Happy spring, everyone...well,sort of...
'95...plugs changed last season, I swap 'em them every other year.
1st start-up of the season, runs great.
Removed tank for some other work, changed gas out to fresh mid-grade.
Starts okay, but rolling out of the driveway, it runs erratically, in fit and jumps when I run through the gears.
Does not respond to the throttle AT ALL after I do get rolling. Idles rough. Had to limp home.
I'll try switching out gas again, but what else should I check?
Also: voltmeter at 3-K rpm reads 13.6...shop manual says it should be 14.0-15.5 Related?
thanks always
dy
You took the tank off take it off again and check to see if you pinched the breather hose. 13.6 should be Ok also get a can of Seafoam and run it thru see if that helps..
Quote from: Damn Yankee on March 27, 2010, 08:13:06 PM
Also: voltmeter at 3-K rpm reads 13.6...shop manual says it should be 14.0-15.5 Related?
Probably not related. I dont get above 14v till about 4k to 4.5k rpm.
Breather hose looks okay...also ran compressed air through just to be sure.
I'm going take a closer look at the petcock after work today.
Just strange it would act up this suddenly...
How long did it sit???
Drain the carb bowls and see what comes out..
If you change your plugs every other year. You want to sell some of your used ones??
Mine have about 40K on them..
Quote from: hootmon on March 28, 2010, 10:39:47 AM
Mine have about 40K on them..
:shock: Sounds like you change plugs like I do, If it aint broke, don't fix it :cool:
Quote from: tmds3 on March 28, 2010, 03:55:52 PM
Quote from: hootmon on March 28, 2010, 10:39:47 AM
Mine have about 40K on them..
:shock: Sounds like you change plugs like I do, If it aint broke, don't fix it :cool:
Well at $8 a plug or whatever Honda charges, your motto applies...
If they were $2 like a car spark plug, then they might get changed a little more often..
I was serious about buy used plugs.. Hey, if someone puts 8K miles on plugs and changes them, I can get some good use out of them still..
I have a handful of used good plugs for you. some are the irridium plugs even. send me your address and i'll get them to you for shipping :) they really need a good cleaning on some of them as I flooded them once and couldn't get it to fire up right away and just changed plugs. if you can clean and gap them, they will work great for you :)
Chad, I will take you up on the offer of plugs as I will need to change mine before I ride it, Been sitting for a year and have to go thru the carbs as well so I would clean them up and use them. Let me know what Hoot doesnt take and I will pm my address.
Well, I checked the fuel stop, nothing plugged there.
Same with the breather.
And the past couple runs around the neighborhood, it will run for a mile, then slowly lose power and finally stall. No re-start.
Experienced biker friend also suggested draining the bowls, see what's down there.
I'll read up on Greg's how-to, but having never done this before, how daunting a task will this be for someone who has yet to go beyond the level of changing brake pads?
Quote from: Damn Yankee on March 29, 2010, 06:34:37 PM
Well, I checked the fuel stop, nothing plugged there.
Same with the breather.
And the past couple runs around the neighborhood, it will run for a mile, then slowly lose power and finally stall. No re-start.
Experienced biker friend also suggested draining the bowls, see what's down there.
I'll read up on Greg's how-to, but having never done this before, how daunting a task will this be for someone who has yet to go beyond the level of changing brake pads?
Very easy.. You just have to find the four screws.. They are at the bottom of the each carb..
They can be a little tough to get to on some bikes.. Just loosen the screw a turn or so and fluid should flow out the little metal pipe nearby.. It's great if you can catch the fluid so you can see if there is water or trash in the fluid..
I posted a couple of picture somewhere.. Here they are again..
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Something is not adding up just for kicks do you have an extra key ride the bike with the extra in the gas cap when it starts dying again open the cap if you here it hiss you found your problem if not I would check the hose running to the front right cylinder which provides vacumm for the gas valve !!!
Will do, all good suggestions. If it saves me from pulling carbs, I'm all for it. thanks always!
