Damned thing won't go!

[magicmonkey]

I'm after a bit of help from the more experienced here

I bought a zxr which had been sat around in the garage fir 2 years and only used once. It turned over but wouldn't start so I did the sensible thing and cleaned the carbs out and tried it again (I want to get the engine working before I start on all the other little jobs) now it's at exactly the same point but has shiney carbs. I'm thinking the next place to go is a compression test but I get the impression that I'd at least get smething catching even with poor compression. Has anyone got any helpful hints about where to start looking next?

[CookMySock]

After you put the carbs back in, did you check there was fuel in the float bowls?

Got spark? New plugs or clean them?

Check the valve clearances aren't real real tight.

Use a little engine start down the carb throats.

Usually theres a good reason why engines have been sat around for years. I'd be a little wary of buying one.


Steve

[kevfromcoro]

had that trouble with a cbr 6 hundy.
sat around to long
stuck 24 volts on it. wouldnt go
if you got spark.. and gas its got to go
try pulling the plugs out. stick a bit of oil down into the cylinder.
crank it ova. plugs back in.
should go...............
just a thought

[magicmonkey]

After you put the carbs back in, did you check there was fuel in the float bowls?

Got spark? New plugs or clean them?

Check the valve clearances aren't real real tight.

Use a little engine start down the carb throats.

Usually theres a good reason why engines have been sat around for years. I'd be a little wary of buying one.


Steve

heh, I really should have put what I'd checked in there as well shouldn't I!!

The plugs all fire (tested by holding the plugs to the block)

I tried putting a drop of petrol in each cylinder but the plugs are set so deep in the head that I think the drop of petrol just lubricated the spark plug threads rather than getting into the cylinder.

On turning over there isn't any hesitation at all (except when i drained the battery but that's on charge at the moment and should be good to go later tonight)

I'm not sure about valve clearances as I haven't got the engine open yet, I was hoping that would be something that wouldn't need doing for a little while TBH. Having said that, I'll bet the feeler gagues are cheaper than a compression tester so maybe I'll have a do with that one first ...

[magicmonkey]

had that trouble with a cbr 6 hundy.
sat around to long
stuck 24 volts on it. wouldnt go
if you got spark.. and gas its got to go
try pulling the plugs out. stick a bit of oil down into the cylinder.
crank it ova. plugs back in.
should go...............
just a thought

When you say 'bit of oil' how much are we talking here? a couple of drops or a teaspoon or just a whole mug???

[kevfromcoro]

When you say 'bit of oil' how much are we talking here? a couple of drops or a teaspoon or just a whole mug???

i think its dry in the bore,,,,
about a couple of teaspoons down each cylinder
it aint going to hurt anything
might just smoke a bit for a while

[CookMySock]

Open the carb drain screws to make sure each bowl has fuel in it. If all or some of them don't, then find the vacuum line to the fuel pump and repeatedly suck on until it pumps fuel into the carbs. If it won't pump the fuel up then investigate that further.

You need a squirty bottle with a pump, like a spray 'n wipe bottle - put some petrol in it. Pull the air filter off, full choke, adjust idle up a bit, squirt down each carb and start it - don't touch the throttle. It should go right away - if it doesn't then better check over the valve clearances or compression.

Steve

[SS90]

Open the carb drain screws to make sure each bowl has fuel in it. If all or some of them don't, then find the vacuum line to the fuel pump and repeatedly suck on until it pumps fuel into the carbs. If it won't pump the fuel up then investigate that further.

You need a squirty bottle with a pump, like a spray 'n wipe bottle - put some petrol in it. Pull the air filter off, full choke, adjust idle up a bit, squirt down each carb and start it - don't touch the throttle. It should go right away - if it doesn't then better check over the valve clearances or compression.

Steve

I say this with caution!

A can of easy start is always a good bet, and like you said, remove the air box lid and filter and spray it straight into the inlet valves.

I doubt that he valve clearances are a problem, they don't close up just by sitting.

In fact, I can't ever remember finding a ZXR250 with tight valves!

[magicmonkey]

I say this with caution!

A can of easy start is always a good bet, and like you said, remove the air box lid and filter and spray it straight into the inlet valves.

I doubt that he valve clearances are a problem, they don't close up just by sitting.

In fact, I can't ever remember finding a ZXR250 with tight valves!

Sounds like a much better idea that trying to empty out the spray-n-wipe!

[magicmonkey]

i think its dry in the bore,,,,
about a couple of teaspoons down each cylinder
it aint going to hurt anything
might just smoke a bit for a while

Sweet, I'll give that a go before the easy-start I think, best to try and loosen it up before making things go bang I suppose

[BoristheBiter]

I'm after a bit of help from the more experienced here

I bought a zxr which had been sat around in the garage fir 2 years and only used once. It turned over but wouldn't start so I did the sensible thing and cleaned the carbs out and tried it again (I want to get the engine working before I start on all the other little jobs) now it's at exactly the same point but has shiney carbs. I'm thinking the next place to go is a compression test but I get the impression that I'd at least get smething catching even with poor compression. Has anyone got any helpful hints about where to start looking next?

I had the same problem with one of my old bikes.
i would say look at the carb again. I had stripped and cleaned the whole thing but one of the jets/nozzles (what ever it was) had blocked up again. fired second kick.
just check the carb, also have you put new gas in or is it the old with a bit of new on top?

[magicmonkey]

I had the same problem with one of my old bikes.
i would say look at the carb again. I had stripped and cleaned the whole thing but one of the jets/nozzles (what ever it was) had blocked up again. fired second kick.
just check the carb, also have you put new gas in or is it the old with a bit of new on top?

there are 4 carbs on this so I'm pretty sure that at least one of them must be letting petrol through, I'm a bit hesitant to pull them off again if I don't have to but I suppose it's kind of inevitable really!

It's all new gas, the old stuff was a disgusting rust colour that I just wouldn't trust anywhere near the engine!

[BoristheBiter]

there are 4 carbs on this so I'm pretty sure that at least one of them must be letting petrol through, I'm a bit hesitant to pull them off again if I don't have to but I suppose it's kind of inevitable really!

It's all new gas, the old stuff was a disgusting rust colour that I just wouldn't trust anywhere near the engine!

It used to start right?
does it have a manual choke?
does it have a drain plug on the carb?

[magicmonkey]

It used to start right?
does it have a manual choke?
does it have a drain plug on the carb?

Yup, tried with and without choke and at various levels of throttle, also checked the drain plaug and petrol is getting to the carbs

[BoristheBiter]

Yup, tried with and without choke and at various levels of throttle, also checked the drain plaug and petrol is getting to the carbs

is the zxr the one wher you have to balance the carbs?
something to do with the vacuum in them or something like that.