[vaperillo]

Having huge issues with my 1995 honda shadow 1100 ACE

First it died, at medium revs.

Replaced fuel pump

A month later it cracked the fuel pump so I replaced it again

Now heres the problem

When it was running, it would die after about 20 minutes of riding, unless it was kept at low revs. At high revs it would sputter until it got past about 5,000rpm. Then it died completely while cruising after being fine for a few rides.

Fuel runs out of tank fine > fuel line after tank is fine> pump pumps as it should > fuel filter is fine and was replaced a month ago > I took the carbs apart and cleaned it and they seemed fine too.

Whats next to look at? Air filter is clean. I don't think its electrical because it sputters out, and sometimes when sputtering if i drop it to low revs it will stay running, whereas if its electrical it should just cut out?

At times if it is left for a few days it runs alright for a bit, but as soon as its warmed up it dies. Radiator was replaced last year, and doesn't start up before it dies so I don't think its overheating.

Whats next to look at?

have been suggested replacing crank case breather, and rectifier, does this sound like the next place to look?

 

[3stage]

http://www.hondashadow.net/forum/72-technical-discussion/398474-bike-shutting-down.html

I had this issue and it turned out to be a plugged tank vent. Have a look for what it's worth..

 

[vaperillo]

Won't be tank vent, when it died o opened the tank up and it still didn't start unfortunately. Anything else you could think of checking?

 

[CelestialProduct]

Check the resistance on the ignition coil and see if it is in spec. Does it run after it cools down?

I had this problem with a dirtbike and it might be the same thing.

 

[RustDeamon]

the fuel feed channel into the floats could be blocked or partially blocked with a piece of debris you cant see way to check would be to open the float bowl drain and let it drain for a while to make sure flow doesn't slow down after a while. Just a shot in the dark here but it sounds like a fuel feed problem to me, if you cracked a fuel pump it could indicate that there isnt fast enough flow rate to keep the pump cool so it might have overheated and cracked.

 

[h13man]

Pinched/collasped fuel line.

 

[adlowe]

Replaced fuel pump

Did you properly diagnose the fuel pump as the problem before replacing it?

A month later it cracked the fuel pump so I replaced it again

Buy it from a quality source or the bargain bin? Follow instructions for properly installing or just wing it?

Now heres the problem

Seems to me you've already covered the problem. :mrgreen: Still dealing with symptoms, though.

Whats next to look at?

Start at the beginning. Simple stuff first. What other parts did you change besides the fuel pump? (There must be more if you're running out of parts to change, right?)

Assuming you've properly ensured that everything you changed is the correct part and functioning as it should, move on to the big 3 of running problems: Air, fuel then spark in that order.

You say the air filter is clean. Visual inspection? Not reliable. Given that your stalling is intermittent/unpredictable the air filter is not likely the issue but the questions remain: How old is it? How long has it been in the bike? When in doubt, throw it out.

Have you checked the fuel tank vent? Doesn't matter if you think you've eliminated it as the culprit; it's easy to check and will cause the problem you've described.

Fuel delivery up to the new-new fuel is fine? You say the pump "pumps as it should" -- does that mean it delivers the specified amount of fuel when tested per the genuine Honda shop manual? Or just that it spits out a bunch of fuel?

You took the carbs apart and cleaned them. (My prime suspect! My guess is that you've got something wrong inside one of the carbs and are flooding a cylinder.) Did you use a shop manual or just wing it? Get everything back together perfectly? No vacuum leaks anywhere, inside or outside the carbs? Know how to check for external vacuum leaks?

Collapsing fuel line is certainly a possibility. How old is it? What's the condition? Any leaks?

Spark is not likely the problem but I'm sure plenty of folks will chime in with a hundred things to check -- just as someone foolishly told you that the rectifier might be the cause. (It can't. The bike wouldn't run at all if the regulator/rectifier was putting out AC volts. That's what the rectifier does: convert AC volts from the stator into DC volts to run the bike. The other part of the single unit regulates the DC volts into the proper range. Again, NOT the problem. You'd be complaining about a dead battery if it was.)

Electrical could be the problem, though. Check the battery connections. Check the other ends of the wires, too. And the main fuse. Plus the fuse box. Loose or corroded connections could cause disruptions to the electrical flow that might be intermittent. That could make the bike sputter and die. Maybe. Easy enough to check.

A couple of open questions in regard to your extraneous remarks:
o Does the overheating light work?

o Do you want to mess with the crankcase breather? (If so, go ahead. It won't change a thing but maybe you'll enjoy changing it.)

o Sputtering happens when you get "past about 5,000 RPM" has me wondering if you get that number from a tachometer. 5k is a lot on these bikes. 6k is just about the max -- not the redline but the point where the governor kicks in. (Either 6,200 or 6,500, something like that. I forget.) If you're going by ear for the RPMs you could be off by a bit. Hitting the governor makes the bike feel like it's sputtering. Not that I'm saying it's your sole problem, only that you might be confusing one with normal high-rev behavior for the bike. Maybe.

