Broke down

[Fizzy Pies]

Won't bias the thread with Facebook feedback so might here something new here.

So. Set the scene. Bike gets used everyday and will happily start after two or three weeks break or maybe that applied to summer I don't know but its a good starter normally.

I last rode it on Friday. Washed it Monday. Got it out for work and got five minutes into it on the 30road before I got the feeling of running out of fuel.

Fuel in tank. Fuel seemed to be getting pumped thru the fuel filter when I lifted tank up to try revive it.

It came back to life a few times on full choke to die again shortly after. Battery dead, awaiting recovery.

Ideas?

[darrsi]

This is good carb icing weather.
Is the battery actually dead?

[darrsi]

Hmmm, dunno then mate, carb icing is one thing but it wouldn't affect the battery?
With carb icing the bike will sound like it's it's running out of fuel though, coughing and spluttering.

[Ruby Racing]

You say  you washed it Monday. Did you get water in the fuel? Those fuel caps aren't the best.

[Fazerider]

If the carbs are iced up, waiting 3 or 4 minutes before caning the starter is usually enough for engine warmth to work its way through to the carbs and clear the problem. Good as a temporary work-around, obviously the proper cure is to clear the blockage in the carb heater circuit.
If you got water in the fuel, draining the crap out of the carbs can be done at the roadside too.
Check the drain holes for the spark plug wells are clear, it's possible you drowned the sparks when making the bike look nice and shiny.

[risticuss]

Are you sure that the fuel pump is working. Similar thing happened on my CBR6, it was fine with a full tank, but anything below 1/4 tank and it didn't have enough pressure. I found out it was in intermittent fault in the fuel pump, as in it worked some of the time, but sometimes would just stop.


Swapped it out for a second hand jobby and it was fine.


You can also rebuild the contacts with one of these,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-FZS-600-S-N-Fazer-RJ022-2001-Fuel-Pump-Repair-Kit-Petrol-Points-Switch-/261650607316?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item3ceb976cd4

[Jules-C]

It sounds like how mine behaved with the carbs icing when the heater pipes were blocked. It would start fine but get low speed misfire after about a mile, the misfire would get worse the more I drove after that until it was virtually underivable with the engine stalling whenever revs dropped below 5k.  It was only the pilot/idle jet affected so as long as you kept the revs above about 5k it was fine.

Once misfire started I found switching the engine off for a minute or two would clear it and once gone it wouldn't come back until the next frosty cold start.  Even switching engine off at traffic lights was enough to clear it sometimes or switching it off and coasting down a longish hill on way home about mile and half from work could do the trick.  It's a miniscule amount of ice that actually causes the problem and the water is pulled out the air and not related to water in fuel.

Mine would always restart but using no choke and plenty of throttle.  Press starter but and then open throttle up till it caught

[fazersharp]

How do the heater pipes get blocked in the first place and with what

[noggythenog]

How do the heater pipes get blocked in the first place and with what

Im curious about this too and i aint even got the foccin bike any more


Im gonna take a complete guess at them getting blocked with rust.??????

[Exupnut]

Lol...... No such thing as rust on Fizzys bike but I hope he froze his small northern bollox off when waitin fer tha recovery....

[Jules-C]

Coolant getting pumped round aluminium engine and aluminium radiator so shouldn't be any rust in it.

Mine was blocked with pink sludge probably due to not rinsing/flushing properly when changing to long life coolant

[noggythenog]

Ooft pink sludge.....aint that what they make McNuggets with????


Ah it makes sense now......well actually im still a bit confused coz sludge must come from something......but what????.....too many drive throughs fizzy eh


That explains why they say blast the garden hose down the filler when doing the coolant......i did that and although mine was pretty clean i hear of others blasting out some right dodgy coloured coolant.

[limax2]

If it is caused by carb icing, which sounds likely, it might help to let the engine idle for a while to get some heat into system before setting off into the cold northern blast. Evan with those little heater pipes clear they won't have any effect if the coolant is still cold. Good luck with it mate.

[darrsi]

Those heater pipes are like putting hosepipes around your house as central heating, they're not worth a shit.
Why has nobody mentioned Isopropyl Alcohol in the tank yet, it will clear carb icing problems up 100%. 


Even if it was a carb icing issue, that still doesn't explain his totally dead battery either?

[Andy FZS]

Was dead battery caused by prolonged starting?  Or not starting

[Jules-C]

Those heater pipes are like putting hosepipes around your house as central heating, they're not worth a shit.
Why has nobody mentioned Isopropyl Alcohol in the tank yet, it will clear carb icing problems up 100%. 


Even if it was a carb icing issue, that still doesn't explain his totally dead battery either?

I tried Silkolene fuel treatment that was meant to stop carb icing but it made no difference.

[darrsi]

Those heater pipes are like putting hosepipes around your house as central heating, they're not worth a shit.
Why has nobody mentioned Isopropyl Alcohol in the tank yet, it will clear carb icing problems up 100%. 


Even if it was a carb icing issue, that still doesn't explain his totally dead battery either?

I tried Silkolene fuel treatment that was meant to stop carb icing but it made no difference.

I know, it's utter rubbish and way overpriced. The amount they suggest to put in your tank doesn't really do anything.
It's around £14 a litre now, compared to £14.50 delivered for 5 litres of 99% IPA (on Fleabay), stick 200-300ml in every other full tank over winter and i promise you carb icing will disappear.

[Fazerider]

Those heater pipes are like putting hosepipes around your house as central heating, they're not worth a shit.

Rubbish. They're totally effective at preventing carb icing symptoms provided they're not blocked.

[darrsi]

Those heater pipes are like putting hosepipes around your house as central heating, they're not worth a shit.

Rubbish. They're totally effective at preventing carb icing symptoms provided they're not blocked.

Maybe i should've elaborated more.
The pipes are stupidly thin and have a very bad habit of getting blocked, if they'd been 1-2mm wider then these problems wouldn't occur at all, although i have read about Fazers suffering from icing before even when the pipes were unblocked.
Some bikes are just simply unfortunate to suffer from it.

[red98]

Anyone found a way to unblock the pipes ?

[Fazerider]

Anyone found a way to unblock the pipes ?

The only time mine have blocked I was surprised how easy it was to clear, just blew down one end and a snot-like gelatinous blob came out the other end of the pipe. 

[limax2]

Anyone found a way to unblock the pipes ?

The only time mine have blocked I was surprised how easy it was to clear, just blew down one end and a snot-like gelatinous blob came out the other end of the pipe. 

My top tip for today. Remember to blow and not suck! 

[red98]

 .....tried blowing down them.think I need to soak them with something dont know whst to use   .....still running ok   

[limax2]

Glad you managed to sort it out mate  , and it also gave everyone a chance to have a say about carb icing! 

[red98]

Well done fizzy   ........brief and to the point