ZXR250 problem..help!! battery?! electrics?!

[Ramyy]

Heyy :)

I havn't riden my bike for a week and it was out in the rain. (pretty bad rain on Thurs). 2day it started fine and i went about 300m down the road and it randomly cut out!! kick started it because it wouldn't start using the start button and it would rev up to 4rpm and cut out.. then sometimes revs up to 5rpm and cuts out which is very low..

And it seems that the throttle isn't working.. i try rev it up it revs up slightly and dies.. even the choke; when it is on it revs up then dies. :angry:

i'm not the wisest when it comes to electrics?! but could it be water in the electrics?! or maybe battery problem?!

Any help would be appreciated.:yes:

oh yea.. its a ZXR250 89model :yes:

[Meekey_Mouse]

Hey, I don't know much... but if it's been in the heavy rain could water of gotten into the fuel tank?

It doesn't really sound like electrics other wise I think you would be having more pf a problem starting it/lights etc.. but it does sound more like it isn't getting enough fuel to get into higher revs

Like I said though, I'm not a mechanic :done:

[rookie]

water in the carbs perhaps??

[Brett]

ZXR's suffer terribly from water in the electrics when in heavy rain. I have had mine die on me before in really water soden roads. Spend time, clean the connections and insulate well from water, problem solved.

If the bike has had enough time to dry out and is still spluttering, try draining fuel and re-filling.
If still happening...PM me.

[Brett]

On a similar note, I have a ZXr250a sitting in the garage, had not been run for 2 years, even had shit 2 year old fuel in the tank...took it for a ride and it would not run over 10k RPM, and sounded like it was constipated when it hit the mid torque range.
Guessing it must be crapped up carbs clogging the motor. If yours continues to do this, you *may* have a similar problem.

[Ramyy]

water in the carbs perhaps??

If it is.. how do i find out?! or better yet.. how do i get rid of that?!

[Ramyy]

Spend time, clean the connections and insulate well from water, problem solved..

How do i "clean the conections" ?! do u mean with a dry cloth?! sorry new to all this. :mellow:




If the bike has had enough time to dry out and is still spluttering, try draining fuel and re-filling.
If still happening...PM me.

I'll try that :)

[Ramyy]

.. but it does sound more like it isn't getting enough fuel to get into higher revs

Yea.. maybe its a fuel problem.. but how do i check for fuel flowing smoothly?!

thanks every1 who is trying to help :yes:

[Roadrash]

Go down to Repco or super cheap and get a can of electraclean,I think it comes in a green crc can, if you read the bach it should tell you that it displaces moisture and leaves a film on the connecting surfaces to stop them corroading.
Then try and start the bike, if its idling low even with the choke just let it do that, the engine heat will soon help dry out all the other connections you didn't find.
Carefully touch the header pipes after you start it, (carefull they will get hot fast) and see if any of the header pipes are running cooler that the rest, If there is 1 header pipe running cool this points to a spark plug problem, If two that could mean a coil is playing up.
Not a definitive answer but i hope it helps
Good luck

[johnnyflash]

Ditto, couldnt have said better myself :) electraclean is wonderful stuff to carry on your travels..

[Phenoix]

Water in the carbs is your best bet.
Tho i'd check you air filter aswell, just incase waters laked in there.
You'll find there's a "big peice of foam" in there check it's not "holed" or bits arnt falling off.
1 way to dry ya bike out is toget it started and just leave it running for 10-15mins
Turn up the idle some, the heat will dry out a few things and hopefully will get you going.
It probably wont be electrics bescause it does start up.

[Panther]

time for some carb tickeling!

[Ramyy]

Go down to Repco or super cheap and get a can of electraclean,I think it comes in a green crc can, if you read the bach it should tell you that it displaces moisture and leaves a film on the connecting surfaces to stop them corroading.
Then try and start the bike, if its idling low even with the choke just let it do that, the engine heat will soon help dry out all the other connections you didn't find.
Carefully touch the header pipes after you start it, (carefull they will get hot fast) and see if any of the header pipes are running cooler that the rest, If there is 1 header pipe running cool this points to a spark plug problem, If two that could mean a coil is playing up.
Not a definitive answer but i hope it helps
Good luck

I'll definately get electraclean :yes: it wasn't at supercheap (just got back from there) but i'll check at repco.

I can start the bike (kick starting it) and i can let it idle for maybe 2 mins then it always cuts out after a while. and if i try to rev it up it revs up to about 4rpm then cuts out so can't let it idle for a long time.. bummer..

