• Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

  • Hi everyone,

    As you all know, Coffee (Dean) passed away a couple of years ago. I am Dean's ex-wife's husband and happen to have spent my career in tech. Over the years, I occasionally helped Dean with various tech issues.

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85 250CR won't start without choke

NicoV

NicoV

Husqvarna
AA Class
I'm a bit puzzled here, my 85 is almost impossible to start without choke, warm or cold doesn't matter. When it's been sitting for a couple of days it usually takes 3-4 kicks with choke before it starts, when warm it takes one proper kick with choke.
But..! Without the choke it's almost impossible to get it started. I can kick it 10 times without it showing any signs of life. Then try a kick with choke and it'll start right up. If i try long enough eventually it'll start without choke.
Once it's running it'll idle just fine without choke.

I'm sure something is wrong somewhere but I can't figure out what. I've cleaned the carb a bunch of times now (did not see any dirt any of these times but cleaned every hole anyway), tried different idle jets, adjusted the float level, with and without air filter, different plugs. Nothing seems to have any effect on the starting.

I should probably add that my cylinder has been ported, it looks like whoever did it knew what they were doing but the channels that go from the intake to the transfers have been enlarged quite a bit, so much that they open up into the cylinder/head stud holes. I sealed the studs best I could at the head but I'm thinking this might have something to do with it, it could still be leaking in air there at very low rpm, or maybe it disturbs things in some other way.

Any ideas? Having to start it with choke is not the end of the world but I can't help but think that something is wrong.
 
Sound normal, maybe a touch lean, if it runs good :thumbsup: don't mess with it :banghead:

Husky John
 
I'm also thinking an air leak, but one that is small enough to only affect starting and not idle. I raised the float level to where it's running too rich everywhere and the pilot jet is a 45 which is what it had from the factory. Also tried 50 to no avail, it was running even richer at idle but didn't help with the starting. I may have to try and seal the cylinder studs using silicone or something, my guess is that's where it's leaking.
 
I have seen porting jobs on this forum where vapors go past the cylinder stud and that in itself would not be a problem unless it creates an atmospheric system leak
 
What I'm thinking is it may be leaking a little at the top of the studs where they come out of the head. I'll put some more sealant underneath the nuts and see if that helps.
 
The studs are supposed to be isolated and if there is blowby at them you need to re-gasket top and bottom.
 
I have leaned out my auto so it does not gas up in the woods, It needs the choke to start even when warm. Alright as long as I remember:doh:
 
husqyhamm said:
The studs are supposed to be isolated and if there is blowby at them you need to re-gasket top and bottom.
Click to expand...

They are isolated at the gasket areas of course, but not at the top of the head. The only thing keeping the stud channels themselves from leaking into the atmosphere there are nuts. Normally that wouldn't be a problem because as you say they are isolated from the rest of the engine. However if someone ports enough to connect the intake to the stud holes... That might actually affect things.
Coolant level is not going down so I'm pretty sure the gaskets are ok.
 
stormer254 said:
I have leaned out my auto so it does not gas up in the woods, It needs the choke to start even when warm. Alright as long as I remember:doh:
Click to expand...

I've never needed it for any of my other 2-strokes but if it's common practice then I guess that's the way it's gonna be! I'll just make sure it doesn't leak through the stud holes first and if that doesn't work, choking it is even for warm starts :)
 
not loosing gearbox oil are you with a leaking engine seal? may lean it out enough to need the choke to start. check your intake manifold, they have a bad habit of cracking underneath but work fine until you land off a jump or pull a big wheelie then it suddenly runs on as the crack opens...
 
Yea the intake rubber was cracked all over the place but that has been taken care of with some Liquisole, seems to be airtight now (checked visually and with starter spray).
One could almost think that those cracks come stock on those things, had 3 intake rubbers and all 3 were cracked more or less at the same spots. A buddy and I are actually thinking of reproducing those as nobody seems to make the stock style ones, the billet ones look nice but a bit pricey.
 
My 88 came with a one piece rubber manifold - cracked as well. I have super glued it and then pulled a front wheel inner tube over the whole thing with Sika Flex (PU adhesive) liberally coating the surface of the manifold. I intend to make up a one piece ally manifold with straight rubber connector soon to replace my bodge up.

2premo - I'd be interested to see what your manifold looks like.
 
RTM said:
My 88 came with a one piece rubber manifold - cracked as well. I have super glued it and then pulled a front wheel inner tube over the whole thing with Sika Flex (PU adhesive) liberally coating the surface of the manifold. I intend to make up a one piece ally manifold with straight rubber connector soon to replace my bodge up.

2premo - I'd be interested to see what your manifold looks like.
Click to expand...

my local dealer has them in stock, and they are in the parts catalog
I will take a picture of the one on my 88 430 when I am home probably tomorrow
 
The strangest thing happened.. I lowered the float level because I had adjusted it so much that it was running too rich everywhere, and now all of a sudden it'll start fine without choke when warm. I find it strange, considering that I made it run leaner by lowering the float level and the plug was bone dry before with the higher level..

Next problem is that I can't run it at WOT for longer than a second or 2, any longer and it just dies and comes back shortly after letting go of the throttle. Seems like fuel starvation so I guess my 1.5 needle valve was a bit too small. It was the only size I had in stock but I already guessed it was probably not gonna work for gravity fed fuel. A 3.3 is on its way now.
What are you guys with Mikunis using?
 
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