1998 Ninja 250r Issues

[Atiaga]

I've been having some issues with my 1998 Kawasaki Ninja 250r lately and i'm not sure whether it's big or not. I'm sort of new to riding bikes and this is my first motorcycle I've ever owned.

So my first original problem was that my bike had died on me on the freeway, I thought it was because I had ran out of gas so I had a friend come bring me some gas. While I was waiting I still tried starting my bike a few times while it was raining the entire time. So my friend gets there with the gas and I try starting my bike but now it wont start, so I think I might of blew one of the spark plugs trying to start it in the rain. So here's what i've done already

1) Replaced Spark Plugs

2)Changed oil, oil filter

-Managed to get it started after this, but when I went to test drive it the throttle was clearly not engaging correctly and was jumping up and down. If I ever went over 6k rpms in neutral it would shut off and when I drove it would stall. So I figured my carb was dirty

3)Took out carb and looked to see if it was dirty (Spotless)

4)Charged battery

I just charged the battery all night last night and tried to see if it would start this morning but it wouldn't even start. I'm not sure what my problem is, I see gas flowing through my gas filter so I don't think it's that.


Any Suggestions or Help is greatly appreciated.

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

I doubt the rain is gonna damage your bike. If you filled up the tank it takes a couple cranks to get the fuel through the carbs..... Videos always help.

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

I would check to see that fuel is flowing into the carb bowls by emptying them then holding the starter while observing rate of flow. I'm guessing you already tried choking it? You can test for spark by holding the attached plug against the engine block to observe spark. As always don't crank it too many times or fuel will make its way down into the oil sump....

[lgk]

check all your hoses i think you have a vacuum leak.

[csmith12]

Welcome Andrew!

Maybe your issue is in or around the following;

Airbox clean and clear?
Carb boots and other vac lines leaking?
Check your petcock, it's old...
Have the battery tested or try a new battery.
Any exhaust issues (leaks)/mods?
Have you shimmed the carb needles or installed a jet kit?

If it's not something simple, then check the main jets inside the carbs. Does it die all at once your bog down to death at 6k rpm? The main jet may be clogged with debris.

[Atiaga]

Originally Posted by lgk

check all your hoses i think you have a vacuum leak.

This is the last thing I've come down to also, how do I check for a vacuum leak?

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

Originally Posted by Atiaga

This is the last thing I've come down to also, how do I check for a vacuum leak?

Inspect the hoses that are attached to your carbs. Also the boots that attach to the engine from the carbs....

[Motofool]

Rule of thumb #1: When you have a problem with your bike, avoid making assumptions that will lead you to remove or adjust things that will create new problems that you did not have before.

Your bike did run out of gas: that was your only problem, supplying gas was the only solution.

Check these links out:

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Intake

Welcome to the site !!!

[Atiaga]

Alright so, I've now cleaned the air filter and fuel filter on the hose. I did manage to see a lot of small pieces of rust it seemed to look like in the fuel filter. I took some basic pictures of my bike, if you can help me go ahead and request a picture of something.

The next step I'm taking to my bike is emptying my gas tank and cleaning it with some sea foam. Then i'll fill it back up, other than that there shouldn't be anything else.








Now, in the second picture, a little bit more above where the picture was taken there is a leak. It's right behind the panel and I took everything off and looked around for any cracks, holes, or rips but nothing. I think it might be because I just oiled up my air filter and it's pretty soaked in there.

In the last picture, you can see my vent line which I think it's called. I'm pretty sure that just hangs loose correct? Just so as long as it doesn't get pinched in between the seat.

I live in Washington btw so it rains 80% of the time. My bike is only protected by a tarp in harsh weather.

Problem is still that it's turning, but not starting up.

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

In your first post you said you took carbs out to see if they were dirty- did you actually disassemble them? It's possible your jets are just fouled and need to be cleaned. If your carbs haven't been cleaned in a while they'll run better regardless if anything is wrong with them.

That hose in the last picture is the tank vent you are right. It looks like it was cut in half though as it usually gets routed down to your right foot pointing at the ground where there is a half-circle it is placed into.

[Atiaga]

Originally Posted by FvnnyL3tt3r1ng

In your first post you said you took carbs out to see if they were dirty- did you actually disassemble them? It's possible your jets are just fouled and need to be cleaned. If your carbs haven't been cleaned in a while they'll run better regardless if anything is wrong with them.

That hose in the last picture is the tank vent you are right. It looks like it was cut in half though as it usually gets routed down to your right foot pointing at the ground where there is a half-circle it is placed into.

I did take apart the carb after I took them out, I looked at the jets, and looked inside where the gunk build up usually would be and it was freshly clean. I just bought this motorcycle from a guy about 4 months ago and he'd done maintenance on it a lot so it's in pretty good shape for a 1998. I took a video for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZzlw...ature=youtu.be

-ALSO
When my bike first started it only started because my friend had sprayed some choke and carb cleaner down into my air filter. It caused it to start almost right away. Idk if this helps, but It seems all I need is combustion.

Please Help if you can.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Atiaga

When my bike first started it only started because my friend had sprayed some choke and carb cleaner down into my air filter. It caused it to start almost right away. Idk if this helps, but It seems all I need is combustion.

Does it stay running once you've started it with carb cleaner and choke? Or does it die right after burning off the carb cleaner?

From your video, it seems like you're just not holding the starter long enough. I heard about 1-2 rotations. Try holding the starter for about 5 seconds if needed and playing with the choke/throttle. If there's spark to run on carb cleaner, you should be able to get it to fire at least once with enough cranking (not too much, don't burn out the starter motor) and playing with the choke/throttle a bit.

[Atiaga]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Does it stay running once you've started it with carb cleaner and choke? Or does it die right after burning off the carb cleaner?

From your video, it seems like you're just not holding the starter long enough. I heard about 1-2 rotations. Try holding the starter for about 5 seconds if needed and playing with the choke/throttle. If there's spark to run on carb cleaner, you should be able to get it to fire at least once with enough cranking (not too much, don't burn out the starter motor) and playing with the choke/throttle a bit.

I was able to keep the bike running after I sprayed the cleaner in for however long I wanted, I shut it off once it was done. It also fired a couple times after, so I thought I was good. Then I was still having problems starting it up again. When it was running in that short time, it wouldn't go over 6k rpms in 1st.

[choneofakind]

Okay, so let's start from the beginning. We know it will run. That means you have fuel spark and air.

it starts warm, but not cold. This points to lean at the bottom. When you had the carbs off, how far out were your mix screws? How much choke are you applying? Are you just whacking the choke on and cranking or are you cranking then easing the choke on until it fires? The engine is much more likely to fire right as it's crossing the threshold from lean to rich by easing the choke on.

It won't go above 6k in 1st? What throttle? Will it go above 6k at partial throttle but not full throttle? How does it sound? Does it surge or does it feel really soggy? When you had the carbs off, did you see what size jets are in there and what height the needles are at? What's your intake/exhaust right now? Stock or not?

Do you have access to a can of spray carb cleaner and an air compressor with a spray nozzle attachment? Can you let the carbs soak in PinSol over night and then blast them with compressed air? Don't forget all the little passages, not just the jets.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get an idea of what your bike is doing and I didn't see all that in the thread.

[Motofool]

From the video, your choke is not all the way on.

Try keeping it hold your left hand and, yes, crank it for more seconds.