Why does my bike not run after washing / getting wet?

[2fiddy]

Hey guys. Just wanted to see why this happened. I washed my 250 today for the first time and I used a sprayer with low pressure but when I went to go start the bike like 3 hours later the bike wouldn't start at first, and then I had to give it some throttle to get it to start. After it started it was idling really low and the choke hardly helped. I then tried to get on it and ride down the street to see if it would help but it just didn't want to go and I was giving it some good amount of throttle. I pulled over and put the choke on and revved it for a good minute or two at about 3k. I then got on it and still was bogging down and then all of a sudden it kicked in and started running like normal again.

It is fine now, but I was just wondering if this happens often after washing and if it was normal. Also, why does this happen?

[Boom King]

You probably got some water into some place where it doesn't belong. Probably no big deal now if you're bike is working fine. That water probably evaporated out. You have be very careful using any sort of spray when washing. I basically put my hose on pretty much a mist setting just to wet it. Any dirt comes off when I wash it with a big wet microfibre mitt. As soon as you finish washing it, wipe it down and go for a ride to help evaporate any water that may have gotten into the wrong places.

[2fiddy]

Hey guys. Did the same thing this morning until it was warmed up. Maybe all the water hasn't evaporated yet? Is running fine now after it got going.

[bdavison]

Plug the exhaust with an exhaust plug when you wash it.
If you squirt water in the exhaust can it will do that, and it tends to stink a bit like burning metal too the next time you go riding.

[2fiddy]

Originally Posted by bdavison

Plug the exhaust with an exhaust plug when you wash it.
If you squirt water in the exhaust can it will do that, and it tends to stink a bit like burning metal too the next time you go riding.

Ok thank you. You think this is the issue? How long does the water usually stay in there for?

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by 2fiddy

Ok thank you. You think this is the issue? How long does the water usually stay in there for?

There is a small drain hole in the bottom of the stock exhaust that allows condensation and water to drain out. If you ride the bike normally and get the bike hot enough the little bit of moisture inside the exhaust will evaporate. Check to make sure you did not get a bunch of water under the passenger seat. Water does have a tendency to run down near the air intake. Just to be sure, pull the air filter to make sure the airbox is dry.

[2fiddy]

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

There is a small drain hole in the bottom of the stock exhaust that allows condensation and water to drain out. If you ride the bike normally and get the bike hot enough the little bit of moisture inside the exhaust will evaporate. Check to make sure you did not get a bunch of water under the passenger seat. Water does have a tendency to run down near the air intake. Just to be sure, pull the air filter to make sure the airbox is dry.

Thanks. Now what if the airbox is wet? Will this also evaporate after running it?

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by 2fiddy

Thanks. Now what if the airbox is wet? Will this also evaporate after running it?

Kawasaki says to take out the element and clean it in high flash-point solvents any time you ride in the rain, so that may apply to getting water in there by other means too.

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by 2fiddy

Thanks. Now what if the airbox is wet? Will this also evaporate after running it?

It can evaporate. It all depends on how wet it is and the temp outside. The airbox has a drain as well so, any large amounts of oil or water can drain over time. Opening up the airbox to inspect the filter will allow you to see if the filter is wet and if the air box is dry without condensation on the walls. If the filter is wet with water, take it out, clean it, dry it, and re-oil it. If the walls in the airbox so signs of condensation, stuff a clean dry towel inside to dry it and remove any debris if necessary.

[2fiddy]

Ok, so my 2010 Ninja 250r runs great normally. The first time I went to wash it I made sure that I was very gentle and didn't spray with too much pressure. Well, when I went to go start it up a couple hours later it hardly started up, and would rev REALLY low and when I gave it gas would not get past 3 and a half rpm. The bike would just die.

The choke would not do anything but make it worse. After letting it run for an hour or two I would take it out and the thing did not want to go. It would rev to 3 and a half and would die out. I played around with it for a while and all of a sudden it got it's power back and was running normally. It had it's moments that day where it would go back to being finicky but finally returned to normal.

The next time, the bike was out in the rain and I went to go ride it after and the bike did the same thing.

Does anyone else have this issue? Why would this bike do this by just getting wet.