[Ramyy]

Water in the carbs is your best bet.
Tho i'd check you air filter aswell, just incase waters laked in there.
You'll find there's a "big peice of foam" in there check it's not "holed" or bits arnt falling off.
1 way to dry ya bike out is toget it started and just leave it running for 10-15mins
Turn up the idle some, the heat will dry out a few things and hopefully will get you going.
It probably wont be electrics bescause it does start up.

if it is water in the carbs.. how do i get rid/evaporate it?!
i'll check my air filter now..
and can't get bike to run for 10-15mins straight.. keeps cutting out..

I just want to RIDE!! gutted!! haha

[Ramyy]

time for some carb tickeling!

?! abit more info would be very much appreciated :)

[rookie]

It probably wont be electrics bescause it does start up.

Thats what makes it tough is that the bike is starting.
I thought that if there was water in the carbs then it would cause the bike to run rough but not cut out.

Im not sure exactly how to get the water out of the carbs...it evaporates off over long rides. But to my understanding...some bikes have a plug that allows water to drain from the carbs...ive just been looking through the manual and i cant find anything like that on the zxr's.

perhaps brett or satch or aff-man know better?? or Sallo??

[rookie]

On a similar note, I have a ZXr250a sitting in the garage, had not been run for 2 years, even had shit 2 year old fuel in the tank...took it for a ride and it would not run over 10k RPM, and sounded like it was constipated when it hit the mid torque range.
Guessing it must be crapped up carbs clogging the motor. If yours continues to do this, you *may* have a similar problem.

Obviously the fuel could be a problem.
I think trouble at higher revs can be due to the air filter being clogged...im sure you've checked that already though.

Rammy's bike isnt revving but it is also cutting out...bizzare!!

[Panther]

?! abit more info would be very much appreciated :)

well in my experience the carbs on the zxr's need to be cleaned and balanced etc at seemingly short intervals (6months or so) for them to be runnning tip top. i know people who clean them themselves but it seems to be best to let a good mechanic balance them, like Ricki up at haldanes in aucks, dunno if he has gone to as yet, but he is the man for working on zxr's.
if you can spare a few hundred, get it done and then you'll be problem free!
basically since all the carb stuff is so delicate and tuned to a fine adjustment for a 250cc motor, the carbs seem to cause lots of probs.
my zxr was bogging down a lot and the carb tickling fixed up that.
if you are having trouble revving up past certain revs, check that your air hoses are all connected up, this normally only stops it revving past 10,000 rpms thou, so might not be your prob, but check t out anyway.
if you want to check for water yourself i'd guess that you would take off the tank, drain it, put new gas in (ovbiously from a container unless you want to push your bike to a gas station -hey whatever does it for ya!), also have you checked your fuel filter thingy? if you wanted to be rough you could just replace the whole piping and cut out the filter cos that filter isnt the only place that the fuel gets filtered.
so yer not recomended but you can if you want to be rough.
hope this helps, at the end of the day spend the money and ave your bike all good and reliable. all the times my bike died in gillies ave was not cool!

[Panther]

Rammy's bike isnt revving but it is also cutting out...bizzare!!

also the problem of my bike cutting out dissapeared once the carbs were all good again.
id have to push start it at home and then push start it again at the servo!

[Phenoix]

I cant help you with the manual, i lost them all when my PC died.
Because the bike was running fine BEFORE TWO DAYS of rain the balancing of carbs should be fine. But water will have gotten somewhere.

Most likly the carbs. Water in the fuel tank seperates (If left) and causes differnt troblems, ie no starting more then cant get past 8k.
Try just letting it run with the idle up abit higher and see if it makes much difference (after it gets hot enough to kick in the fan) cos getting to the carbs is 1/2 a B*t*h.
But if you pull your tank and air filter all apart you should be able to see the top, just check there's no obvios shit/grit in there.

[Ramyy]

Go down to Repco or super cheap and get a can of electraclean,I think it comes in a green crc can, if you read the bach it should tell you that it displaces moisture and leaves a film on the connecting surfaces to stop them corroading.

I went to Supercheap and Repco and can't find that electraclean stuff.. any help where to find it?!

I checked filters they all good.. i'll try drain the carburetor to check for water..

I think it i might have to bowe down and take it to a professional to take a good look.. but i don't have a trailer :( does anyone know where i can rent a trailer?! i live on shore :)

[Ramyy]

Ditto, couldnt have said better myself :) electraclean is wonderful stuff to carry on your travels..

Where do you get it from?! and do you possibly know how much?!

