Fazer Owners Club - Unofficial

Bikes, Hints'n'Tips => FZS600 Fazer => Topic started by: Lawrence on 23 September 2013, 06:09:05 pm

Title: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 23 September 2013, 06:09:05 pm
Hi all, my hesitation problem has got significantly worse recently.  MPG has dropped (140 miles put me between E and 1/4), it still hesitates badly when opening it up and it's also started running really rough on constant throttle.  For example, get up to 5-6k in a lower gear (it's still there in high gears, just less noticeable) and you can feel it surging like it's running ok for a second, then missing, then ok etc.  After my 50 mile run home downpipes 1 + 2 were 220C and 3 + 4 were 170 so something definitely isn't right there.  It's also spitting a lot of black shite out of the exhaust which is presumably my hard earned, half burnt petrol  :'(
 
It's over-due a service so I want to get oil + filter, air filter, plugs changed this weekend - I changed them ages ago when it was hesitating, but not this bad and none of them had any effect - but what else can I check?  Carbs have been balanced recently and were as close as we could get them and it's had new plug caps a week ago.  I also trimmed the leads recently, couple of months back.
 
I would like to get a known-good set of carbs on it as I have a gut feeling that they're the problem but a) don't know much about them and b) use the bike every day so can't really afford it to be off road for any amount of time (unless I can borrow the blackbird again, maybe this is a good excuse :D)
 
So, anyone got any idea of things I can try?  Hopefully this won't turn into another Red98-style epic....
 
TL:DR
Bike hesitates, what's broken?
 
Ta very much  :D
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 23 September 2013, 06:18:23 pm
Also, CR8E or CR9E plugs?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 23 September 2013, 06:18:36 pm
Try a quick TPS check to eliminate it.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: elbrownos on 23 September 2013, 06:24:29 pm
CR8E for UK
This is the best deal I could find when I bought plugs a few weeks ago. £17.20 for 4
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-Arctic-Cat-2009-366-4x4-Automatic-NGK-Yellow-Box-Spark-Plug-CR8E-Genuine-/390589778571?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-Arctic-Cat-2009-366-4x4-Automatic-NGK-Yellow-Box-Spark-Plug-CR8E-Genuine-/390589778571?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160)
How did you measure your downpipe temperatures?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 23 September 2013, 06:33:31 pm
TPS check was done when we did the carbs, was fine.
 
Temperatures were taken with one of these (http://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/electrical-test-tools/thermometers/fluke-62.htm?PID=56096)
 
Ordered some stuff for the weekend.  I did take #1 plug out yesterday and the ceramic was a nice brown colour, I haven't checked 3/4 but I will now...
 
#4 is exactly the same as #1.  It was a bit rusty round the bottom though (oo-er) so I'll check the drain holes when I put new plugs in too.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 23 September 2013, 06:55:38 pm
Mine was fine too, then checked again recently and was out, not sure why?
It may not be your main cause but if it's set wrong it does make the bike jittery so won't help matters, so check it anyway, it only takes seconds to do.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: red98 on 23 September 2013, 07:11:31 pm
yep check the colour of the plugs...nice golden brown is what you want...when the carbs were balanced did you take them off and check/clean the jets.....check air filter for condition and blockages.....that should keep you busy for a while ...
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 23 September 2013, 07:54:53 pm
Black smoke > burning fuel > bad MPG > hesitation


Seems to point towards a blocked air filter?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: red98 on 23 September 2013, 08:00:06 pm
Black smoke > burning fuel > bad MPG > hesitation


Seems to point towards a blocked air filter?






thats what iam thinking DARRSI  ;) [size=78%]........service should have been done before the balance to get the best results [/size] :\ might be worth checking again after you have serviced it  :) [/size][size=78%] [/size]
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 23 September 2013, 08:22:10 pm
I s'pose if you balance the carbs when the fuel/air is wrong you're actually making things worse?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: red98 on 23 September 2013, 08:25:13 pm
could be.....well worth checking again,even just to cross off the list  ;)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Frosties on 23 September 2013, 09:16:34 pm
I'm thinking more along the lines of coil pack(s). Less noticeable above 6k Rpm due to changing over to main jets on the carbs......just my 2p worth.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 23 September 2013, 09:42:59 pm
Shall we just cut out 50 odd pages and say it's the regulator?  :lol
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: red98 on 24 September 2013, 09:19:43 am
Shall we just cut out 50 odd pages and say it's the regulator?  :lol

