Freestyle New Thread - My Superfreak with TL is not running good! Help!

[BrightE's]

I'm starting this new thread just for getting help with my ski, cause the threads I posted in are getting off topic with my ski running issue. I recently installed a used MSD 2530 TL system on my otherwise stock 701, the whole system came out of a running Superjet that had an MSD Enhancer. The TL was wired running on channel 1 and channel 2 (Yellow and brown off the brain) so I kept it that way. Both carbs are in sync with each other.

When I pull the plugs and place them on the head and turn over, I get great, healthy sparks on both plugs.

Here is what is happening:
1. The ski starts fine out of the water, though when put in the water it is hesitating very badly even at full throttle it just putters along until the engine can (if it can) get up to this mid-range RPM range. Edit: Now having trouble even starting.
2. At this point the ski jolts into good power (no matter if it happens at full WOT throttle, or if I am letting it off), and can maintain it if I don't give up on the throttle at all, but it's hard cause it's all or nothing.
3. I pulled the plugs (both brand new) and only the rear plug is getting color (good light brown color). The front plug still looks brand new.
4. I pulled the carbs, flushed them, put a new gasket under them and reinstalled them.

Edit - Ski Setup:
*701, unported, 35cc ADA domes
*Solas Mag pump (it was a little difficult to spin after I had my drive shaft installed, but seems better now), 9/15 Hooker
*B-Pipe, stock waterbox, top screw is the only one that is open. The middle and bottom screws are closed (for bottom end power only).


Carb Settings:
Main Jet: 135
Pilot Jet: 70
High speed screw: 5/8 turns out from closed
Low speed screw: 1 and 3/8 turns out form closed
Needle & Seat: stock (55 psi)
Spring: Stock (95 gram)

TL Settings:
Static Timing: 31
Max Timing (-2): 29
Max RPM: 8250
Begin Retard: 5000
Max Speed Retard: 17

Here are the actual dips:

My best guess is that I am running only on one cylinder until it gets up to some X RPM, at which point they both go on. It's weird, I don't know what to do! Help!

 

[McDog]

Post pictures of your wiring.

 

[clouse22]

im not an expert tuner by any means, but what your describing sounds very similar to what i dealt with earlier this year. I would guess that your jetting down low is too lean. Sounds like your not getting enough fuel off idle. I would try opening the low speed screws to 2 turns out (720 degrees) and see if it improves.

I would list your entire setup....motor, exhaust, compression, carb size..etc

 

[BrightE's]

Post pictures of your wiring.

The wiring is not pretty. Though I was mistaken in my earlier post. It is running Yellow and Brown, channels one and two. I tested the spark by by passing the pickups and using a wire to trigger the coils. Both front and back fire fine when doing this, and again I am getting the same quality of spark when I turnover with the plugs laying on the engine head.

Wiring is as it is shown on the installation directions. My grounds are the following. Negative battery terminal to starter motor negative. Coils and negative into the brain are coming from a bolt on the intake mani cage. Positive from the battery is going to the solenoid in, which is where the brain power is taping in from. I'll try to snap some pictures but it is hard to see what's what.

 

[BrightE's]

im not an expert tuner by any means, but what your describing sounds very similar to what i dealt with earlier this year. I would guess that your jetting down low is too lean. Sounds like your not getting enough fuel off idle. I would try opening the low speed screws to 2 turns out (720 degrees) and see if it improves.

I would list your entire setup....motor, exhaust, compression, carb size..etc

Good call. Updating now. When you ijnstalled your TL on the 701 before you got your bigger motor, did you have to open up your lows?

 

[speedysprocket]

Yeah, total loss spark is strong enough to burn through a rich mixture, but lean will always be lean. And maybe the condition will be more noticeable with TL. It sounds like you should try the third channel, though. But first, I'd switch the wires supplying the coils and the plug wires. That would tell you is it's the coils. If no change , switch the pickup wires and the plug wires. If condition remains, then it's the engine. If it moves, it's that channel in the brain or the pickup.

 

[BrightE's]

Alright. I am going to try to switch it to the third channel first, then if that doesn't work the carbs are coming off again and I'm going to check reeds.

By switching the wires do you mean sending the rear spark to the front cylinder? Woudn't that not fire at all?

Question - How can I still have a good spark on a bad coil?

 

[hink320]

I think he means switch wires from coil to brain and switch spark plug wires to see if your condition moves from one cylinder to the other and narrow it down that way.

 

[speedysprocket]

Yes. Can't just switch one set of wires, always have to switch two places to keep from going 180 out on timing.

 

[BrightE's]

Yeah I switched the cables from brown to orange going from the pick ups and to the coils. I still have spark, that's never been the issue I suppose.

 

[augustaf]

The op stated in the first post that his carbs have 70 pilots. I don't think that's large enough for 701 with pipe and t/l !

 

[speedysprocket]

Did you try it under load? I thought that's where the issue occurred?

 

[BrightE's]

I did try it under load, it wasn't starting then in the first place so I pulled it out of the water. No dice then either. I still feel like I should be at least getting it to bite at starting. It just doesn't ignite at all right now. I pulled the carbs and the reeds. They seem fine. The carbs are leaking a little bit... so maybe it's not pulliing enough fuel, though you would think that a few primer squirts would at least get it to half start or catch to turn over a few times... but nothing.

 

[BrightE's]

Nothing wrong with the carbs or reeds (no blowouts from backfires). The carbs are nice and leaky though. I am going to try to seal them so they pull fuel better.

 

[BrightE's]

The op stated in the first post that his carbs have 70 pilots. I don't think that's large enough for 701 with pipe and t/l !

i should go up?

 

[Nate_D]

The jetting is probably lean, but it seems odd to me that it won't start when you know you have fuel (primered), compression, and spark. In my limited experience that usually points to ignition timing.

I've had trouble starting and running from a very leaky fuel pump, but it has always started with the primer. I hope you get it figured out soon, it's the worst to be wrenching when you should be riding.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JetManiac]

Carb Settings:
Main Jet: 135
Pilot Jet: 70 ***way to small, change to 75
High speed screw: 5/8 turns out from closed ***open to 1 1/2 turns
Low speed screw: 1 and 3/8 turns out form closed ***close to 1-1 1/4 turn with larger jet
Needle & Seat: stock (55 psi) ***stock n&s is 1.5 with 115g for about 55psi
Spring: Stock (95 gram) ***stock spring is 115g, but 95g should be fine with TL

"Nothing wrong with the carbs or reeds (no blowouts from backfires). The carbs are nice and leaky though. I am going to try to seal them so they pull fuel better."

What? Nothing wrong means no leaks at all and they pass a leakdown test for starters!

 

[BrightE's]

Thanks Chris. I'll pick up some 75 pilots this week, and maybe a new spring too. The fuel leaking out of the carbs has been doing it for a year or two now. I tightened the plates on the carbs as best as I could and it stopped - plus I don't have any leak down test plates! Maybe I should pick some of those up.

I can't get it to more than cough when I am trying to start. It coughed twice out of maybe 30 attempts.

Here are the plugs making spark, no issue there. A couple of people have mentioned they think it is a timing issue. Is my next best bet to crack open the FW cover and check my static timing?

 

[augustaf]

Please make sure you have compression, then squirting in gas should make it fire unless the timing is way off. It's sparking well in the vid but is it at the right time.

 

[speedysprocket]

I think we're worried that you ride with leaky carbs. What exactly is leaking?