very limited experience working on bikes or cars and was apprehensive about my abilities. However, with the experience of this forum I found the task of tipping my motor out to be simple, straightforward and very rewarding. I would not hesitate to do it again. If you do, just make sure you don't forget to screw the inner motor mounts back to the motor. (that's what those bolts laying on my bench were for)

And now onto rebuilding my starter for good measure. Yes I do have a problem leaving well enough alone.

Ride Safe Gentlemen!

PC

[pgilliam1]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement and information, I can use them right about now. I may try and tip the engine and if that goes well I will see about removing the carbs. I did buy this bike to tinker on and my fingernails are already packed with black grease, so onward I will go into the unknown. I just hope I don't screw anything up! Thanks Again!