New 350x wont start...??? very nice shape...pics

[BigRedRider85]

Picked up a real nice 85 350x, the guy I got it from said it had been sittin in his garage for about 2 years...it hasn't been started for about 2 years because he had a knee surgery. I got it home added some fuel and tried kicking it over about 100 times. Has good compression when I kick it over, when I turn the light switch on and kick it over the headlights wont come on at all...don't know if that would mean it would be something electrical???? Any help is really appreciated! Heres a few pics 185151185152

[barnett468]

for starters you can do the following if you want:

look at the plug, clean if its dirty, lay it on the cyl head and kick it over to see if it has spark.

yellow spark is weak but might still be enough to run. blue is xlnt.

[BigRedRider85]

had a lil fuel in it I just added some....prob should drain it. the guy said it ran good last time he rode it...really want to get it running asap. trying to avoid taking it to dealer

[barnett468]

make sure the start switch is on.

if it has spark but does not start with 2 or 3 kicks, look at the plug, if it is wet it might be flooding.

if the gas is old or you added new gas to old gas, look at the color, if it is the color of apple juice it is likely bad. install new gas and drain old gas from float bowl.

[just ben]

2 years of sitting.I'm sure the carb Is varnished and gummed up. Clean the carb! you can drain the tank 100 times and put fresh gas In It but that wont do any good If the fuel doesn't make It to the cylinder. Clean the carb,clean or change the air filter,change the oil and Install a new plug. should be good to go for a while after doing the basic maintenance on it.

[BigRedRider85]

yea I think im gonna rebuild carb...never rebuilt one before Im sure i could with service manual

[CRAZY70MAN]

^^^^ Like Ben said.............carb needs torn into and a new plug. Check air cleaner, oil,etc.....the basics. I would bet the carb is an old dirty trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotr ailpro... Nice score man!! That is a beauty!

[DohcBikes]

It doesn't necessarily need rebuilt. Try cleaning it first, gas these days starts varnishing in as little as 2 months. When I get a non running machine, this is always the first thing I do, regardless of whether I think it needs it or not. A full maintenance service is always a good idea before attempting to start a bike that's been sitting, and I like to put a couple drops of oil in the spark plug hole and kick it a few times with the plug out to lubricate that bone dry cylinder before starting it.

Beautiful bike!

[BigRedRider85]

thanks crazy70...surprisingly oil looks brand new. I will go ahead and order a new plug and a carb kit off ebay and go from there. anyone like rebuilding carbs? I haven't rebuilt one before. The guy threw in a nice seat(has one small tear) and complete set of oem rims if anyone is interested.

[ATC-Eric]

I would skip the rebuild kit, it probably doesn't need it! Get yourself a couple cans of your favorite carb and choke cleaner and go to work.

Just a quick break down and a few tips: Pull the tank, pull the airbox, loosen the intake clamp, pull the carb back where you can access the cover on the side. You will have to pull the black cover off the side exposing the throtle/choke linkage. Take the cable out of the linkage, and unscrew the throttle cable from the carb. Now you can take it to the bench! Pull the 4 screws on the bottom of the carb (carefull, they are made of cheese! And strip easliy) I always find it best to put a Philips in place, then hit it with a hammer to loosen the screws. When the bowl comes off be careful with the o-ring. If the rubber ring stays in place in its groove do not remove it! Sometimes these old o-rings expand when you remove them and start playing with them, then its a pain getting them back in to place. Once the bowl is off you can pull the 2 brass jets located in the middle of everything. These you should soak in carb cleaner for a bit before you try to clear them. Then you can pull the float off, it is held in place by a pin that pushes out easily. Out with it will come your needle valve that controls incoming fuel. Blow it all out with the cleaner, or compressed air. Remember where everything came from, and how it was positioned for reassembly. Its all pretty simple. Clear the 2 jets, clean the bowl, clear the fuel inlet, and reassemble.


Good luck!

[ATC-Eric]

Heres a good thread!

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/161746-ES-SX-350X-Carb-rebuild-Tutoral

[BOB MARLIN]

If I kicked one of my x's a hundred times I am pretty sure I would die shortly after.

[DohcBikes]

Might be a good idea to take pics of the carb internals before disassembly, for reference. Also, be sure to use the correct size screwdrivers to remove the jets, if its loose, you can easily damage them.

