1983 honda 185s carb troubles?

[twoodward15]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I need to ask again.
I have a 1983 honda 185s trike. It starts and idles great and has good compression. The problem is that when you get above about 1/4 throttle it just stalls out like it is either flooding or not getting enough gas. If I ease in to the throttle it won't do this. It is way more noticeable when the engine is cold, and won't rev up at all when cold. Once it is up to temp it will rev up but at times when it revs up it doesn't seem like it comes to full rpm. It feels like it is being held back. Sometimes it'll feel like it is pulling just fine though. I really need to be able to just mash the gas and go to ride effectively where I do. There are a lot of spots where I need to get the front tire through and down to get out. I can't think of any place where I ride that I really get out of second gear except one open field.
Now, for what has been done and inspected. The tank is extremely clean, I fix fuel tanks for a living ( on airplanes, so I can patch metal tanks well if it'll help anyone) and cleaned and patched mine. The fuel is fresh and clean. I have an inline filter that is clean in it as well. I adjusted the carb as per the clymer manual. You know, the one with the geeky guy trying to look cool on the front! T
I have a rebuild kit for the carb but haven't rebuilt it yet, and I haven't tried removing the filter to see if it is restricting fuel flow either. Is there anything else I should look for? No, I haven't put a new plug in yet, but I will as my next troubleshooting step, I promise.
Thanks for your help and I'll be sure to let everyone know what actually caused the problem when I get it figured out. Thanks again!

[bigredhead]

Clean and properly oiled air filter.. ( not oil soaked. but oiled )

Check the gap on the timing advance ( under the CDI cover on the cylinder head ) and also the gap on the spark plug ( of the new one you should put in )

Clean the grounds to the frame, look under the gas tank.. follow the park plug wire to the black thing with 2 bolts that mount to the down tube.. sand and make sure you have good contact.

report back

( last resort would be the check the valve specs, but don't get into this unless you are very familiar with the process.. might cause more bad than good )

[twoodward15]

none of that worked so tomorrow I will rebuild the carb while I am at work. If that don't do it I'll have to go buy the valve adjustment tool and do the timing idle valve adjustment game. Anyone know if I really need that valve adjustment tool? I've got the book and am a pretty darn good mechanic (if I don't say so myself). this kind of thing doesn't scare me so if there aren't any special tools then I'll handle it. Anyone anyone? Do I need the valve adjustment tool and where do I get it? Just at the honda dealer?

[bigredhead]

It can be done without the " special honda tool " lol...

Feeler gauge.. Flat head tip and wrench.

Remove the valve covers and you'll understand.. the manual explains where to measure with the feeler gauge, but it's not very clear..

Look on 3wheeler.org under scans and it shows how to do it on a 200X.. same thing as the 185.

Just a weird suggestion.. but put blocks under the frame to lift the rear wheels from the ground and spin the tires.. and check the rear axle bearings for fun !!

[Wickedfinger]

It sounds to me like a jetting issue, probably your main. Did this just start happening when it got colder out?. I have seen that same symptom from running either too rich or too lean - but - lean seems logical because the temp is cooler (need more fuel - bigger main jet) and those intakes are notorious for air leaks. First thing I would do is get it running and check for an airleak by spraying eather or something else combustable around the carb and intake boot after the carb. If it revs - you have a leak (boy if I had a dime for everytime I've dished out that advice on here over the years). I always had to switch out to a one size larger jet in the winter on my 200S around here in eastern Pa. to get it running right in the winter. If its not lean then it might be running too rich for some reason - plugged aircleaner, plugged exhaust, choke circuit not working or closed ... etc. Also, as a part of regular maintenence, adjust your valves as well as the timing chain via the automatic adjuster. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THAT SPECIAL TOOL!!!!!!!!!. Its absolutely NOT needed. Just remove the tank and it'll make it so much easier. Also, I would invest in a good set of angled feeler gauges, not the straight ones.

[twoodward15]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I have all of the tools, including the nice angled feeler gages. I'm gonna rebuild the carb and then I'll get to the valves. One other question, well actually two. Number one is... will my basic timing light for a car work 0on a three wheeler and number two is... I want to use a dwell tach meter to check the rpm's, any basic dwell tach meter has a switch that says 6 cylinder or 8 cylinder, can I use it and does it matter where the switch is? thanks for the tips guys.
Oh, one more thing. Bigredhead, oddly enough when I had it in the garage (from the shed) to work on it this afternoon I actually put it up on blocks and did that! That was wierd. Anyway, if anyone has anymore suggestions I'd be glad to hear them. Thanks again!!!

[twoodward15]

Wicked finger. it has done it since I got the threewheeler this summer. It came from western new york and Now I live in south jersey. I've leaned the carb and ran it rich with the needle and that little jesus clip game. I've adjusted the part throttle screw as well, but only with the clip on the second slot as it is set from the factory. I think it is running too rich but at this point I'm not sure. I tried turning the choke on half and full while riding it today and it had zero effects on the bike. I'll try the airleak thing when I get the carb cleaned and rebuilt and reinstalled.
I cleaned the air filter this afternoon, the choke seems to be working just fine and the exhaust doesn't seem to be plugged. Thanks!!

[bigredhead]

remove the air filter and poke your finger into the carb.. activate the choke and make sure it's opening and closing properly !!

Got a compression tester ?

[twoodward15]

It opens and closes properly. I rebuilt it today at work. The jets were clogged and it was all varnished inside. I got her all cleaned up and ready to reinstall. Hopefully I'll get to that tonight or tomorrow and give it a test run. It was really bad inside. I'll let you all know how it turns out!