FLY_BOY wrote:
I just gave the idle a small turn in the beginning.
It seemed to not make any difference with my problem.
I then gave it a few full turns. It ran pretty full out and I quickly turned it down hoping to get to a nice sounding engine. But it just died when I got back to a lower speed.
I don't think an idle should be that touchy should it?
I would think it would start to sputter when getting to lean. It just does 1 sputter then dies.
How many turns would a good starting place be to start an idle adjustment?
So the idle is actually very sensitive, and there is usually a delay in how it affects the running. Less than a full turn is actually a large amount to adjust it.
A good way to adjust the idle is, again, to ride it around or let it warm up for 10 minutes. Then, put it on the stand and let the engine settle down into its idle. Then turn the idle screw a small amount (try 45 degrees if you want a place to start... in the end you could be working with even smaller increments) in whatever direction is appropriate. Then rev the engine with the throttle a bit, let go of the throttle, and let it settle back down completely - this will most realistically be the new idle you set it to. If it is still off, adjust another small bit, rev engine, let die down, and assess the situation again, and so on.
If you turned the idle screw, say, a full turn, rightly figuring that would only move the screw into the carb a small amount, you actually turned it a lot. It doesn't change very quickly on it's own, however, if you didn't rev the engine, so it wouldn't seem to have done anything. You might then figure "I guess that was a negligible amount to turn it" and turn it more as you did. After a moment the new idle WILL kick in and the engine will roar up high. Then turning it back "quickly" might easily put the idle too low.
Idle adjustment takes a little patience and a delicate touch with the screw driver. If it does wind up being too high, don't panic, it's not really very different from when you are turning the throttle in normal circumstances. Just back the screw off again a fraction of a turn (unless you turned it 3 full times
), give the throttle some twists, and see where it settles down to that time.
It sounds to me you are trying to adjust the idle in way too large steps. Try it again, but this time turn the screw partial turns, revving the engine and letting it settle back down completely before assessing where the adjustment you just made has put you. Maybe your idle IS too low after all!