bike wont start????

[JimO]

my son got caught in a downpour and his NZ 250 suzuki conked out it restarted about 10 minutes later but only got about 5 minutes riding before he conked out again i had a look today and cleaned the sparkplug and there is a healthy spark but it wont fire on the start button or trying to clutch start it it just turns over and backfires could this be water got into the fuel from the rain?? should i drain the carby, how do i drain the carby?? undoo the screw at the bottom?

cheers in advance


Jim

[Spuds1234]

To drain the carb, as you say, Undo the screw at the bottom of the bowl.

When your son rode the bike again, was he riding in the rain?

I used to have a bike that when the spark plugs/leads got wet, it would not go well at all. Try spraying the tops of the plugs in crc or something.

I reckon its definatly something electric thats getting wet though and shorting out.

[JimO]

To drain the carb, as you say, Undo the screw at the bottom of the bowl.

When your son rode the bike again, was he riding in the rain?

I used to have a bike that when the spark plugs/leads got wet, it would not go well at all. Try spraying the tops of the plugs in crc or something.

I reckon its definatly something electric thats getting wet though and shorting out.

its a single and the plug is at the top of the engine under the tank so cant get wet, and it was pissing own rain

[Spuds1234]

I reckon then that somewhere water is getting in and stuffing things up.

If it was me, I would find every connection in the electrics system and cover it in vasealine when I was certain that the whole bike was dry.

In my experience water will get everywhere, no matter how water tight you think things are.

Someone with more experience will no doubt come along shortly and correct me, but that is what I would be doing.

[T.W.R]

Unless water has been sucked into the carb through the airbox the problem wont be through contaminated fuel. If it has then apart from draining the carb bowl the carb will have to be removed and the jets cleaned because the water sits on the jets in droplets thus blocking the jets.

Water in the electrics is most likely, not just around the sparkplug/HT lead/coil area but also the R/H switch block (kill-switch & starter button) and associated wiring from there down past the headstock. Also the rest of the wiring from the exciter coil through to the wiring loom behind the side panels.

[idb]

But he says it has a good spark when being cranked?!

I'd drain the carb and the tank.

[T.W.R]

But he says it has a good spark when being cranked?!

I'd drain the carb and the tank.

wouldn't mind a dollar everytime we see that in the shop when checking spark on quads that have been drowned under irrigators. Moisture in electrics can easily cause intermittent spark especially when an engine is being cranked over without load on it :msn-wink:

just think how much water would have to seep into the fuel tank then mix with the fuel enough to cause problems whilst the bike was actually running. He was caught in a down pour when the problem started. Water in through the airbox is far more likely

[Ixion]

Takes a shitload more volts to produce a spark under compression than with the spark plug out. Electrickery take sthe easiest path. Plug out, easiest path is through the plug. Plug in , and under compression, easiest path is through the water film around the HT stuff.

Heat gun WD40 and alcohol spray are your friends

Edit: Oh, and clean everything. Dirt film plus tiny bit of moisture = nice path to earth

[Spuds1234]

See, I told you people with more experience than me would be along.

T.W.R and Ixion know what they are talking about follow their advice and you will be right.

[JimO]

runnung again sounds like a bag of hammers, just like normal