 

["Captain D"]

Did you inspect those rubber vaccum diaphrams at the top of the carbs for cracking & pinholes???
How about the intake "boots" are they good tight connections???
It is a challenge sometimes, but we generally come up with the right cures for problems here...

LLLL Bring it over, it`ll only take 5 minutes to clear off the lift,
Dennis

Yes, I keep adding things to the lift and it tales longer to clear it

 

[brewtoo]

I had a similar problem that led me on a merry chase. It turned out that the carb vent line (under the cover on the left side of the engine) had been pinched by its clamp when the engine was assembled at the factory. After a few years the pressure from the clamp closed it off completely. Easy to fix - damn near impossible to diagnose!

 

[vaperillo]

Did you properly diagnose the fuel pump as the problem before replacing it?

Yes, it was making clicking noises, and could see it didn't pump past fuel filter.

Buy it from a quality source or the bargain bin? Follow instructions for properly installing or just wing it?

Live in NZ so it cost a fortune to get one sent over from the states, I Got it put in at the local bike store

Start at the beginning. Simple stuff first. What other parts did you change besides the fuel pump? (There must be more if you're running out of parts to change, right?)

Assuming you've properly ensured that everything you changed is the correct part and functioning as it should, move on to the big 3 of running problems: Air, fuel then spark in that order.

You say the air filter is clean. Visual inspection? Not reliable. Given that your stalling is intermittent/unpredictable the air filter is not likely the issue but the questions remain: How old is it? How long has it been in the bike? When in doubt, throw it out.

Have you checked the fuel tank vent? Doesn't matter if you think you've eliminated it as the culprit; it's easy to check and will cause the problem you've described.

Air filter was visual inspection, I will order a new one!
Fuel tank vent is in perfect condition, just checked it

Fuel delivery up to the new-new fuel is fine? You say the pump "pumps as it should" -- does that mean it delivers the specified amount of fuel when tested per the genuine Honda shop manual? Or just that it spits out a bunch of fuel?

Well it spits out a bunch of fuel, so I would of thought this isn't the problem, because at low revs it shouldn't need much fuel at all right?

You took the carbs apart and cleaned them. (My prime suspect! My guess is that you've got something wrong inside one of the carbs and are flooding a cylinder.) Did you use a shop manual or just wing it? Get everything back together perfectly? No vacuum leaks anywhere, inside or outside the carbs? Know how to check for external vacuum leaks?

Collapsing fuel line is certainly a possibility. How old is it? What's the condition? Any leaks?

Spark is not likely the problem but I'm sure plenty of folks will chime in with a hundred things to check -- just as someone foolishly told you that the rectifier might be the cause. (It can't. The bike wouldn't run at all if the regulator/rectifier was putting out AC volts. That's what the rectifier does: convert AC volts from the stator into DC volts to run the bike. The other part of the single unit regulates the DC volts into the proper range. Again, NOT the problem. You'd be complaining about a dead battery if it was.)

Electrical could be the problem, though. Check the battery connections. Check the other ends of the wires, too. And the main fuse. Plus the fuse box. Loose or corroded connections could cause disruptions to the electrical flow that might be intermittent. That could make the bike sputter and die. Maybe. Easy enough to check.

A couple of open questions in regard to your extraneous remarks:
o Does the overheating light work?

o Do you want to mess with the crankcase breather? (If so, go ahead. It won't change a thing but maybe you'll enjoy changing it.)

o Sputtering happens when you get "past about 5,000 RPM" has me wondering if you get that number from a tachometer. 5k is a lot on these bikes. 6k is just about the max -- not the redline but the point where the governor kicks in. (Either 6,200 or 6,500, something like that. I forget.) If you're going by ear for the RPMs you could be off by a bit. Hitting the governor makes the bike feel like it's sputtering. Not that I'm saying it's your sole problem, only that you might be confusing one with normal high-rev behavior for the bike. Maybe.[/QUOTE]

Will look into all of this, thanks heaps for all the ideas, will keep you posted!

 

[vaperillo]

Did you inspect those rubber vaccum diaphrams at the top of the carbs for cracking & pinholes???
How about the intake "boots" are they good tight connections???
It is a challenge sometimes, but we generally come up with the right cures for problems here...

LLLL Bring it over, it`ll only take 5 minutes to clear off the lift,
Dennis

Yes, I keep adding things to the lift and it tales longer to clear it

Did have a look at all the boots and they did seem fine, pinholes make that much difference? Whats best way to look for these pin hole cracks? is definitely possible, this bike is really old!

