81 430 xc

My riding buddy and I each have 81 430 xc's that are hard to start, hot or cold. Once started, they idle and run perfectly. Mine has a rebuilt carb with perfectly cleaned jets; his is a new Mikiuni.

They each have new kill buttons and all the electrical wire contacts are clean. The motor mounts, coil mounts and stator mounts have been stripped of any paint and cleaned.

My bike has the stock SEM ignition; his has a new PVL. I use a B8ES plug, and he uses the recommended plug for the PVL. Each appears to have a good spark.

We have tried no throttle, part throttle, full throttle and everything in between. Once started they do not blubber and will run perfectly bottom to top.

I am convinced that it is not the carbs; it is ignition. Could it be dirty cylinder studs?????

They seem to like a lot of fuel to be started. Sometimes laying them over to flood the cylinders with fresh fuel seems to help, other times it doesn't matter.

Any suggestions????

It's most likely the kick starter's gear ratio. It doesn't spin the motor very much on each kick. Was a common issue on the 430/500's. Very hard to kick them fast enough to both spin the motor enough to start and to generate a spark.

My big more techinique: Husky, Suzuki, Yam, Maico -- gas on, lean it to the side a little, put it in 2nd/3rd gear and rock it back and forth a few times (with the clutch out), find TDC, let 'er rip..after that they're usually good to go for the rest of the day. Oh, and one other thing: make sure your filter is not oversaturated with filter oil...Those big boys need to breathe..

Hey JD,

What plug is your buddy running with his PVL ign.?

For your SEM ign. try running a Denso Iridium IW24 ( NGK B8EV eqiv.)
Denso P/N 5316

I get mine on EBay from a company called Pili-car

Set your gap @ .020-.022

Let me know if this helps.

Thanks for the replies.

I have been riding and racing dirtbikes for over 40 years. I know how to start the big bore Huskys normally, but this one is different.

I recall cutting the slide trick from the 70's. I'll try that.

Have any of you had trouble with coroded cylinder studs ?

Problem is not jetting or ign, because you say once started it runs fine. Think the problem is it like you said IDLES fine. Try setting the idle where it does not idle or when you put it on sidestand and walk away you get 2 steps then it dies. Reason for this is to make it idle the idle speed screw has to be screwed in this lifts the slide to allow more air what this does is reduce the sucking vacuum so when using the choke ( which is not a choke but an enrichning circuit) it can not pull fuel thru it, this could explain for sometimes laying it down to get fuel to the cyl to start it.

It is also good for the 1st start of the day, to turn gas on lay the bike on the RH side for a few seconds then the LH side. What this does is drains the float bowl of dead gas but more importantly is soak the trans with oil many gears just run on a raw splined shaft and only get oil while moving.

If you ever hear a squeel from motor or wants to kinda lurch in neutral just lay bike on the side and soak trans something got dry and is crying for oil.
Later George

Suspect ignition?

These are my quick "tests" for suspect ignition. Start plug gap at .024-.025 and go down from there. If starting gets better with closer plug gap then mag is getting weak. This also can be a indicator of a timing issue since a closer plug gap will advance timing because of less time the coil has to saturate. If corroded studs are suspect, get out a jumper wire with a large clip to spark plug hex then ground to coil mounting. My 430 was hard to start, kickback and wet the plug untill I modified my slide. With a 2.0 it would run horrible at idle-very rich and hard to start, Idle screw had to be all the way in like George said which is pulling-or trying to fuel out of main circiut instead of enrichment and pilot. I modified my slide with a small semicircle instead of going all the way across. I kept enlarging it untill I had good starting, idling with good adjustablity of idle screw and air/fuel screw. It will start within two kicks cold, one hot always with this..... Turn gas on, choke, hold front brake and rock bike a couple of times against front brake. Kick slow a couple of time through, find top, go a little past and nail it.. fires right up and will only need choke for a very short time. It will idle on its own within 30 sec. all day. I run a NGK B8EG plug at .018. Worked on my 87 and now great on my 82!

Thanks again

we may be on to something with the slide. My other 82 430 starts very well--- it looks as if the slide may have been cut.

Do you use a file? How do you gage how much to cut? Is using a small round file a better method?

I also installed new reeds

it doesn't kick back. You can have a buddy push, click it in gear and it will start imediately

I used a flap wheel in a die grinder, was about a inch in diameter.

How much of the slide should be cut?

