Is this a bad starter relay, or worse?

rottyfan · July 8th, 2015, 10:52 AM

OK, trying to get my 2005 Ninja 250 started after sitting for a few years. I've performed the following:

Removed old gas from tank
Cleaned the carbs and installed new pilot screws

Yesterday I put fresh gas in the tank and tried to start the bike. The bike kept cranking, but wouldn't start. At first I thought the carbs needed to fill up with gas, but it just wouldn't start. Then the cranking turned to this:

Link to original page on YouTube.

The noise is coming from the starter relay. I checked the fuse in there and it's OK. The battery is fully charged in the vid. Also, no fuel was coming out of the tank. This morning I thought I'd pull the fuel line and crank the engine to see if fuel would come out, but there's no fuel in the line after all that cranking and the bike doesn't crank anymore. Thanks for any help.

csmith12 · July 8th, 2015, 11:07 AM

First.... Batteries can read a full charge and die instantly under load. So my first thought would be to verify your battery and connections to the terminals.

Next, try to jump start off a NON running car. If it tries to crank over, your battery is toast. It would be understandable after a couple of years.

Next... Jump the relay with a screwdriver to see if it will try to start. You can also apply 12v directly to the starter post to bypass the relay.

Also, since you're getting your hands dirty, might as well check these; airbox and filter, float bowls, fuel filter and petcock operation.

Hope that helps.

Motofool · July 8th, 2015, 01:06 PM

Welcome, Ney !!!

One problem leads to another.

You need to solve the lack of fuel reaching the carbs first.
In the mean while charge the battery at around 1 Amp.

Please, see how the petcock works with vacuum from the engine:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Rebuild...tcock/fuel_tap

rottyfan · July 8th, 2015, 04:25 PM

Thanks for your advice. As far as the cranking issue, it's the battery. It is 10 years old after all. I hooked up a charger/starter and it'll crank, but I still can't get it to start.

I confirmed the petcock is working OK. I pulled the fuel line and cranked the motor and fuel flowed out. I even hooked up a mity-vac to the petcock to help fill the carb bowls, but still no start. So I have fuel and I have air. Next thing to check is the spark. I'll look into that tomorrow and report back. Cheers

Motofool · July 8th, 2015, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rottyfan

Thanks for your advice.
.........So I have fuel and I have air.........

You are welcome

Fuel reaching the bowls of the carburetors does not necessarily mean that it gets vaporized into the intake air stream and reaches the combustion chamber, ....... which is the job of properly adjusted and clean carburetors.

The sparks in these bikes seldom fail, but it is another possible cause of the reluctance to start.

rottyfan · July 8th, 2015, 06:20 PM

Aha, that's a good point. I think I'll be taking the carbs off again and dipping them for good measure.

As far as spark goes, I'm thinking the plugs may be fouled and not producing enough spark. The last time I had the bike running, which was several years ago, I was having a problem with the idle running too high. The reason why I replaced both pilot screws this time is because on one of the carbs the little washer was missing and the gasket was torn.

I'm definitely doing the airbox mod tomorrow. The carbs on these bikes have to be some of the hardest to remove/install.

rottyfan · July 12th, 2015, 03:30 PM

Bike is running like a top. New battery should arrive tomorrow but I found some jumper cables and hooked the bike up to my car. I also cut off the battery box from the air box and can't recommend that mod enough. If you're going to own one of these bikes, you're going to be cleaning those carbs every year. Really makes getting the carbs out a snap.

When I went to clean the carbs for the second time, the bottom of the float bowl on the left carb had a pencil eraser sized glob of dark brown sludge-like substance. Not sure where that came from as all of the jets were clean as a whistle. The right carb was clean.

Anyway, I used the mity-vac to prime the carbs and the bike started right up and ran like a top.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Thanks for your help.

Motofool · July 12th, 2015, 06:38 PM

Ghostt · July 12th, 2015, 07:15 PM

You might want to consider installing a inline fuel filter

csmith12 · July 12th, 2015, 11:03 PM

July 8th, 2015, 10:52 AM	#1
rottyfan ninjette.org member Name: Ney Location: Connecticut Join Date: Jun 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Ninja 250, 1999 Aprilia RS50 Posts: 18	Is this a bad starter relay, or worse? OK, trying to get my 2005 Ninja 250 started after sitting for a few years. I've performed the following: Removed old gas from tank Cleaned the carbs and installed new pilot screws Yesterday I put fresh gas in the tank and tried to start the bike. The bike kept cranking, but wouldn't start. At first I thought the carbs needed to fill up with gas, but it just wouldn't start. Then the cranking turned to this: Link to original page on YouTube. The noise is coming from the starter relay. I checked the fuse in there and it's OK. The battery is fully charged in the vid. Also, no fuel was coming out of the tank. This morning I thought I'd pull the fuel line and crank the engine to see if fuel would come out, but there's no fuel in the line after all that cranking and the bike doesn't crank anymore. Thanks for any help.

