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Won't start

4K views 20 replies 4 participants last post by  swifty2014 
#1 ·
1992 VT1100C

Ride the bike every week. Even in the winter. One day it would not start. No spark.

New:
Plugs
Wires
CDI box

Cleaned some contacts and now I have spark at all four plugs.

It sounds like it wants to go. Puffs at the exhaust with the occasional MAJOR backfires.

Suggestions?
 
#3 ·
Yes. I pulled them and there were wet. While I was charging the battery I left them out hoping there would be some evaporation, but still did to start.

The bike will sit for a week before I can try again. I'm wishing I pulled them. Is there something I can spray in there to clean it out?

Do I need to do something to the carbs?
 
#4 ·
Pull the plugs and spin the engine over for 20 seconds so it can dry out excess fuel. So it doesn't wash down the rings. But ground the wires if they are hanging over the plug holes in case there is a spark.Clean the plugs with brake cleaner and blow them off. Next time you try to start after cleaning the plugs don't use any choke and see if it fires up. Sounds like it is very rich. Compare each cylinder spark plugs, maybe only one is flooding.That is the problem carb.
 
#7 ·
Pulled spark plugs and cleaned them. With plugs out I cranked the engine for 20 sec. I put plugs back in and it just cranks. I checked for spark again and yes. I have spark.

I decided to put the choke on. It puffs and backfires but won't start. I'm stumped.

No choke it just cranks. With choke it puffs and backfires.
 
#9 ·
Is the oil over filled ?
It is oil and not fuel now? All the plugs are wet just the same ?
Did you look at the air cleaner is it wet?
 
#10 ·
When I try to start with no choke and no throttle I still smell gas. After just a few cranks there is already some oil on the rear cylinder plugs. This bike just sat for years before I got it. It was not well maintained. Could it be fouled up with oil from me cranking and nothing burning? Can I clean it out with something? Would push starting it help clear it out, say pulling it behind a car?

I"ll check the air filter. I did have it out a few weeks ago and it was dry. Remember I drove this bike once a week for 100 miles at a time with no issues.

With no choke or throttle it just cranks and nothing. With the choke it it puffs and back fires.
 
#11 ·
Don't try to pull it with a car, not safe.
Put a good car battery on it as a jumper to have plenty of crank amps. But if it keeps flooding the plugs with fuel or oil you need to get that corrected or it will not start. Maybe there is rust in the tank and when you rode it several times it got into the carbs and the needle and seat won't shut off the fuel flow now.
So it is flooding fuel into the cylinders. You might try to drain the carb bowls by taking out the screw on the lower part of the bowl and let it drain, and with the screw still out crank it to let fuel flow past the open needle and seat and see if that clears out the dirt. If the rear cylinder seems to be the worst one, work on that carb first. Tap on the bowl and drain and crank and hopefully it will clear it out.
 
#12 ·
I will try to clear the carb bowls. Why do you think it does nothing but crank with the choke off, but then I get puffs (I hope you know what I mean by that) and HUGE backfires when it' s on or when I pull the throttle?

I keep it in a storage facility so that metal room makes for an impressive back fire.
 
#14 ·
It may be trying to start on the better cylinder but the badly flooded one causes the explosions with just enough spark to set it off.
That would work well tonight= 4th of July !
 
#15 ·
You could experiment by draining the bowls, cleaning the plugs again and disconnecting the fuel pump. Then try starting, and plug it back in momentarily see if you can just fill the bowls with a little fuel to see if it can run without the flooding condition. Then if it does start and run for a little bit, plug the fuel pump in again and see if it has cleared the needle and seats and stops flooding.
Does it look like the original fuel pump ? If someone had put a higher pressure pump on it that could cause a problem that just now showed up.
 
#16 ·
I don't think anything has been done to the bike. I've been the only one to do anything in the past year and I've driven it 2000 or 3000 miles. It was serviced right before I took it from my father. It had been sitting in the rain for years (usually under a cover). I'm very surprised it ran, but it did. It ran until I lost spark which I believe was just a bad connection in the kill switch.
 
#17 ·
Had a similar problem with my vt700. Rusty reserve tank kept throwing rust into the system and clogging the carbs. Rust the size of a grain of sand can really mess things up. A new tank, fuel line flush and new filter made all the difference.

How are you checking for spark? Disconnect plug wire on the engine side, put a spare spark plug in the wire, crank engine while touching the electrode to the exhaust pipe..if there's spark you will see the spark jump. It works great unless you have a bad wire and you will do the jumping!!!
 
#19 ·
With the gas turned off, I drained the carb bowls. There was quite a bit of fuel in them. I unplugged fuel pump. ( colors were different from the manual.)
And the spark plugs were out.

1. I cranked the engine twice for ten seconds.
2. Secured the bowl screws and put in the plugs. Cranked it. Nothing.
3. Plugged in the fuel pumped. Cranked it. Nothing.
4. I opened the fuel line. Cranked it. Something. It was sort of firing so long as I was pressing the starter button.
5. A little choke. BOOM.
6. Put the bike the together very quickly.
7. Went for a ride.
 
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