1984 WR400 help

if the bike has been running bad, there will be a lot of pooh in the pipethat will burn out on your first ride and that stuff will go everywhere. once it has cleared out, you can clean up the pipe and silicon it up and leave it for 24 hrs before riding and it should hold for some time. what fuel mix you running??

I mix at 45:1

So after today's ride.....

It went good. Way better than ever before. But still not crazy crazy. I still think a modern 125 would beat me. Still interested in recommended timing setting. To repeat mine is at 22 degrees advanced.

Sometimes I had to battle to upshot from 1 to 2 or 2 to 3.
Like the shifter wad stuck. Had to pull up hard. A few times I would have the motor off and in gear and the bike wouldn't roll with the clutch in. The oil level didn't drcrease.much at all while riding, just when it leans to sprocket side. And it's a medium rate drip I guess I'd call it. I guess it lubes the chain!! Any leads on where to get that seal, post it up!

Had some oil near breather tube.

Oh and a few times I was going too slow for 3rd or 4th but gassed it and the motor would rev out but I don't think the tire was spinning

sounds like misadjusted clutch, wrong oil now or in the past, or bad plates/weak springs.
you have something wrong if the bike wont pull the tire off the ground easily in 3rd under hard accel..or spin the tire

set the timing to book spec, or better yet 20% retarded from that.

have you looked at the tech section here on vintage lefties? how is the clutch lever sitting at the bars? right freeplay or is it wound right out?
the tech ref should have the freeplay setting at the lever on the cases. it isn't much. if you lay the bike down on the dripping side...with a plan to catch the oil....you can whip the clutch cover off after pulling the rad hoses off the pump. all the shifter and the gear lever stays in the case don't remove them. be careful getting the gasket off the lover part as it always sticks and breaks and you will have two drips. watch for the needle roller under the kickstart idle gear as well. you can read how to adjust the internal clutch adjuster in the manual in tech ref. you pin the clutch with a drill bit or such, crack the lock nut, tighten or loosen the adjuster screw till its just right and lock her all up again.

use a type F- ATF or a 20 wt oil to minimise slippage

thanks guys. a year or 2 ago i had the clutch plates stuck together so the clutch wouldnt work at all. before learning the trick to just pry them apart with a screwdriver thought the oil fill hole, i replaced the clutch plates and springs and all. i saved all the old stuff. ill have to go back and check it out. i left the bike up in new hampshire and will not be back there for a few days. then i will pull the clutch cover off as well as the sprocket and post some pics.

i would like to set the timing to stock spec or less but i dont know the manual spec. any input is appreciated.

the bike would go good in third but only sometimes would seem to slip. usually if i was going slower.

this is the oil i was using as a while back a dealer told me it would help the plates not stick to eachother...

check out the "vintage tech reference and tips" section, all the manuals, service bulletins, and tips are listed for your bike. lots of good stuff...

the adjustment procedure done at the center of the clutch basket is key for full clutch engagement and good feel. do a search, we have talked about it here before. i switch all my swedes to steel plates and it pretty much eliminates drag along with proper adjustment. the oil you are running shouldnt cause any issues.

the leak behind the sprocket is the seal on the bearing. there are cheats to fix it but basically the cases need split and the bearing replaced, just for a bearing that has a new seal on it. or you can just keep running it, changing the fluid and topping off every few hours of operation which you should anyway.

hey guys, looks like stock is 17 degrees, and im at 22.. should i retard it a bit?

Probably wise to prevent kickback from cracking the cases.

as mentioned it will help with kickbacks...may help engine last longer as well.

kickback when im trying to start it? that would be nice!

Yes, not all that uncommon either.

Even though this is titled "backfire cracked case" the fact that it's by the kickstarter would indicate that it was a kickback or backfire while kicking I guess.

http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/backfire-cracked-case.82431/

i just went back in thread to find this but realized i never posted it or it dissapeared. either way, im going to try 16 degrees or so in a few days

Yours still has the marks ,mine are gorn .
When they rewind them the marks are lost.

As for gearbox oil I use SAE 30 which is Briggs n Stratton engine oil and to sort of stop the clutch sticking new steel plates from Phil and adjustment.

Have a Honda XR400 here that has the same clutch stickiness/drag.
Bought a new set of plates and the steels have dimples , using the steels only fixed the problem 100%.
Pity you can't get dimples on husky steels.

So I'm with the bike tonight guys. Making some progress

Kickstand is done. Now for the sprocket leak. Timing will be next time as I didn't bring my puller set for the flywheel. Hoping to pull front brakes off tonight too.

But as I said sprocket now.... the piece is my hand came out by hand.... I'm about to pull off those 4 flatheads.

The shaft feels VERY solid!!

that piece is just a spacer, it normally comes out how you describe. unless you are want split cases you will have to just make sure the oil level is correct. overfilling makes the leak much worse. all thats behind the cover is the countershaft output bearing. as mentioned earlier in this thread the seal is part of the bearing.