hey all, i did a service on the bike ('90 3ln) last night, oil, oil filter, sparkplugs. everything went smooth until i tried to start the bike. when i turn on the ignition, lights come on, exup reloads and all, try to start it and all i hear is a little clicking noise (once) and thats all. does not start, does not turn at all. So, im thinking its got something to do with the sparkplugs. maybe i put the wrong leads on the wrong plugs ? the other posibility is the battery, maybe a flat ? i did start and run the bike prior to starting the service, bike started without any issues. I will be playing around with it straight after work but just thought id ask for any suggestions that you guys may have. cheers edit: bike model
If your 100% sure you installed the spark plugs correctly then we'll assume the plugs aren't the issue. The next things on the list would be the spark leads, so take them off again and make sure you've got them on in the correct order. That said, a single click from the starter motor sounds to me like your battery is out of charge. Check those spark leads then give it a try roll starting it.
thnx guys, i would have thought that even with the plugs not being correct, it should try and turn the starter ?? i have a spare battery (recharged) in the garage so i will try this one and also roll starting it. When putting back the plugs i did look at the length of the leads and place them accourding to length. if it is the battery then i would be warried as to why it went flat when it was in good operating order just before i went through with the service.
just a lil update, I checked the plugs and did notice that they were all numbered (did not notice it the night i was doing the service) anyway and placed in correct order. I tried with the old "recharged" battery but no luck, when i try it, the front and back lights dim to almost nothing and the bike just makes the one ticking noise and thats all. So, i will be getting a brand new battery today, hopefully that fixes it up. In the mean time, can i try and hook it up to my car battery ?? just to try and start it. I believe that i did read somewhere that i should be able to without any issue. true or false ? thnx
Whilst yes you can hook it up to the car battery in parallel to your bike battery to start it, have you tried roll starting it yet? Roll starting is something they should teach you when you get your learners permit! Incase your not sure how to do it... i'll give you a quick lesson on how i was taught to do it (then how i actually do it). This is assuming your not at the top of a hill and can only find flat road. 1. Put the bike in neutral, kickstand up, and ignition and key switched on. Start running with the bike. 2. Jump on the bike when it's moving at a decent pace, clutch in, pop it into first and release the clutch quickly but smoothly. 3. If she fires up, then clutch in again immediately and give it a bit of a rev to be sure you've got it running smoothly. If she doesn't fire up but just gives a bit of a cough and you grind to a halt very quickly; then you were either not running fast enough or you might want to try second gear instead of first. How i really do it... 1. Bike in second gear, clutch in, kickstand up, ignition and key on. 2. Start running. 3. Release the clutch smoothly but quickly and get ready to jump on if she fires up. If she doesn't fire, repeat process from step 1. <!-- s:wink: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=":wink:" title="Wink" /><!-- s:wink: --> For REALLY stubborn bikes it can help when using the first method to stand on the pegs once you've got the bike rolling and jump so your weight places extra force on the rear wheel just as your release the clutch. That bits a little difficult to explain until you've seen someone do it.
hey koma, have not tried to roll start it. have done it on one previous occassion though so should be fairly simple. the good thing is, at home, my driveway is on a bit of a hill and the driveway accross the street is even higher so i can get decent speed rolling it down and into the garage Will try this first, second will be getting a new battery, need a new one anyway as the old seems f**ked. just suprised the battery in the bike would stop all of a sudden.. thnx for the reply and the suggestion, i totally forgot about it
well, can't seem to start it up at all. have tried roll starting it but no luck. it just does not turn over. i think thats pretty much it when it comes to my knowledge so i may have to call the mechanics and see if they can do something with it. if anyone has any further ideas, please share. cheers
If bike batteries are anything like car batteries(which i think they are), they can just give in at any moment, once they get a bit old. one thing i have learned with cars is to ALWAYS CHECK THE BATTERY FIRST!!!!! and do it yourself, see it with your own eyes. i have changed over a starter motor in a car, and it was only the battery packing it in. <!-- s:sniper: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_snipersmilie.gif" alt=":sniper:" title="Sniper" /><!-- s:sniper: --> <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_mad.gif" alt="" title="Mad" /><!-- s --> <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_mad.gif" alt="" title="Mad" /><!-- s --> <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_mad.gif" alt="" title="Mad" /><!-- s --> . needless to say they got an earful. hope this helps.