[Chuffmonkey]

I've never had this on my bike, but have experienced it on a car. For me it was water getting into my distributor - which I'm sure has a different name in the US. It was causing one of my spark plugs to not fire (on a 4 cylinder car). It manifested itself as not not revving beyond about 2K, and sounding rough. Once the car warmed up the water would evaporate and then it would be ok again. WD40 may help.

The distributor is the thing where the spark plug cables attach to on the 'other' end.

You may want to check that your plugs are in tight enough, the spark plug cables are all on tight and there's no way for water to get into your carbs.

You can also get tools that you hold against your spark plug cables that will show you if it's sparking ok. Does it sound like it's missing (should run rough)?

[sombo]

Might be possible that water is getting into the air intake and then into the engine itself. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will pipe in soon, but that's just a guess from me.

[Zombiphone]

It's also possible that you're getting water in your gas. When I left my bike out in some really heavy rain, a substantial amount of water ended up in my gas tank. At first, my bike started normally enough for a cold day, but after riding it to school and back and getting the water thoroughly worked into the carbs, it started bogging really badly when I tried to accelerate, and there was enough water in there to prevent it from starting at all the next day.

After a full day of frustrated trouble shooting, I ended up having to drain all of the gas from both the tank and the carburetor in order to start it again, since I had ended up with literally a few cups of water in there. So now I make a specific point to at least cover the gas cap when it rains, since it's obviously no where near an airtight seal. Maybe you're just getting enough water in your gas tank so that it's effecting your initial ride, but not enough that it can't evaporate before rendering your bike completely useless?

[jonthechron]

I pressure wash my bike all the time and never experinced this. But Then again, ALL my electrical connections were made waterproof/resistant.

[DaBlue1]

You had this problem one time before. No?
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74871

[2fiddy]

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

You had this problem one time before. No?
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74871

Yes, actually forgot that I posted this. Just trying to figure out if there is an easy fix for this or if anyone else was having this issue.

[dubojr1]

What mods have you done? Did you buy the bike new?

[2fiddy]

Originally Posted by dubojr1

What mods have you done? Did you buy the bike new?

I don't have any mods done to the bike. Also, bought the bike brand new.

[dubojr1]

Hmmm... Let the bike run and start spraying it lightly with some water to see if you can pin point an area of the engine when it starts to fail.

[Ninja Assassin]

Make sure water isn't getting into your tail pipe. The pipes point upward which could make it easy for water to settle down into it. This would kind of smother the engine. Could be why it will run but you can't get any rpms. If this is the case i bet once you let it run a while and it blows all the water out you're good to go until next time.

Just a guess.

That or electronics getting wet somewhere but i've never had any issue with that.

[dubojr1]

If it were an exhaust issue... others would be effected as well.

[Ninja Assassin]

Originally Posted by dubojr1

If it were an exhaust issue... others would be effected as well.

Not to be an ass, but maybe others are more careful about not letting water get into the exhaust? Not everyones aware that this is a potential issue. Afterall its why they make plugs to put in your pipes while you was you bikes (usually used with dirtbikes but still).

Again, it was just a guess but water in your pipes can cause an issue. Just throwing it out there since nobody else had.

[Ninja Assassin]

The only other issue it could be would be the distributor or ignition coil (whichever they have on them now). If water gets into the right places on them the exact scenario you speak of can happen.

So its 1 or the other i'd say. Since you say it eventually fixes itself its one of those due to the coil or distributor drying off eventually or the h20 finally getting out of the pipes. If it were water getting into the gas or any of those things it wouldn't correct itself.

[dubojr1]

That's why some things should be left to the pro's. Your guesses will only confuse someone asking the questions or lead others to believe your "guess" as well.

Many people pressure wash their bikes (including me) with no issue. As long as he is not sticking the hose the the tailpipe... A little water in the exhaust is NOT the issue.

I'm sorry you were apparently offended by my original comment.

[dubojr1]

Our bikes have distributors???

[Ninja Assassin]

I wasn't offended and don't mean to derail the thread. Didn't mean to come off as an ass either. I type faster than i think but:

"That's why some things should be left to the pro's. Your guesses will only confuse someone asking the questions or lead others to believe your "guess" as well. "

He came on a message board to ask a question b/c he can't figure out the answer and he obviously doesn't want to take it "to the pros" or a shop. That'd be why he asked on here. I'm not a certified or "pro" mechanic and i'm guessing you aren't either. But i am a mechanical engineer and worked as a small engine mechanic while working through college and i have personally seen that enough water in a tail pipe can create an issue given the right circumstances. While a guess, it's an educated guess and a more than valid thing to at least mention. Throughout the years the one thing i've figured out is most mechanical problems are caused by stupid little oversights.