 
 :lol  no no no no...thats just not fair  :\ ..........service items,carb balance and then parts swap....its the cheapest way  :D
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Hedgetrimmer on 24 September 2013, 09:24:46 am
Shall we just cut out 50 odd pages and say it's the regulator?  :lol

 
 :lol  no no no no...thats just not fair  :\ ..........service items,carb balance and then parts swap....its the cheapest way  :D

 
More like just an excuse to buy another Fazer... ;)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: red98 on 24 September 2013, 09:29:30 am
Shall we just cut out 50 odd pages and say it's the regulator?  :lol

 
 :lol  no no no no...thats just not fair  :\ ..........service items,carb balance and then parts swap....its the cheapest way  :D

 
More like just an excuse to buy another Fazer... ;)

 
 
 
 :lol :lol   a very good excuse,fooled swmbo  ;) .........but thats not hard  :rolleyes
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 24 September 2013, 10:37:22 am
I'm thinking more along the lines of coil pack(s). Less noticeable above 6k Rpm due to changing over to main jets on the carbs......just my 2p worth.
Could be, would be worth finding a known-good set to try out.
 
I'll do a compression test too at the weekend, may well not have the time before then.  I have run it without an air filter to see if it was that causing the problem but it was exactly the same.  Looking at my notes the air/fuel filter were done 21k ago so probably due by now  :D
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 11:00:45 am
I'm thinking more along the lines of coil pack(s). Less noticeable above 6k Rpm due to changing over to main jets on the carbs......just my 2p worth.
Could be, would be worth finding a known-good set to try out.
 
I'll do a compression test too at the weekend, may well not have the time before then.  I have run it without an air filter to see if it was that causing the problem but it was exactly the same.  Looking at my notes the air/fuel filter were done 21k ago so probably due by now  :D

Sounds like K&N time  ;)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 24 September 2013, 07:03:03 pm
Part way there...
 
Took the coils off to check resistances, checked first one and it was ok.  Checked the caps (NGK SD05Fs that went on a few weeks back) and they're 5k ohm, which is half what Haynes reckons they should be.  Checked the originals, after digging them out of the bin, and they were all 10 ± 0.4 Kohm.  Stuck them all back on, re-assembled and it's much better than it was.  Still hesitates around 7k but pulled through it and then right up to 12k.  Shall see what the mpg is like tomorrow, hopefully it'll be better as it's costing me an extra £15-£20/week at the moment.
 
Oddly enough I don't remember it getting worse when I fitted them otherwise they'd have come straight back off  :smash 
 
These (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221006511116?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649) are the ones I got and as it turns out they're wrong so don't buy them.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 07:19:36 pm
Part way there...
 
Took the coils off to check resistances, checked first one and it was ok.  Checked the caps (NGK SD05Fs that went on a few weeks back) and they're 5k ohm, which is half what Haynes reckons they should be.  Checked the originals, after digging them out of the bin, and they were all 10 ± 0.4 Kohm.  Stuck them all back on, re-assembled and it's much better than it was.  Still hesitates around 7k but pulled through it and then right up to 12k.  Shall see what the mpg is like tomorrow, hopefully it'll be better as it's costing me an extra £15-£20/week at the moment.
 
Oddly enough I don't remember it getting worse when I fitted them otherwise they'd have come straight back off  :smash 
 
These ([url]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221006511116?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649[/url]) are the ones I got and as it turns out they're wrong so don't buy them.



