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Re: Won't start.
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 6:21 am
by SteveD
ME 109 wrote:Is the engine catching at all? Nope. If it catches, it'll start. It's just not catching. Throttle screws were tried at 1.5 full turns in. Battery now flat.
Any clearance with the throttle screw will not allow an idle? Always needs to be some opening of the butterfly for idle, if I'm not mistaken. I measured the gap with a .007 feeler gauge on both sides then turned them in x 1 full turn (initially)
Are you opening the throttle at all when trying to start? Not usually. Closed throttle, wait for it to catch, then open it.
Weird that you got it going the other day and now it's playing up again...and annoying. I should've taken it for a good run then and sorted it, but didn't.
sterob wrote:Maybe start from scratch Steve and check EVERYTHING.Easy stuff first...( compression, spark, fuel.....)
I'm going to charge the battery again first. It was an immediate difference, so I'm confident it's the carbs. Got me stuffed why it's not behaving though. Isn't it always the battery? 
I'm thinking it'll turn out to be something obvious that I'm just not seeing.
Don't assume anything...It might just be a coincidence that you started having problems just after you did something.
You will know what happened when you find the problem...Good luck.
I'd love to help you but I's just too far away....
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:19 am
by daz
Steve, I think electronic ignition is more sensitive to starting voltage than old points. Good idea to charge the battery. But I don't think it should go 'flat' so soon. Can you check the voltage at the battery as you are turning it over with the starter? I'd guess it should read at least 9 or 10 volts.
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:04 pm
by SteveD
I've been thinking along those lines, but it didn't make any difference when I tried to jump it from the car.
It was 12.8v after charge, and it's history has been very good, but it's now at 6+ years of age. I'll recharge it today and test it again tonight after work.
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 6:39 pm
by pat76r90
If it won't hold 9.5 volts while cranking it's junk. Electronics require a stable platform, and solid voltage supply, or they don't work right. Personally, it's been my habit to buy a new battery every other year. Probably overkill, but cheap insurance.
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:16 pm
by daz
pat76r90, this just happened after my previous post this morning. I pulled an old bike out of the shed to install SeaFoam to the gasoline for the winter. I pulled off the Battery Tender and it started on choke. Rode it around the yard and down the street to get the treated fuel in the carb. A bit later I pushed the starter button and only got a click. After checking wires and the solenoid I tested battery voltage. The voltage read 12.7 volts. I put a charger on at 6 amps for an hour.
The battery read over twelve volts. Until I put the lights on. Two point five volts. Steve, that battery just wont hold any charge for very long. You may want to try a new battery in your bike.
That battery is so bad! It may be 13 years old. Anyhow a good battery started the bike right up.
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:17 pm
by SteveD
12.61 after a charge. I was at work and didn't want to forget it was on charge so rang to have it disconnected after 3 hours.
10.67 whilst cranking and it sounds strong. All lights are bright etc..
12.51 at rest after cranking.
No start.
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 10:13 pm
by Duane Ausherman
It wasn't unusual for a customer to have this issue. They would haul it in and dump it in our lap. Here is one of the basics that we used very often. If the battery didn't spin it well, then we would just jump it. If that didn't do it, then we would remove the plugs and dump in a couple of cc of fuel. If it started and ran for 2 seconds and quit, then the problem was fuel.
Have you added fuel directly to the combustion chamber?
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:02 pm
by SteveD
Just back from doing just that Duane, with new plugs. I added 5 mls. No change. Didn't work with the old plugs either. They were looking darker than they were but still didn't work after a clean up.
Next step for me is to remove the front cover (-ve off) and check the cannister connections and bolts for tightness to see if it's moved.
Re: Won't start.
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 4:48 am
by Airbear
Good news (tentatively) - fingers crossed.
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