Engine cuts out.
#1
03-31-2008 | 02:12 PM
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Engine cuts out.
Help I’m lost.
Bike has been running very well for a year but now engine has started to cut out?
This is how it happens.
Late night travel home and bike has been standing all day (days and nights now cold here in Australia). Choke and electric start… all good. Choke in, bike is idling fine. Wait about 20/30 seconds before moving off. One to good stretch of road (up to around 80kms) start to brake and change down gears for lights… Engine cuts out!!!. Stop, Choke again… starts first time.
After that seems fine.
Any idea what the problem may be and what are the simple checks to make before moving on to more complicated.
Cheers
Steve
2007 KLX 250 with 1,300 km on the clock.
#2
03-31-2008 | 02:40 PM
Your Humble Moderator/Admin
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 21,060
From: Washington
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RE: Engine cuts out.
Hey I think I know exactly why your bike is doing that, its the carburetor icing up. All you have to do is pull to the side of the road, wait 30 seconds and start the bike back up and it should be fine. If air with enough moisture and the right temperature is pulled across the carburetor it causes icing. There is a kit somewhere that allows you to run a small coolant line into the body of the carb, but I don't know where it was. I think at least one person on this site has installed the kit. What's funny is I can ride to work in 20 degree temps and the bike is absolutely fine, and the next time it can be in the 40's and it starts icing up. Its all a matter of temps/moisture/engine rpm's. I hope that helps. It sounds exactly what has happenes to my bike on occasion and I had a 1977 Datsun pickup that did the same thing until I replaced the torn pre-heater hose from the header to the air cleaner.
#3
03-31-2008 | 02:50 PM
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From: Sellersville,PA.
RE: Engine cuts out.
Mine does the same thing only it's as if someone hits the kill switch for a millisecond......Mines an electrical problem that's been there since day one.......only now it's been getting more pronounced......But like I always said...it needs to be more pronounced to find my problem.I've checked everything that could be checked but you can't find the problem when it works normal.
It only does it under a load and when under 4000 rpm.....hhmmmm figure that.....possibly coil or a grounding issue.
It's definatley going to be more pronounced before it goes to the dealer.....I'll wait till it is easy to diagnose and then it can go to the dealer.after i find what the problem really is.....instead of it being at the dealer for 4 months.
It only does it under a load and when under 4000 rpm.....hhmmmm figure that.....possibly coil or a grounding issue.
It's definatley going to be more pronounced before it goes to the dealer.....I'll wait till it is easy to diagnose and then it can go to the dealer.after i find what the problem really is.....instead of it being at the dealer for 4 months.
#5
03-31-2008 | 03:36 PM
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RE: Engine cuts out.
Thanks for all that.
Deej… good call but icing up not a big problem down here in Aus (not even sure what snow is :-)
Truckman… Yer it’s a bit like that. It’s like someone quickly hit the kill switch.
Someone said to check the side stand kill switch… the idea being if it’s loose and you hit a bump in the road it goes off?
Yet to check this out… but maybe.
Warski… I’ve been giving the warm up more and more time before setting off… will time it tomorrow night and let you know.
Cheers… Keep the solutions coming guys.
Deej… good call but icing up not a big problem down here in Aus (not even sure what snow is :-)
Truckman… Yer it’s a bit like that. It’s like someone quickly hit the kill switch.
Someone said to check the side stand kill switch… the idea being if it’s loose and you hit a bump in the road it goes off?
Yet to check this out… but maybe.
Warski… I’ve been giving the warm up more and more time before setting off… will time it tomorrow night and let you know.
Cheers… Keep the solutions coming guys.
#6
03-31-2008 | 03:45 PM
Senior Member
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 684
From: Sellersville,PA.
RE: Engine cuts out.
Emmmoe ......Mine does it no matter what and it's various...bumps in the road don't seem to cause the problem......[&:]...I also thought about the sidestand switch and i will bypass that this weekend ,as i always figured.....I can barely get my leg over it with the stand down.....what makes you think i'm gonna ride away with it down??? LOL.......Maybe i'll check that out and see what happens but I really doubt that is the problem the way it is acting.....It is so intermittent that it's as if i have a make believe monkey stabbing the kill switch.......only super fast stabs though.........he's a fast one.I'll give him that....Only now he's more active than back in April of '07........he must be getting older.