Loads of us have got them, including me?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 24 September 2013, 07:21:29 pm
That's why I bought them, they were recommended on here.  Haynes says the resistance of the caps should be 10Kohm, those are 5.  Swapping them back (and that's the only change that was made) had a huge impact on how it ran.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 07:33:22 pm
That's very interesting!!!
I wonder if that might be a reason why my bike's slightly unhappy around the 3000rpm mark at lower speeds?
I've always blamed the short end can!  :look
Gonna have to see if i've still got the originals to try, 'cos i'm certainly not gonna pay £52 each for new ones?  :eek
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 24 September 2013, 07:37:09 pm
Sod £200 for a set, that's not far off what my bikes worth  :rollin   I'm sure NGK will have something suitable, just a case of finding the right one.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Fazerider on 24 September 2013, 07:39:01 pm
As Darssi says, lots of us are using the NGK plug caps. There is nothing wrong with having a 5k ohm resistor instead of 10k, the thing's only there to stop radio frequency interference and the value is not critical. If those caps really are causing the problem it'll be due to breakdown of the insulation i.e a faulty one... or tracking due to dirt/moisture... or not having a good connection to the plug or ht cable. The value of the suppression resistor being 5k rather than 10 is not the problem.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 07:39:45 pm
I never knew it was all so complex, i just thought caps were caps?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 07:45:22 pm
I would've thought that there'd be loads of people complaining of issues if it was the NGK caps?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 24 September 2013, 07:47:11 pm
I'll give them another go then, but that's definitely the only thing that was changed.  All the HT leads were secure in the caps and the I didn't trim them when I put the standard caps back on.
 
This needs more investigation, I'll check it out more at the weekend :)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 07:56:55 pm
So, in theory from what you're saying, according to this NGK chart we "should" need SD10F caps, but they don't actually exist so i can't see it being too much of an issue, although it's interesting what the Haynes manual says.
Saying that, electrics and me don't get on too well.  :thumbdown 


http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/docs/resistor_covers.pdf (http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/docs/resistor_covers.pdf)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 24 September 2013, 07:59:40 pm
From a quick read, using 5k caps instead of the standard 10k will mean that the coil discharges quicker, giving you a stronger spark that doesn't last as long.  It might be that the shorter spark, coupled with whatever else is wrong with it, is making it run like a bag of shite.  If I can sort out the other thing (carbs possibly) then the 5k caps might work a treat...
 
http://www.ultralightnews.ca/articles/resistorcapsandplugs.htm (http://www.ultralightnews.ca/articles/resistorcapsandplugs.htm)
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67096.0 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67096.0)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 08:06:59 pm
All i got was "Use these as replacements for superior performance on your bike."

That'll do for me :lol
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: dBfazer600 on 24 September 2013, 08:08:07 pm
Part way there...
 
Took the coils off to check resistances, checked first one and it was ok.  Checked the caps (NGK SD05Fs that went on a few weeks back) and they're 5k ohm, which is half what Haynes reckons they should be.  Checked the originals, after digging them out of the bin, and they were all 10 ± 0.4 Kohm.  Stuck them all back on, re-assembled and it's much better than it was.  Still hesitates around 7k but pulled through it and then right up to 12k.  Shall see what the mpg is like tomorrow, hopefully it'll be better as it's costing me an extra £15-£20/week at the moment.
 
Oddly enough I don't remember it getting worse when I fitted them otherwise they'd have come straight back off  :smash 
 
These ([url]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221006511116?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649[/url]) are the ones I got and as it turns out they're wrong so don't buy them.



Loads of us have got them, including me?


This includes me and I have been having problems with a stuttering  :faz

I may just get out the old uns and see what happens.

Daz
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 24 September 2013, 08:17:07 pm
Part way there...
 
Took the coils off to check resistances, checked first one and it was ok.  Checked the caps (NGK SD05Fs that went on a few weeks back) and they're 5k ohm, which is half what Haynes reckons they should be.  Checked the originals, after digging them out of the bin, and they were all 10 ± 0.4 Kohm.  Stuck them all back on, re-assembled and it's much better than it was.  Still hesitates around 7k but pulled through it and then right up to 12k.  Shall see what the mpg is like tomorrow, hopefully it'll be better as it's costing me an extra £15-£20/week at the moment.
 