Some carb rebuild kits are lower quality than the OEM parts these days.

[BigRedRider85]

is there anybody on here that could rebuild carb for me?

[90guy]

is there anybody on here that could rebuild carb for me?
FlyingW would be the guy I would send my 350x carb to. He has done a lot of them!

[motox40]

I had Flying W do my carb after I had it off about a 100x and came back perfect and looked like new. Best of all return time was only about 10 days and he was out in Cal. When I sent it. When he got home he was on it and sent it out I live in pa. Great guy I wouldn't hesitate to send another one.

[BigRedRider85]

how can I tell if on off switch is bad?

[BigRedRider85]

I know the 350x's are cold natured but I kicked and kicked for about a hour, switch and fuel were on....tried it with choke in all positions. wasn't even trying to start. Has great compression. Im ready to ride it, been wanting one for years

[SteveCZ28]

have you eve checked for spark yet??

[DohcBikes]

Never kick a bike for an hour. It sat. The carb is dirty. The pilot jet is so small, I can barely see through them anymore with my burned from welding eyes. It doesn't take much crud to plug them up.

Take a breath, stop kicking, get a service manual, and start doing the maintenance that this bike will CONTINUE to need to operate properly. For learning, now is as good a time as any, use the search function on this site, enter- carb cleaning.

As for the on/off switch, like stevecz28 said, first pull the plug, look at it, check for spark. The way to test a switch is with a resistance test, which comes after the regular maintenance items have been addressed.

Buy a new plug, its $4.

Good luck:beer

[knsmodels]

Bigred.....we know you are anxious but you need to take things in steps.....one step at a time.....do what these guys are telling you....a motor needs very basic things to run....spark and gas are the 2 primary so you need to check those first.....even if you have other problems (which you probably dont since it ran fine before) it will at least make an attempt with good gas and spark.....Good luck.....great lookin X....

[barnett468]

post17

how can I tell if on off switch is bad?Find the small CDI box under the tank.

From the box, follow the black wire with the white stripe to a plug.

Unplug the plug.

Take the end of the wire that does NOT go to the CDI and connect one lead of a continuity tester to it and the other lead to the green wire on the ignition coil.

There should be no continuity with the switch off.

There should be continuity with the switch on. If there is not, either the switch is bad, or it has a dirty connection.

It might help to clean all the connections on the bike.


Here’s a free online manual.

http://www.atcmanuals.info/





post 2

for starters you can do the following if you want:

look at the plug, clean if its dirty, lay it on the cyl head and kick it over to see if it has spark.

yellow spark is weak but might still be enough to run. blue is xlnt.

post 4


make sure the start switch is on.

if it has spark but does not start with 2 or 3 kicks, look at the plug, if it is wet it might be flooding.

if the gas is old or you added new gas to old gas, look at the color, if it is the color of apple juice it is likely bad. install new gas and drain old gas from float bowl.
post 5.

2 years of sitting.I'm sure the carb Is varnished and gummed up. Clean the carb! you can drain the tank 100 times and put fresh gas In It but that wont do any good If the fuel doesn't make It to the cylinder.
post 11

I would skip the rebuild kit, it probably doesn't need it! Get yourself a couple cans of your favorite carb and choke cleaner and go to work.

Once the bowl is off you can pull the 2 brass jets located in the middle of everything. These you should soak in carb cleaner for a bit before you try to clear them. Then you can pull the float off, it is held in place by a pin that pushes out easily. Out with it will come your needle valve that controls incoming fuel. Blow it all out with the cleaner, or compressed air. Remember where everything came from, and how it was positioned for reassembly. Its all pretty simple. Clear the 2 jets, clean the bowl, clear the fuel inlet, and reassemble.

post 21.

Bigred.....we know you are anxious but you need to take things in steps.....one step at a time.....do what these guys are telling you.

You will get the best help by telling us which of the things above you have already done and what the results were.

You still have not told us the answer to the simplest and most important test which I suggested in post 2, which is...DO YOU HAVE ANY SPARK?

Also:

What color is the spark ie. yellow or blue?

Is the plug getting wet with fuel after 2 kicks, 20 kicks or never?

Did you drain old fuel and install new?


