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			MAXIM-X TUNEP PROCEDURE
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Question:  Does anyone have the instructions on carb balancing for a Maxim-X?



Answer:  I use the acronym, A.I.M. to describe the steps to follow for tuning the Maxim-X.


	A - Air
	=============
	- Make sure you have a new air filter and no vacuum leaks
	  before you start.  If you don't consider the engine's
	  ability to breathe, you won't end up with proper tune.

	I - Ignition
	=============
	- Deal with your ignition performance before bothering to
	  attempt a tune up.  That means new plugs (Iridium
	  recommended for the X), proper gap (don't exceed 0.026"
	  when using stock coils but feel free to gap 0.036"-0.040"
	  when using high power coils & Iridium plugs), replace
	  ignition wires, recondition or replace spark plug caps,
	  and last but not least - upgrade the coils (Dyna DC1-1).
	  The quality of ignition, particularly if different from
	  one cylinder to the next, will have an impact on your
	  efforts to get proper tune.

	M - Mikunis
	=============
	- After all the other stuff is done, that's when you'll
	  get proper tune.  The carb tuning involves 4 different
	  settings:  Mixture, Sync, Idle RPM and float bowl fuel
	  level.  Naturally you'd want the float bowl fuel levels
	  to be correct before starting but the remaining three
	  settings aren't done in any particular order so much
	  as all at once.  You'll start with a ballpark mixture
	  adjustment by setting the pilot screws to 2.75 turns
	  out from bottom.  That won't be correct but it should
	  be reasonably close.  Then you'd set the RPM to 1100rpm,
	  after which you could do the first, albeit coarse, carb
	  vacuum sync.  The next step would be to reset the idle
	  speed to 1100rpm, after which you'd Colortune #1, resync
	  and reset the rpm again. Then you'd move on to Colortune
	  #4, then resync and reset the rpm.  The same again for
	  #3, then #2.  Every time you make an adjustment, both
	  the sync and rpm are likely to change, that's why you
	  sync and reset the rpm for each cylinder.  So you're
	  constantly checking sync and rpm and you're likely to
	  adjust the mixture at least twice, if not three times
	  before you're done.

Of course, the A.I.M. acronym assumes that you have already dealt with valve clearances.
But since we're talking about the Maxim-X and since it's not likely that you'd 'quickly'
swap shims before your tuneup, I didn't bother to mention it.  Besides, whether the
valve clearances are good or bad, the steps for a tuneup remain the same.  Still, maybe
I should remember CL.A.I.M. instead :-)

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