And like i said, distributor/ignition coil, same principle. If it gets wet, it'll screw up the firing. I havent even had the fairings off of my bike yet as its brand new.

[dubojr1]

Rob:

I think we can start a list of things it is not:

1. water in the tail-pipe
2. ignition coil (these are water proof to my knowledge)
3. distributor (because it don't have one)
4. water in the tank (I would think this would not be intermittent)

I'm thinking water in the kill switch or it's being introduced in the intake somehow whether through the snorkel, air box, vacuum line, intake runners, etc. Being the problem goes away after it has been burned or evaporated.... it shouldn't be a hard concern to narrow down.

Here's an old trick used to search for vacuum and intake leaks. Use some carb/choke cleaner and start spraying it lightly around the carbs, runners, and vacuum lines while the engine is running. Be careful not to get it too close to the snorkel because it will give you a false reading but if there is in fact a leak somewhere, the engine will either rev up or down a bit letting you know. Continue the process to narrow your search further to a particular line or carb if needed.

BTW... did you check the filter and inside the air box as DaBlue1 suggested?

GL and keep us updated.


Alex: Should we go ahead and merge the 2 threads? Second one is mentioned above.

[Alex]

/merged

[SPG]

So, maybe relevant to your bike and maybe not, but here goes.

Your bike runs poorly, has low throttle response and the choke makes it worse, but it does run. If is is running on both cylinders, it points to mixture instead of electrical.

My first guess was that you have an unshielded K&N air filter that got wet (my old 400-4 and '87 gsxr would do this), but you say no mods.

So, next time this happens, see if you can determine if it is running on both cylinders. The easiest way is to get it running at 2-3k and unplug one of the small wires from the coil, one coil at a time. If the engine runs the same, then that coil was not firing and you have an electrical problem. If it's not the coils, you are looking at water in the intake, or water in the fuel.

Water in the fuel can present itself intermittently, depending on mixing. You could have the bike start fine off of the fuel in the carb, run crappy as the water is pulled from the bottom of the tank, and run better as the fuel and water slosh and mix. That said, I would expect water and fuel would be improved by the choke, not made worse.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck.
-Sean

[DerTeufel]

You got water into the spark plug holes. It's that simple. The bike started to run better when the water evaporated. Pull the spark plug boots and put some dielectric grease on the boots at two spots. Where the boot seals against the valve cover and at the very end where the spark plug goes up into the boot.

[dubojr1]

Originally Posted by DerTeufel

You got water into the spark plug holes. It's that simple. The bike started to run better when the water evaporated. Pull the spark plug boots and put some dielectric grease on the boots at two spots. Where the boot seals against the valve cover and at the very end where the spark plug goes up into the boot.

If in fact this is the case... a little compressed air can clear those spark plug holes as well prior to adding the grease. I don't think a whole lot of water could get through the fairings and under the tank and then under the plug boots but... it is possible.

Thanks for another helpful post DerTeufel!

[2fiddy]

Thank you all for the great responses. I will try some of these out and get back to you guys and let you know if I figured it out.

Thanks again! This is the reason why I come here.

[CZroe]

I just wanted to point out that my bike behaved identically and would not start after I returned from a weekend in WV the Monday before last. It was covered under a lean-to with walls on most sides so it could only have been water from condensation. I thought I was going to run my battery dead when I finally got a spark!

[2fiddy]

Originally Posted by CZroe

I just wanted to point out that my bike behaved identically and would not start after I returned from a weekend in WV the Monday before last. It was covered under a lean-to with walls on most sides so it could only have been water from condensation. I thought I was going to run my battery dead when I finally got a spark!

Did you figure out what the issue was?

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by 2fiddy

Did you figure out what the issue was?

My chain was all rusted so it was clear that there was a lot of condensation. I'm pretty sure water got in the engine despite it being under a roof and mostly enclosed. When I got spark, it ran rough but cleared up and the problem went away.