Bike stalling out at idle

[leecifer]

My bike is stalling out when at idle and it seems to do it when the fan is running or after running hard then stopping at a light. The idle is set at 1100 rpms. I did the shot gun carb cleaning and its still doing it do you think carb adjustment or may be bad battery because it will barely start after it stalls out with fan running or maybe thats a separate problem. :confused2:

 

[mr.maxx]

does it run well other than that??? been awhile since a carb sync??

yes i would def check the battery.

 

[Miles Long]

My bike is stalling out when at idle and it seems to do it when the fan is running or after running hard then stopping at a light. The idle is set at 1100 rpms. I did the shot gun carb cleaning and its still doing it do you think carb adjustment or may be bad battery because it will barely start after it stalls out with fan running or maybe thats a separate problem. :confused2:

First thing I would suspect would be the battery, and/or charging system.
The max will not run well if the voltage drops below 12 volts or so, which it may be doing at idle with the fan running. This is why an on-board voltmeter is such a useful add-on for these bikes.
Cheers!

 

[leecifer]

does it run well other than that??? been awhile since a carb sync??

yes i would def check the battery.

The bike runs well other than idle. I did carb sync before shot gun cleaning but i was on a dyno and it said that i was in the 18s at low rpms I was told that was lean so i turned the a/f screws out a little bit. I think I should sync again.

 

[leecifer]

First thing I would suspect would be the battery, and/or charging system.
The max will not run well if the voltage drops below 12 volts or so, which it may be doing at idle with the fan running. This is why an on-board voltmeter is such a useful add-on for these bikes.
Cheers!

I will take the battery to auto zone and have them test it. Thanks

 

[Mordicant]

It seems that many maxxers have this problem. I know I do, for years now..
With a cold engine idle the bike runs fine at trafficlights, but as soon as the engine is hot (like in heavy traffic or in town) it sometimes stalls when running idle and is difficult to start.

The problem seems to be a combination of low voltage due to bad/damaged rotor, and a not perfectly synced carb system so the engine is vulnerable to stalling.
The rotor or some part of the electrical system is running bad due to the heat of the engine.

Im gonna let my carbs sync, my rotor/loading system inspected and replace my battery with a odyssy

 

[wildweasel_pt]

Most likely is that the ignition box is at fault under extreme heat coming from engine. Check how your front coils are, check for plastic cracks caused by heat. The charging system may not be the problem other wise the bike would stumble when cold as well, the catch is why is that you can't operate the starter when that happens? It looks like you have a drained battery

 

[leecifer]

Took batt. to auto zone and napa they both said batt. is good 180 cca. Next check charging system.

 

[leecifer]

Charging system is charging at about 13.5 I think thats normal.Is there any thing else I should measure with voltage meter to check batt.? I guess inspecting the coils is next.

 

[naughtyG]

Make sure to check the HT leads and spark plug caps too when looking at the coils. The rear ones will be easy to get to (just take off the seat) but the front ones are a complete PITA to get at - totally buried.
Often the ends of the HT leads get corroded, and when hot it can lead to a weal spark. Also the spark plug caps can crack and get a bit **** when hot, and then they arc and you lose spark. To fix the HT leads corrosion unscrew from cap, cut 1/4" off then rescrew. See if it helps..

If you have any issues such as cracked coils (very common), ***** HT leads or plug caps, the best thing to do is dump the lot and do the Coils Over Plugs mod. Ask 88vmx12 for a complete kit (supereasy top quality plug&play), or get the bits off fleabay and DIY.

Another possibility is that your TCI box is playing up when hot. The only way to find out is to replace it with one known to work to see if it helps. Ask Sean Morley to hook you up with a loaner to try..

 

[Rhoy Carter]

Check the charging system when the motor is hot, sometimes the stater will breakdown when hot and does not charge right

 

[jfeagins]

The charging system may not be the problem other wise the bike would stumble when cold as well,

A weak charging system may put out enough volts at idle to run the CDI box correctly - up to the point where the fan kicks on - then it won't be putting out enough amperage/voltage to keep up with BOTH the fan and the CDI box requirements.

13.5v is ok, as long as it maintains that voltage WHILE YOUR FAN IS RUNNING TOO. Your charging system should be putting out closer to 14.5v max with/without the fan kicked on. Double check your voltage while the fan IS running. If your CDI box is dropping off when your voltage drops to only 13.5v, then it is probably going to have to be replaced as well IMO.

I would recommend getting an upgraded regulator/rectifier to get better voltage at idle. You might be able to dismount your existing r/r, clean up the bolts where it bolts the frame, and clean all contact points where your left/rear peg bolts to the frame to gain a small amount of voltage. These points are the only grounding your r/r has (on older model Vmaxes) and become corroded with time. Newer Vmaxes had R/R's that came with a separate ground wire going to the battery (or frame) separately.

You can also sometimes gain a small amount of voltage by cleaning the 3-wire connection where your r/r connects to the bike wiring harness.

 

[leecifer]

I checked bike running and got 13.5v then I checked bike running hot with fan on and got 12.2v but I started and stoped a few times that might have droped voltage a bit. So I should be getting at least 13.5v at all times?

 

[davidon]

Try a heavy duty ground cable kit as well (or can make your own). I think I solved my hot stalling finally..got a test of it yesterday in stop and go for about 2-3 miles coming home from NH. Got Odyssey, R1 R/R, Heavy duty ground kit, Venture stator. R/R is directly connected to battery as per Johann instrutions
http://imageevent.com/jkvmax/regulatorrectifier;jsessionid=wutdkpcc41.penguin_s

 

[DMAN999]

You should expect about a .8 to 1 Volt drop when the fan comes on if I remember correctly.
Read through this thread and see how your Voltages compare:
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=19108

Mine is at about 13.4-13.5 at 1000-1100 rpm and goes up to about 14.3- 14.4 at 2500 rpm.
So with the Fan on I would expect to see about 1 Volt less at each rpm.

I did do the Crimp Fix and direct wire my RR (Positive lead only) to the battery though.
I didn't bother direct wiring the Negative RR lead because my Voltages were as high enough without doing that.

If you get the Voltages up to snuff and still have problems you will need to test that TCI and Stator and see what they read.

 

[jfeagins]

I checked bike running and got 13.5v then I checked bike running hot with fan on and got 12.2v but I started and stoped a few times that might have droped voltage a bit. So I should be getting at least 13.5v at all times?

12.2V at idle with the fan running is not enough to satisfy your electronic ignitor box. You can either tune up your R/R connections and get more voltage, or upgrade to a different R/R for better results.

 

[leecifer]

Hey thanks everyone. I have some electrical fixes to get busy on. Love this site.

 

[leecifer]

I checked my voltage with bike hot and fan running and got high 11v and found that the positive and negative connectors from r/r is corroided so i'm going to cut out the wires and run new ones and hopefully that will fix my stalling problem by increacing my charging voltage.

 

[jfeagins]

I checked my voltage with bike hot and fan running and got high 11v and found that the positive and negative connectors from r/r is corroided so i'm going to cut out the wires and run new ones and hopefully that will fix my stalling problem by increacing my charging voltage.

Sounds like a great place to start. Cleaning up that bad connector should get you some good addt'l voltage. You might also consider going ahead and dismounting your r/r and cleaning up the left rear peg mounting bolts for better r/r grounding while you're down there.

 

[leecifer]

Hey thanks every one I got the voltage up to 12.8v with the bike hot and fan running, blinker going and brake light on. Just at normal idle I have 13.5v and if I give it just a little throttle it jumps up into the 14.3 to 14.5 range. I took about a half hour ride and no problems with stalling out.............:biglaugh: