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I'm at my wits end and about to break...Oil pan hell.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Detman101
  • Start date Start date
flyingace said:
If a car is not available to you, then trickle charge the new battery overnight to make sure it is fully charged.
Click to expand...

The new battery is charging as of 8:00 last night.


first:
make sure your choke is functioning at the carb levers. If it isn't, fix.
make sure the plug wires from the coils go to the correct cylinders.

then:
remove the plugs and turn the engine over to
1. check for a nice big spark on the (grounded) plugs.
2. make sure there's gas vapor coming out of the plug holes.

If 1 or 2 is missing, you have a place to start looking.

Ace.
Click to expand...

Choke is functioning correctly at the carb.
The plug wires do go to the correct cylinders.
-Spark is still measly and yellow (Not big and blue like it used to be)
-Gas vapor all over the place when cranking it.
-Still haven't tried push starting it. Waiting till saturday to try that when I have some help pushing this sack-o-shit.
 
Great, you've made some progress - it's not a fuel issue. If you have a spark, but a weak spark - it sounds like a low voltage problem. If you have weak spark on all 4 plugs, it probably isn't coil related, either.

What changed to reduce the quality of your spark?

As I said, try jump starting with a car battery if it's available. If not, than push starting. Anything to eliminate the battery as the problem. The advantage to jump starting with cables is that you can see if the quality of the spark improves.

If it doesn't start, at least you can say with confidence it isn't the battery. It could then be plug caps, plug wires, ignitor, etc.

If it does start, then you may have a short somewhere reducing the system voltage available for starting. Either way, I would start a new thread asking for help from Earlfor - he's an electrical god.
 
You put this new battery in, and reading at the bike only 11 volts..now you also have weak spark..seems to me there is a ground or harness loose damaged, etc. somewhere. there should not be a volt loss in any of the systems. I keep seeing a pissed of person getting crazy with that crowbar, and inadvertently knocking or tearing something unseen loose. Especially if the bike ran fine before you started this, as you said earlier. Walk away from it for a few, and when you see it next, look slowly over and under it at every wire or connector you can see or touch and see if there is a problem..
 
Push start it by yourself. Neutral to 2nd full choke no throttle. I did it for a year when I installed the starter gear with two washers that come on the 1100, but not on the 1150. All I had to do was remove the washers, took me a year to figure that out.

That way you can save a few profanities that will ensue till Saturday.
 
Definitely an electrical issue. A weak yellow spark at atmospheric pressure usually means no spark at all under compression.
 
UGH, ( this tip is for everyone) listen, when you strip the oil drain threads, dont use the over size plugs or helicoil, have a new steel insert installed in the drain, end of problem period. Find a bike dealer that has a computerized gasket cutting machine, have them cut you a new oil pan gasket and use thick gasket material no leaks then. and easy on the gasket sealant.

And the oil pan just take your time getting it off, a little patience is cheaper then a new one. It will come off, my did and it hadnt been off in 23 years.

As far as the weak spark, just have to do a process of elimantion in the system, check it all.
 
Well everyone, Thank you all for your suggestions.

Turns out that the problem was a dead battery and a clogged fuel filter.
The old battery which sat on the charger for 48 hours still wasn't strong enough to give a good spark. When the Gel-mat battery came in I dropped it in the bike and tried to fire it up figuring that it comes from the factory charged. Well, it does but the clogged fuel filter that I had on the bike prevented the fuel from flowing enough to kick the bike over.

I also did not hold the starter long enough. I was limiting myself to 5-seconds when holding down the starter button. When CloudbreakMD came over on Saturday he tested the new battery, (which turned out good) diagnosed the clogged filter and started the bike. He held down the starter button for 10 second intervals and with a little starter fluid the bike kicked over slowly and then caught up speed until it was revving like it used to while on choke. He suggested we let the bike run for 3 minutes to clear out any crap-gas. We did and the bike ran good. he told me to take it for a run around the block and it was strong as ever!

