| Author | Message | ||
     Mworks |
I just had my Blast on the Highway for the first time in a while. Going up hills it would lose all power. If I barely had the throttle open, it would last much longer. The more I opened the throttle, the faster it would die. Oddly enough, I used to drive these same hills everyday for work. Maybe 10 times out of a year and a half the bike stalled on hills. But the difference is that then I used to completely open the throttle and it would keep it from stalling. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. | ||
| Swampy |
Welcome Mworks! Check for fuel flow. Tank vent might be plugged, check by loosening the fuel cap when it is dying. Check for flow out of the fuel line, then check for a partially plugged carb jet. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Pardon the obvious and I'm not trying to be a jerk, but what gear are you in? You need to keep the rpms up if you're climbing hills. If you've been having any kind of a problem, its not just with hills, it must be running pretty poorly. More importantly: If you have a California Blast and it has not been '49 stated', do it ASAP. This is a must, otherwise any kind of further diagnosis will be futile. Its a black canister just under the rear of the seat frame above the wheel (about the size of a soda can). This little demon will stop your Blast cold and would likely be the cause of all and any running problems. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
PS: Pulling the gas cap off may alleviate the problems caused by the canister (as it would for a clogged/pinched fuel line), but its no guarantee. The way its set up on the California bikes, it can take quite some time for it to work itself out. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
PS, PS Have you rejetted? With the K & N and the V & H, stock jetting is likely to be very lean. | ||
| Mworks |
Thanks for the advice. I'll start by loosening the fuel cap, then I'll take a look at the canister. The bike was really hard to start on Sunday(when it was failing on hills), and was also hard to start yesterday both going to and leaving work. Now that I think about it, I've always had to start it sideways(level) on my driveway. The neutral sensor has been broken for a couple years now, but I don't think that is related to this problem. Other than that, I haven't noticed any problems. However, my current commute is about 3.5 miles of road that never exceeds 35mph, so it could have trouble that isn't showing up. Being in the wrong gear is not the problem. It is a steep hill, but it is long and straight. I used to climb it everyday at 60-70mph, depending on traffic. I have thought of rejetting, but never have. I've always been too attached to my gas mileage. Thanks for the advice. I'll keep you posted with my progress. | ||
| Ezblast |
Too lean - your burning up your piston and rings - been there and done that - Das Boot. EZ (Message edited by ezblast on July 09, 2009) | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Forgive me for repeating, but you must disconnect the canister. It will (though it sounds as if it is already) lead to problems eventually. Seriously. It will leave you stranded and just pulling off the gas cap wont be the quick fix it is for the 49 other states. There are other things that may be going wrong, but until you delete the canister, its pointless to continue. Sorry to repeat, but it is that important. "serious injury or death may result".  http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/201 64/76349.html http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/201 64/310671.jpg To really dumb it down: Disconnect the 3 hoses at the canister. Plug the big one. Plug the one that came off the 'carb' fitting on the canister. Leave the 'tank' one unplugged. | ||
| Ezblast |
Concur! | ||
| Mworks |
A few weeks ago I disconnected the canister, when I did a gas/water like mixture poured out. Yesterday I finally took it out on the highway and the problem is still there. I tried opening the gas cap and that didn't help. I did realize that it loses power after five or so seconds of the throttle being almost fully open on the flats and downhills too. Not just on the uphills like I thought before. Right before the bike looses power, I start to hear a slight clanking. So what is the next step, the fuel line? I was able to fix the starting problem. While starting the bike with the seat off, I noticed severe sparking where the negative battery cable connects to the frame. The connection appeared tight but the leads had been blackened. I cleaned up the leads and now the bike starts fine. | ||
| Ezblast |
Detonation, check your timing. EZ | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
You did completely disconnect the canister, not reconnect it and plugged the lines properly leaving the tank line open to vent? The carb line plugged? If the canister is filled up it does take a while for the fuel/water to work itself out of the carb. Just pulling off the gas cap rarely immediately solves the problem on a CA bike. A while=a few miles. You might still have other problems, we just need to be sure the canister is disconnected otherwise there isnt any point in continuing. | ||
| Mworks |
I did not reconnect the canister, and it is plugged as you had mentioned. I've put about 70 miles on it since. I only opened the gas cap while I was experiencing the trouble. Should I try running with the gas cap loosened even when I'm not having the problem(around town)? | ||
| Ezblast |
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/201 64/76349.html?1247694495 EZ | ||
| Swampy |
Clanking? | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
If the bikes been 49 stated it shouldnt take long, maybe 30 seconds, for it to return to normal running if it is indeed a tank vent problem. I would not run around with the gas cap loose if you are not having a problem or if it doesnt solve the problem. Right before the bike looses power, I start to hear a slight clanking. Detonation, maybe. It might be that detonation is being caused by a faulty ignition module possibly aggravated by the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor), since you say it happens after holding the throttle wide open for five seconds-that tells the ignition module to back off the timing-or causing the module to fault. Bad ignition modules can cause a variety of symptoms pointing at other possible causes. If you had bad wire connections this could contribute to a bad ignition module. Certainly check the timing and if not already, run premium gas. Clanking before it loses power also points to a bad or collapsed lifter. This can be caused by low oil pressure due to a bad oil pump gear drive. Though this does not seem to be the problem from what I read in your posts. But if you hear clanking then loss of power and it continues that certainly points to a collapsed lifter and possible oil pump drive gear. (one symptom of a bad oil pump drive gear is continually adding oil and it never seems to be full). My hope is its none of these and something simple! |
