Starting Issues

FvnnyL3tt3r1ng · January 20th, 2015, 04:41 PM

Key On, bike in neutral, battery fully charged, bike just cranks and cranks. Carbs are leaking a little because petcock is busted...

Also, ignition button is dead. The kickstand interlock, clutch lever interlock, and cutoff switch all need to be closed for the bike to start.... anything I'm missing? I'm thinking the contacts got corroded, does anyone have a useful link to fix that?

alex.s · January 20th, 2015, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FvnnyL3tt3r1ng

Key On, bike in neutral, battery fully charged, bike just cranks and cranks. Carbs are leaking a little because petcock is busted...

... umm ... i think you answered your own question.

FvnnyL3tt3r1ng · January 20th, 2015, 07:15 PM

Would a busted petcock cause the bike to flood?

FvnnyL3tt3r1ng · January 20th, 2015, 07:17 PM

Starter button came back to life, I think the key in the ignition wasn't turned just right. Strange, but I'm glad I didn't have to take it apart.

Sprayed starter fluid with no carbs and got a few chugs but no life....

ninjunk · January 21st, 2015, 10:26 AM

Fuel, spark, compression. Check the easy things first.

I'd just go right ahead and pull the plugs, if there is wierdness with your ign. switch or interlocks, you might get starter function but no spark.

probably not a bad idea to replace plugs either way.

and you'll almost certainly have to fix the leaky petcock to get it running, but for now just pull off/clamp the fuel line so you're not flooding the bike

FvnnyL3tt3r1ng · January 21st, 2015, 05:51 PM

Why do you say you have to fix the petcock? Does the overflow pipe in the carb prevent any flooding?

choneofakind · January 21st, 2015, 07:37 PM

Petcock and float valves

FvnnyL3tt3r1ng · January 21st, 2015, 07:41 PM

Would that prevent the bike from starting up? I sprayed starter fluid with no carbs in and it wouldn't crank either.... Engine is new (to bike) with 4k miles guaranteed to work says dealer....

don't leave me hangin here @choneofakind

ninjunk · January 22nd, 2015, 09:29 AM

does it have spark? you didn't say.

you can just try random things and drive yourself crazy, or go through it system by system and methodically determine why it is not running.

i would suggest you start with spark, pull the plugs and determine if they are firing when you crank it over.

and yes, it will not start if the carbs are overflowing gas all over the place. You are going to have to fix all those things eventually, you might as well fix them now.

if it were me i would first remove the spark plugs and remove the valve cover and check the valve clearances, adjust as needed.

then put the valve cover on and change the oil and filter

then with the plugs out replace both plugs and crank it to see if you are getting spark on both plugs.

then clean the carbs and install them.

then clean the tank, petcock, and install a fuel filter

install the tank and add fresh gas.

at that point you should have a running motorcycle. if it still wont start, try the starting fluid into the airbox. If the person who sold you the engine promised it was a runner and you trust them, you can assume good compression.

alex.s · January 22nd, 2015, 09:40 AM

things to check if no spark but cranking...

spark plugs are gapped and not broken/messed?
ignition coils connected?
cdi functioning?
pickup coil working?

put a multimeter on the coils with the power on, they should be powered up. the ecu cuts power which causes the coil to spark.

it has oil in it?

FvnnyL3tt3r1ng · January 22nd, 2015, 09:45 AM

Thankfully I got it started with @n4mwd magic touch. He simply showed up and the bike behaved. The mistake I made was I sprayed too much starting fluid and I didn't enrich it with the choke....

NOW

After he left the bike decided to crap smoke out of the exhaust.... I don't know why this is other than maybe I bought a bad engine? I ran it for a couple minutes and the smoke just kept coming out so i'm not sure if it's something residual or permanent like blown rings. Should I throw the gas tank on and run it for a few minutes to see if it persists?

ninjunk · January 22nd, 2015, 10:30 AM

if the engine got tipped over at any point it could have got oil into the breather system which will get sucked into the intake

FvnnyL3tt3r1ng · January 22nd, 2015, 10:33 AM

Hopefully that is what it is. I bought the engine out of a crate lying on its side. It didn't have much, if any, oil in it though. Thing is it's a lot of smoke, enough to fog up the garage...