Well, after unsuccessfully trying to drain the floats, I decided heck with it, and just removed the carbs. Without breakage. Kudos to Greg and his write-up, patience carried the day. Can't wait to try to put them back on! :lol:
Not having the aptitude for taking apart tiny, sensitive parts and trying to put them back together again, I brought the carb bank to a mechanic friend. He noticed --as I did earlier--black soot covering the bottom of carb #1 (left, lower IIRC). He said that would suggest blowback from the chamber, perhaps a bad piston ring...?
Not having the motor burn oil between changes...or blue smoke from the tailpipe..and with 37-K on the odometer...would you agree with that diagnosis, or is it something else ...and what are my options?
My OPINION.. It would be valve, verses Rings, but I would doubt both...
I have over 70K on mine and it still runs like new. I was talking to a Honda Store guy and he said I should be good for another 125K or more.. From his lips to God's ears!!!
Clean the carbs good.. Do any shimming/jet work while you have it off.. Put her back together and go for a ride!!!
what could have went wrong after you parked it for the winter? most likely stuck jets, probably not likely you did major damage to it during the winter. i think he's trying to get you to sell him your bike for cheap :) sounds like it could have plugged a jet over the winter, ran rough and not fired, got flooded, may have ignited some of the gas at the wrong time, could have backfired, that soot could be from anything. i've noticed that on mine from time to time, and i've had my carbs off more times than i can count on my hands. clean the carbs up, clean the slow jets, the main jets, the jet passageways, the fuel screens under the float seats, make sure the little springs that are on the needles for the floats all work and are not sticky. make sure to put the float bowl covers back on correctly, all the drain screws must point inward to the center of the carb bank.
So I got the carbs back, nice and shiny clean, looks totally different. Lack of maintenance records does not tell me if they were cleaned before I bought it 16-K miles ago. But they're clean now...
Put them back on, seeded properly, clamps tightened, all the tubes checked for any cracks, plugs or leaks prior to re-installation, everything put back together, hit the starter...turns over and over and over...like it's starved for gas...@#&*!!
Unscrew the carb drains, gas comes out of all four. So it's getting fuel. What's left?
No air...? Clogged air cleaner? Last replaced @ 24-K...we're now at 37-K...overdue for a new one, admittedly...a K & N filter now being ordered...But even then...would that be enough to choke it off completely?
Feeling like Bob Seger...workin' on mysteries without any clues...
I am sure you are close to using the Hammer !!
Ok have and please not take this the wrong way have you charged the battery and is it trying to fire or is it just spinning? How long did you try turning over before the HAMMER came out LOL Sorry trying to lighten the mood for you I know it is frustrating so you have fuel at the carbs and you have pulled a plug or two to check for spark.
Magnas are finiky about voltage and turning over might try pulling the tank and squirting a little gas now the throats and trying it. Sorry for the problems she will run !!!!
This is what happened. I don't know what it means cause I just ain't that good a wrencher. But this is what happened.
I was heading home for lunch last Tuesday when Maggie suddenly gets real sluggish. She'd almost die every time I tried to pull away from a stop. I'd have to hit 4K on the tack and slip the clutch to get moving. She'd hit 9K in neutral, but just didn't have any power. I was on the second half of a can of seafoam with this tank.
When I got home, I started checking and it looked like she wasn't firing on her back two cylinders. They were cold. I just figured I'd lost the back coil. I had another bike to ride so I planed to switch off and look at Maggie Saturday. (That turned out to be different sad story.) The battery was a little low and I was only showing 12.5 volts at 4K. It would actually jump up to about 13.5 volt when I dropped the engine to around 2K. Anyway, the battery seemed sluggish so I hooked up the charger and gave her a good deep cycle 2 amp charge overnight.
(Side note here. Both battery and regulator are only about two years old.)
