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Message |
    
Buckeye86
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 10:14 am: | 
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This morning, while getting ready to hop on my bike and head off to class, I couldn't get it to keep running. The bike cranks over, but it sounds like one of the cylinders isn't firing, and the revs were really (<500), and after a couple of seconds, the bike just stalled out. I turned of the run switch, turned the key off, and tried again. Same thing.
I don't have a whole lot of troubleshooting experience with the bike, but I have a couple of theories that I'm planning on trying out when I get home this evening.
First, could one of the spark plugs be bad? It's only got about 4300 miles, but it is an '05, and that could certainly be a problem. What about a rubbed wire? I'm not really sure how to check either of those, but they seem the most likely to me. It's not the battery; just changed it out about a week ago.
Another thought might be that the starter is failing. When I turn on the run switch, there is an electric whirring sound while the gauges sweep. I assumed this is normal behavior, but given I've never heard any other Buell's startup, I really have no idea. It seems that if the starter was bad, however, the bike wouldn't crank over, period.
What about fuel lines? I've been using premium, as did the previous owner, so I'm thinking that's not the issue.
The last issue is the one that probably has me the most worried. I bought the bike this summer in Florida, and I believe the previous owner used 20W50 oil, but I'm not sure. It's been less than 3 months/10000 miles since it's last been serviced, but I'm somewhat concerned about the ambient temperature that the oil runs in. In Florida, it didn't get below 40, so that oil worked fine. Up here in Ohio, however, it's getting to the point where the temperature is getting much chillier, so is the oil a problem? If so did it cause any permanent damage?
Like I said, I've not really worked on motorcycles at all, so I'm at a complete loss as to what to do now. Thinking TPS reset for start, and beyond that...?? Help please! |
Sparky
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 12:58 pm: |
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Regarding oil, do you have the owners manual? The info you need is in there. If you don't have one, you can log into the Buell website, go to the Owners page and download an owners manual for free.
Regarding the miss, it's probably a loose spark plug cable or a fouled spark plug. You can look on the left upper side of the engine that would be partially hidden by the frame/fuel tank and feel for the front spark plug cable. Make sure it's secure on the spark plug. If you need better access, unscrew the plastic scoop cover and the plug cable should be apparent.
The rear plug cable is a little harder to reach but you can probably squeeze your hand in between the frame/tank and the rear head from the small opening near the front of the seat and touch the cable with your fingers.
The whirring sound on startup is the fuel pump priming and loading the fuel rail to 50 lbs pressure. Note: when starting the bike, always turn the key on, wait a few seconds for the gauges to sweep and the fuel pump to stop priming, then hit the start button. |
Buckeye86
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 05:53 pm: |
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Ok checked the bike again this afternoon, and here's the update.
Sparky-I have the owners manual, which is what caused me to question the type of oil. I understand that the 20W50 isn't the best choice for the conditions I'm riding in, and I was planning on having it changed out in a week or two anyways, I was more curious as to the oil was why it wasn't starting. WRT the spark plugs, I'll check those out tonight/tomorrow. Been going for 36 hours at this point, so it'll prolly be tomorrow.
It's good to hear that the whirring sound is normal, and ya, I always wait for the "check engine" light to go off before I actually try to start it up.
Now, this afternoon I tried to get it going again, and this time it wouldn't fire at all, the start is trying, but nothing's happening. This seems to eliminate the starter as a problem. I tried giving it just a little bit of throttle to try and help it along, and got a nasty backfire for my efforts, so I'm not going to try that anymore. Just for kicks, I checked the oil level, even though it wasn't hot, just to be sure. When I pulled the dipstick out, there was a milky-looking gunk all over it. Here's a picture:
Now, I'm no expert, but that doesn't seem to be what motor oil usually looks like... Also checked connections to battery/ECM, and they all look good. No blown fuses, and I hadn't been getting any check engine/check oil lights. The hunt continues, and any tips would be appriciated... It's killing me not being able to ride with this beautiful weather we've been getting. |
Sparky
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 08:21 pm: |
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Hey, looking at the positive side of things, if you got a healthy backfire that can only mean that the ignition system works at least to make a pop.
So I'd say that a change of spark plugs should get you going. No special fancy type is required, just what the manual calls for should do.
The milky residue in the oil is moisture inside the crankcase that mixes with the oil when the engine is not run for lengthy periods of time. Kinda normal in humid conditions especially if always making short runs or just starting the engine and shutting it down.
So remember that when you change the oil. Run the bike for a minimum of 10 miles so that the engine gets hot enough to vaporize all the water in the oil then you're ready to dump it and put in fresh oil. |
Acityxj
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 08:29 pm: |
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the backfire was probably do to the throttle assist that u gave it. it should always start without any throttle being needed. the ecm will adjust accordingly. i have a 12r and it was doing the same thing. on cold start wouldn't stay running idle for very long until the bike was warmed up. so I cleaned the intake butterfly, did a tps reset and it got better but now the idle was getting stuck in 12-1350rpm range. hooked it back up to ecm spy and a buddy pointed out that the afv was too low. so he readjusted it and bingo problem solved now it runs like a dream. |
Buckeye86
| | Posted on Friday, October 23, 2009 - 02:00 am: |
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Alright! Finally managed to go out and grab some spark plugs and a U-joint, and got the plugs replaced, and it starts up and runs like a charm!.
Last little hiccup though... I pulled the scoop to get to the front plug, and it seems like I broke the threads on the bracket  Any thoughts on how I can fix that? I figure some JB weld would work, also maybe drill out the mount and just use a nut on the back end? |
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