Oddly enough I don't remember it getting worse when I fitted them otherwise they'd have come straight back off  :smash 
 
These ([url]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221006511116?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649[/url]) are the ones I got and as it turns out they're wrong so don't buy them.



Loads of us have got them, including me?


This includes me and I have been having problems with a stuttering  :faz

I may just get out the old uns and see what happens.

Daz



Won't hurt to try i s'pose, it's not exactly a major is it?  :)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Frosties on 25 September 2013, 07:46:36 am
As Darssi says, lots of us are using the NGK plug caps. There is nothing wrong with having a 5k ohm resistor instead of 10k, the thing's only there to stop radio frequency interference and the value is not critical. If those caps really are causing the problem it'll be due to breakdown of the insulation i.e a faulty one... or tracking due to dirt/moisture... or not having a good connection to the plug or ht cable. The value of the suppression resistor being 5k rather than 10 is not the problem.


Well said fella!
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Ebme Geek on 25 September 2013, 09:34:01 am
+1
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 25 September 2013, 01:02:52 pm
It was running far better this morning than yesterday.  Still has the hesitation that it always had, but the really shit running has gone.
 
When I service it at the weekend I'll stick the NGK caps back on and try it again.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 05 October 2013, 05:40:52 pm
Just done a service (oil + filter, air filter, fuel filter, plugs, front sprocket, coolant) and it's running exactly the same as before but now it sounds weird  :rolleyes :D   Sounds a bit like an Impreza, although it goes just the same as before which is odd.  I'll leave it for a bit as it might've been me spilling something in the electrics...
 
I cleaned the carbs out too, is there anything I should've done after to prime them?  I just flicked the ignition off/on a few times to run the pump.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Fazerider on 06 October 2013, 12:16:49 am
Just done a service (oil + filter, air filter, fuel filter, plugs, front sprocket, coolant) and it's running exactly the same as before but now it sounds weird  :rolleyes :D   Sounds a bit like an Impreza, although it goes just the same as before which is odd.  I'll leave it for a bit as it might've been me spilling something in the electrics...
 
I cleaned the carbs out too, is there anything I should've done after to prime them?  I just flicked the ignition off/on a few times to run the pump.
Running the pump is all it needs, though as you noticed it does cut off if it doesn't detect the pressure rising after clicking for a few seconds.


Are cylinders 3 and 4 still running cooler?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 06 October 2013, 12:18:26 am
Yeah I had to do it a few times until it got to the usual point of slowing right down as the pressure builds up, like it does if you leave it off overnight.
 
Not sure, I only went for a quick run down the road and back.  Next time I take it out I'll check.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 11 October 2013, 08:17:24 pm
Turns out that in first/second gear when I gave it some welly it was ok.  In higher gears it ran like a sack of shite.  Was on the way home and planning on taking the carbs out again to check them out (it wasn't getting (enough) fuel to #4, sparking but header was ~50C when the others were ~150C) and 10 minutes before I got home it suddenly cleared and went back to normal.
 
So to summarise, it still hesitates like before but at least I haven't made it worse :D
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 12 October 2013, 07:06:40 am
Just had a read of this and the fella explains very well how carbs work, it's worth a look.  :)


http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071102043029AAd5QCo (http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071102043029AAd5QCo)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 03 December 2013, 03:55:10 pm
Right, need to get this sorted now. It's got worse recently to the extent that it's hard work getting it past 70, it misfires constantly over 5k and even in neutral at 4k you can hear it's not running right.  It's also drinking fuel, and doing 100 miles/day it's getting expensive.  It's had new filters, plugs, caps, coils, carbs and still runs like a bag of shit. Tps has been checked and is ok. Battery voltage is steady at over 14v (I'll get an exact reading later).

What else can I try? I've got a gallon of petrol and some matches ready which I could try but hesitant to use those yet...

