Pilot screws and the workshop manual

I've just had the bike completely rewired, it's a 73 850 and is now very effectively wired up thanks to Ferret of Electrickery. As I had also fitted new amals which had not yet run I read the set up section of the Norton workshop manual. It states that I should screw the pilots in, and then out, one and a half turns. I did this and kicked the bike over, after about ten minutes of constant kicking I had lost about 2 stone and my leg looked like a turkey drum stick. My girlfriend who was taping the whole thing for posterity was collapsing with laughter, then it started. It revved it's nuts off and I hit the kill switch. Then, having learned a bit from the experience, I unscrewed the pilots, gave it a kick and it started and ran correctly. Have I got the set up information wrong? I did exactly what it said in the manual.

Cheers,

Steve

stevefiendish said:

It states that I should screw the pilots in, and then out, one and a half turns.

it started. It revved it's nuts off and I hit the kill switch. Then, having learned a bit from the experience, I unscrewed the pilots, gave it a kick and it started and ran correctly. Have I got the set up information wrong? I did exactly what it said in the manual.

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From your description, it sounds as if you were adjusting the throttle stop screws (the angled ones) instead of the pilot air screws (the horizontal ones)?

If not, then either the throttle stop screws are set too high, or the slides are hanging on their cables and you have managed to lower the idle speed by turning the pilot screws out until it's running much too lean?

stevefiendish said:

I've just had the bike completely rewired, it's a 73 850 and is now very effectively wired up thanks to Ferret of Electrickery. As I had also fitted new amals which had not yet run I read the set up section of the Norton workshop manual. It states that I should screw the pilots in, and then out, one and a half turns. I did this and kicked the bike over, after about ten minutes of constant kicking I had lost about 2 stone and my leg looked like a turkey drum stick. My girlfriend who was taping the whole thing for posterity was collapsing with laughter, then it started. It revved it's nuts off and I hit the kill switch. Then, having learned a bit from the experience, I unscrewed the pilots, gave it a kick and it started and ran correctly. Have I got the set up information wrong? I did exactly what it said in the manual.

Cheers,

Steve

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Hi Steve,
Just saw LAB's post after I wrote this but just in case it isn't the throttle screws this may help!
At least you know it runs which is a bonus.
I take it it is the Amals?, what it states in the manual is the 'starting' setting for the pilot screws, sometimes they may be screwed in or out different turns, each carb will probably have a different number of turns.
What can affect the screw settings is the float bowl height, I had set the float height what I believed to be correct , I think it was about .080" from the top of the float chamber, however I discovered that they would only run with the screws about 3/4 out on one side and 1/4 out on the other any further out and too much air was getting in, this was being caused by too low a fuel level and the pilots only needing to be a small distance out to let the correct ratio of air in. It turns out Amals of different years have a different fuel level .
If you go to this link to the Amal site http://www.amalcarb.co.uk/TechnicalDetail.aspx?id=13 it explains the differences.

There was also a thread on it here
new-amal-floats-t5220.html?hilit=float.

Once I got the float height set as it should be the pilots were in around the one and a half range and it was running smoothly
Robert

Thanks Chaps for two things: 1, for pointing out what I may have done (or probably did) wrong, and 2 for not telling me what a twit I am.

Many thanks.

Steve

I like to adjust the carbs with a carb stick - a vacuum gauge. I hook up the gauge to the balance pipe on each manifold, and adjust the carbs so the vacuum is equal. Then, I can adjust the throttle cables so the carbs are in synch. When you start to turn the throttle, the carb that drops its vacuum first has a tighter throttle cable - either run that adjuster in or the other one out until both vacuums drop together.

stevefiendish said:

I've just had the bike completely rewired, it's a 73 850 and is now very effectively wired up thanks to Ferret of Electrickery. As I had also fitted new amals which had not yet run I read the set up section of the Norton workshop manual. It states that I should screw the pilots in, and then out, one and a half turns. I did this and kicked the bike over, after about ten minutes of constant kicking I had lost about 2 stone and my leg looked like a turkey drum stick. My girlfriend who was taping the whole thing for posterity was collapsing with laughter, then it started. It revved it's nuts off and I hit the kill switch. Then, having learned a bit from the experience, I unscrewed the pilots, gave it a kick and it started and ran correctly. Have I got the set up information wrong? I did exactly what it said in the manual.

Cheers,

Steve

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Post the video to Youtubes We've all been there! :wink: