Bandit GSF250V coolant leak

[Big Dog]

No and no.



Yup, charged it and tried again. No good.




NIce, I'll check the fuses. I had remove the sprocket cover and pull the clutch cable out past the coils to get to the pump so I might have done this but I couldn't see anything wrong. God I hope this isn't electrical or I will shit myself.

You may want to check your side stand switch.
Also wouldn't be the first time someone killed a bike with the kill switch and didn't switch back to run.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[scary]

Thanks dude, appreciate the advice. I'll get in there on the weekend.

[scary]

Got spark on #1 cylinder. Should I check them all?

The side stand switch doesn't stop this bike starting unless you put it in gear but I'm still checking the interlock system.

[scary]

Got sparks on all plugs. When I put the choke in the engine coughs and splutters like its trying to start but can't quite get there. Got a couple of backfires too so fuel must be getting through. Got spark, got fuel. Maybe the carbs are screwy and not mixing right? I can't see what would have caused this after stripping and refitting the water pump though.

[FJRider]

When I put the choke in the engine coughs and splutters like its trying to start but can't quite get there.

Wait untill it starts (cold) before you reduce the choke.

[Big Dog]

You could try draining your tank from the carb end of the fuel line or if possible from the carb drain into a clear or mostly transparent container. Last time I used a clean and dry plastic milk bottle. When nearly full stop draining. Allow to sit.

If it's all cloudy drain and clean your tank.
If it's got red or black powder or flakes. Drain, flush, clean, rustproof, clean and strip your carb.
If there is what looks like a spirit level bubble at the bottom you have water in you fuel, lines and or filter. You can put a water dispersant through if you can get it to run. Otherwise you need to flush the tank and fuel lines and depending on your fuel filter type replace or flush it.

Also possible based on the fact a spark is present and it is not starting is it getting getting enough air? Was the air box a home to something while it was parked? Does the drain from the air box drain? Is the filter clean?


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[scary]

Hi Big Dog, the air filter's not home to anything. Filter looks okay and doesn't release clouds of shit when I blow on it so I reckon that's fine. Before I stripped the water pump I did notice a pool of oil in the bottom of the air box, underneath the filter. I mopped it out with a clean cloth. I'll check the drain and have a look at my fuel.

BTW I've bypassed the neutral and sidestand switches and nothing's changed. Coils have good resistance. Plugs are clean and gapped.

[FJRider]

Hi Big Dog, the air filter's not home to anything. Filter looks okay and doesn't release clouds of shit when I blow on it so I reckon that's fine. Before I stripped the water pump I did notice a pool of oil in the bottom of the air box, underneath the filter. I mopped it out with a clean cloth. I'll check the drain and have a look at my fuel.

Engine breather hoses usually go to the airbox to recycle the fumes ... Small amounts of oil can be accepted.

Plugs are clean and gapped.

Fucked plugs that are clean and gapped STILL wont work properly ...

[GSF]

I used to have a 250 Bandit, earlier than yours though - 1992.

In my experience, those things absolutely hate not being run for a while. Been inactive for more than a month, right?

Carbs may be varnished up with fuel, mine had trouble with that and also worn emulsion tubes/needle jets until I replaced them.
They also run like a bag of arseholes if the carbs are going out of synch.

I'd recommend checking your fuel tank, line, fuel petcock vacuum line, petcock and then the carbs themselves. 90% of all the trouble I ever had with mine was carb related (finicky bloody little 250cc IL4s!) and especially after a prolonged period of inactivity. They might be out of synch, gunged up, worn emulsion tubes, perished or otherwise puckered diaphragms.

Mine also used to leave a bit of oil in the airbox - it had slightly worn rings, blowby pressurising the crankcase and sending oil into the airbox. If you ever do a compression test and find it slightly under spec, it's probably that

[scary]

Engine breather hoses usually go to the airbox to recycle the fumes ... Small amounts of oil can be accepted.

Sweet.

Fucked plugs that are clean and gapped STILL wont worked properly ...

+10,000,000 for that one mate. New plugs coaxed the bastard back to life! Coughed and shat itself for 5 minutes on choke, dying if I tried to move the throttle, then it settled down nicely. F yeah.

[oldiebutagoody]

If it happens again check your battery output and condition. It might have deteriorated in a Month sitting idle, as previously mentioned just enough to kick it into life once then nada...... Your difficult start could be due to low system voltage, and recovered a bit once some charge was fed back into the battery when running a while. I'd give the battery a real deep slow cycle charge.

Coils require min 11v to fire the plugs but make a much fatter spark at 12.4v.

Depending on the voltage drop across the loom due to corrosion etc at terminals and plugs, a dying battery can give the symptoms you gave, including a poor start on choke.

First thing I was taught by my mentor was "new sparkers mask a multitude of sins".

[scary]

I used to have a 250 Bandit, earlier than yours though - 1992.

In my experience, those things absolutely hate not being run for a while. Been inactive for more than a month, right?

Carbs may be varnished up with fuel, mine had trouble with that and also worn emulsion tubes/needle jets until I replaced them.
They also run like a bag of arseholes if the carbs are going out of synch.

I'd recommend checking your fuel tank, line, fuel petcock vacuum line, petcock and then the carbs themselves. 90% of all the trouble I ever had with mine was carb related (finicky bloody little 250cc IL4s!) and especially after a prolonged period of inactivity. They might be out of synch, gunged up, worn emulsion tubes, perished or otherwise puckered diaphragms.

Mine also used to leave a bit of oil in the airbox - it had slightly worn rings, blowby pressurising the crankcase and sending oil into the airbox. If you ever do a compression test and find it slightly under spec, it's probably that

This is great advice. The bike's my daily ride so doesn't sit for more than a long weekend most of the year. I haven't touched the carbs since I got it and they definitely need seeing too as the bike's got a flat spot in the throttle now and doesn't idle smoothly. The emulsion tubes have been mentioned to me before as a cause of this but I'm a bit intimidated by the prospect so I've been dodging it. I guess I need to man up! The petcock and fuel lines are an easy job though so I guess I can start there.

Out of interest is that injector cleaner stuff you add to your tank any good?

[scary]

If it happens again check your battery output and condition. It might have deteriorated in a Month sitting idle, as previously mentioned just enough to kick it into life once then nada...... Your difficult start could be due to low system voltage, and recovered a bit once some charge was fed back into the battery when running a while. I'd give the battery a real deep slow cycle charge.

Coils require min 11v to fire the plugs but make a much fatter spark at 12.4v.

Depending on the voltage drop across the loom due to corrosion etc at terminals and plugs, a dying battery can give the symptoms you gave, including a poor start on choke.

First thing I was taught by my mentor was "new sparkers mask a multitude of sins".

I've been "cycling it" the whole weekend trying to start the bike then putting it back on charge while I tinker. Probably not a nice thing to do to the battery but it was new last winter so hopefully its taken its beating like a man.

Good words on the sparks and at $26 for the four its hardly an expensive fix. Wish I'd done the smart thing and changed them when I did the water pump seals but I had to work out how to get them out first!

[Big Dog]

Out of interest is that injector cleaner stuff you add to your tank any good?

Not for carbs. It can fuck the rubbers ( unless it says injector and carb cleaner).

When I have run carbed bikes I have always chucked a 1/4 bottle of carb cleaner (one bottle should treat 55l but you probably have an 18l or less fill, most cleaners have an booster so that an change is perceived to be immediate which can make performance a little snatchy until you add more fuel if you put it all in) at it if it starts running differently. Usually once a season in the nineties. About once a year since they changes the fuel standards late 90's. I wanna say 98?

On the advice of my mechanic at the time I sometimes used a 1/4 cup of diesel per 30 litres instead so about a tablespoon if you have a typical 18l tank. That was more for poor throttle response on back off or flat spots in the mid range.
Runs rough when the diesel hits the carb.

With either: Expect a little extra smoke but not for long.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[GSF]

This is great advice. The bike's my daily ride so doesn't sit for more than a long weekend most of the year. I haven't touched the carbs since I got it and they definitely need seeing too as the bike's got a flat spot in the throttle now and doesn't idle smoothly. The emulsion tubes have been mentioned to me before as a cause of this but I'm a bit intimidated by the prospect so I've been dodging it. I guess I need to man up! The petcock and fuel lines are an easy job though so I guess I can start there.

Out of interest is that injector cleaner stuff you add to your tank any good?

Never used it on any of my bikes, I prefer just to dismantle the carbs every now and then and give them a good clean. It's a great way to get to know your bike too. Try find a Haynes manual or workshop manual to help you, or an exploded parts diagram so you know what the guts of your carbies look like before you open them up.

http://www.bike-parts-suz.com/thumbs...0/dp014959.png - Are these what your ones look like?

Number the carbs 1 to 4 from left to right across the engine as you take them off and do them one at a time so you don't get any parts mixed up. Take your time and be careful as you dismantle them because carbies love to have spring-loaded bits hiding under caps or covers so something might shoot out and get lost, be careful when taking the black tops off the vacuum chamber and handle the diaphragms with care. I like to work on them in big cardboard box which I cut down so it's very shallow, the cardboard absorbs any dripped petrol or cleaner and also stops you losing anything that falls out and tries to roll away.

To do a carb synch you'll need a set of vacuum gauges, or you can try bodging up a home-made manometer. There's heaps of instructions online for how to make your own.

PS: check all your float heights while your're in there and take photos as you dismantle them, easy to forget things like which position you had the clip on the needle etc.