[Brett]

I went to Supercheap and Repco and can't find that electraclean stuff.. any help where to find it?!

I checked filters they all good.. i'll try drain the carburetor to check for water..

I think it i might have to bowe down and take it to a professional to take a good look.. but i don't have a trailer :( does anyone know where i can rent a trailer?! i live on shore :)

I can give you a copy of the manual if you want...I am out east auckland.
My guess would be to drain and clean the carbs first, failing that look at electrical gear for damage, water accumulation. check that your choke slider on the carbs isn't jammed open, this along with carbs that need a tune would be enough to flood the engine at low rpm and cuase it to die. slider should be fully back when choke lever is all the way back.
Are all of the cylinders firing? What condition are the plugs? The plugs may be shot and unable to produce enought spark at higher RPM to allow combustion ( just a total thumb suck).

[Brett]

If it is.. how do i find out?! or better yet.. how do i get rid of that?!

To remove carbs, pull the tank off, pull the side fiarings off ( to prevent damage and allow easier access) take the airbox off and top of carbs will be exposed.Underneath carbs between the head of the engine and the leading onto the intake are 4 black hoses with clamps on them, undo these clamps, the 4th one will be a bastard...they always are. Once this is done, disconnect throttle and choke cables and you will be able to lift the carbs out. Be careful, fuel will piss out once you tilt the carbs.

Once carbs are out, take the bowls off the bottom of the carbs and clear out any muck. Check that the diaphrams are all working ok and that all of the slides move up and back down freely.
Once all checked and happy, put back in reverse order as above. HOWEVER do not adjust any of the carb settings, these bikes are very very fussy about small alterations in carb mixing etc.

[johnnyflash]

Where do you get it from?! and do you possibly know how much?!

Hi ramyy, last time I bought a can of Lectraclean I think I got it from Dick Smiths or Cory's (the electrical people) its called CRC Lectra Clean
CRC Lectra Clean is an unique, scientifically formulated cleaner and degreaser that effectively removes moisture, grease, oil, wax, dirt and other contaminants from motors, parts and other electrical/mechanical equipment. No flash point. No fire point....just checked...DickSmith have it in stock around $5 a can

[Ramyy]

I drained my carbs and found water with the petrol!! I think (and hope) that is the problem.. just waiting for the air filter to arrive (i ordered one because the state of my old one is real bad) and i'll put the bike all back together and HOPE it works.. any advice before putting it all back together?!

thanks to all who helped :)

[avgas]

empty the carbs, clean the plugs, and empty the tanks.
Then refill the tank with high octane (98+ocatane booster)
I had the same prob with 2 250's and my 150. They have breather fuel caps. And were all low on gas when it rained.

[imdying]

kick started it because it wouldn't start using the start button

oh yea.. its a ZXR250 89model :yes:Now that's a good trick :yes:

[skidMark]

first try drain your bowls, do this by ,

on the bottom of each carb there is a bowl , on the very bottom is a screw , if it doesn't have a hose on it, put one on (you don't want fuel going all over the bike) and drain each carby, (they each have thier own bowl) shut the fuel off (on the fuel tap) undo the screw on each carb one at a time drain it until no more fuel comes out, close up the screw then do the same with all of the other carbs.... then turn fuel back on and fire her up. (if there some fuel on the ground roll bike away from the puddle of fuel last thing you want is a fire (speaking from experiance, **wasn't pretty**)

hope that helps.

cheers: mark

[skidMark]

Now that's a good trick :yes:

thats what i thought,

i assume he means roll start it lol

[skidMark]

I drained my carbs and found water with the petrol!! I think (and hope) that is the problem.. just waiting for the air filter to arrive (i ordered one because the state of my old one is real bad) and i'll put the bike all back together and HOPE it works.. any advice before putting it all back together?!

thanks to all who helped :)

well i spoke too late lol, only read page one didn't notice the other pages, my apoligies

[Phenoix]

Cool that you got it sorted.
So next time dont leave in rain :P
But you can buy covers for under $50, even a tarpolin will work if you tie it down properly.
Since u have it all apart, you should do some maintance to it at the same time, are your plugs and oil ok ?
Crc the clutch and break lines and levers.
ANd give the it a nice clean all over so it sparkles when you put it back together. :rockon:

[Brett]

What to do next:

Put it back together, ensuring all bolts etc. are well done up.