Saturday I go out to look at Maggie. The first thing I want to do is confirm that I don't have fire at the back two cylinders. I fire her up and sure enough she runs rough, just like she did on Tuesday. But when I check to see which two cylinders aren't hitting, it's now the left rear and the right front. WTF!! I pull the back plugs out and check for fire. The plugs look good. Dry with a little black residue. Not chocolate, but dry with no clumps, and I have fire at both plugs. Those front plugs are rough to get to, so I decided to give it a try again and make sure which cylinders weren't firing. (I'm thinking the seafoam loosened something that's plugging up a gas line.) But before I start pulling the carb off, I want one last check to be sure. Those plugs on the back cylinders looked good to me. Also, I'm smelling gas at the tail pipe. Doesn't that mean I'm getting gas, but no fire?
I put her back together and light her up. When I run her up to 8K, she starts to backfire and blow black smoke. The tach starts to jump every time she backfires. I just hold her there for a while while she spits and pops and blows smoke. She eventually settles down and holds rpm without backfiring. The smoke cleares up too. I grabbed a helmet and put a couple of miles on her right then. She fires off the line and hasn't missed a lick since. I've been riding her as much as I can since. Shes running as well as I ever remember. Additionally, the battery seem to be holding the charge.
I haven't really "fixed" anything so I'm still a little skittish, but she's running good at the moment, and I don't want to start monkeying with her.
I'll keep riding her to work and the store until she either starts acting up again or until I trust her again.
I've been having some similar issues since taking mine out of hibernation from the winter. Charged the battery, let her run for a little while. she ran a little sluggish but I figured it was from not running for a couple of months. I washed her, let her sit for a while then went to start her up......nothing. Not even a click. Long story short, the starter switch had corroded a little inside and wasn't conducting. I still have a little trouble with all cylinders firing when first starting it. After it warms up a bit then i can tell all 4 are firing. I'm going to put a fresh tank of gas and some seafoam and then see what happens.
thanks for all the feedback, really...we haven't brought out the hammer...it's probably one little thing I'm overlooking.
Battery's kicking out 12.66 v without engine running...
Starter's good and strong, I can hear the engine popping, but it's not firing...
pulled the plug out of the back cylinders....hmmm...black and sooty, smells of gasoiline....interesting.
Make a quick run to Auto Zone for some new plugs and see what happens.
.
Replaced the plugs...Fired it up! Went for a quick shakedown spin.
A mile down the road, at stop sign, ready to take off, open up the throttle...
Dies.
Will not start. Again. Again. No matter how hard I cajole it, swear at or sweet talk it.
Good cardio workout pushing it back to the garage.
Mechanic picks it up Thursday.
I'll try my luck with the lawn mower.
Any possibility the ign module is going out?
Quote from: Charles S Otwell on April 06, 2010, 09:09:40 AM
Any possibility the ign module is going out?
I had a Nissan Sentra years ago that did that. Come to think of it, it had the exact same symptoms.
Quote from: Damn Yankee on April 05, 2010, 03:27:13 PM
Replaced the plugs...Fired it up! Went for a quick shakedown spin.
A mile down the road, at stop sign, ready to take off, open up the throttle...
Dies.
Will not start. Again. Again. No matter how hard I cajole it, swear at or sweet talk it.
Good cardio workout pushing it back to the garage.
Mechanic picks it up Thursday.
I'll try my luck with the lawn mower.
Glad you didn't resort to the hammer :grin:
I've put too much into it already. Not going to trash it...yet.
Ignition module....always wondered if it wasn't an electrical issue from the start...not getting spark...curious.
Check and clean the three pin connector under the seat. Mine died last year and that is the connector from the pulse generator. I had to cut mine out and reconnect it with other connectors but has been running great since then, except a faulty regulator this spring. The spark pulse is generated then sent to the ignition module then into the coils.
For reference, there are two, 3 pin connectors under the seat. The three yellow wires are for the alternator and the other connector, two wires go to the pulse generator and I forget what the third does off the top of my sleepy head, lol. I have another ignition module to try if you need it.