Ta :)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Fazerider on 03 December 2013, 05:14:48 pm

You're doing long trips so this is a long shot, but we are in the carb icing season. Worth a check of the carb heating circuit? At least it should be possible to blow through them without taking them off, they're a bugger to refit in cold weather.
Beyond that it is pointing to an ignition problem I guess.
Flooding carbs would make it hard to start, as would low compression. Fuel starvation would explain a lack of power, but that doesn't tally with high consumption and an exhaust full of soot.
Have you gone round all the electrical connections making sure they're clean and tight?
Make a careful inspection of the wiring harness too: check where flexes with the steering and look for places where it can vibrate and chafe against things... particularly near the ignitor box in the tail unit, that was where I had a wire break in the immobiliser wiring.
Failing that, I'd try a swap of ignitor box and, it pains me to say, the regulator/rectifier. (I have no idea how that caused Red98's problem!)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: dBfazer600 on 03 December 2013, 05:21:16 pm
Mine had a similar problem and went down the same road as you. In the end I did 3 jobs at once.

Rad flush second time.
K & N air filter to replace stock filter with 100 miles on it.
Carb clean took out all the jets and poked the hell out of em used a guitar string and socked in carb cleaner but took the rubber washers off em.
Make sure you clean and poke the hell out off the rad connection pipes on the carbs as well. As I was sure it was not helping and aided in the icing

Put it all back together and made sure everything was seated and air tight with no cracks in.

It did the job for mine

Daz
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 03 December 2013, 07:25:32 pm

You're doing long trips so this is a long shot, but we are in the carb icing season. Worth a check of the carb heating circuit? At least it should be possible to blow through them without taking them off, they're a bugger to refit in cold weather.
Beyond that it is pointing to an ignition problem I guess.
Flooding carbs would make it hard to start, as would low compression. Fuel starvation would explain a lack of power, but that doesn't tally with high consumption and an exhaust full of soot.
Have you gone round all the electrical connections making sure they're clean and tight?
Make a careful inspection of the wiring harness too: check where flexes with the steering and look for places where it can vibrate and chafe against things... particularly near the ignitor box in the tail unit, that was where I had a wire break in the immobiliser wiring.
Failing that, I'd try a swap of ignitor box and, it pains me to say, the regulator/rectifier. (I have no idea how that caused Red98's problem!)


This problem started when it was in really warm weather so i think carb icing can safely be ruled out.
When i had it the bike virtually came to a stop anyway, whereas his bike is still running, albeit roughly.


He's still describing symptoms of a faulty TPS to me........rough running, bad fuel consumption, misfiring, etc.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Fazerider on 03 December 2013, 08:27:12 pm

You're doing long trips so this is a long shot, but we are in the carb icing season. Worth a check of the carb heating circuit? At least it should be possible to blow through them without taking them off, they're a bugger to refit in cold weather.
Beyond that it is pointing to an ignition problem I guess.
Flooding carbs would make it hard to start, as would low compression. Fuel starvation would explain a lack of power, but that doesn't tally with high consumption and an exhaust full of soot.
Have you gone round all the electrical connections making sure they're clean and tight?
Make a careful inspection of the wiring harness too: check where flexes with the steering and look for places where it can vibrate and chafe against things... particularly near the ignitor box in the tail unit, that was where I had a wire break in the immobiliser wiring.
Failing that, I'd try a swap of ignitor box and, it pains me to say, the regulator/rectifier. (I have no idea how that caused Red98's problem!)


This problem started when it was in really warm weather so i think carb icing can safely be ruled out.
When i had it the bike virtually came to a stop anyway, whereas his bike is still running, albeit roughly.


He's still describing symptoms of a faulty TPS to me........rough running, bad fuel consumption, misfiring, etc.

I did say it was a long shot.
But the OP says it ran OK in lower gears and then started spluttering so it's not impossible that time was the relevant factor rather than the road speed... so there could be icing. He also said it's got worse since the summer... so it could be icing.
Since a test can be done in ten minutes by taking the little pipe off the right hand side of the radiator, blocking the rad outlet with a finger and undoing the filler cap to see if coolant pisses out of the hose or not, is it really an unreasonable thing to check?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 03 December 2013, 08:41:30 pm
Stick 200-300ml of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in a full tank of fuel, it will stop carb icing immediately by binding with any water and burning it as fuel, and it will lower the freezing point, stopping any icing occurring.
If it isn't that then it won't make the bike run any worse at all, the ratio is far too small and it's obviously highly flammable so just ignites as normal, plus it's tried and tested.....by me.


Note: It must be the 99% stuff, if you get the 70% version then you'll also add 30% water as well which will cause you even more problems instead.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: elbrownos on 03 December 2013, 09:11:38 pm
Carb icing is nothing to do with water in the fuel. It's humidity in the air that freezes.
The air temperature drops as it expands through a restriction (the throttle butterfly)
Moisture condenses out of the air and freezes in the carb.
Not saying there's any harm in putting isopropyl alcohol in your fuel, but it won't help with carb icing.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 03 December 2013, 09:38:36 pm
Carb icing is nothing to do with water in the fuel. It's humidity in the air that freezes.
The air temperature drops as it expands through a restriction (the throttle butterfly)
Moisture condenses out of the air and freezes in the carb.
Not saying there's any harm in putting isopropyl alcohol in your fuel, but it won't help with carb icing.


Erm.......yes it does.......100%.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 03 December 2013, 10:08:55 pm
The main ingredient in Silkolene Pro FST is Isopropanol, which is basically the same gear as Isopropyl Alcohol and is the suggested additive to fuel for carb icing.
I tried this Silkolene stuff but they suggest a couple of capfuls in your tank, so it basically just doesn't work because the ratio to fuel is simply too small.
Perhaps if you put the 1% ratio (200ml) as i have said then it may help, but at around £15 a litre that's an expensive habit, although it does have the fancy name and packaging, if you like that sort of thing.
5 litres of Isopropyl is now £14.19 delivered so a much better alternative, and easier on the wallet.
Saying all that, i don't believe that Lawrence's bike has carb icing.
From experience when i first got my bike, it would suddenly run like a tractor, or as if it was running out of fuel (which it was in theory) and the odd thing was that it was exactly one mile away from my house at the same spot where it happened, 3 days in a row
I managed to keep it just about ticking over by keeping the revs high, but it was basically running like shite.
Luckily i phoned my mechanic and he knew the symptoms straight away and told me it would pass once the engine warmed up properly and heated the carbs, which it did after about 10 minutes ticking over at the roadside.
That's when i did some research, tried the Silkolene which helped a little bit but wasn't great, then bought the Isopropyl and that did work a treat, to the point where there were zero signs of icing ever again.
I have been putting it in my tank every winter, at 200ml per full tank (1% ratio) and never ever had it again since then.

So yes, my bike has a booze problem, but it keeps it running sweet so everybody's happy. :b 
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 03 December 2013, 10:41:33 pm
TPS has been replaced (with the carbs) but I can always swap back to make sure.

From what I understand about carb icing it's mainly when the engine is cold and in cold weather.  When I'm leaving in the mornings now it's ~8C outside, my garage is around 15C and it does it constantly through my 1 1/4 hr commute.  Also I'm pretty sure the carb heating pipes are ok as one of the rubber joiners split recently on the way to work (thankfully about 3 minutes before I got there) and was leaking coolant.

Just checked the battery voltages, engine off it was 12.18, warm idling it was 14.03 and at 2500rpm (I don't want to piss my landlord of too much...) it increased a fraction to 14.06.  Are these ok?

As for electrical connectors, I'll see if I can take a look at lunchtime tomorrow.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 03 December 2013, 10:54:23 pm
TPS has been replaced (with the carbs) but I can always swap back to make sure.

From what I understand about carb icing it's mainly when the engine is cold and in cold weather.  When I'm leaving in the mornings now it's ~8C outside, my garage is around 15C and it does it constantly through my 1 1/4 hr commute.  Also I'm pretty sure the carb heating pipes are ok as one of the rubber joiners split recently on the way to work (thankfully about 3 minutes before I got there) and was leaking coolant.