#7
03-31-2008 | 04:00 PM
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RE: Engine cuts out.
Not sure about your monkey stabbing kill switch idea... but you got me thinking... it could be an evil kangaroo stuck under the seat... will check at weekend... with a pair of boxing gloves on just in case.
#8
03-31-2008 | 04:25 PM
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,689
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RE: Engine cuts out.
It doesn't have to be that cold for the carb to ice up. The carb is sucking alot of air through the throat of it very fast which itself cools the air/carb body. If it is slightly humid and within 10 degrees F of freezing it can/will cause ice buildup in the carb. I was coming home in the rain one night and it was 45 or so degrees F and after 7 miles I rolled off the throttle and it killed it. It would only idle, any throttle input and it would die out. Sat on the shoulder idling for a minute or so and rode home the rest of the way no problem. Foggy mornings it will do the same thing.
#9
03-31-2008 | 04:30 PM
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Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Washington
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RE: Engine cuts out.
ORIGINAL: emmmoe
Thanks for all that.
Deej… good call but icing up not a big problem down here in Aus (not even sure what snow is :-)
Truckman… Yer it’s a bit like that. It’s like someone quickly hit the kill switch.
Someone said to check the side stand kill switch… the idea being if it’s loose and you hit a bump in the road it goes off?
Yet to check this out… but maybe.
Warski… I’ve been giving the warm up more and more time before setting off… will time it tomorrow night and let you know.
Cheers… Keep the solutions coming guys.
Thanks for all that.
Deej… good call but icing up not a big problem down here in Aus (not even sure what snow is :-)
Truckman… Yer it’s a bit like that. It’s like someone quickly hit the kill switch.
Someone said to check the side stand kill switch… the idea being if it’s loose and you hit a bump in the road it goes off?
Yet to check this out… but maybe.
Warski… I’ve been giving the warm up more and more time before setting off… will time it tomorrow night and let you know.
Cheers… Keep the solutions coming guys.
#10
03-31-2008 | 04:39 PM
RE: Engine cuts out.
All Aus spec KLX250's come fitted with the carb de-ice circuit.
Maybe the side stand switch?
It's a quick mod to bypass it. Try it for a day , see if its the problem.
Anyway. how's it goin' emmmoe? Where in Aus are you?
Maybe the side stand switch?
It's a quick mod to bypass it. Try it for a day , see if its the problem.
Anyway. how's it goin' emmmoe? Where in Aus are you?
ORIGINAL: deej
It doesn't have to be "freezing" outside for Carb icing to happen, in fact sometimes they are unrelated. I think you are getting mixed up here. Lets try this again. You mentioned that the days and nights have been cold. What temps? Remember snow, frozen temps do not mean ice in the carb. The carb creates its own ice if the conditions are just right. Its a temp/humidity thing combined with air across the carb. Warming up the bike has no relationship to the carb icing or not icing. You can let the bike warm up for 10 minutes and have the carb ice up, and other times you can jump on the bike and take off 20 seconds after you start it and the carb may not ice up. That's just the way it is. Sorry if I confused you before. I'm just stating what happens here in Washington State 10 miles from the ocean with a lot of moisture in the air. Dense air gets colder faster in the right conditions.
ORIGINAL: emmmoe
Thanks for all that.
Deej… good call but icing up not a big problem down here in Aus (not even sure what snow is :-)
Truckman… Yer it’s a bit like that. It’s like someone quickly hit the kill switch.
Someone said to check the side stand kill switch… the idea being if it’s loose and you hit a bump in the road it goes off?
Yet to check this out… but maybe.
Warski… I’ve been giving the warm up more and more time before setting off… will time it tomorrow night and let you know.
Cheers… Keep the solutions coming guys.
Thanks for all that.
Deej… good call but icing up not a big problem down here in Aus (not even sure what snow is :-)
Truckman… Yer it’s a bit like that. It’s like someone quickly hit the kill switch.
Someone said to check the side stand kill switch… the idea being if it’s loose and you hit a bump in the road it goes off?
Yet to check this out… but maybe.
Warski… I’ve been giving the warm up more and more time before setting off… will time it tomorrow night and let you know.
Cheers… Keep the solutions coming guys.