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NO START 1971 CL175 K5

declan

Member
Joined
May 1, 2022
Total Posts
12
Total likes
0
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Hey everybody, I finally got my bike all assembled and after geting it started for the first time last night, it was able to run for a few seconds if I stay on the throttle but it would then die out and made a sort of squeak that I don't know how to go about diagnosing. I will post a video of my bike trying to start this morning. I have a fresh battery, both cylinders were firing, full tank of gas, freshly cleaned carburetors(that are almost certainly out of adjustment) and a brand new petcock. If anyone has any idea where to start please reach out.
Thanks everybody for reading!

 
Moved to Smaller Twins Engine and Transmission section.

Why it shuts off is unknown from that clip but the squeaking noise is just the starter clutch, and once the engine runs long enough to circulate some oil into that area in greater quantity it will probably go away
 
Thank you so much! I was worried the starter clutch was something bigger coming from the top end. Very relieving to hear
 
It only started with the choke closed while i was giving it gas. The bike wanted to shut itself off if i let it drop below 2000rpm. I am going to do some research on tuning the carbs and hopefully that will sort it out. Thanks for the quick response
 
If the points gap and/or timing is off, typically too narrow a gap and/or retarded timing, it will run poorly at low rpm. If the carbs are not properly cleaned it will usually require the choke to stay running at low rpm. Lots of possibilities, you'll have to narrow them down by going through them one by one and the points and timing is a good place to start. Do you have the FSM?
 
I have freshly cleaned carburetors(that are almost certainly out of adjustment) and a brand new petcock.
+1 on AD's suggestions. You want to make sure the timing is pretty close before trying to run an unfamiliar motor and it's good advice to turn the motor over slowly and gently by hand to make sure everything moves freely and without interference.

You mention that the carburetors are clean, but likely out of adjustment. How and when were they cleaned? All internals removed and replaced? Were the float heights set properly?

Would raising the idle allow it to run without throttle?
 
I cleaned the carbs myself within the last 2 weeks, all brass was removed, and soaked, and poked through. I soaked the body and sprayed carb cleaner through all of the passages. The slides are installed correctly. The float valves looked good and acted as they should. I believe I may not the the floats adjusted properly though because upon returning home today, I noticed small amount of gasoline under the left carb. I have just drained the carbs and i am going to try adjusting the floats next. I also removed and cleaned the points which were a bit dirty. but have yet to check the timing. I will report back shortly. Thank you all for your time!
 
You should always turn off the petcock when the engine is not running, and under no circumstances should you ever leave it on overnight. If one of the carbs just slightly floods it can seep into the intake port, through an open intake vale and past the rings down into the bottom end, diluting your oil and potentially causing damage the next time you run it unaware of the fuel in the oil. You need to check your engine oil for potential fuel contamination, if the oil level is any noticeable amount higher than it was last time you checked it the oil needs to be changed. Also, removing and cleaning the points will always result in a very different gap setting when you put the points back on the plate unless you use a feeler gauge to adjust them afterward - but the timing would still need to be checked anyway.
 
I believe I may not the the floats adjusted properly though because upon returning home today, I noticed small amount of gasoline under the left carb.

It's important to turn the petcock off whenever the bike is unattended.

I also removed and cleaned the points which were a bit dirty. but have yet to check the timing.

You may have disturbed the timing by removing and reinstalling the points.
 
66Sprint helped immensely over a short phone call. Thank you again so much! I am on my way out to purchase a feeler gauge and new oil. This is my first bike and I was unaware of the gas getting into to oil like that, the dipstick does have an mild gasoline smell so I will be changing the oil. Is there anything additional that I can do to help fix my error?
 
66Sprint helped immensely over a short phone call. Thank you again so much! I am on my way out to purchase a feeler gauge and new oil. This is my first bike and I was unaware of the gas getting into to oil like that, the dipstick does have an mild gasoline smell so I will be changing the oil. Is there anything additional that I can do to help fix my error?

Sounds like you'll be checking the points gap, setting the static timing, and changing the oil. That's a good start. Better still if you can isolate/correct the cause of the gas overspill.
 
Checked points, changed oil and filter, set timing, adjusted float tangs, changed float valves and needles with Honda replacements. After some tinkering with the carb adjustments I got the bike to fire up and run and ride nicely. Two new issues I am having are that my battery dies out after about 15 minutes of riding, volt meter says the battery isn't being charged when throttle is over 3k rpm. My second problem is that the main adjustment screws are turned out approximately 3 turns from gently seated, otherwise the bike will pick up super high in revs. I plan on checking all connections and searching in the FSM for measurements I might be able to take of the rectifier or regulator to see if they are the issue. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you all again for the help!
 
If you're still running the original separate rectifier and regulator, that could well be the problem with your charging system. You should pick up one of these, and test the alternator output at the round plug behind the engine as well.
 
After installing the new reg/rec the bike started right up and idled happily. After a couple minutes it wanted to die out and is idling very erratically. I believe the right cylinder is not firing, the bowl is full of fuel, the plug is getting spark and is gapped correctly. all carburetor settings are even from one side to the other. I posted a vid of what I am experiencing below. I have no clue what the culprit may be. 66Sprint informed me that this isn't due to the new reg/rec because they are unrelated systems.
https://youtube.com/shorts/8JFJpjWFiQw?feature=share
 
Set idle speed to 1300 RPM, but first, fix the air leak that is causing the high idle and bluing the right pipe.......
You may phone to discuss.....
 
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