 

["Captain D"]

Remove the diaphrams, hold a strong flashlight to it and see IF light shines through, ALSO look for dry rot, cracks and such...
They should be soft & pliable/NOT hard or brittle...
Good Luck,
Dennis

 

[vaperillo]

Remove the diaphrams, hold a strong flashlight to it and see IF light shines through, ALSO look for dry rot, cracks and such...
They should be soft & pliable/NOT hard or brittle...
Good Luck,
Dennis

makes a lot more sense, I Was going to take it off and see if water would leak out...

They were a little hard and brittle, I'm guessing its never been replaced.

Where is the best place to look for parts? I'm limited in the fact that distributors where I live charge huge mark ups for importing. Ebay?

 

[Wombatair]

Ebay works.
My list would be if it runs for 20 mins.
Try running with loose fuel cap(just for grins)
Check battery volts at time bike wants to die, but while bike is just running at idle.(Mine did same thing once, found I was running on Bat and at low rpm bike didn't need that much spark. when I rev'ed up volts dropped to 8vdc due to load of coil, could try pulling headlamp fuse see if it runs better after that)
Could be coils loading up, but both going south would be rare.
Im sure you know what fuel starvation sounds like when going from fuel on to reserve. That Burrrr sound with throttle open.
Digging would be checking stator winding when they get hot to see if they open up.

 

[adlowe]

Well it spits out a bunch of fuel, so I would of thought this isn't the problem, because at low revs it shouldn't need much fuel at all right?

Fuel pump output spec is 650 CCs/minute for 1995 or 800 CCs/minute for later model years. (Your replacement could be newer?) Recommended procedure is run it for 5 seconds into a graduated beaker then multiply amount of captured output by 12.

 

["Captain D"]

Remove the diaphrams, hold a strong flashlight to it and see IF light shines through, ALSO look for dry rot, cracks and such...
They should be soft & pliable/NOT hard or brittle...
Good Luck,
Dennis

makes a lot more sense, I Was going to take it off and see if water would leak out...

They were a little hard and brittle, I'm guessing its never been replaced.

Where is the best place to look for parts? I'm limited in the fact that distributors where I live charge huge mark ups for importing. Ebay?

&&&&&&&
When it was running, it would die after about 20 minutes of riding, unless it was kept at low revs. At high revs it would sputter until it got past about 5,000rpm. Then it died completely while cruising after being fine for a few rides.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
When I had the problem of cracked dried out diaphrams, these are similar to my symptoms...
This is why I suggested you check them...
I bought mine from local HONDA parts supplier (dealer)

Many dealers have online service and ship overseas...

Good Luck,
Dennis

 

[Gearhead329]

Someone asked earlier, and I didn't see if you answered, but after your bike runs and then dies, will it start back up or does in have to cool down first? If that is the case, when this happens in cars it's typically an electrical issue (most often in cars it's the ignition module, which does not appear to be a cheap fix for most bikes).

For kicks and giggles I would also check your plug wires, make sure that there has not been a bare spot rubbed in one of them that is causing it are arc and not send the spark all the way to the plug. In a duel plug set up, one plug working correctly may be enough to keep the bike running at idle, but not at RPM's above idle.

One last thing, I had a similar problem with my first bike (78 Honda Hawk CB400T). It had sat for 10 years before I got it. I took the carbs out, tore them down, cleaned them and reassembled with a carb kit from Honda, but the problem processed. My bike was gravity feed, but had a duel carb set up. There was a small tube that carried fuel from one carb to the next. Despite using compressed air to blow out all the parts after they had soaked over night, some fuel had jelled and was not blown out and was restricting flow between the carbs. Got ride of the trash, and it solved that problem.

 

[vaperillo]

Situation now.
Bike starts, idels perfect. Rides perfect to about 2,000 revs (I'm guessing), if I rode it like a Nana its fine. As soon as the throttle is twisted it sputters and jumps around. Headlight does not dim during this.

 

[vaperillo]

brought a volt reader. No good with electrics but heres what the info I got

Battery sits at around 13.5v, goes to 12.8 when revved hard. So battery checks out ok

I tried reading some of the plugs by the air filter. all seemed ok I would guess, I need to find a chart to show what they should be reading, except the first plug (closest to the tank) with 3 yellow wires, would sit at around 6v when idle, but drop extremely low when revved, or is this normal?

Tank breather can be ticked off the list, I can breathe through it fine.

Battery can be ticked off

Tank/petcock flows

Fuel filter has been replaced

Carbs cleaned

Pump replaced

Fuel lines I double checked

What else should I be checking electrics wise? I've never really dabbled around with them before.

Thanks for all the advice so far, hopefully we can get this fixed!

 

[smilie]

"tried reading plugs by air filter"? "seemed ok I would guess"? Bite the bullet and take it to the shop.