zx7r problems when running... Carb Icing??

[Gremlin]

OK, so background info. Went in for a full service Tuesday before last (1.5 weeks). Everything was done, top to bottom. Besides needing to adjust its idle, everything was fine and the bike felt fantastic. Until this Tuesday morning.

Going down the Pakuranga Highway just past St Kents, the bike dies. Just switches off, no response etc. I managed to get off the road, and used its momentum to roll into the BP. The bike was absolutely dead. No neutral light, oil light, spark. Nothing. So a call to Mt Eden who has to pick me and bike up etc. They work on the bike for 4.5 hours, still can't find the exact fault, but suspect the wiring loom, and bypass with another power wire (I think). Luckily they halved the labour bill too, which was nice.

However, a problem remains. The bike runs, starts etc, but it will, randomly, jerk, and then continue. On the odd occasion, unpredictably, it will do it again. I would call it dying, then perhaps getting a jump start, but the revs needle doesn't move.

I still need to check the kill switch and side stand cutout, but I remember when researching the 7, that they can have chronic carb icing (the P3+ was apparently fixed, but the P1 (me) and P2 needed a retro-fit), and a small bit of info I found on the web seems to sound similar to what I'm getting.

I don't ride delicate bikes, nor do I want it jerking when I'm busy in a corner. Want to get it sorted as cheaply as possible - but I want it fixed. As a last resort, I might have to replace the loom.

[The_Dover]

Su su su suzuki for summer, yeah!

Or winter.

[Gremlin]

Why thank you dover, so practically helpful. However, I don't like riding bikes that like to crash/like looking scraped up. Or *looks at bike description* "rat" :laugh:

[The_Dover]

Why thank you dover, so practically helpful. However, I don't like riding bikes that like to crash/like looking scraped up. Or *looks at bike description* "rat" :laugh:

At least it fucking goes!!:killingme :killingme

And it's not purple.........:no:

[Sketchy_Racer]

even if it 'iced up' the ignition would still be on.It is still a electrical fault.

[Motig]

I'd second that.

[Motig]

Plus when I've been in Auckland (tough Southerner here) around mid-winter its not really cold. T-Shirt weather even so carb icing????:mellow:

[imdying]

I agree. Unless it's something pretty obscure, no power indicates a wiring fault.

[Gremlin]

T-Shirt weather even so carb icing????:mellow:
Well, only had the zx7r since mid January, and the reason that I work is partly to pay for mechanics so sort problems out... however, being that they are stumped, there's only one other place that would hold answers... here :woohoo:

I have no idea what temperature carb icing would occur at, but a lot of people were mentioning it in reviews of the bike, no idea what their environment was like tho...

I haven't had the problem during summer, but also, it only started 1 week after the service...

[sAsLEX]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=13019&highlight=dirty+NC30

then specially this post http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=260365&postcount=13

had similar symptoms, turned out was some dodgy wiring have a look at the pics!

[T.W.R]

If your loosing all electrical power it definately isn't a carb icing problem and that definately wouldn't happen anywhere around auckland, maybe on the central plateau or in central otago maybe.

Its either the regulator rectifer, or the stator coil is stuck open or its shorting out. check all the wiring also as it may be an internal fracture in one of the wires (check around all the areas where the wiring comes in contact with the frame and any spots that look chaffed).

[nudemetalz]

Wouldn't be something as simple as a dodgy connection to or from the battery, like the earth lead to the engine etc would it?

[branco]

nah its not carb icing. there are 3 faults that peeps mention when talking bout the good old zxr7. 1, the weight, 2, the carb icing, 3, piss poor electrical system. your bike sounds like number 3.

[Motu]

Carb icing is pretty rare,and not related to ambient temps,at least not in a temperate climate.If it died with absolutly no power at the dash,then you have a wiring fault from battery to ign switch - it's not getting that far,so trace back until you find where it is/isn't.

