Changed out spark plugs after winter. Give gas and dies.

[Hero Danny]

How does your oil look? Is it clean? How full is it? Not sure if this is all related, probably not, but i'm just curious.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by Twitchy Stitch

Yessir. Just took it for a spin without the filter and couldn't get past one block without the engine bogging down and threatening to stall. There's white smoke that comes out of my left exhaust pipe btw. Sorry I didn't include that.

That would mean that you are running lean (not getting enough fuel). The air filter is reducing the air flow somewhat, and is richening the mixture.

The white smoke could be oil from the airbox (is it wet inside?), oil being pumped into the combustion chamber, or coolant being drawn into the chamber. Is the coolant level where it should be? How about the oil level? A low level in either would give you some idea of what's going on. They will normally pump some oil into the airbox from extended high rpm running, but an excessive amount suggests something more.

I'm thinking you need to pull the carbs and go through them, checking the float levels, idle mixture passages, and the condition of the carb diaphragms and jets. I'd also confirm the jets are the correct size.

[flitecontrol]

It is a cause for concern. The good news is that sometimes water condensation in the exhaust will result in white smoke. But that should be short term and stop once the pipes heat up and the water evaporates. If there is oil smoke, it indicates that oil is getting past the rings and into the combustion chamber. This will result in poor performance and fouled plugs.

Here's a link to compression testing. The first test, without oil, is called a dry test. With oil is a wet test. Do both and report your findings here. Many auto parts stores loan compression testers. The trick is to find a tester with the correct part to thread into the Ninja's spark plug threads. If you can't find one, get one with a rubber tip that you jam into the hole. http://www.hondarebelforum.com/f39/2...test-8443.html

[Ghostt]

Okay I'm late to this party, sorry, so ........

Any progress, did he dump the gas yet? Clean the carburetors? Install a fuel filter?? Where is the O.P. located?

[Twitchy Stitch]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

Okay I'm late to this party, sorry, so ........

Any progress, did he dump the gas yet? Clean the carburetors? Install a fuel filter?? Where is the O.P. located?

Dumped the gas, holding off on the carbs, My fuel filter is all good but I put in a new air filter. And I guess I'll be doing a compression test soon.

[Twitchy Stitch]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

How does your oil look? Is it clean? How full is it? Not sure if this is all related, probably not, but i'm just curious.

I checked the oil and it looks clean. My oil level is where it should be as well but it's looking like I might have some getting into the combustion chamber

[Twitchy Stitch]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

It is a cause for concern. The good news is that sometimes water condensation in the exhaust will result in white smoke. But that should be short term and stop once the pipes heat up and the water evaporates. If there is oil smoke, it indicates that oil is getting past the rings and into the combustion chamber. This will result in poor performance and fouled plugs.

Here's a link to compression testing. The first test, without oil, is called a dry test. With oil is a wet test. Do both and report your findings here. Many auto parts stores loan compression testers. The trick is to find a tester with the correct part to thread into the Ninja's spark plug threads. If you can't find one, get one with a rubber tip that you jam into the hole. http://www.hondarebelforum.com/f39/2...test-8443.html

You could be right on the oil! I noticed the white smoke long before it stopped running. How should I go about solving this issue?

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by Twitchy Stitch

Dumped the gas, holding off on the carbs, My fuel filter is all good but I put in a new air filter. And I guess I'll be doing a compression test soon.

clean those carburetors, plain and simple, before I come over there and do it for ya'

[Twitchy Stitch]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

clean those carburetors, plain and simple, before I come over there and do it for ya'

:'( I don't wanna! Oh lord. Time to read some manuals...

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by Twitchy Stitch

:'( I don't wanna! Oh lord. Time to read some manuals...

Listen bro, cleaning the carbs is not hard. Getting the carbs out is a bit tricky... Just take your time, get the carb out, document the process if you can, take pics etc. Label where screws go, etc. It's VERY easy... Believe me, if I can do it, then so could you. Take the carbs and watch a video on how to clean them, hell, bring the carbs into the basement (or garage or something) and take a laptop and go step by step. Take it slow, no rush... The WORST case scenario, you F up your carbs and have to pay $100 for some new ones on ebay...

Cleaning carbs is pretty basic level work, to be honest. It's difficult to get to on the pregens though. If you can do spark plugs than I trust you can do carbs. The main thing about carbs is if you use carb cleaner you need to be careful of the rubber gaskets, that **** eats the gaskets right up.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by Twitchy Stitch

:'( I don't wanna! Oh lord. Time to read some manuals...