To all above,
Extremely interesting thread but a picture is worth a 1000 words. Would love to see what you guys are talking about . Heard it discussed but never seen it or can't visualize what is being "cut"/"ground out" on the slide. Could/would someone post up a couple of "before/after" photos or even a diagram of the proposed cutline for the visually impaired?
Thanks,
Rick

As some of you may know I just picked up an 81 430XC myself. Well I was giving her a going over the other day and noted that my slide has been modded. I would assume that this was a standard mod back in the day and most Husky techs would have performed it to ease starting.

Can't comment on how hard mine is to start at this point as it is somewhat pulled apart. Will be taking her out to play next weekend. May have to try a few of your tricks.......

Schimm. My camera takes lousy close ups otherwise I would post one. The cutout is the taper on the back half of the bottom of the slide. Mikuni sizes them by the mm. of the taper measured with slide on a flat surface. The number on the slide, example 2.0 is less of a taper than a 2.5 or3.0. This allows more air to pass thru when slide is "closed" thus increasing the signal to the pilot circuit. Venturi effect then pulls harder because its allowing that air to pull fuel at higher velocity into engine. Helps keeping it in atomized state which is more combustable than slow speed air allowing fuel to "drop out" before combustion- wet plugs-soggy crankcase. If you have to turn up idle screw to keep engine running and it runs rich opening up the slide to keep it running exposes main circuit/needle jet and then too much fuel. Lean slide out- higher number or cut it out to get slide lowered to take advantage of pilot circiut, easier starting - better idling. Once you open slide up with throttle youve pretty much cancelled pilot and are running on needle jet to main. I dont ever mess with main/needle jet to get idle/slow speed quality-engine killer like Picklito said "jet main then clean up idle" all my Husky's have 2.5 slides in them, or something close I modified. I didnt like the slide that came in my 82-430, somebody ground it too far to the front and it was too lean then on pilot. Put a stock 2.0 in it, started like..........Once running it was waaaay fat and smoking up whole place. had to have idle screww all the way in for it to run at slow speed, air/fuel screw wouldnt respond at all either. started sanding on slide untill it cleaned up and had good adjustment with air/fuel screw. adjusted a/f to highest engine speed then turn down idle and repeat untill there is no noticeable improvement. Did he same thing when first started fooling around with my hot rods, put big cam in and wouldnt idle unless you cranked up idle screw. It would idle horrible/fat. It didnt have enough air, drilled small holes in throttle blades, closed throttle blades down and it would idle good! Sorry for getting windy, Scott. I'll try to see how a pic will come out tomm.

I have several 81 and 82 430 Huskys. The 81 430 xc is the one that is hard to start ( identical starting issue as my buddy's 81 430 xc).

Jetting is as follows between my 81 xc and 81 wr;

81 xc has a 420 main 81 wr has a 430 main
ro needle jet q8 needle jet
6dh3 needle 6dh3 needle
2.0 slide 2.0 slide ( may have been cut)
45 pilot 40 pilot

Both run well; clean from bottom to top.

The wr starts well, hot or cold. The xc starts poorly hot or cold.

I still don't understand the cutting of the slide; sorry. It looks like the wr may have had the tapered part of the slide cut some. I could measure the difference, but would like to have a drawing or picture to use as a go by.

Thanks for your help.

http://www.yourhusky.com/files/SUDCO_Mikuni_tuning_manual.pdf. This manual has a good explanation with pictures. I tried to cut it and then put arrows to the slide to help explain the slide cutout but I'm not that savvy. I had been looking for that manual on here but forgot were I had seen it before! Hope this helps. I used to have one of theose from long ago but as usual I loaned it out and you know the rest of the story. Scott

I have a 81- 430 XC ( picture is here) I have just got around to getting mine running after 12 years, had it running a month ago, with use of my friends motoplat ( mine was toast). sent mineit out to Vince for a fresh rebuild, now I'm having trouble starting again, Lol , going to try a new plug, which begs my question WHAT plug can or should i use, I see from above posts that they are a hard bike to get spinning, part of the charm i guess, thank you to those who respond about what plug to use??

NGK B-8ES, B-9ES, they work as well as anything just cheaper.
Later George

slide cutaway is the angled cut that faces the airfilter when the slide is closed (always listen for the"clunk" when fooling around with carbs). the steep ness of the cut is what is being discussed, by increasing the angle of the cut ie from a 2.0 to a 3.0 it lets more air in.
Sometimes a slightly blubbery pilot can be cleaned up by making a 2.25 (example only) slide as discussed by grinding the cut away a little if the next pilot jet is too lean. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, the real good fix is to use the LC primary ratios crank gear and clutch gear which will spin the motor much quicker with each kick.