TEST - Some people might recommend against part of this but you can:

shut the gas off

drain the float bowl into a small glass via the drain screw.

look at the gas, if its yellow its bad, if it has sediment you have dirt in tank and carb, if it has a small clear bubble on the bottom it is water.


if you have spark, you can leave the gas off.

remove the plug or air filter and spray a moderate shot of starting fluid or flammable brake cleaner in it. open the throttle if you spray it in thru the carb.

reinstall plug etc and try to start it.

[BigRedRider85]

thanks Barnett...I guess I was getting a lil anxious, and getting ahead of myself. I will check for spark and get a new plug and see what happens. When I added the new fuel I left the old in it because it wasn't very much.

[barnett468]

thanks Barnett...I guess I was getting a lil anxious, and getting ahead of myself. I will check for spark and get a new plug and see what happens. When I added the new fuel I left the old in it because it wasn't very much.Hi, no prob, we ALL know that feeling, lol.

If your old plug sparks it might be ok but a new one is cheap insurance.

You can do the other tests before disassembling the carb just to see if it will fire or run etc.

The old gas might have had water, the float bowl drain test i suggested will tell you.

A little old gas mixed with new is not the end of the world but still not the best thing to do. Who knows how old it really is, might be 2 years etc. Like I said, if its yellow, dump it for sure.

If you disassemble the carb and the fuel shut off needle has a rubber tip, do not put it in carb cleaner or use carb cleaner on it.

if the jets look crusty, after spraying or soaking them, you can take a piece of wire off a wire wheel or wire brush and poke it in there to break off the crud.

if you pull the float bowl off, NOTHING will fall out, you can not possibly hurt anything if you are careful. it's not a scary thing to do. i would do it just because its a good idea to insure its not gummy even if it does run fine but it's up to you.

[DohcBikes]

Put a cap full of gas in the spark plug hole ,put plug back in kick it over.If its got good spark should start. Clean carb .

Or you could do the proper maintenance as suggested several times in this thread by several qualified individuals.

Your new fuel was wasted when you mixed it with old fuel, no matter how much. Its not the liquids that are the problem, its the solids.

barnett468.... a continuity test is unreliable for an ignition switch, as you well know that weak spark is the enemy..... the only truly reliable ignition switch test is a resistance test or a voltage drop test. Period. No joust lol!

It sounds a lot like you are hoping to get around cleaning the carb. Its not going to run right if you don't. The "run test" methods that are being suggested should be done when making the decision to purchase. You already bit the bullet so you might as well start learning how to maintain it correctly.

I mean, where are we all gonna be if you post up that "hey it runs on starting fluid" or "hey it runs when you pour gas in the cylinder"? The next thing we are going to do is tell you to clean the carb. Might as well do this correctly and not waste time looking for a magic wand.

[DohcBikes]

I didn't say you weren't qualified, and I didn't say that your methods won't work. Its a matter of order of operations in troubleshooting. After buying over 100 non running bikes and getting every single one to run, I like to give my experienced opinion whenever I can as well.

Although I don't always go by the book, because books and bolt are two different things, and I have used your method many times to troubleshoot as well, I also went to school, called Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. Nowhere in any part of their curriculum does it specify pouring gas into a cylinder as a trouble shooting method.

[emmie357]

I wouldn't ride it before changing the oil, spark plug, air filter, and giving the carb/gas tank at least a light cleaning.
If it's been sitting for 2 years I wouldn't trust firing it up and taking off.

Once that is done, if it won't start, I would check for spark, then make sure fuel is getting to the cylinder.

Don't risk having to make costly repairs because you want to ride it today.

[Flyingw]

A couple things to note after reading through this thread. First of all, the 85 350X CDI is known for faulty connections within the embedded resin that encases the electrical components. Basically the tiny wires going from the plug to the transistor assembly like to break due to vibration. I didn't believe this was possible because everything is encased in resin but it does happen. Honda changed the design of the CDI internals in 86 to fix this problem and it was known early on as being a problem. This problem can cause an intermittent open not allowing the CDI to function. I would suggest getting your hands on a known good CDI and have it as a backup.

Second, the run/stop switch provides a ground to the CDI to kill the ignition when the switch is placed in the stop position so in the run position, the switch is open. In the case of the 350X one can simply disconnect the bar control completely and see it fires. The same can be checked with a meter between the black/white wire going in to the bar control and frame ground. In the run position, the switch should read open (no continuity).