Take for a ride and get up to temperature. Finda 'closed road' or private space and proceed to make it wheelie:rockon:

Oh yeah, no need to run octane booster in it. Just good old 91, unless you are really going to hammer it. small engines like the ZXR's have run best day to day on 91. I personally always ran 98, however I road it relativley hard and was really fussy on looking after it.

[Phenoix]

When ever i put the ZXR back together, i used to always end up loosing a bolt somewhere and being short.
Luckly i have a nice big box of bolts that fit nicely, the probaby end up there anyways

[rookie]

I drained my carbs and found water with the petrol!! I think (and hope) that is the problem

Yea that'll do it:shit:...better drain your tank too.



Crc the clutch and break lines and levers.

Drown the bike in CRC...it is metals best friend.

[Ramyy]

Cool that you got it sorted.
So next time dont leave in rain :P
But you can buy covers for under $50, even a tarpolin will work if you tie it down properly.
Since u have it all apart, you should do some maintance to it at the same time, are your plugs and oil ok ?
Crc the clutch and break lines and levers.
ANd give the it a nice clean all over so it sparkles when you put it back together. :rockon:

Thanks :)

Where can i get these covers from?! Caz my bike is getting kicked out the garage as soon as it runs again (stupid cars take up all space --> SHEESH!! :sick: )

I'll check my plugs tomorrow.. and i changed my oil :)
I'll definately CRC everything 2morow as well..
Its sparkling clean now!!

[Ramyy]

When ever i put the ZXR back together, i used to always end up loosing a bolt somewhere and being short.
Luckly i have a nice big box of bolts that fit nicely, the probaby end up there anyways

I was actually thinking about that now (abit late) but i might miss a few bolts putting it back.. we'll c how it goes..

[Ramyy]

Yea that'll do it:shit:...better drain your tank too.

Will do :)


Drown the bike in CRC...it is metals best friend.

Haha.. well said

[Phenoix]

Any bike shop has the covers, tho usually they have a few different brands ranging from 50-200 with very little difference (Slightly thicker and bit fitting)
Let your fingers do the walking, look up bikes around you and give them a call and ask.
What ever you get tho, i recomend throwing a rope or something similar around it cos they fly very well when the wind gets to them.
Mine came from Mt Eden, but there are closer shops to you than them

[imdying]

Just good old 91, unless you are really going to hammer it.What logic do you have behind this?

[johnnyflash]

Thanks :)

Where can i get these covers from?! Caz my bike is getting kicked out the garage as soon as it runs again (stupid cars take up all space --> SHEESH!! :sick: )
CLIP.
Its sparkling clean now!!

Supercheap have em in stock,varying sizes, I bought one the other day to cover the 1500, has centre tie down clip and elastic ends to fit atound fron and rear as well as vents so the cover breathes, cant remember exactly but not far away from $50

[Brett]

What logic do you have behind this?

The mighty logic of been there, done that.

[imdying]

The mighty logic of been there, done that.
Weren't you concerned that your bike wasn't tuned correctly?

[Ramyy]

AWESOME!! :Punk: i put it all back after doing all the changes and draining the carbs etc etc.. and it started PERFECTLY!! and i just got back from a nice cruizy ride.. WoHoo..

Cheers to EVERY1 that helped.. i couldn't of done it witout uz :)

[Meekey_Mouse]

Awesome to hear, good on ya :rockon:

[Brett]

Weren't you concerned that your bike wasn't tuned correctly?

Yeah, they current one I am re-building in my garage...I have had another 5 of these bikes in the past though. This is my first a model ZXR...I am interested to see the difference between the C and A model as far as riding goes...

I am not sure why the bloody thing is running badly...though having acutally had a look at it now, I dont think it is the tuning, as it is running on 3 cylinders so suspect it is either plugs, leads or coils, although I am certain the carbs are filthy too. When I have a chance I will pull the bowls off and clean all floats, diaphrams,needles etc. and see how it goes then.

[rookie]

AWESOME!! :Punk: i put it all back after doing all the changes and draining the carbs etc etc.. and it started PERFECTLY!! and i just got back from a nice cruizy ride.. WoHoo..
Cheers to EVERY1 that helped.. i couldn't of done it witout uz :)

nice work...could you give us a list of everything you did??..cheers...just for future reference.


Awesome to hear, good on ya :rockon:

you got another bike yet?

[Ramyy]

It was basically a water problem in carbs.. so i drained my carbs and petrol tank (found water in carbs).. replaced fuel.. cleaned everything with CRC250.. charged battery.. oh yea.. i got a new air filter :) and changed my oil :)

Put it all back together and voila!!

Thanks again to everyone who helped :)