Just checked the battery voltages, engine off it was 12.18, warm idling it was 14.03 and at 2500rpm (I don't want to piss my landlord of too much...) it increased a fraction to 14.06.  Are these ok?


My TPS broke down very gradually, rather than just stopped working one day, and it was only because a couple of other people were showing symptoms as well on here that i even got to learn about it.
Just before i changed it though the bike ran a bit lumpy and erratic, it was all a bit random really, it wasn't major but definitely not right.
And after reading somewhere earlier that it can cause fuel consumption problems i thought it all sounded a bit familiar that was all.
I randomly checked it a while back 'cos the bike didn't feel quite right, and the positioning was actually off, so it is noticeable when they're not spot on.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: gryphongryphon on 03 December 2013, 10:56:04 pm
Been having problems with stuttering on acceleration, eventually came to conclusion it was crap petrol, it started after I filled up from a particular petrol station.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: darrsi on 03 December 2013, 11:06:56 pm
Been having problems with stuttering on acceleration, eventually came to conclusion it was crap petrol, it started after I filled up from a particular petrol station.


It's a possibility, but it can also be caused by several other things as well, air filter, air leak, blocked carb needles, blocked fuel filter, unbalanced carbs, etc......unfortunately nothing's that straight forward.  :'(
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Torque on 04 December 2013, 11:22:39 pm
Been having problems with stuttering on acceleration, eventually came to conclusion it was crap petrol, it started after I filled up from a particular petrol station.



I've also got similar issue: [size=78%]http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,10534 (http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,10534)[/size]


I think I've checked everything I could and I think that my issue could be fuel related.
I've replaced the fuel, it did not help, however I think it could be because my tank have drain pipe blocked (only breather pipe is connected to hose).


Now waiting for Isopropylene to add some to get the water from inside of the tank.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 05 December 2013, 02:03:28 pm
Don't think bad petrol is the case for me, I do a tank in two days (13 litres/day at the moment, ~35mpg :'(), have use several different petrol stations and have even tried super in it.

Swapped the plugs out for the old ones that were removed a couple of months back and there's no change.  The plugs that came out are completely black.

I didn't get this before it started running like total shite so I'm very tempted to swap the original carbs back on.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 06 December 2013, 08:48:14 am
Just a thought, could a dying battery cause misfiring like this? I'd have thought it's be running off the generator over a couple of k rpm, but it wouldn't start this morning (turned over, but slowly) and needed 5 mins on a charger to get going.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Dead Eye on 06 December 2013, 10:07:57 am
The electrical circuit doesn't work like that on the Fazers due to how the current / voltage is delivered to the battery. If the battery is knackered, it will read closer to full and the reg/rec will dump the excess current to ground (that's what its supposed to do).

The battery numbers listed previously didn't seem awful, but maybe a tad low. Might be worth seeing if there is anyone local you can do a quick swap with... I would have, but I'm not local anymore :( If its still the case, I'd try the reg/rec as well - just in case ;)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: His Dudeness on 08 December 2013, 11:41:06 am
The electrical circuit doesn't work like that on the Fazers due to how the current / voltage is delivered to the battery. If the battery is knackered, it will read closer to full and the reg/rec will dump the excess current to ground (that's what its supposed to do).

The battery numbers listed previously didn't seem awful, but maybe a tad low. Might be worth seeing if there is anyone local you can do a quick swap with... I would have, but I'm not local anymore :( If its still the case, I'd try the reg/rec as well - just in case ;)

I see from your post you got a thou  ;)  How does it compare to the 600?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: gryphongryphon on 09 December 2013, 09:46:17 pm
Just sorted my Fazer from stuttering and hesitation , it was a coil, I detected it by pull off plug leads at idle 1 at a time, 2 and 3 when removed one at once the hardly caused a deterioration in idling.When I pulled off 1 or 4 plug cap, engine at idle speed nearly stalled. So changed coil to plugs 2 and 3 , problem solved ,genuinely runs better than ever because it has had a slight stutter from low revs ever since I have owned it.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 10 December 2013, 08:36:26 am
I've changed coils already, I thought they might've been ok at low revs and unable to provide enough juice to spark at high revs but it made no difference :/  I'm going to get the reg/rec and cdi off today and see if I can get them tested at my local dealer.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: gryphongryphon on 10 December 2013, 10:47:04 am
Yes that would have been my next move if changing coil hadnt have worked,CDI , some on Ebay for about £25 when I looked, good luck with it, I assume you have changed plug leads and caps already.
Edit . There seems to be lots of bits for sale in the forsale /wanted section.