The factory manual does give procedures for checking the electrical components but the CDI cannot be accurately checked with a typical meter. Its fully transistorized and requires special gizmos to accurately check it.

Shoot some start fluid in the plug hole, reinstall the plug and wire and kick it to see if the motor makes any attempt to fire. If not, then the problem points more toward an ignition malfunction. Always make sure your frame ground where the wire harness bolts to the frame is clean. No ground, no ignition.

[barnett468]

barnett468.... a continuity test is unreliable for an ignition switch, as you well know that weak spark is the enemy..... the only truly reliable ignition switch test is a resistance test or a voltage drop test. Period.Well it's actually not COMPLETELY unreliable if the meter shows NO continuity or shows continuity and he has good spark, however, I did supply an incomplete explanation and got caught, lol.

Ok, the easiest way to determine if a kill switch is bad, is to simply bypass it until you have enough spark to run the bike. Once the bike runs, simply reconnect the switch and see if it runs. Another other way to test it is to perform the ohm test suggested by someone else. :p See info below.



KILL SWITCH OHM RATING

Estimating the diameter of the wires on the switch at 20 gauge [.032”], both strand and solid wire of this gauge have an ohm rating of 10.15 ohms per 1000 ft. Since the wires on the switch are approximately 2 ft long, one can do the math equation shown below to arrive at the approximate ohm rating for the wires and switch.

10.15/1000 = .01015 ohms + 2ft x 2 [for both wires] = 4 ft x .01015 = .0406 ohms end to end.

Due to the design of the contacts inside the switch, its ohm rating should be similar to the wires. If this is correct, it means that if it is functioning properly, and the contacts are clean, it will have no affect on the readings you get.

Unless someone can actually ohm a good switch and give you the rating, I would estimate that if your switch ohms out at .05 ohms or less, it is fine.


If you actually measure the diameter of the wire and determine it to be smaller than the 20 gauge I estimated, you can use the ratings below and recalculate the estimated ohm rating of the switch.

Use 25.67 ohms per ft. for 24 gauge [.0201”] wire and 16.14 ohms per ft. for 22 gauge [.0254”] wire.

[barnett468]

CORRECTION FOR POST 32.

“Well it's actually not COMPLETELY unreliable if the meter shows NO continuity or shows continuity and he has good spark, however, I did supply an incomplete explanation and got caught, lol.”

Should say:

“Well it's actually not COMPLETELY unreliable if the meter shows NO continuity in either position, however, I did supply an incomplete explanation and got caught, lol.”


I have no edit button.

[SteveCZ28]

ever get anywhere with this yet? does it have spark?

[threewheelin-feelin]

id almost bet money on it that the float is stuck closed on the carb. im seeing it more and more on bikes that have set awhile these days. if you need help with that carb drive out here to hampton ill help ya

[ScreaminRed]

That's a really nice looking '85 there bud!!! Enjoy it. This site is also a good place to learn about your X, just do some searches and read different threads. I wold also recommend learning to work on it yourself, not only to save money, but the self satisfaction is awesome when you start fixing things and building that confidence! :) I had never rebuilt a carb before either, I bought a kit, got out my service manual, and the same day , had it skootin' down the road! Good luck.

[BigRedRider85]

ok guys just wanted to let you know where Im at...checked for spark and looks like I have pretty good spark. I ordered a new plug air filter oil filter and some oil. should be here today....got the tank drained and ready for fuel. threewheelin...Hampton isn't far, I might bring it over if I don't have any luck. I appreciate it!

[oscarmayer]

gas? hell, i squirt some carb cleaner into the TB with it open and then kick it over. carb cleaner does 2 things. 1, helps clean it ;) and 2, is very flammable so it acts like fuel and since it has a straw on the can, much less mess than leaking fuel all over. you could if you want spray it into the plug hole too.

[threewheelin-feelin]

ok guys just wanted to let you know where Im at...checked for spark and looks like I have pretty good spark. I ordered a new plug air filter oil filter and some oil. should be here today....got the tank drained and ready for fuel. threewheelin...Hampton isn't far, I might bring it over if I don't have any luck. I appreciate it!

no problem. have you tried putting i little fuel in the cylinder? or spraying threw the back of the carb and see if it will fire up for a couple seconds? that would tell you right there if the carb is gummed up.