Adjusting Valves 185s Real Time

[CaptHamster]

Hey guys, trying to adjust valve on the increasingly frustrating 185s. As per the manual I adjusted both valves to 0.05mm, and now the damn thing runs even worse. And yes, I'm sure it was TDC on the compression stroke. Now the bike runs like crap, the valves are noisy and it's REALLY hard to start. I weigh 260 lbs and using my whole body weight I could barely pull the started...did I do something wrong, and if so, how do I fix it?

[tri again]

hey there and welcome.

We all go thru this stuff.
Maybe the crappy running is simply a coincidence and has nothing to do with your valve adjust.
My lastest 250 had the valves adjusted with the cams pointing down so it rattled like a jackhammer.
(got it for 200$ so I can't complain too much)

Not trying to be funny but on a 4 stroke, tdc comes around
2x for every cam revolution.....I think.
so it may be possible that the piston can be at the top
without both valves being closed. aka both cam lobes UP. aka fire stroke.


Not sure the manuals are much help but they are free in the
'world class help' section.

Yeah, don't break your pull rope.
185...hmmm. I wonder if there's an easy way to see the cam tdc mark or if it's
even possible to see visually if both cam lobes are up..like at 10 and 1 o'clock.

surely someone on here will chime in .

Pls keep us posted as it seems like this topic appears fairly regularly.
Have you tried the search key?

[CaptHamster]

Well here's a little update. I guess this could be useful to some who have issues with their valve adjustments...I'm going to write this up as if I was the one trying to understand it yesterday.

Like I said, I adjusted the valves to spec once and it ran like crap. So of course this time I sat down and thought hard for a second...

I decided to remove the pull starter, since it was way too hard to pull it to start the engine. So I removed it and soaked it in WD-40 and let it sit off to the side. I then removed the spark plug and put a screwdriver in the spark plug hole so I could follow at what height the piston was (I.E. - screwdriver falls deep in the hole, piston is at the bottom of the stroke, screwdriver moves up, piston is moving up). I then removed the valve covers, grabbed a wrench and moved the engine by hand, aligning the T mark on the rotor with the little mark under the cap next to the pull starter. The pattern followed as this: Screwdriver started high up in the hole, and as I turned the engine, it went deeper into the hole, indicating the piston was moving down. The exhaust valve then opened at the bottom of the stroke, then the piston came back up, indicating it was on the exhaust stroke. The piston (and screwdriver) reached TDC (Top Dead Center) of the exhaust stroke, and even though the T mark was aligned on the rotor, I knew it had to be TDC on the compression stroke. So I went around one more time...the screwdriver slowly went deeper down, indicating the piston was moving back down. The intake valve then opened at the bottom of the stroke, meaning that it was now going to be on the compression stroke. So I slowly kept going, until the T mark was aligned with the index mark on the case. So I now had TDC on the compression stroke.

Then for the valves (which are a pain to do if you have big hands like me) I started with the exhaust valve. I loosened the lock nut, held it, and unscrewed the adjustment screw quite a bit until I could easily get the feeler gauge in there, underneath the bottom of the screw. I then tightened down that screw until there was a decent amount of drag on the feeler gauge, then I tightened the lock nut, removed the feeler gauge, and moved onto the intake valve (which is REALLY a pain if you don't have hands and/or tools that are small children sized) and repeated the same process.

It still isn't running great but once I sat down and really looked at it it made a lot more sense to me the second time around. And even though it may seem like simple stuff for you experiences mechanics out there, I figure if it helped simple me understand it, it'll probably help others realize it's not that hard to adjust the valves on these trikes. Just make sure you have small hands :D

[tri again]

soo? glad it's better but really fun when the word
'great' is tossed around.

They should start with 1/2 pull and idle like a sleeping baby.
Those carbs come off so much easier than the 250cc.

Maybe some carb tlc will make it happier.
Just because jets are clean or new doesn't mean internal passages are clear.

I got so aggravated with one, I just boiled it in water with vinegar and lemon juice
and then blew thru the passages with a fuel line underwater so I could SEE the bubbles.

Lucky for me I had one good carb and one stuck sucker so I could
compare the 2.

yupp, they should start effortlessly and idle cool forever.
I just hate smelling like gas for 2 days or I'd talk mySELF into
fixing the one that's blocking my front porch right now.

Good luck to both of us.
Just keep thinking about how much fun the next ride will be.

[atc007]

Clean your carb,paying close attention to the pilot jet. They are sometimes uncleanable and need replaced. If you see daylight thru both jets,and shoot at least 125 psi of air,preferrably 170 psi thru ALL the air jets that go up thru the carb from the back. They go into the carb and mix the fuel w the air. You can follow them and see what I mean. 1 to the pilot,1 to the main. If it still doesn't purr w fresh fuel in it. Look at your valves again. Everything you described,,except hard pulling would be a tight intake valve. It is VERY EASY to tighten the locknut and close up your gap! You'll learn to leave it open further giving you room to tighten the locknut down. If the valves check perfect then,we'll look at the timing under your CDI cap on the cam, and rust on your stator,,,then replacing the carb w a new one off Ebay for $31 delivered. Good luck

[CaptHamster]

Okay, well, I readjusted the valves to spec and found that the exhaust valve adjusting screw had fallen out and was sitting down next to the valve! Luckily I grabbed it and tightened everything back down. I also cleaned out the carb as best I could and didn't see any major debris or blockages. But now the starter is impossible to the point that I can barely pull it anymore. I did notice however that when I removed the spark plug, the starter pulled effortlessly. Does this mean that my decompression lever is bad?