Blood, sweat, tears & beers . . .

Big grin and a couple of yeeee-haws, too! I'll try that tapping today - with a wooden mallet! But I fear there are other issues with the carb. Rolling the bike outside is not an option - I'd never be able to roll it back up the ramp without help.

I forgot to mention that the danged oil pump is leaking again in the same place it leaked before - along the bottom left corner. All that work . . . down the tubes. When I had the pump out, I noticed that the cover and the body were not mating like they should. There was a little wobble. It seemed to me that the cover was a bit warped when I ran a straight edge over it, and the idler shaft in the body was protruding several thousands out too far. I had hoped that by putting a thicker mylar gasket in there it would work. Well, it didn't start to leak until the bike ran for several minutes yesterday. The leak is big enough that it can't be ignored.:gah:
Here's what I think: maybe I can take the entire pump off again, disassemble it, and press that idler shaft in a little farther so it will clear the cover. Next, I'll take the cover and sand it down on the belt sander until it's perfectly flat. Then put it all together again and see if that works. What do you guys think? Other than that, I'm afraid I'm going to have to buy a new oil pump - or maybe that's what I should do anyway?

Got back from school and took the carb off, determined to fix it. I tore it apart completely and cleaned it and set the float correctly - it was set previously so that it didn't close the valve so it leaked like a sieve. Put it all back together and now it doesn't leak, but I couldn't start the bike, either. At least no gas is leaking out the hose. I just don't know what the matter is anymore.
Tomorrow I'm going to take the exhaust pipes off so I can get to the oil pump and take the thing off once more and try to fix the leak . . .:gah:

Yeah, ain't it though! Couldn't sleep - having motorcycle problems circulating thru my brain! Well, at least the ol' thang WILL start and run with the butterfly carb I now have. That's a huge plus! I think I will start looking for another oil pump. It will set me back timewise thru October at least - pumps aren't cheap & money is tight right now. The pump I have came with the motor and is probably old as Methuselah.

I have a CV carb but it is missing parts. I don't see how there could be anything wrong with the Keihin butterfly I have; I've gone thru it twice and replaced everything except the jets. I believe it's okay - like I said, I know it works and now it doesn't leak gas all over the floor - the float is set correctly.

Back to this business of not starting. Well, there are several things I can try. Today , I'll try it with the starter fluid again. Another thing could be I might try a coil with a hotter output, say 30,000 volts or more. Or maybe get a new set of plug wires - although Tattoo tells me there's nothing wrong with the ones I have - he checked them out, plus the bike DOES run with the wires I have. I've not said anything about the spark plugs. I'm using Champion plugs cross referenced to the original plug numbers for shovelhead and gapped at .030", which is midway between the factory recommended gaps.
Another thing is that I have been advised to avoid flooding it when starting - I tried that technique and it wouldn't start. Tatto says give it a lot of gas ( I might be starving it) and that technique doesn't work either. So far, the only thing that has worked is shooting a little starter fluid directly into the carb. Could be something is wrong with my starting technique. I don't know. If I continue having these troubles, I'm going to try and get Tattoo to come out to my shop one day. I'll make sure the fridge is loaded up with beer!

Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, I been turning on the gas & using the choke. I haven't thrown anything since I flung that inner primary across the yard. Remember that? Man did that feel good!
Take lots of fluids with your meds! Doctor's orders!

Here's something I haven't thought of before concerning the carb. When I twist the throttle, I can watch the gas shooting towards the back of the carb. the stream of gas looks like a thin ROPE. Isn't it supposed to be somewhat of a SPRAY pattern so the gas has a better chance of igniting??
Would it help if I installed one of those diffuser type gizmos (like a turbulator) between the manifold & carb???

If you're talking about those gimmick add ons to create turbulence and atomize fuel.....NO!!!....the thin rope of fuel spraying in is fine....just don't fire in too many thin ropes trying to start it or you'll flood it...

Gotcha. I started it again just now using starter fluid. Ran it for 3 maybe 4 minutes with fans blowing on the motor. Here's a pic I took after shutting it down. Notice the coloration on the pipes - the front one in particular. I also saw that there was a very small amount of smoke wafting up from somewhere between the heads. Don't know what these things mean . . .

Yep...gas is not a good lubricant...since you had it running for a few minutes,smell your oil...if you can smell gas...change it...always turn the fuel off at the petcock if the bike isn't running...

Looks like I'll have to change the oil - it does smell a little like gas. And another thing, I accidently left the petcock open last night. The oil looks okay, though - but I will change it.

The pipe discoloration seems excessive to me - the bike hasn't run any more than 5 minutes total. Does that mean I'm running too rich? I have the idle mixture screw turned out 1 complete turn right now.

The starter fluid says on the can that it contains an upper cylinder lubricant. I have used it VERY sparingly. After I change the oil, I will try starting it without using any starter fluid.

As the world continues to disintegrate, I hit another milestone this evening - I got the Beast to start without using starter fluid! (Things are going better now that I went thru the carb again and got the float set right). Mac came rushing out to the shop; it was the first time she'd heard the Beast. Pretty exciting moment for us. I had been in a rather bad mood for several days.
I have decided to get the ol' thang a new oil pump. I still need new oil, too. J&P sent me my brake lines today but I ordered the wrong size pipe fittings and will have to send those back for exchange. I'm also going to get some wrap for my pipes - they are starting to look like crap and I haven't even rode the thing yet. Besides, the wrap helps insulate the pipes & puts a barrier between them and my oil lines. So, there are other things to do while I save up for the pump. Maybe I'll be riding by October . . .

As an added note: I have discovered that it's very easy to flood this motor.

that's great news,

Thanks - will do.

Went out yesterday and started the bike yet again - it's beginning to be routine now. I did flood it once or twice; I have to be careful how much gas I shoot into the combustion chambers . . . just a single small tweak on the throttle is enough.
The carb is not dialed in yet. The bike wants to conk out and I have to keep revving it up to keep it going. A tedious process to say the least. The info I have is that I'm supposed to start turning the idle mixture screw counterclockwise until the idle settles down. Counterclockwise opens the idle mixture screw and makes it run richer.
I will try that today. Any suggustions would be most helpful as I am not supposed to be revving the motor at this stage of break in!
Also found another significant oil leak coming out below the stator cover.

As this is a rebuilt motor, oil should not be leaking out the crank oil seal. But maybe it sat too long (about a year before starting) and the seal dried out. This is going to be a major headache because I'm going to have to take off the crank nut that has red locktite on it, probably going to have to buy a puller to get the front pulley off. I'll probably have to loosen the tranny bolts so I can move it forward a little, which means I'll have to loosen the rear wheel and give the chain a little more slack.:witsend:

Here's a pic of the carb . . .

Contacted Robsusedharleyparts.com and he says they have a NOS oil pump cover. I sent him a pic of my cover so he can hopefully match it up. (We don't know what oil pump came with the motor). If this works, it will save me the expense of buying a complete oil pump. The pump works fine - it just leaks at the cover is all.

Drained the oil yesterday and it was fairly dirty. Good sign as it means the pump is scavenging & oil lines are hooked up correctly. I noticed there was not much oil in the oil bag, however - only about half of what I put in came out.
Next time I put oil in I must remember to top off the oil after it has been circulating for a while.