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Will check...thanks, Chad!
Hello all...
Didn't abandon you, just waiting for an opportunity to pass along an update.
Mechanic was able to pick it up this week, spent the past couple of days going through it and has not yet been able to pinpoint the source of the trouble.
(btw, this is a certified mechanic on all things with wheels, works out of his own garage. Is not associated with Honda or any stealership. Honda CBX's are his specialty)
Everything else checks out: ignition, timing, idles great, found some water in the gas, but has been running "on an IV." But when he tries to crack the throttle, it dies. And he cleaned the carbs for me earlier this month. So now he's going through every crevice of the carbs to see if something is amiss. He's running this by a guy he calls "the carb guru" in California, Dave Nixon...and a neighbor who runs racing cycles and is a GM tech...They're BOTH scratching their heads over this one!
One one hand, I'm glad this is something beyond my mechanical incomprehension. But it's like an episode of "House" (minus the crabby doctor), as they try to troubleshoot an unusual ailment. Stay tuned.
Oh, almost forgot: The motor on my deck mower blew up. And I pulled a hamstring. Anything else want to pile on?
Quote from: Damn Yankee on April 23, 2010, 10:53:43 PM
Oh, almost forgot: The motor on my deck mower blew up. And I pulled a hamstring. Anything else want to pile on?
The theory is called
IPIO Inherent
Perverisity of
Inanimate
Objects
Theorem: If anything
can break, it will!
Corollary 1: And at the least opportune moment!
Corollary 2: Objects too simple to break will get lost!
Stated in simpler terms: "Things hate people!"
I've certainly incurred the wrath of something/someone, that's for sure.
The good kharma of motorcycles seems to have turned around and bit me on the backside.
However, those entities seem to allow a degree of mercy.
That's because Maggie is now doing much, much better...test ride pending.
The Finding: vacuum issue involving the carb bank's rubber boots.
After tinkering with every possiblity over the weekend, my mechanic focused on the boots that attach the carb bank to the engine. The clamps have limiters that only allow you to tighten them so far. So he removed the pins acting as limiters for each of the clamps, tightened them down some more, and *snap*...it runs perfectly.
He told me that is what usually ails the CBX's: The boots become so brittle and hard they loose their pliability. Solution: new boots. But in this case, he said the boots were still quite pliable, so he altered the clamps.
Again, I will caution: test ride pending tomorrow. Rain today. But a big load off my mind.
if that fixes it, i'd be suprised, based on your problem. those wouldnt cause it to suddenly loose power, and not restart. i say its either fuel delivery or lack of spark. did you ever check that 3 pin connector i told you about under the gas tank? a corroded connection could heat up and cause problems. also, i had a problem with my regulator/rectifier this year and it caused a lack of power, supddering and stalling. could be somehting of that nature also. i had good voltage at idle, but voltage went down with increased throttle.
tell you what-you're in michigan, right? i can come over and help you get it going if you want :) i have all kinds of test equipment, if need be to eliminate the carbs or ignition module, i can swap mine on your bike to eliminate those. i also have spare parts, like an entire wiring harness and two extra sets of coils. pm me if you want any help :)
If your still having trouble after this I would seriously start looking for an electrical bug, I just recently went thru a similar problem with a friends Goldwing run like a top one minute, think you got it fixed and next minute it's acting up again. To make a long story short after changing everything I could think of, without any luck, I finally started pulling connectors apart and checking them, found one pin in one connector that was green and corroded, cleaned it, plugged it back together and it's not missed a lick since. So don't give up, it'll probably be something small when you find it.
Did the test run after putting some Heet in the gas tank, and Maggie is SCREAMING down I-94 once again! Starts fine, revs up great...no more hesitation or anything like that. Seems like I need to pay a little extra attention to condensation in the gas tank as the bike gets older. did check the connectors, squirted some electric connection cleaner as a double check...So far, so good.
btw, mechanic did not cash my check until he was sure everything was working.
Class act.