Quote:
Originally Posted by Water Warrior 2
Buy yourself a can of contact cleaner. Spray some cleaner into the ignition switch. Turn the key back and forth through it's entire sweep. Repeat.
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Hmmm, should have said to first check for tightness of the battery cables. Then do the spraying.
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Water Warrior 2 ... I think you hit the nail on the head...
UPDATE: So my first try was to get some quality contact cleaner and do the ignition switch. The stuff I got was flammable, so I decided to disconnect the battery to prevent any possible sparks. When I removed the side cover to expose the battery, I did notice a small amount of corrosion on the negative terminal. When I took the screw out, it was FULL of corrosion.
I sprayed contact cleaner into the ignition thoroughly, then inserted the key, working the switch all round to all positions several times. I then repeated this. After a good soaking, I used a can of compressed air with the little straw and blew air into the key hole of the ignition. This was to help with the drying process.
I then cleaned the battery cable ends, posts and screws with the cleaner. I then let the bike sit overnight to dry out.
Next day I put it back together. I paid particular attention to the battery cables and made sure they were flat and very secure. I hit the ignition and starter - it fired right up.
IN FACT, IT HASN'T REPEATED THE PROBLEM SINCE I DID THE ABOVE (one week and counting).
But I'm not 100% sure which was the problem - the ignition switch or the battery. I'm not even sure if the cleaner reached the actual part of the ignition switch where the contacts are.
SOOOoooo... I can only GUESS at what was causing the intermittent start problem. My hunch says it was the battery corrosion. I have read elsewhere that when the starter is cranking the engine the voltage on the battery drops. If it has corrosion causing resistance, then the voltage may have dropped low enough for poor spark or for the ignition circuit to not function correctly. Once the engine fires and the starter is released, the voltage rises back up and the engine runs fine.
So that is the scoop thus far, and I hope it helps someone else whom may have this peculiar "gremlin" on their GZ 250. Funny how corrosion can cause such a funny problem.
Thanks again for everyone who chimed in.
It is Feb. 19. I'm in Texas, it is 60 degrees breezy and sunny... I think I'll go for a little ride right now. Seeya!
