Need help with an '04 PW80 - won't run off the choke

[Baker1]

2004 PW80 barely used, bought from a friend of friend.

It was described as "cold natured", needed to warm up a long time.

Bone stock.

It starts right up, has plenty of power. But it will not run if you flip the choke off. It won't even idle. If you hold the throttle open at medium or high rpms, then flip the choke off, it dies anyway.

I sprayed carb cleaner and compressed air through pilot circuit, throttle-stop hole, main and float channels. I removed and cleaned main jet assy and float needle. I set pilot at 1.5 turns out, and have tried various combinations of pillot and throttle stop screw. No luck. I live at 4500'. I put a 125 jet in it as recommended by dealer here, but nothing changed. It runs fine on the choke ( smoky) and won't run off of it. It will cruise fast in all gears and doesn't lack power. It just won't run off the choke.

I can't figure it out. Anyone???

Also, I looked carefully for a washer or o-ring on the pilot screw or left in the pilot hole when I removed the screw. But I didn't see either. Should there be a washer or oring on the pilot screw on this bike?

THANKS!!!!

 

[Bags]

'04 PW80 - won't run off the choke

It sounds like you have had the carb. apart but did you pull the slide? It could be that the needle has come louse from the slide & is staying in the main jet so it's always on the idle circuit. We have had several of them & they are normally very good reliable bikes. Your floats may also be out of adjustment.It can't hurt to clean it all again. Hope this helps you out..

 

[Baker1]

Thanks Bags. I pulled the entire carb off the bike tonight; went thru it again: pulled everything out of it, used carb cleaner and compressed air. Moved the needle clip from 3 to 4 (richest setting). It runs fine now. Whew!

I mispoke in my first post: my main jet is a 120 for 4000' elevation. The 125 is the standard factory jet.

There is no washer or oring for the pilot air screw; just the spring.

FYI - the choke is not a choke, per se. It's an enrichment circuit. It pulls a "stopper" off of a fuel orifice that allows fuel to enter both sides of the throat. When I saw that, I knew that I must be starved for fuel when flipping the "choke" off. So I moved the clip to the 4th position (odd) and she runs fine now. Kids are stoked. Life is good.

That's the first time ever I've had to set a needle clip at either extreme.

 

[jeffandtat]

2000 pw 80

this bike runs like it has a govenor on it at mid range and above. is there one some where?

 

[Baker1]

The PW80 "governor" is an exhaust-restriction washer between the ex port and the pipe. I checked for that; it had already been removed.

The bike's running fine now with the e-clip set in the richest position (4th notch) and a 120 main.

It's a little smoky.

Since I combined a total carb clean-up with moving the e-clip, I can't say for sure which effort cured my ills until I try to move the clip back to the third notch. Some day when I have time, I may look at that, and also at removing the oil injection system completely and running pre-mix. The available adjustments for oil mix are pretty poor on this bike. Easy to make it richer, impossible to make it leaner than stock. I'm gonna monitor oil consumption, see if it's way richer than 50:1. If so, I'll remove the pump.