Edit 2 drained carbs as well first thing I did didnt help me , but may help in other cases.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 10 December 2013, 01:12:58 pm
Just tested for a good spark on all cylinders.  Pulled each HT lead off in turn, stuck a spare plug in it and held against the head.  Got a white/blue spark but not a 'fat blue' spark as they describe in Haynes.  Oddly though, it started up exactly the same with only three plugs connected (any three) as it does with four.  Took the reg/rec off and checked with a meter, all appeared to be ok; lowest 660, highest 685 with the others spread out between.  Also tried it with the reg/rec disconnected and it still misses occasionally at 4k in neutral so it's not that.

What next?  Anyone got a spare CDI I can borrow to test?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Torque on 03 January 2014, 10:10:13 pm
[size=78%]What next?  Anyone got a spare CDI I can borrow to test?[/size]
I've bought one and seller does not want returns, so if you are still interested PM me.
Unfortunately for me it works the same as my old ECU.


Just sorted my Fazer from stuttering and hesitation , it was a coil, I detected it by pull off plug leads at idle 1 at a time, 2 and 3 when removed one at once the hardly caused a deterioration in idling.When I pulled off 1 or 4 plug cap, engine at idle speed nearly stalled. So changed coil to plugs 2 and 3 , problem solved ,genuinely runs better than ever because it has had a slight stutter from low revs ever since I have owned it.

Did you measure that bad coil? I am curious if ohms are correct. I've got similar issue I think, I measured the coils (and they are fine), but I am curious if they can be broken even if resistance does not show it.


EDIT
I've changed coils already, I thought they might've been ok at low revs and unable to provide enough juice to spark at high revs but it made no difference :/  I'm going to get the reg/rec and cdi off today and see if I can get them tested at my local dealer.
Maybe we can temporarily exchange ECU for coils? :)
I did not replace mine yet, but I did not want to buy a spare since ohms are correct.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 05 January 2014, 07:56:37 pm
I've just tried a cdi and it's made no difference :/ I've changed:

Carbs
Coils
Plugs
Plug caps
Cdi
Reg/rec unplugged (which should rule out the generator too I think)
Tps
Removed air filter

Rubber intake pipes/joins all seem to be ok but that would cause too much air/not enough fuel anyway.

What else can it be? :(
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Fazerider on 05 January 2014, 08:29:33 pm

Defective wiring or poor connections in the ignition circuit? Pick-up coil?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 06 January 2014, 12:42:18 pm

Defective wiring or poor connections in the ignition circuit? Pick-up coil?
I've checked wiring (what I can get to, at least) and there was nothing un-toward.  Where's the pick up coil and how can that be tested?

Ta :)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Fazerider on 06 January 2014, 02:19:29 pm
It's inside the generator cover detecting the lump on the edge of the flywheel. The pickup coil is pretty much integral with the generator because the wires exiting the cover are all bonded together in a rubber seal. Since the generator/pickup is a bit fragile when removed from the cover, getting hold of the whole assembly is probably the best solution.
A resistance test is unlikely to show a problem. You know it's working most of the time already, an intermittent short between two turns isn't easy to spot without specialist equipment. If there's an obliging foccer near you, swapping generators would be the easiest way to check.
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 07 January 2014, 09:33:17 am
Thanks for that, I'll see what I can do :)
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Torque on 17 January 2014, 06:28:21 pm
@Lawrence
Hi mate, any update on your FZS?
Title: Re: Hesitation, surging and crap mpg.
Post by: Lawrence on 19 January 2014, 11:46:22 am
Not yet, I've not really had time to look at it lately.  I'm going to check cam timing at some point too.