Author Topic: Curious (Read 3781 times)

Vidrazor · « **on:** August 23, 2005, 10:30:59 PM »

OK, so I had to drop my bike off at the shop because it kept dying at any rev under ~2k, and it appeared to not be running on all fours.

The bike has had a weak starter, which I thought may have been something other than a starter, but they wired a car battery right to it and it was still weak and barely turned the engine with the plugs out (therefore no compression to hold it back).

The guy at the shop tells me the problem with the starter is related to the problem with the engine. I'm not sure why. Up until this past Sunday, the bike ran mechanically fine except for intermittent bouts with the above rough-running syndrome.

If I rode the bike out for a long enough time during one of those bouts (making sure the revs never dropped enough to stall the engine) the symptom would go away and it would be back to normal. I presumed this to be some kind of fuel delivery problem.

I started to ride out Sunday and ten blocks from my house the bike started acting up, and this time it stayed the way. I had to ride it home in 1st and 2nd to keep the revs up, and bump starts were the order of the day.

So the guy at the shop tells me he can't move on to step B (figuring out what's wrong with the engine) until I get a starter. I don't quite understand why. New starters from Suzuki are not only $350, but they're also two weeks away.

I told I knew someone who had some used starters I could get sooner, and he said go for it. So I got gsxr400 racer to send me one of his extras (thanks dude!), which will hopefully show up tomorrow, or probably Thurdsay at this point.

So I'm at a loss about all this. The bike shop has been around for 20 years, and I believe they're a reputable place (I think it's hard to be a shady operation for that long), so I don't think this guy's trying to pull the wool over my eyes. For instance, he wasn't trying to sell me on a new starter.

However, I'm wondering what he may be suspecting is wrong with the bike. When I got over there and they pulled the plugs, 1 & 2 were wet, yet the plugs sparked when we turned the bike over. He asked me if I parked the bike on the kickstand, but I don't. I always park it on the centerstand.

So the whole thing is weird to me. When the bike runs normal, it runs like a champ. I was coming down from Upstate New York last Thursday night and opened it up on a deserted strip and it bolted to 100 on a heartbeat. No problems. Friday and Saturday the bike ran fine. Then Sunday it dropped dead (more or less).

It's kinda annoying to me that everything is in limbo until I get this starter. I was hoping to take a ride up to Cape Cod Mass. on Friday, but that's written off. I'm beginning to not really trust this bike that I felt ran pretty damnned good. So any ideas on what could be going on here are appreciated. Thanks.

todius · « **Reply #1 on:** August 24, 2005, 12:16:47 AM »

My theory. Floats are sticking or leaking slightly on one or more carbs allowing fuel to overflow the bowls and drain down the intake rubbers into the engine. When you stop the engine, the petcock stops the flow of fuel to the carbs so you don't notice it when you go to restart it. When you rev the engine up, the amount of air and fuel going in makes the bit of leaking fuel negligible/less noticeable, but as rpms drop, the fuel ratio richens and the engine dies.

One way to check might be to run the bike at as low rpms as possible for a few minutes and then stop it and remove the carbs. Check insides of the intake rubbers to see if some seem wetter or drier than others.

The fact that you have spark, but a couple of plugs look wet leads me to believe this might be your problem.

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #2 on:** August 24, 2005, 12:58:36 AM »

A remote fuel bottle like sold by Motion Pro works well for this too. Take the carbs off, hook the fuel bottle to the carbs and let them sit. You should see your problem in a few seconds.
If you're cheap, a used plastic tank from a lawn mower, with a shut off valve works great as a remote fuel bottle!
Good luck. And I might add, it is great when you got a site where there are such knowledgable peeps so as it is not all on one's head to answer everything.

I LOVE THIS PLACE MAN, LOL

Vidrazor · « **Reply #3 on:** September 03, 2005, 11:05:25 AM »

Well, it turns out my carbs were full of rust and various other crap. They were cleaned out and I replaced the starter (thanks Jay) and the bike is running like it should, except for a minor quibble.

The bike appears to have lost some "snap". Before the bike crapped out, it used to feel quicker. For instance, taking off from a stop, the bike took off like, well, a bandit!

Even in top gear, if I felt I needed to zip past someone's blind spot, I'd give throttle and it bolted. I never felt the need to downshift. I may feel differently about that now.

Now, the difference isn't tremendous, mind you. It's not like it's really slugginsh or anything, but I certainly feel a difference. It's almost like I'm riding a different bike. The guy at the shop said he made the mixture a little richer because he thought the factory spec settings left the bike a little dry at the upper end. Could this make a difference in the way the bike feels now?

Just curious as to why it may feel this way. Any ideas? Thanks.

b4cruz · « **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2005, 12:19:28 PM »

maybe now you need to ballance the carbs

briholt · « **Reply #5 on:** October 03, 2005, 06:39:28 PM »

I see this is the continuation of the other thread...

Quote from: "Vidrazor"

Well, it turns out my carbs were full of rust and various other crap. They were cleaned out and I replaced the starter (thanks Jay) and the bike is running like it should, except for a minor quibble.

The bike appears to have lost some "snap". Before the bike crapped out, it used to feel quicker. For instance, taking off from a stop, the bike took off like, well, a bandit! Even in top gear, if I felt I needed to zip past someone's blind spot, I'd give throttle and it bolted. I never felt the need to downshift. I may feel differently about that now.

Now, the difference isn't tremendous, mind you. It's not like it's really slugginsh or anything, but I certainly feel a difference. It's almost like I'm riding a different bike. The guy at the shop said he made the mixture a little richer because he thought the factory spec settings left the bike a little dry at the upper end. Could this make a difference in the way the bike feels now?

Just curious as to why it may feel this way. Any ideas? Thanks.

PitterB4 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 03, 2005, 08:25:25 PM »

Quote from: "briholt"

I see this is the continuation of the other thread...

Bri! How have you been? I was just thinking about you today. I was thinking of starting a "Where'd They Go?" thread in the General forum. I haven't seen you around in a while. Hope all is well with you.

briholt · « **Reply #7 on:** October 03, 2005, 08:47:04 PM »

Hey Rob...yeah...bike was running well and so I found myself 'needing' the site as much...and with a couple of moves in between, I had to reaquaint myself with where the forum was...as you can see, I'm back down to only, what 3 posts? Anyway...it's good to see everyone still happy with their bikes..

bri

Quote from: "PitterB4"

Quote from: "briholt"
I see this is the continuation of the other thread...

Bri! How have you been? I was just thinking about you today. I was thinking of starting a "Where'd They Go?" thread in the General forum. I haven't seen you around in a while. Hope all is well with you.

banditcilik · « **Reply #8 on:** October 05, 2005, 03:39:06 AM »

I always think that leaner mix means revier engine but also hotter. Well, IMO, never know how rich is yours now.