Now.........more problems

[89max]

Valid point. I still haven't done the crimp fix or looked at the connector coming off the r/r harness. I'm going to try to ride it to work someday this week and just leave it here. So I can have more time to check things over.

 

[SpecOps13]

I did the crimp fix and soldered all the wires I could dealing with the stator, R&R and the battery. The last was the big wire ground near the oil fill. That helped a lot. I also put an Odyssey Battery in. Mine starts well hot or cold now...

89's seem to need extra Love and Care....:rofl_200:

Good Luck,
Dave

 

[89max]

I'm wondering how many times my battery will take being that badly discharged from cranking so much, and then barely getting any charging voltage. I do have a spare in the garage that's still dry (hasn't been filled yet) so at least I won't have to buy another one this year.

I'm hoping to ride to work tomorrow, as long as it starts in the morning, and just leave it here until it's done. I can work on it when I have free time thru out the day. I need to change the tires anyway. I have a new rear sitting here beside me, and a new front on the way (backoredered).

 

[95spfldmax]

Definitely do the 'crimp fix'! Run a search, there's plenty of info on it. It's easy to do and could make a big difference in your charging voltage. I picked up .5 charging volts on my '99.


Here ya go.... http://www.vmaxoutlaw.com/tech/crimp.htm

+1....I picked up .9V............you definately need to do shotgun and peeshooter.......very easy to do just by removing the airbox.....

 

[RaWarrior]

It may not be your R/R, it could be the stator going south. I had low voltage, swapped in a ZX14's mosfet R/R, and got great voltage when it first started, but as the motor warmed off it fell off again back down to like 12.5....just barely breaking even. New stator from Rick's, now it's 13v idle and 14.4 from about 1500rpm on up. The original stator tested fine using an ohm meter, wasn't shorted, resistance of each leg was within spec, but under load it crapped out.

Low voltage could be causing a weak spark....that would explain why it's tough to get started(when voltage is lowest), but then runs more or less OK once it's going and it's putting out at least a little voltage. I bet if you did a bump-start it would fire up a lot easier...pretty common problem on dirt bikes and quads...they crank crank crank all day using the starter, but start right up when you kick it or pull the cord.

I also completely bypassed the "crimp" entirely by running the R/R's output and ground directly to the battery.

 

[89max]

Well, I finally got it into work with me on Tuesday. Started out by changing both tires. Then blew the rear caliper apart and cleaned it up again, since it was hanging up again. Then went through the wiring. Cut out the connector from the stator to the R/R. It was melted a bit and generally nasty. So I soldered the three wires directly to each other (one by one, not all three together). Then untaped the harness to find the crimp, only to find that the PO had already soldered it. So I retaped it.
Then I "shotgunned" the carbs and put new plugs in. Started up after some cranking, obviously, I had the carb's empty.
But once it was running, it seems great. Grabbed a voltmeter and checked the battery, 13.6 at idle. Awesome!!!!
So I'm taking it home today. Hopefully tomorrow morning, after it's completely cooled down, it'll start again easy.

Seems I am in the clear for now.

 

[Fire-medic]

Well, I finally got it into work with me on Tuesday. Started out by changing both tires. Then blew the rear caliper apart and cleaned it up again, since it was hanging up again. Then went through the wiring. Cut out the connector from the stator to the R/R. It was melted a bit and generally nasty. So I soldered the three wires directly to each other (one by one, not all three together). Then untaped the harness to find the crimp, only to find that the PO had already soldered it. So I retaped it.
Then I "shotgunned" the carbs and put new plugs in. Started up after some cranking, obviously, I had the carb's empty.
But once it was running, it seems great. Grabbed a voltmeter and checked the battery, 13.6 at idle. Awesome!!!!
So I'm taking it home today. Hopefully tomorrow morning, after it's completely cooled down, it'll start again easy.

Seems I am in the clear for now.

Sounds promising! Crummy connectors sabotage the best intentions. Make sure your R/R wires are not in any danger of wearing thru the insulation or being pinched & going to ground, resulting in a fire.

I just replaced my R/R & the plug was overheated/crumbling & the back of the R/R I removed was too. 1992 Ed.

 

[89max]

Well, a year later, Im reviving my thread. Heres the nee deal:
I suffered with the starting problems all last summer. This winter I removed the carbs and completely rebuilt them, using naughtyG's pictorial. Got it all.back together, tuned them, bought a carbtune, and synced them. Same deal. Wont start on choke, backfires. Have to crank without choke till it fires, then ease the choke on and keep it running till warm. Tonight, I rode it to the local Honda (car) dealership where my buddy is a service manager. I was helping him adjust the valves on his CBR. Went to leave, mine wouldnt start. It really smelled like it was flooded, but i pulled the plugs and they were dry, looked perfect anyway. I let it sit almost an hour and helped him clean up. Tried to start it again, it fired a few times, but would never start.
So its sitting in there overnight. Im dropping off my tender in the morning and hell hook it up for me. I need to get it home, but after that Im at my wits end. I have no idea where to go next.
I think its time to get some help. Im just lost.

So, any ideas? Im pretty sure i have the mixture screws right, theyre all at about 2 3/4 - 3 turns out. I just rechecked the sync and it was dead on. The fuel pump is clicking, I drained one bowl tonight and turned the key on while the drain was open, plenty of fuel pumped out. Its been hard to start all along but Ive always been able to get it going until tonight. The charging problems have all been resolved last summer. New stator and r/r (big thanks to Bill Kratz.) but by the end of the night i had it drained down pretty good. We did have a jump box hooked to it with no difference. I AM getting spark, i pulled two of the COP's off and zapped myself.

I am so ready for fuel injection LOL.