Starting Issues

[Wilee7]

Ok I replaced the battery and i have the same problems which i had talked about in my previous thread for the starter solenoid under general maintenance. I only have problems with it starting when its cold out, during the day it starts like a champ push the button and the bikes ready to roll. but in the morning or evening when its a little cold out its not wanting to cooperate. Do i need to change my spark plugs? i need a little guidance please

 

[refeicul]

going from the descriptions in your other thread. sounds to me like a bad ground Cliffs website has loads of info from a lot of valued and reputable members in fact there is a little section on slow cranking here


http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/electrical_odd-n-ends.html#A10

Clean the entire wiring harness and all those little switches and make sure none of your connectors look warped if they do just replace them or do them individually and while your at it might as well dab a bit of solder before you put a new connector on heres a little video on that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

and lastly it would be great if you could put what bikes you have/working on as a signature so we can see what bike your talking about

 

[Big T]

3 things to consider:

1. Battery voltage - static and when the starter button is pushed
2. Valves adjusted?
3. Quality of spark - pull one out, connect it up and start the bike - red, yellow, blue, white?
This is best tested in the dark

 

[Wilee7]

Slow cranking isnt an issue at all, it just wont start it turns over like it does when its warm but it wont run. its pretty irritating if asked a couple guys i work with they told me it could be the fact that its carbuerated it will give me some issues when its cold. I will clean the wiring harness and check the spark plugs and see what happens

 

[refeicul]

well lets look at spark.

battery charged?
is the fuse good?
whats the voltage at the button & kill switch?
whats the coil resistance, secondary and primary?
how are your plugs?
hows your signal gen/points?
hows your condenser/igniter?

those questions should cover your ignition system

 

[tom203]

Ok I replaced the battery and i have the same problems which i had talked about in my previous thread for the starter solenoid under general maintenance. I only have problems with it starting when its cold out, during the day it starts like a champ push the button and the bikes ready to roll. but in the morning or evening when its a little cold out its not wanting to cooperate. Do i need to change my spark plugs? i need a little guidance please

Make sure the "choke" system is fully operating. My bike needs full "choke" when cold or it will just crank and crank.Investigate the cable operation at carbs.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

What bike are we talking about? (Hint: Put it in your sig file.)

Have you adjusted the valves and cleaned the carbs?

What is the voltage at the coils?



Thank you for your indulgence,


BassCliff

 

[Wilee7]

My bike is an 82 GS550L I cleaned the carbs almost a year ago KI checked the voltage at the battery and the solenoid and they were both between 15.54-12.30 when I went to start it. I checked the choke and it was stuck after I freed it and got it to start it would only run with the choke full open when I would close the choke while riding it wanted to shut down unless I kept the engine rev'd. so after I go it home I let it sit for an hour and it wouldnt start at all it would crank but no start ill check the coil and see what the voltage is there I also checked the spark plugs and they all spark white.

 

[Nessism]

And what about the valves? I trust you know the engine will burn up if the valves are not adjusted.

 

[refeicul]

I cleaned the carbs almost a year ago... I checked the choke and it was stuck

you may have to re dip your carbs gas goes bad in about 3 months, that is with out some sort of treatment like Star Tron.

 

[Wilee7]

no i haven't had the valves adjusted, is it difficult? Also how do i check the coils?

 

[cowboyup3371]

Have you read the information on Basscliff's site yet? He gives pretty good instructions on how to do the valve adjustment. Plus, send an email to Steve (username and real name) for his spreadsheet.

 

[Nessism]

no i haven't had the valves adjusted, is it difficult? Also how do i check the coils?

Adjusting the valves is easy. Please don't neglect critical maintenance like this. It's just as important as changing the oil, if not more.

 

[Wilee7]

who is Steve? and how do i add a signature to my posts?

 

[Nessism]

who is Steve? and how do i add a signature to my posts?

Steve is Steve. If you type "steve" in the search function you will find him.

To add info to your profile, click on the Private Messages link in the upper right of the screen, that will take you into your profile where you can add all kinds of good information.

 

[BassCliff]

who is Steve? and how do i add a signature to my posts?

Hi,

Steve is one of the many gurus (as is Nessism) around here. He posts frequently and has information about obtaining his valve adjustment spreadsheet in his signature file. If you don't read any other posts beside your own then you may have to visit the membership lists to find him.

Look at the top of the page. See that blue line with white links? If you click on "Community" then "Members List" in the drop-down menu, you can search for any member name in the forum and view their online forum profile. Steve will have his email address in his profile (look under the "Contact Info" tab.). Send him an email, not a private message or visitor message. That way he can send you that very handy document as an attachment.

While you're there, if you click on the "User CP" link, you can add some personal information to your forum profile too. Add your general location and add information to your signature file, like the year and model of your motorcycle.

To get an idea of how stuff works in the forum, click the "FAQ" link at the top of the page. That is a "Frequently Asked Questions" section with General Forum Usage tips and User Profile Features.

I also invite you to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've collected a lot of information about how to repair your motorcycle and keep it well maintained. Start with the READ ME page.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Wilee7]

How do i check the coils to see if they are bad

 

[niclpnut]

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/electrical_odd-n-ends.html#A11


go down to 'Testing the Ignition System'.

It's a section in Basscliff's website in the post above. A wealth of info, and well worth a look through. Will answer a lot of questions.

Nic

 

[refeicul]

How do i check the coils to see if they are bad

Everyone here has been more than helpful in pointing you in the right direction. In fact a lot of the information given, leads you to step by step instructions. With pictures! no one is just going to say, do xyz and it will run. You have to do some research and a lot of trial and error this is how we all learned.

 

[1_v8_merc]

Yep, you learn threw trial and error.

I know plenty of people that went to "technical schools" for automotive or motorcycles, yet they sit around a lawnmower for 2 hours trying to figure out Why it won't start....then realize it's out of gas, or the plug that they "thought" was Good, really isnt!

The only way you're going to learn, is with persistance, reading and gettin your hands dirty!

90% of the time though, the problems with these bikes are Over-shot....meaning it's WAY more simple than originally thought.