| Author | Message | ||
     Swampy |
The oil could be aerated, not water contaminated...... Go for the easy stuff first, look for the Big Three: fuel-compression-spark To get water into the engine you would have to get water into the crankcase, too much washing in the area where the vent elbow plugs into the top of the head.......or if you get water in the trans/primary...too much washing on the left inside of the frame under the seat. You could cheat a bad boot/plugged jets by squirting a little fuel into the carb(becareful of a backfire) | ||
| Weberw |
So I got it into the sop to do some work on it. pulled the carb, and found that the jet was fine and at least the bottom half was fine. Put it back together, rechecked the spark (and got a good shock out of it, oops). A friend suggesting trying to bump start it for kicks, and i realized that the clutch is not disengaging. more work, tried to get through the adjustment procedure outlined in the service manual, with no luck, it doesn't really seem to be a clutch adjustment problem, just not disengaging. Any ideas or suggestions? | ||
| Ezblast |
Too much fluid? | ||
| Swampy |
If you Blast has been sitting for a while it needs to be put in gear(engine Off) pull the clutch in and move it around. Then check for disengagement | ||
| Vnvdaemon |
I've got it consistently starting now. I replaced the original spark plug with a performance one, and it wasn't giving me a consistent spark (anyone else have similar problems?). Replaced with an 10R12A spark plug, and it will start & idle fine. If I begin to roll-on the throttle slightly, it responds properly, but if I roll it more than just a hair, the engine stalls out and (more often than not) backfires. Once again, I've cleaned & checked the carb & boot. Are there any other possibilities? Maybe the ignition timing? | ||
| Ezblast |
Torn or worn slide rubber diaphragm in the carb, a loss of vacuum somewhere is making you too lean - I suspect - bad installment of the boot, loose clamps, check that, the o ring at the intake to motor could be faulty - any leaking signs around there? EZ (Message edited by ezblast on May 06, 2008) | ||
| Reuel |
Ignition module? The weak point is where the wires go to the hall-effect sensor. Sometimes they break, but they're in contact, and vibrations make them lose connection at strange times, making the ignition module think it's time to spark when it isn't, or not to spark when it should. | ||
| Myrtleblast |
ok guys. need help. My blast starts fine, but it doesn't idle down. when it starts it revs really high, which is normal, but the idle usually slows down so I can shift into first. Problem is, this morning it didn't idle down. then i had to kick it hard to get it into first, then it wouldn't shift up. after a while of riding it around the 'hood it shifted through the gears, but at stop lights it still idles waaay high. also, when i shut it off, a full second or two after ignition is cut off the bike makes a small "pop" sound from the exhaust. i think it may be the auto-enricher??? anyone have any other ideas on what could be causing this? this may not have anything to do with it but three days ago i wrapped the exhaust with black exhaust wrapping. One more thing, i turned the idle mixture all the way tight to cut off the flow of fuel, but there was no change in idle... | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
If its idling too high its out of the idle screw mixture circuit so adjusting the screw wont do anything. At first its sounds like the intake boot, but if its making a pop after the ignition is cut, it may be the ignition module. Think carefully if you did anything else but the exhaust tape. Could also be a stuck carb slide or throttle cable bind. | ||
| Ezblast |
Das Boot! | ||
| Myrtleblast |
ok. this is not a good feeling. I'm now AFRAID to ride my bike. This is going to be a rather long post, but I hope someone takes the time to read it and can get me pointed in the right direction. UNTIL THIS SITUATION IS RESOLVED I WILL NOT BE RIDING so I hope we can get this ASAP. Here's the problem. This morning on my commute to work I was riding the highway as usual, Around 70 mph. I heard a raspy popping sound and my bike lost power instantly. Luckily no one was on my A$$ and I was able to pull off to the side of the road. The spark plug popped out of its hole AGAIN!!!! this has happened several times now. I let it cool down and took a look at it. the part with the threads was white, but the actual part that the spark arcs to was a golden brown, indicating my AF mixture was ok, right? The problem is that I know the gap was off. it looks like it was smashed. there was very little gap, almost like the piston head contacted the sparkplug and shot it out of the hole. This is unacceptable. if this were to happen with someone close behind me It could be bad. I have a brand new (3 day old) manifold coupler (das boot), the spark plug is the OEM 10R12A (3 days old). I know nothing of engines. This is my first bike. All of my problems began when I put on the VH ssr2 and rejetted the carb. I put in the 45, but the 175 they gave me has too small of a diameter on the threading and it won't go in where the stock Main jet still is. so my bike is re-jetted to 45/170. I am also hearing a really weird noise in the area of what I am assuming is the primary? it's the part of the bike where the gear shifter goes into. I can't tell if the noise is coming from the gear shifter side or the rear brake side because I can't replicate the sound when the bike is in neutral, I only hear it around 45 miles an hour. It sounds like a marble is bouncing around down there somewhere. This is why I am really afraid to ride it. I read somewhere in these extensive archives that there may be a piece of plastic that keeps a chain or something from sagging, and if it breaks loose and gets caught in the primary chain it will seize up and send the bike and rider flying!!!!! i do not want this to happen (obviously). Don't let the fancy words i use like "primary" "chain" "shifter" or whatever trick you into thinking I know what i'm talking about. I don't. I'm a complete noob and don't have the slightest clue how an engine works. Another problem i am having is it's finally warmed up (avg. temp 76) in myrtle beach and now it barely starts. It takes a couple cranks on the starter and if the bike starts it idles VERY slow. sometime giving it throttle results in the bike backfiring and shutting off, just shutting off, or actually burping to life and away we go. Last that i can think of right now is it still makes a slight PUFFFF from the exhaust after i cut the engine off with the kills switch. So those are the probs i'm facing right now. It's probably best if i don't ride it, right? The first thing i want to tackle is the primary. I DL'ed some of the pdf files and think I can get it part and back together without too much problem, although thats what i thought when i rejetted the carb and that seems to be when all these problems started... when i get the primary apart i'll take pics so you all can see if everything looks ok in there before i put it all back together. one more thing. could the piston be hitting my spark plug because of a lifter? what is a lifter and where is it located? thanks in advance guys, hope we can get my bike back on the road soon!!!!! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
First: Spark plug popped out or spark plug wire? If the plug is popping out it means someone stripped the spark plug threads. That'll have to be fixed or its just going to happen again. Nothing I can think of on a stock engine is going to ram the plug out of the head, you'd be hearing some very bad noises first. Have you tried just shutting the engine down with the key? What happens? Have you adjusted the primary chain? That will make tons of noise if maladjusted (like me). But first...the spark plug? | ||
| Myrtleblast |
ok. yes, the actual plug is popping out. the plug wire is what keeps it from being lost on the side of the road. Someone else also told me it might be the threads that are stripped. They recommended that I use lock tight to keep it in place. If I need to change the plug I should be able to break the seal. I too thought the noise from my engine was caused by the primary so i adjusted it by ear. I started the bike, let it warm enough for the AE to idle the bike down, but didn't leave it on so long that the primary got hot. I loosened the nut all the way then began tightening it. once i felt it putting pressure on something inside the engine the idle started to drop and i could hear a whirring noise. This is where i backed it off 7 flats of the bolt. I think thats right for the primary? and the plug will be locktighted soon. the only other explanation i can think of is that something is messed up in my primary. once again, what is a lifter, what does it do and where is it? Thanks again guys... | ||
| Reuel |
I'm not sure locktite can handle the heat. You would do better to put in a helicoil. The lifters are part of the valve train. Cams push the lifters that push the rods that push the rockers that push the valves open. The cams live under the cover that houses your ignition module on the right side. | ||
| Ezblast |
YOU NEED TO HELI-COIL YOUR PLUG HOLE. If it keeps popping out - that means the threads are stripped. EZ | ||
| Myrtleblast |
heli-coil? hmmm. i think i heard something like that available at napa? it goes in the plug hole then the plug goes in that right? Also, what would cause my bike to backfire in the area between the manifold coupler and carb? It's weird. Sometimes when i start my bike it idles waaaay too high, but then after a ride i shut it off, i hear a slight puff/backfire from the exhaust. then after a couple minutes when i try to start it again it won't start, like it's not getting enough gas. Then i have to twist the throttle to get it started. if i let the throttle go it stalls. also during operation the bike sporadically "pops" from the carb area and feels like it's "surging". i.e. getting a little more gas, then a little less, then a little more gas, then a little less gas... maybe i screwed up the carb when i re-jetted it. i think i may have to just buy a new one. any advice guys? | ||
| Myrtleblast |