[WINJA]

Plus when I've been in Auckland (tough Southerner here) around mid-winter its not really cold. T-Shirt weather even so carb icing????:mellow:
YOU CAN GET CARB ICING IN AUCKS , COMBINATION TEMP /HUMIDITY/KAWASAKI RAM AIR , IF ITS ICING YOU NEED TO RUN 3% ISOPROPAL ALCOHOL IN THE PETROL TO DETERMINE, IF ITS STILL COUGHS AND SPLUTTERS IT AINT ICING, YOU CAN MINIMISE THE EFFECTS OF ICING BY RUNNING THE BIKE MORE RICH , IE RAISE THE NEEDLES A TAD OR ONE SIZE BIGGER MAINS BUT THIS IS ONLY IF ITS ON THE LEAN SIDE

[WINJA]

Carb icing is pretty rare,and not related to ambient temps,at least not in a temperate climate.If it died with absolutly no power at the dash,then you have a wiring fault from battery to ign switch - it's not getting that far,so trace back until you find where it is/isn't.
MOST LIKELY

[scracha]

MOST LIKELY
Oh yeah it is. My GPX600 would suffer at around 3 degrees. Weirdly it was fine below freezing. Think a lot of humidity causes it too.

Anyways, Gremlin hasn't got carb icing....he should take off the bodywork, start the motor and begin wiggling/tugging the wires, ignition switch, battery and sidestand cutoff.

[Gremlin]

So got around to having a better look at the bike on Monday afternoon...

Enjoying the pleasure of starting a full system muzzy and letting it idle too :innocent:

All wires I could immediately access were tweaked, tugged and pulled. Side stand was played with. Then I moved onto the kill switch. Nothing immediate. However, took the kill switch apart, and pulled on the contacts etc. Also nothing.

But I noticed the throttle on cable was looking a half frayed. So I took it much easier into the city on Tuesday morning, not knowing how long a frayed cable lasts. Got some time early afternoon to take it to the shop. It turned out that it was more like 8/10 frayed through, so I might have been extremely lucky to find it.

Now I have to see if it makes a difference, as the problem did seem to quieten down right before I noticed the cable... so worst case, the problem might have disappeared... :angry:

[iwilde]

Dont bet on it. Im a Electricial Engineer and have seen many intermitant faults return at the most crap time! Be cautious...

[Gremlin]

Dont bet on it. Im a Electricial Engineer and have seen many intermitant faults return at the most crap time! Be cautious...
urgh... I don't want to assume that its gone... and it will be annoying if it is, as then I don't know what made it go away/come back... :wait:

Also I won't know for sure that its ever gone until I'm lucky enough to find a conclusive fault.

[Karma]

i think i found the problem...

somehow you've managed to buy a ZX7R ;)

this can be easily solved by trading to a better bike...

[jonbuoy]

Pull apart every connector you can find and give it a squirt with CRC, plug and unplug a few times. Maybe you'll get lucky, doesn't sound like your loosing all power from the battery as you first were. Was the loom they gave you brand new? Could it be it had an intermittant fault in before you got it?

[Gremlin]

I should have a sub forum for my problems I think.... :wait:

Another one surfaced today, it felt and behaved like it needed to get flicked over to reserve, yet it didn't need to. Once revving it beyond 3-4, and more like 6-7, it was still fine. When revving it, it was almost like a rough burble (later it would of course it would be the cylinders)

Jetted into Mt Eden before a class, they reckoned crap in carbs. Getting sick and tired of constantly visiting Mt Eden I popped over to Ricky, because I really trust him. He played a bit with liquid, and found that cylinder 2 wasn't the same as the others (liquid not evaporating as fast) - and don't ask me exactly what it means... I just know it obviously isn't operating normally...

As for the jerk, I'm not 100% sure, but it might be gone... but I certainly wasn't travelling at a constant speed heading home in traffic... so more testing is needed there...

Just taking a huuuge amount of time, effort (and dollars) to get the problems fixed... its extremely annoying.

[imdying]

It's a lemon, sell it. I know that sounds harsh and a pain in the butt, but life is too damn short to suffer that crap.

[Gremlin]

Beginning to think that way.... but I still have to sell it...

Wouldn't sell a bike in shit condition... but I have noticed I have developed a wandering eye when seeing some gorgeous model eyeing me up :blip:

My bike had better shape up or ship out. Then again, when the problems are fixed, it should be really good. Blardy hell... whyyyy me, I don't have the money to let it sit in the shop and be fixed :angry:

[scumdog]

Symtoms of icing?
After a run of more than 5-6km;
Rough idle on slowing down and stopping (if it doesn't die-out completly)
Rough or no running on slowing down for corner and then opening throttle - but if engine stops it starts and runs properly after 3-5 minutes of sitting.
Throttle sticking in one position.
Piss-poor fuel economy.

Needs: cool temperature AND high humidity.