Thats why i was keen to see if it would run after a roll start. From the information thats been given, it makes a single click when the starter button is thumbed. Is that click like a relay clicking, or like a metal on metal click? Other things that spring to mind are to do with the spark plugs and compression... but i won't scare you for now. If you've had a go and can't get it running then you might be right - time for the mechanic.
it definately sounds like its metal on metal. seems like it tries but does not have enough power to turn the motor. im starting to think that there may be getting shorted out somewhere as the lights do dim when i press the starter button. i might also get it checked over by an auto electrician. see how we go i guess. thnx for your help anyway <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s -->
okay...two obvious places are: 1. The click is the starter solinoid engageing, which will normally happen even if the battery is really flat, as it takes stuff all energy to activate. Its the actual turning over of the starter moter (which happens a nano-second after the solinoid click) that does not happen due to it needing heaps of power to run. To test this just try jump starting it. Normally it will jump start okay - even with the original battery still in place, but after that it may just die once the jumper cables are removed depending upon the state of the battery. 2. A cylinder is locked up solid...Sounds impossible I know but on my bike one of the floats was buggered and stayed open resulting in the entire cylinder filling with petrol and hydrolocking the engine. Had to wait until morning for the gas to all drain away before she would even turn over. The symptom was exactly the same as yours. More likely there is something dropped into the cylinder while you were working on the bike and has now wedged solid. You can test for this by seeing if the engine will turn over with the spark plugs removed and in say 2nd or 3rd gear - just push it to see if it rolls forward (you should hear hissing or puffing as the air is pushed out of the cylinders. If this is the case then try rocking back and forth while in gear...it may work but odds on you will have to remove the heads to do a clean up. Hope this helps. (Oh...finally and really simpley...check the battery and starter cables for a good conection...loosen them, clean em and re-tighten them...often a dodgey connection will give the same symptom your getting.)
hey SuperGlide, thanks for your suggestions. i will play around with it for some time before i get it to the mechanic. im not in real hurry. theres still a few things to check over before i take it there. again, thanks to all for your help
did you put that new battery in? pretty sure from what you've said that if you just get a new battery (not that expensive) and make sure its charged (when i bought my battery for the fzr i actually had to put the acid in myself and charge it up) your bike would start fine. sometimes even roll starting it won't work if the battery is too flat. the ignition system uses residual battery power to fire the plugs at low revs so if the battery is a dud it will struggle to run at all.
hey spook, yes, went out a bought a brand new battery, comes dry but they can fill it and charge it for you, which they did. same result. no change what so ever. so i will try and see if i can get it jump started of the car battery today and play around with the connections on it, see if something has maybe dropped out or there is a loose wire. thnx for your reply
well i was wrong. not the first time mind you <!-- s:roll: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_roll.gif" alt=":roll:" title="Rolling LoL" /><!-- s:roll: -->
here's my 2 cents worth it's an earth problem, check the earth connection from the battery to where it connects.
hey raptor, will have a look. thanks for the suggestion, now if any someone will tell me where to look <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->
Tell you what..... take the plugs out and try and start the bike. I know, I know, It isn't going to start, but it will turn over. Something Koma said about plug length has been nagging at me. Oh, and BTW the plugs aren't numbered for order, instead it referes to a number of things including but not limited to: heat range, electrode type, threads, resistor and so forth , but the plug wires are numbered (atleast on my bike they are). This will also eliminate 2 things, battery and plug length. Then we can move on to compression, spark, and fuel/air.