oh!!!! one more thing. i took the little circle plate cover thing off the right side of the engine and i saw a little plastic box. it has a red light that lights up every time the engine (completes a rotation)? what is it? is it something to do with the timing? maybe i need to adjust the timing to get rid of the backfiring and surging... Reuel, i appreciate the attempt at the lifter explanation, but like i said, i'm an idiot. all i heard was something about a lot of things pushing other things. i'm going to buy a service manual. does it have to be year specific? i looked on ebay but couldnt find an 05 book... (Message edited by myrtleblast on May 21, 2008) | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
What EZ said. You need to fix the spark plug hole before you go further and dont even think about using Loctite on it in the future! After you get the helicoil installed it will be better than new. However, doing that without taking the cylinder head off is tricky. Not for the novice. Either way you'll be taking the head to someone else to get it fixed (learn to helicoil on something else less critical). Little black box is the ignition module. When it lights up thats the spark plug firing. | ||
| Ezblast |
The pops are Das Boot! But fix your plug recepticle first. EZ | ||
| Myrtleblast |
Thanks EZ, but how can it be the boot? I just bought a brand new one last week? I didn't over-torque the clips, just snugged them. I think it may be a problem with the fuel delivery in the carb because when I shut off the bike with either the kill switch or the key it makes a puffing sound out of the exhaust. this is weird. also, are different year manuals ok to use on my 05? | ||
| Reuel |
If your spark plug won't even stay in, you gotta fix that first. Everything else is moot until then. Since you don't have much more than a clue, (no digs here, just finding a starting point for you) you may want to get a book about small engine repair. The service manual is written for people who already have basic knowledge of the whole thing. Here's a good animation: How Stuff Works That animation is of an engine that has an overhead cam. That's the blue thing. The Rotax is the only engine in the Buell lineup that has one. Ours is down behind that blinking LED. So, something has to roll on that cam to transfer motion to the valves. Since the Blast has 2 cams, it needs 2 lifters. They simply roll along on the cam, and lift the push rods. The push rods go up to the head where they push the valves through another contraption called a rocker. It's called a rocker because it rocks! The push rod pushes up, and the rocker rocks. The other end of the rocker pushes down on the valve, just like the blue thing is doing in the animation, but with a lot more stuff doing the same job. Now, if you understood that, you probably wonder if having the cam over the head isn't a better way to go. Well, yeah, but these are modeled after the HD engine.  If you go to the next page after reading all that, they have an example of a belt drive from a Lightning. The spark plug starts the whole combustion process, so things are very stressful in that area. If it is actually coming out, it isn't tight, which could cause a host of problems. If it looks like it was damaged, there's a good chance something else is amiss inside your combustion chamber. Once you feel like you can get it apart, after reading a lot about engines and the service manual, you will have to look for any damage to the head on the inside. Also, look for damage to the piston. If they're OK, take it to a local machine shop and have them put in the helicoil. You'll want someone experienced to do that, since messing up can ultimately result in the head being transformed into a paperweight or doorstop. Now might be a good time to find a mechanic friend and feed him beer and pizza for some hands on training. If you were really close to Delaware, I'd help you myself!  Read this forum, too! There's lots of good information, and pictures, too! Look through the archives of the engine topics. Read the 515cc and 600cc stuff, etc. There's lots of information, and if you do some studying and look up things you don't understand, we'll make an expert MC mechanic of you yet! Side note for Erik: It doesn't actually spark until the LED goes off.  Edit: Found an illustration of a Buell-like valve setup. Cams at the bottom right, lifters are cylindrical things on top of them, rods to up to the valves, rockers sit on top of them, and valves have springs around their tops. Pushrod engine illustration Found Here. (Message edited by reuel on May 22, 2008) | ||
| Ezblast |
Sounds like the boot is loose, or not lined up, fix the plug hole first, could be a few other things, but always check your last work as well - I rushed replacing a boot once, and clamped part of that lip on the end, causing a minor vac leak that I couldn't figure out till I took the boot off and inspected it. I then put it back on and all was fine. EZ | ||
| Myrtleblast |
Reuel, Thanks!! i looked all over the net for something like that but couldn't find it. everything i found was like you said, for people who already understand engines. the illustration looks simple enough. I'm not really wanting to take the engine that far apart but i guess i'll have to. i have no idea what else to do. gas prices are killing me so i took the bike to work this morning. snugged it up with a crescent wrench b4 i left. plug didn't come out, but was very loose when i checked it after lunch. the engine was idling really low this morning so i tightened that little screw on the outside of the carb to make the engine idle higher. half way to work while sitting at a light it was idling real high and i couldnt mess with the screw so i just let out the clutch half way while in first gear and applied the front brake. that dropped the idle down but i fear doing that a lot will harm my bike. i'll re-check the boot if i make it home this evening EZ. as for finding a mechanic buddy, i'm screwed. i don't know many people and the ones i do know are in dry-wall and construction... i have my work cut out for me i guess. thanks again guys and i'll keep you up to date with the status of my bike... | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
"Side note for Erik: It doesn't actually spark until the LED goes off" Just trying to keep it as simple as possible. So it fires just as the light 'turns' off? I'm going to assume you've already tested this out! Myrtleblast: Any year manual is fine. There are some minor differences, none that really matter. | ||
| Reuel |
Well, I'm probably wrong. It is probably coming on and off according to the hall-effect sensor. In that case, the spark happens some time while it's on. That's something like 45 degrees of crank revolution or so. The first time I set up my ignition, I noticed the Blast started the first time it turned over, instead of on the third time around like the stock ignition. The problem I had with that was that when it fired the first time around, the engine was moving at a much slower pace than the second or third time around, and would often backfire instead of starting. Now, if it's going too slow for the timing advance logic to calculate timing, it just skips it instead of firing at 0 degrees. I originally figured 0 degrees would be OK for starts. Dammit! You got me digressing again! | ||
| Slowhand96 |
Just a note about the Heli-coil.. there are different sizes. Bring your plug with you to Napa and make sure you get the right length. Keep that heli-coil in mind every time you change your plug after that. It can come out with the plug, which will lead to some serious head scratching if you forget about it... so be aware of that. While you are at Napa have them compare your plug against a different brand for the blast. I worked at a parts store for a few years and have seen mis-labeled plugs, IE the electrode was too deep. The smashed end you spoke of could have happened when it came out or the piston could have touched it if it goes too deep into the head. Drilling and tapping will get filings in your cylinder, not much you can do about that without taking your head off. I once heli-coiled all four plugs in an omni GLHS turbo and didn't worry about it too much. (but thats just the way I am, I gotta learn the hard way) I assumed the chips would burn and blow out with the first combustion. That car lived for years after that.. no problems... and I beat the everlovin snot out of it.... had to keep them Mustangs humble ya know... lol.. Good Luck! | ||
| Ezblast |
Get an Iridium plug and not worry about change for a while, much harder to foul also, remember to blue locktite the ceramic that screws to the solenoid contact side of the plug - several brands have it that way - never blue locktite the plug, anti-sieze is known to be used here by several. EZ | ||
| Fast1075 |
Greasing the thread tap will REDUCE the amount of chips that get inside the motor when you rethread the hole. Proper tap technique is once you have the tap started..(couple of turns)..for every 1/2 turn in...back off 1/4 turn..this properly breaks up the chips and clears a clean cutting path...makes better, cleaner threads and eliminates the chance of the tap binding up. The cardinal rule is MAKE SURE YOU ARE GOING IN STRAIGHT!!!!!! Heli-coils are great when properly sized and installed..the hardest part is breaking off the drive tang without bending the end of the coil or dropping the tang down the hole. My favorite thread repair for a spark plug is called Keensert which is a machined insert instead of a coil of steel...Either method works fine on a street bike when done properly (race engines, especially BOOSTED ones need to have the repair blended into the combustion chamber to eliminate hot spots). | ||
| Reuel |
You still have that GLHS? I almost got one back in 1989, but I couldn't get a loan approved when they found out I'd be going overseas. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Reuel, FWIW:I knew you'd studied the ignition extensively! I just checked and it sparks right when the LED comes on. Now I did this by turning the module and watching the plug spark (when the light came on). It worked with the SE ignition this way, but with the stock ignition I couldnt get it to spark (by turning the module).  When cranking it over the stock ignition will fire seemingly on the first stroke, but when the SE ignition starts going bad, it fires every 3rd time! I'll be moving this to ignition module threads, soon! |