January 20th, 2015, 04:41 PM	#1
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Justin Location: Florida Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001 Posts: A lot.	Starting Issues Key On, bike in neutral, battery fully charged, bike just cranks and cranks. Carbs are leaking a little because petcock is busted... Also, ignition button is dead. The kickstand interlock, clutch lever interlock, and cutoff switch all need to be closed for the bike to start.... anything I'm missing? I'm thinking the contacts got corroded, does anyone have a useful link to fix that? __________________________________________________ Mods: Offset clutch pressure plate

January 20th, 2015, 07:15 PM	#3
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Justin Location: Florida Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001 Posts: A lot.	Would a busted petcock cause the bike to flood? __________________________________________________ Mods: Offset clutch pressure plate

January 20th, 2015, 07:17 PM	#4
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Justin Location: Florida Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001 Posts: A lot.	Starter button came back to life, I think the key in the ignition wasn't turned just right. Strange, but I'm glad I didn't have to take it apart. Sprayed starter fluid with no carbs and got a few chugs but no life.... __________________________________________________ Mods: Offset clutch pressure plate

January 21st, 2015, 05:51 PM	#6
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Justin Location: Florida Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001 Posts: A lot.	Why do you say you have to fix the petcock? Does the overflow pipe in the carb prevent any flooding? __________________________________________________ Mods: Offset clutch pressure plate

January 21st, 2015, 07:41 PM	#8
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Justin Location: Florida Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001 Posts: A lot.	Would that prevent the bike from starting up? I sprayed starter fluid with no carbs in and it wouldn't crank either.... Engine is new (to bike) with 4k miles guaranteed to work says dealer.... don't leave me hangin here @choneofakind __________________________________________________ Mods: Offset clutch pressure plate

January 21st, 2015, 10:26 AM	#5
ninjunk Lostcause enthusiast Name: Graham Location: Austin, TX Join Date: Jan 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2000 EX250F Posts: 178	Fuel, spark, compression. Check the easy things first. I'd just go right ahead and pull the plugs, if there is wierdness with your ign. switch or interlocks, you might get starter function but no spark. probably not a bad idea to replace plugs either way. and you'll almost certainly have to fix the leaky petcock to get it running, but for now just pull off/clamp the fuel line so you're not flooding the bike

January 21st, 2015, 07:37 PM	#7
choneofakind ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: . Location: . Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: Too much. MOTM - Feb '13, Feb '14	Petcock and float valves

January 22nd, 2015, 09:29 AM	#9
ninjunk Lostcause enthusiast Name: Graham Location: Austin, TX Join Date: Jan 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2000 EX250F Posts: 178	does it have spark? you didn't say. you can just try random things and drive yourself crazy, or go through it system by system and methodically determine why it is not running. i would suggest you start with spark, pull the plugs and determine if they are firing when you crank it over. and yes, it will not start if the carbs are overflowing gas all over the place. You are going to have to fix all those things eventually, you might as well fix them now. if it were me i would first remove the spark plugs and remove the valve cover and check the valve clearances, adjust as needed. then put the valve cover on and change the oil and filter then with the plugs out replace both plugs and crank it to see if you are getting spark on both plugs. then clean the carbs and install them. then clean the tank, petcock, and install a fuel filter install the tank and add fresh gas. at that point you should have a running motorcycle. if it still wont start, try the starting fluid into the airbox. If the person who sold you the engine promised it was a runner and you trust them, you can assume good compression.

January 22nd, 2015, 09:40 AM	#10
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	things to check if no spark but cranking... spark plugs are gapped and not broken/messed? ignition coils connected? cdi functioning? pickup coil working? put a multimeter on the coils with the power on, they should be powered up. the ecu cuts power which causes the coil to spark. it has oil in it? __________________________________________________

January 22nd, 2015, 09:45 AM	#11
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Justin Location: Florida Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001 Posts: A lot.	Thankfully I got it started with @n4mwd magic touch. He simply showed up and the bike behaved. The mistake I made was I sprayed too much starting fluid and I didn't enrich it with the choke.... NOW After he left the bike decided to crap smoke out of the exhaust.... I don't know why this is other than maybe I bought a bad engine? I ran it for a couple minutes and the smoke just kept coming out so i'm not sure if it's something residual or permanent like blown rings. Should I throw the gas tank on and run it for a few minutes to see if it persists? __________________________________________________ Mods: Offset clutch pressure plate

January 22nd, 2015, 10:30 AM	#12
ninjunk Lostcause enthusiast Name: Graham Location: Austin, TX Join Date: Jan 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2000 EX250F Posts: 178	if the engine got tipped over at any point it could have got oil into the breather system which will get sucked into the intake

January 22nd, 2015, 10:33 AM	#13
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Justin Location: Florida Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001 Posts: A lot.	Hopefully that is what it is. I bought the engine out of a crate lying on its side. It didn't have much, if any, oil in it though. Thing is it's a lot of smoke, enough to fog up the garage... __________________________________________________ Mods: Offset clutch pressure plate

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