'74 CL360 troubleshooting

Not topping 50 mph sounds like the points wire is grounding out on the cover. Are you opening the throttle wide open and it makes a deeper tone and almost sounds like it's underwater? Take the cover off and look for dark spots or little burrs on the bottom part of the cover where the spark plug groove is. You can die grind some material away for the lower inside of the cover, then coat it will liquid rubber or electrical tape. People also put 2 or 3 gaskets under the cover.

For the battery, I'd see if it will maintain charge running without the lights on. It's very common for the charging system on a 360 to have issues with the headlight on. I went ahead and changed out my reg and rec anyway when I got mine.
 
deviant said:
Not topping 50 mph sounds like the points wire is grounding out on the cover. Are you opening the throttle wide open and it makes a deeper tone and almost sounds like it's underwater?

For the battery, I'd see if it will maintain charge running without the lights on. It's very common for the charging system on a 360 to have issues with the headlight on. I went ahead and changed out my reg and rec anyway when I got mine.
Click to expand...

The points wire, you say? Can you tell me more?

I've tried running it with and without the headlight on. I figured the new rectifier will only be a step forward, at this point. Plus Sonreir has very reasonable prices.
 
It's very common for the connectors that connect the blue and yellow wires to the points to ground to the cover on a 360. You have to have the connectors installed in a specific way to prevent it and even then, it often happens. When the wire grounds to the cover, the engine won't spark on that side. Essentially, you're running on one cylinder. You can tell by running it with the cover off to see if the engine idle changes. The exhaust will be cooler on the grounding side too.
 
JWL1991 said:
Dumb question, but that's the little black cover on the left side of the motor, correct? Take it off and it has the sparky thing inside?
Click to expand...
Yes. Mine is aluminum, but your's might be painted black. It's just above the spark plug on the left side.
 
deviant said:
Yes. Mine is aluminum, but your's might be painted black. It's just above the spark plug on the left side.
Click to expand...

Roger that. We checked it for spark, etc, but did not check to see if the wire ground out. I will dig into it this afternoon. Thanks!

Anything else I should look for?
 
JWL1991 said:
Roger that. We checked it for spark, etc, but did not check to see if the wire ground out. I will dig into it this afternoon. Thanks!

Anything else I should look for?
Click to expand...
Did you check for spark with the cover on or off? Sometimes, it will only ground out for a short time, like 1/4 of a mile. Other times it will stay grounded. The cover will often have a small burr or black carbon inside the cover below the connectors where they're touching the cover. If it's grounded to the cover, the engine will be cold on that side since you're not getting spark at that time. You could just go ahead and add a gasket and see if it runs better.
 
deviant said:
Did you check for spark with the cover on or off? Sometimes, it will only ground out for a short time, like 1/4 of a mile. Other times it will stay grounded. The cover will often have a small burr or black carbon inside the cover below the connectors where they're touching the cover. If it's grounded to the cover, the engine will be cold on that side since you're not getting spark at that time. You could just go ahead and add a gasket and see if it runs better.
Click to expand...

Checked it with the cover off. It made little sparks at two different points.

Engine is warm on both sides.
 
All kinda sounds like poor charging to me, I bet the new unit from Sonier will fix it since most of the time the rectifier is at fault and is bad.
 
frogman said:
All kinda sounds like poor charging to me, I bet the new unit from Sonier will fix it since most of the time the rectifier is at fault and is bad.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping! Fingers crossed.

Side note/issue: Does anyone know what would cause a "coughing" from the carbs when I first fire it up? Little puffs of smoke coming out from there as well. Seems to get less prominent after it's been running for a bit.
 
frogman said:
All kinda sounds like poor charging to me, I bet the new unit from Sonier will fix it since most of the time the rectifier is at fault and is bad.
Click to expand...
Except for the part where it won't go over 50 mph. That's exactly what happens when the points ground to the cover.
 
Updates!

Got her over to a mechanic yesterday afternoon. Valve clearance was off, as it turns out. It is now correct. That being said, I do still have a charging issue, but thankfully, the rectifier from Sonreir is inbound. Any tips on how to combine the wiring from the separate regulator and rectifier into the single unit?