However, it still dripped oil badly from my botched oil-pan & gasket-maker
marriage. It dripped too much oil to be considered safe to ride, so we dropped the oil pan, scraped all of the old gasket AND the gasket maker off the bike and put on the correct gasket that I had ordered but was too impatient to wait on before trying to start and ride the bike.

We buttoned it up and it wasn't leaking from the oil-pan anymore. I was so happy till...

The oil filter gasket went.

So I had autozone order up a CH6001 Fram filter with gasket which I picked up this morning and installed on the bike. I also replaced all of the nuts that hold down the filter cover because two of them were partially stripped and allowing oil to leak past that part of the filter cover.
No more leaks, no more drips, no more loss of oil anywhere!!

I rode in to work today happier than a little kid at christmas.
The sun is brighter!
The sky is bluer!
The clouds are fluffier!
The air is sweeter!
Hell, my allergies even feel better!

Thanks everyone and especially thanks to you CloudbreakMD!!!
 
Turns out that the problem was a dead battery and a clogged fuel filter.
Click to expand...

As in one of those add on in-line fuel filters??

Please, everyone, repeat after me:

I DO NOT NEED A 6TH INLINE FILTER. THEY ARE COMPLETE GARBAGE, AND I PROMISE TO NEVER INSTALL ONE- EVER!!!!
 
Detman101 said:
flyingace said:
If a car is not available to you, then trickle charge the new battery overnight to make sure it is fully charged.
Click to expand...

The new battery is charging as of 8:00 last night.


first:
make sure your choke is functioning at the carb levers. If it isn't, fix.
make sure the plug wires from the coils go to the correct cylinders.

then:
remove the plugs and turn the engine over to
1. check for a nice big spark on the (grounded) plugs.
2. make sure there's gas vapor coming out of the plug holes.

If 1 or 2 is missing, you have a place to start looking.

Ace.
Click to expand...

Choke is functioning correctly at the carb.
The plug wires do go to the correct cylinders.
-Spark is still measly and yellow (Not big and blue like it used to be)
-Gas vapor all over the place when cranking it.
-Still haven't tried push starting it. Waiting till saturday to try that when I have some help pushing this sack-o-####.
Click to expand...

Detman, as a help to me, can you explain why there was gas vapor all over the place when there was no fuel in the float bowls from clogged filter?

Thanks,
Ace.
 
Jethro said:
Turns out that the problem was a dead battery and a clogged fuel filter.
Click to expand...

As in one of those add on in-line fuel filters??

Please, everyone, repeat after me:

I DO NOT NEED A 6TH INLINE FILTER. THEY ARE COMPLETE GARBAGE, AND I PROMISE TO NEVER INSTALL ONE- EVER!!!!
Click to expand...

Uh, I do...my tank is a rust bucket.
:(
 
flyingace said:
Detman101 said:
flyingace said:
If a car is not available to you, then trickle charge the new battery overnight to make sure it is fully charged.
Click to expand...

The new battery is charging as of 8:00 last night.


first:
make sure your choke is functioning at the carb levers. If it isn't, fix.
make sure the plug wires from the coils go to the correct cylinders.

then:
remove the plugs and turn the engine over to
1. check for a nice big spark on the (grounded) plugs.
2. make sure there's gas vapor coming out of the plug holes.

If 1 or 2 is missing, you have a place to start looking.

Ace.
Click to expand...

Choke is functioning correctly at the carb.
The plug wires do go to the correct cylinders.
-Spark is still measly and yellow (Not big and blue like it used to be)
-Gas vapor all over the place when cranking it.
-Still haven't tried push starting it. Waiting till saturday to try that when I have some help pushing this sack-o-####.
Click to expand...

Detman, as a help to me, can you explain why there was gas vapor all over the place when there was no fuel in the float bowls from clogged filter?

Thanks,
Ace.
Click to expand...

Stupid me, vapors were the starting fluid I sprayed in there not 5 minutes before.
 
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