hello! i bought a ozark that had a blown up motor. rebuilt the motor and now i am going through the carb. the markings on the carb say it is a california emissions model.
my first question is what is the difference in the regular and california model? i know there is a brass plug that covers the pilot screw so it can not be adjusted. i removed the plug and pilot screw to clean and rebuild but am not sure what to set the pilot screw back to. from the service manual it says 2 and 7/8 out but when i took out the old pilot screw i checked and it was only about 1/2 out. i am not sure why the motor was blown up but if they were running it with the pilot screw only 1/2 out i would think that would be way way lean! am i thinking correctly? i have not messed with alot of carbs so any help would be appericated!!! thanks

 

I think only thing would be the plug on the screw. I'm not sure about stock setting on the fuel screw but 2-7/8 out sounds like an awful lot for a stock setting.

 

Do you live in cali? if not don't worry about it. I live in Cali and when the bikes are registered the only stipulation is if its a two stroke or four stroke engine. Two stroke engines get a red registration tag that limits where they can ride and the four stoke engines get a green tag which is no limitations where you can ride.

 

Welcome to the forum ngarman!

I would start at 1 1/2 turns out... 1/2 a turn was definitely lean..

Welcome to the forum Sand Hog! There are 4 strokes that get a red sticker and older 2 strokes have a green sticker...Not sure what the cut off year is for 2 strokes..

 

thanks for the welcome. i do not live in california but ohio. what is wierd is that my muffler and everything else i can see a stamp on is not a california model. so i wondered if someone switched the carb on me? some one had alreaty been in the motor before i bought it. (which i didnt know!) i am close to getting the motor back in and will let you guys know how things go!. p.s. i am going to start with 1 1/2 turns out and see how it runs then go from there.

 

Your Welcome I would think the carb would be the biggest difference in a Ca only machine..Maybe a slighty different exhaust but Im not sure..

 

Sounds like someone was really playing around without knowing what they were doing and kind of left you a mess. I know Cali has big issues with exhaust and such but if you don't live in Cali or ever intend on moving there I would scrap the Cali junk from your bike and indulge yourself on the rebuild.

 

i live in cali and i take all the emision stuff off if i dont have to smog it the cali carb is accually tuned to run lean on most small engines or they wont meet emision standerds in cali we have a lot of issues with leaf blowers and chainsaws do to this and have to buy carbs for them from out of state to get them to live longer than 6 months on the job

 

ya i was left a mess! finally got the engine in and running like a brand new one this weekend! idles great! i tried to mess with the fuel screw once the engine was warm too make sure i had the correct # of turns out and it didnt seam to make any difference on how the bike ran? i turned it all the way in and started to die so i backed it way out and it didnt effect how it was running? any ideas? i just put it back to 1 1/2 out. i only got about 30 minutes on it so far

 

If it's running good it shouldn't matter but here's some info on adjusting the fuel screw I "lifted" from another site.

QUESTION TEN: HOW DO I REACH THE FUEL SCREW?

The under-the-float bowl location of the fuel screw makes it next to impossible to reach. It takes a special screw driver (Pro-Tec and Motion Pro offer them). Ty Davis’ Zip-Ty Racing offers an adjustable fuel screw that can be turned by hand (with the use of tools).

QUESTION 11: HOW DO I ADJUST THE FUEL SCREW?

Not so fast. Before you ever touch the fuel mixture screw, you must first warm the engine up. That means riding the bike around a bit, not just starting it up. Once the bike is warm, you need to bring it up to a fast idle.

QUESTION 12: HOW FAST IS A FAST IDLE?

How fast is a fast idle? As a rule of thumb, it is about 1800 rpm. The best way to get a fast idle and keep it is with the idle adjustment screw.

Some race mechanics simply crack the throttle by hand and hold it there. This is common, but it's much more accurate to set the fast idle with the slide stop.

QUESTION 13: WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?

With the bike holding a steady, high idle, use the adjustment tool to slowly screw the fuel mixture in. Continue tightening the screw until the engine rpm drops (and nearly dies). Now, slowly turn the screw back out. You will hear the engine rpm begin to speed up and the exhaust note will become crisper.

QUESTION 14: WHEN DO I STOP TURNING THE SCREW OUT?

Stop turning the fuel mixture screw at the exact moment when the engine hits peak rpm. Peak rpm is when the engine runs the cleanest and fastest. When you reach that point, the idle won't become faster the more you turn the fuel mixture screw out. If you keep turning the screw, the rpm will stay up but the exhaust note will become dull, flat and lumpy.

QUESTION 15: WHAT'S A FLAT, DULL AND LUMPY EXHAUST NOTE?

It's not defined by speed but rather by crispness. When engine rpm just peaks, the exhaust note is sharp and crisp. As you continue to turn the fuel mixture screw, the exhaust note will become choked by too much fuel and will lose that snappy sound.

QUESTION 16: BUT WHEN DO I KNOW TO STOP?

Once you’ve trained your ear to hear what peak rpm sounds like--and have a good idea of the point where turning the screw out farther hurts performance--you might test your setting by turning the fuel screw in the opposite direction (until the rpm drops). Stop at that instant and turn it back in again. If you're not 100% certain you have peak idle, start counting the turns out from the spot you think is peak idle. If the engine rpm doesn't pick up after a 1/4 twist, turn it back to the original spot.

Be sure to reset the idle stop to a low, or if you prefer, no idle, position.

QUESTION 17: HOW DO I TELL WHAT MY SETTING IS?

Count the turns. With the engine off, turn the fuel mixture screw in while carefully counting in 1/8th turn increments. Keep counting until the screw lightly bottoms. Now, turn it out the identical number of 1/8th turns. That is your fuel mixture adjustment and it's usually between 1/2 to two turns out.

QUESTION 18: WHAT If I HIT PEAK RPM AT THREE TURNS?

As you turn the fuel mixture screw out, the slow speed mixture circuit is metering more and more fuel to the engine. If the engine doesn't reach peak rpm until the screw has been turned more than two turns, it might indicate that the pilot jet is too small (lean). Try the next larger pilot and retest the fuel mixture adjustment. Conversely, if peak rpm is reached before you turn the fuel mixture screw in a half turn, it could mean that the pilot jet is too rich. Try the next smaller size.

QUESTION 19: IS THE PILOT JET THE BEST FIX?

No. Even if the fuel mixture screw is set at 2-1/2 turns out, the bike might not run as well with the next size richer pilot. But, you still need to try it in order to rule it out. Always try a respective leaner or richer pilot if the fuel mixture screw's best setting is on either side of the one-half or two and one-half turn adjustment range. Pay attention to how the bike runs at the crack of the throttle. Switch back and forth if necessary. Do not rule out the needle clip position or needle taper. All can affect off-throttle performance--even with the correct fuel mixture screw setting.

QUESTION 20: HOW OFTEN SHOULD THE FUEL SCREW BE CHECKED?

Every race day. Twice a day if it is cool and overcast during practice and bright and sunny for the first moto. When the track dries out and the sun breaks out, you'll want to set the mixture screw back to a leaner setting.

QUESTION 21: WHAT CHANGES NECESSITATE FUEL SCREW ADJUSTMENT?

Temperature isn’t the only thing that affects the fuel screw. When racing in elevations above 4000 feet, the thin air will create the need for more air (turn the fuel mixture screw in). In humid climes, you might need to lean the setting in the afternoon as the day dries out. A fast approaching storm will require a richer setting (turn the fuel mixture screw out).