Second issue - it is indeed an intake issue. The bike came without the air filter covers, and I had been trying to run stock airboxes with only aluminum "number plates" to cover them. I don't want to run "pods" and I can't anyways because the battery would be in the way. Does anyone know if '74 CB360 covers would be compatible with a '74 CL360? Anyone making repops?

Lay it on me!!
 
Wiring the new unit is simple. Unplug and tape up the wires individually from the harness side of the regulator (silver box), you will not be using those wires. Connect the new unit to the wiring for the rectifier. Just match colors to colors.

For the air cleaners are you talking about the metal covers that go over the filter part? Or the plastic outer shell? The metal part is the same for all 74 bikes, the plastic outer is the same on the right side and different on the left between CL and CB bikes because of the exhaust pipes.

Missing either should not affect how the bike runs. As long as all the gaskets are in place so that no dirt can get by the filters you should be fine. The metal part is just a shroud that helps keep the filter cleaner for longer and also helps to muffle the intake noise.
 
frogman said:
Wiring the new unit is simple. Unplug and tape up the wires individually from the harness side of the regulator (silver box), you will not be using those wires. Connect the new unit to the wiring for the rectifier. Just match colors to colors.

For the air cleaners are you talking about the metal covers that go over the filter part? Or the plastic outer shell? The metal part is the same for all 74 bikes, the plastic outer is the same on the right side and different on the left between CL and CB bikes because of the exhaust pipes.

Missing either should not affect how the bike runs. As long as all the gaskets are in place so that no dirt can get by the filters you should be fine. The metal part is just a shroud that helps keep the filter cleaner for longer and also helps to muffle the intake noise.
Click to expand...

Awesome! Sounds deceptively simple, as far as wiring is concerned. Thanks again!

As for air filters, ARE there even any suitable OEM style replacements? My issue is that it's coughing, spluttering, farting, etc because it appears to be running too lean.
 
UPDATES: We have decided on a plan of action. Ordered some Uni filters for it and we will work from there. Kind of a shot in the dark, but since it's missing the original cases and covers for the air boxes, we don't really have any "constants" to work from. Once those are on, we will see how she runs and address any rejetting issues. Then, I will install Sonreir's rectifier unit, and we should be on the road!

With the Uni filters, my plan is to use the 4 inch variety and I will use the aluminum oval "number plates" as covers. I'm hoping these protect the somewhat delicate filters from most damage.

Does anyone have any additional advice they would care to add?
 
The UNI filters aren't as delicate as you might think. They are sensitive to UV exposure, though (sunlight) so covering them up is a good move.

-Deek
 
JWL1991 said:
Looks like the right side is not quite all the way in?
Click to expand...

The throttle shaft plug is missing, that causes a massive air leak at anything above idle.
Carb should fit into the manifold rubber until is 'clicks' into place. Get around front of bike, put you knee on clutch cover and pull carb towards you (after loosening clamp, obviously)
 
Alright! It's been a while, but some updates: I have a running bike! Many of the things that I was told were fixed by the original tech were not. Valves were off, PO had tried to force the top of the engine off with a screwdriver, causing it to leak oil, the right side carb had a jet out of it's hole and just rolling around, while the other two were in the wrong places, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Anyways, we fixed the valve clearance, sealed the oil seeping, got everything squared away carb-wise. Added Uni-filters, which seem to run nicely.

My final issue was that several...unique...wiring methods were used by the previous tech, so we got those sorted out and a new rectifier should solve my battery charging issue. It runs fine but only for about 30 miles or so, until the battery wears down.

Took it for a brief test ride yesterday, and it FLIES! Wayyyy faster than I ever thought it would be.
 
Hey Rich, I've seen you giving advice on a few different posts about these old Hondas. Would you know what the compression should be on a 74 Honda CL360?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DTT Light or Dark

  • DTT Light
    • www.jadusmotorcycleparts.com
    www.lostapostle.ca/
    www.sparckmoto.com

    Spread the Love

    Back
    Top Bottom