Now young man, go to your room and hit those books!!! Don't make me come over there.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Listen bro, cleaning the carbs is not hard. Getting the carbs out is a bit tricky... Just take your time, get the carb out, document the process if you can, take pics etc. Label where screws go, etc. It's VERY easy... Believe me, if I can do it, then so could you. Take the carbs and watch a video on how to clean them, hell, bring the carbs into the basement (or garage or something) and take a laptop and go step by step. Take it slow, no rush... The WORST case scenario, you F up your carbs and have to pay $100 for some new ones on ebay...

Or purchase these,
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=210752

Better than new carburetors.

Or give me gas money, and I'm there

[fast1075]

We need a sticky for "Dirty Carb Syndrome"

OP says he lives in Faw'duh (same as me). Our gas sucks, the ethanol is bad mojo for any kind of carb, especially ones with teeny tiny jets. Ethanol is hydroscopic (it sucks up water from the air). The "damp" fuel gums up the works.

There are fuel stations that have non-ethanol gas. Usually it is 89 octane, more than enough for a 250. I seldom ride farther than a tank of gas will take me before I need a fill up, and either always get non ethanol gas, or if none is available where I am, just enough regular gas to get me to a non-ethanol gas station.

I recently let my bike sit up nearly a month doing mods. With non-ethanol gas, it still ran perfectly. When I first got it, it sat for a single week with ethanol gas and plugged the air bleeds.

Fuel additive: The only fuel additive that actively dissolves varnish is Chemtool. A little dose in the tank on occasion can help keep everything in order.

There has been on and off a push to raise the ethanol level to 15%. If that happens, kiss your carbed bike goodbye unless you have the skill to make it work.

[Ghostt]

Carburetor issues

1: the infamous tank vent plague?

2: petcock-itis?* (a flow blockage problem) *

3: a vacuum leak causing #2 ....* or some other vac leak?

4: an actual carb issue?

If your Bike needs the choke to run after start & warm, your*pilot*jets*are blocked

Beyond common problems...... comprehensive carb cleaning is not for everyone, there is much to go wrong in short order. We've seen many members endlessly chase their tails, break stuff, assemble and adjust stuff wrong.*

With some of the fleet becoming old, the vast majority require much more than "cleaning". The potential for leakage must be addressed, any less attention is irresponsible, and yes, this may even require thowing money and parts at them (gasp). Consumables...carb innards are not forever items. * **

And certainly there is MORE... much more....to it than simply addressing the pilot jets while they are out and on the bench. **

Please...you're screwing around with FUEL...if not absolutely sure of what you're doing...send them to someone who is.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

Or give me gas money, and I'm there

What about the six pack price?

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

What about the six pack price?

I'm being nice and waving my bar tab fees


@Twitchy Stitch never told me where he's located

[ninjunk]

sounds to me like one cylinder is 'dragging' the other along.

good news is that rules out things that happen to both at the same time.

it could be a blown diaphragm on one side and not the other, but didn't you start this whole thing by swapping one and only one spark plug?

smoke can also come from a cylinder that is misfiring, or running cooler than the other one. I fired up my TW200 the other day in 30 degrees and rainy and it was smoking like a steam train just from vapor and condensation.

I would start by thinking about all the things that might be different from one cylinder to the other. Starting with the spark plugs. swap them and make sure the wires didn't get pulled out or kinked. Check both for spark maybe? Although chances are even if they both have spark the issue would be more subtle. Either way, unlikely.

If you have small hands or a 8 year old kid, you can reach inside the airbox and actually lift a throttle slide. It should go down nice and soft with a faint hissing sound. If it thunks hard to the bottom of the travel... thats your problem right there. Cracked diaphragm. Incredibly common and it will do the same thing you are describing.

chances are pretty good that you have already fixed the original issue and now you are chasing problems you caused yourself. haha! it happens, no big deal. just think about what you've done and try not to make it worse. Carb could still be a little gummed up but it is pretty unlikely in the time you have had it sitting that would happen. Unless you knocked some junk loose in the process.

If you can do the carb diaphragm test, i'd do that first before... then i would proceed to diagnose everything else before taking the carbs off. Like others have said, its not exactly hard or complicated, but the chances of you screwing it up are pretty high, so just make absolutely sure that you know you need to do it before you go in.