Hi all, i've posted here before for advise and everyone is very helpful. I had new spark plugs put in and a overhaul on the carbs about 1 - 2 month ago. coz the number3 spark was not sparking ( i sprayed water over the 4 pipes , this is the method i was told to try from the mechs) . this morning i had a real hard time starting. it started in about 10 minutes. without using the choke. so i went for a ride to tafe. but it felt a lil funny. exactly how it felt before the overhaul. spark change. i did the same spray technique and yeps. NUMBER 3 AGAIN. i also didnt ride the bike for 2 weeks, this would be most likely the 3rd or 4th time riding it after the 2 week break. didnt feel anything weird or loss of power til today. I could just change the plugs and go from there, but it will most likely come back. What else could be an issue? dirty fuel? I havnt chnaged the oil / filter in about 4000km already. could this be an issue? FZR250 1992 3LN single HL Thanks for reading Ken
Ok, lets start from the top of the possibilities and check whats happening. Now, your gonna need to pull out the number 3 spark plug and do the following:- 1. Check for spark with it still attached to the number 3 lead. Healthy spark? If yes, continue to 5. If no, continue to 2. 2. Pull another lead (start with number 4 as it runs off a different coil), and check the spark again. Healthy spark? If yes, continue to 4. If no, continue to 3. 3. Time to check if more than one lead is borked. Plug the spark plug into number 1, and then number 2. It's safe to assume that if there was no spark from 3 or 4 your unlikely to get spark from 1 or 2. If it sparks in 1 or 2, then check 3 & 4 again. Sounds at this point like a faulty spark lead. 4. Looks like your coils are stuffed. Time to start shopping around for a replacement. FYI, one coil runs 1 & 4 and the other runs 2 & 3. Therefore if one of those pairs isnt running... it's a coil issue. If one is running but not the other, it's a localised issue to that specific cylinder/plug/lead. 5. It's working just fine... no problem here. Note: When checking a spark plug you need to hold the tip of the plug within 1cm (usually ~5mm) of the bike frame (or something thats grounded to the bike). It will give you a zap unless you have something between the plug and your hand, so best to use something like a leather glove as insulation. When testing a plug, only crank the bike over for a very short while; do not hold the started switch on with plug leads unplugged or spark plugs out. Please note, this post was kinda just pieced together in a bit of a hurry... right before i ran out the door for a late lunch. If there's anything wrong or incorrect in here i'll fix it up later. <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->
Oh, btw... a coil is an ignition coil. ... and after re-reading your initial post... i'd be looking at the leads before anything else. I reckon there's moisture or something in there that's stopping a proper contact somewhere in the number 3 line.
it was a b*tch to get into the sparks. we took off the radiator to get into it. the third plug was fouled with oil. we cleaned it. and we can start. we havnt done a compression test... so i'll have to take the plug out every 2-4 weeks and clean it. 1 more question. what is the right hand side of the frame. above the exhaust. under the fairings. there is a reservoir, Is that for coolent ?? i dont want to put anything in there thats not ment to b there??
Yeah there is a big one for coolant in the place you are describing. If you need extra room to get to the plugs you can take off the black engine mounts on the sides of the bike. Just remember only one at a time otherwise you could have some problems.
thanks. i thought the brackets hold the engine up? i was scared if i remove them, the engine will fall out. There is deffinitely a oil leak into the sparks 3. i'm using cr8e plugs, will i be able to use a cr7e plugs? in the hope that hotter plugs will burn the oil off? or do i have to get a rebuild? COSTLY. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_sad.gif" alt="" title="Sad" /><!-- s -->
Hope for the best... test for the worst. Compression test would be a good thing to do about now, and compression testers are not an expensive tool to buy (also handy!). I wouldn't recommend running hotter plugs than specced, your opening up a world of potential problems doing that. Remember, if you 'band-aid' a problem... it's only gonna hurt more when it comes off.
tru tru. might b oki for that 1 plugbut the otehrs will b runnign too hot. i guess i'll run normal cr8e.s just need to clean them mreo often~ I guess it isnt really recommended to run cr9es since it runs cooler~ bah. why'd i have to pick up a dodgy one.
I freaked when I saw it done it to my bike for the first time. As long as one side is on its fine. I have done it heaps of times since with no problems.
Hello OverLords, Me again, I actaully didnt touchmy bike for another 2 weeks. anyways. i thought i'd do a oil change n check the sparks again. WHAT I DISCOVERED IS!! 1&2 had cr8e, and 3&4 had cr9e. i mean. wtf~ This was done by the shop i left it in.~ i guess u cant always trust mechanics work nowadays~ would this harm my bike in anyway?
Sounds like they're dodgy. I would go over the list of things that they've said they've done - particularly in regards to the carbs. Ciaran has posted an excellent guide to checking carb balance (which is easy), so maybe start there. Once you've got a list of all the things they've said they've done but obviously haven't, ring them up, have a rant, and demand a refund for the things they didn't do. This has cost you almost a month of riding time, not to mention the ongoing frustration of trying to find and fix a stupid mistake.