July 8th, 2015, 11:07 AM	#2
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	First.... Batteries can read a full charge and die instantly under load. So my first thought would be to verify your battery and connections to the terminals. Next, try to jump start off a NON running car. If it tries to crank over, your battery is toast. It would be understandable after a couple of years. Next... Jump the relay with a screwdriver to see if it will try to start. You can also apply 12v directly to the starter post to bypass the relay. Also, since you're getting your hands dirty, might as well check these; airbox and filter, float bowls, fuel filter and petcock operation. Hope that helps. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

July 8th, 2015, 01:06 PM	#3
Motofool Daily Ninjette rider Name: Hernan Location: Florida Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16	Welcome, Ney !!! One problem leads to another. You need to solve the lack of fuel reaching the carbs first. In the mean while charge the battery at around 1 Amp. Please, see how the petcock works with vacuum from the engine: http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Rebuild...tcock/fuel_tap __________________________________________________ *Motofool* *.................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly* "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí

July 12th, 2015, 03:30 PM	#7
rottyfan ninjette.org member Name: Ney Location: Connecticut Join Date: Jun 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Ninja 250, 1999 Aprilia RS50 Posts: 18	Bike is running like a top. New battery should arrive tomorrow but I found some jumper cables and hooked the bike up to my car. I also cut off the battery box from the air box and can't recommend that mod enough. If you're going to own one of these bikes, you're going to be cleaning those carbs every year. Really makes getting the carbs out a snap. When I went to clean the carbs for the second time, the bottom of the float bowl on the left carb had a pencil eraser sized glob of dark brown sludge-like substance. Not sure where that came from as all of the jets were clean as a whistle. The right carb was clean. Anyway, I used the mity-vac to prime the carbs and the bike started right up and ran like a top. Link to original page on YouTube. Thanks for your help.
	2 out of 2 members found this post helpful.

July 12th, 2015, 06:38 PM	#8
Motofool Daily Ninjette rider Name: Hernan Location: Florida Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16	__________________________________________________ *Motofool* *.................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly* "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí

July 8th, 2015, 04:25 PM	#4
rottyfan ninjette.org member Name: Ney Location: Connecticut Join Date: Jun 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Ninja 250, 1999 Aprilia RS50 Posts: 18	Thanks for your advice. As far as the cranking issue, it's the battery. It is 10 years old after all. I hooked up a charger/starter and it'll crank, but I still can't get it to start. I confirmed the petcock is working OK. I pulled the fuel line and cranked the motor and fuel flowed out. I even hooked up a mity-vac to the petcock to help fill the carb bowls, but still no start. So I have fuel and I have air. Next thing to check is the spark. I'll look into that tomorrow and report back. Cheers

July 8th, 2015, 06:20 PM	#6
rottyfan ninjette.org member Name: Ney Location: Connecticut Join Date: Jun 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Ninja 250, 1999 Aprilia RS50 Posts: 18	Aha, that's a good point. I think I'll be taking the carbs off again and dipping them for good measure. As far as spark goes, I'm thinking the plugs may be fouled and not producing enough spark. The last time I had the bike running, which was several years ago, I was having a problem with the idle running too high. The reason why I replaced both pilot screws this time is because on one of the carbs the little washer was missing and the gasket was torn. I'm definitely doing the airbox mod tomorrow. The carbs on these bikes have to be some of the hardest to remove/install.

July 12th, 2015, 07:15 PM	#9
Ghostt in your machine Name: Scott Location: Summer Shade, Ky. Join Date: Oct 2014 Motorcycle(s): 98 Ninja 250/F12 aka ZX-2R "SERENITY", 91 Ninja 500/A5 aka ZX-5R "Phoenix", 84 Honda GL1200A "SIREN" Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 25 MOTM - Jun '17, May '16, Mar '15	You might want to consider installing a inline fuel filter __________________________________________________ *violente et ignorantia* ZX-2R BLOG *Twitter and Instagram = Ghostt_Scott* *I'm not here to change your mind, just to inform.*

July 12th, 2015, 11:03 PM	#10
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	__________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

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