Honda Elite 80 Idle
dalar1
ridiculous price of gas. I got it running a couple weeks ago, but it
seems to idle very high, causing the rear wheel to turn fast. It
drags the brake when it spins and I tightened the cable, but the
engine runs so fast I'm afraid I'm burning my brakes. How can I
remedy the high idle and get this baby under control?
paul c
Not saying this is the case here, but sometimes people monkey with the
carb, turn the low-speed mixture screw too far, making the idle mixture
quite rich and then find that they must up the idle speed to keep from
stalling. Sometimes the service manual gives a hint about the idle
mixture, eg., the Honda Helix manual suggests starting at about 2 turns
whereas the Honda Elite 250 (basically the same engine as the Helix)
gives no hint.
If you turn the idle speed down far enough that the rear wheel turns
rather slowly at idle while on the centre stand, say once or twice per
second, does the engine stall?
If it hasn't been running for some time, eg., more than a few months,
there are several jets and inlets that might need gentle cleaning in
which case the above might not apply.
And it could even have nothing to do with fuel, maybe the clutch is
seized. Can you push it easily with the engine turned off?
dalar1
Some more information.
The scoot sat for several years without running. I have cleaned the
tank, petcock, and carb. Adjusting the idle screw has no effect
either way. Carbs are not my forte, so if you tell me to turn this or
that, I'm not sure I'll have the right one, but I know about the idle
screw. I don't currently have a repair manual since they cost more
than I paid for the scoot, but I'll probably get one if I can't figure
this one out otherwise.
Thanks for all the input.
paul c
Assuming this is the carb for that scoot:
http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/honda-motorcycle-ch80-elite-1987/o/m2103
when you mention "idle screw" I presume you are talking about #6 in the
diagram, which is the idle speed screw. This screw should be just tight
enough that the butterfly plate is just closed. If it is tighter, ie.
if the plate is even slightly open with throttle off, all of the other
carb components won't work right, with a variety of symptoms.
Whereas the idle mixture (sometimes called slow jet) is #24 in the
diagram. Adjusting that screw must have an effect, if you turn it in or
out far enough the engine will stop (and idle speed will vary up and
down before it stalls). If that's what you were turning with "no
effect", you didn't turn it very far. It is one of the troublesome
parts in a dirty carb so presumably you removed it when you cleaned the
carb and noted how many turns it was positioned at when you removed it.
Presumably you put it back in with the same number of turns. The idle
mixture screw has an effect almost all the time, right up to 3/4
throttle or so. Some manuals will suggest a starting point for
adjusting this screw, often around 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 turns.
I see from the diagram that there is also a "starter valve" or what
Honda sometimes calls a bystarter. It could be stuck. The service
manual will give a procedure for testing it.
You might get some more specific advice from the Yahoo HondaScoots
group, maybe somebody will even bootleg a few manual pages for you.
As for the logic of not buying a manual that costs more than the scoot,
my sarcastic attitude is that maybe you'd say it's okay to spend a
thousand bucks on a manual if the scoot costs two thousand! Personally,
if anybody has a scooter they'll sell me for the cost of a manual, I'd
say that's a good deal.
dalar1
> dalar1 wrote:
> > On Mar 23, 5:41 pm, dalar1 <dal...@aol.com> wrote:
> >> I have a 1987 Honda Elite (CH)80 I am restoring to battle the
> >> ridiculous price of gas. I got it running a couple weeks ago, but it
> >> seems to idle very high, causing the rear wheel to turn fast. It
> >> drags the brake when it spins and I tightened the cable, but the
> >> engine runs so fast I'm afraid I'm burning my brakes. How can I
> >> remedy the high idle and get this baby under control?
>
> > Some more information.
> > The scoot sat for several years without running. I have cleaned the
> > tank, petcock, and carb. Adjusting the idle screw has no effect
> > either way. Carbs are not my forte, so if you tell me to turn this or
> > that, I'm not sure I'll have the right one, but I know about the idle
> > screw. I don't currently have a repair manual since they cost more
> > than I paid for the scoot, but I'll probably get one if I can't figure
> > this one out otherwise.
> > Thanks for all the input.
>
> Assuming this is the carb for that scoot:
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
By that standard, I got a good deal. Thanks for the help, I'll check
out the points you made and see what happens.
Robert LaCasse
|>Whereas the idle mixture (sometimes called slow jet) is #24 in the
|>diagram. Adjusting that screw must have an effect, if you turn it in or
|>out far enough the engine will stop (and idle speed will vary up and
|>down before it stalls). If that's what you were turning with "no
|>effect", you didn't turn it very far. It is one of the troublesome
|>parts in a dirty carb so presumably you removed it when you cleaned the
|>carb and noted how many turns it was positioned at when you removed it.
|> Presumably you put it back in with the same number of turns. The idle
|>mixture screw has an effect almost all the time, right up to 3/4
|>throttle or so. Some manuals will suggest a starting point for
|>adjusting this screw, often around 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 turns.
|>
|>
|>I see from the diagram that there is also a "starter valve" or what
|>Honda sometimes calls a bystarter. It could be stuck. The service
|>manual will give a procedure for testing it.
If my long term memory serves me right, the (idle mixture (sometimes
called slow jet) is #2) on my ch80 elite was sealed in a wax, and could not
be accessed without removing the seal....
I always wondered if everybody lived at the same elevation if this
was an encumbering idea....maybe they just added the wax in Kaynuduh..maybe
not??
paul c
...
>
> If my long term memory serves me right, the (idle mixture (sometimes
> called slow jet) is #2) on my ch80 elite was sealed in a wax, and could not
> be accessed without removing the seal....
>
> I always wondered if everybody lived at the same elevation if this
> was an encumbering idea....maybe they just added the wax in Kaynuduh..maybe
> not??
My impression, could be wrong about the eras, is that the plugs started
to appear in the USA and possibly Europe in the late 1970's or early
1980's either because they were ordered by the US Environmental
Protection Agency or because manufacturers were throwing a sop to the
EPA. Maybe the leaner mixtures that were set at the factory gave bikes
a little more tolerance for higher elevations than previously. EPA,
maybe manufacturers too, didn't want any old idiot owner richening up
the leaner idle mixtures although often the result was that an idiot
working for a dealer would do it. Makes it a bit harder to clean the
jets when the scoot or bike has been sitting unused in the colder N.A.
regions. I seem to recall that some plugs are made from aluminum and
you have to gently drill or pry them out. OTOH, I've seen fifteen year
old bikes that have never had the carbs cleaned or adjusted. Canada
mostly copies US regulations but has a large bureaucracy to make it seem
as if we don't.