Bike just won't start! - Page 3

alanmcorcoran · 01-24-2010, 02:55 AM

You want to have an idle above 1000 rpms, but not much above that. The idle screw is a white plastic dial you'll find down around your ankle. It's a good idea to mark where it's set before you start moving it, and stick to no more than quarter turns until you get a feel for what you are doing. I recommend you kind of work it back and forth a little as you turn it so there's no unreleased tension left in the cable pulleys. It's not a real sophisticated control and, like a piano, it can drift a bit when you are "tuning" it.

Frankly, I suggest you hold off mucking with the idle until you make some progress on getting the bike to run (unless it is idling very slowly and roughly.) Let me explain why - GZ's don't really get running well until they are warmed up and, in my experience, this takes at least ten minutes. You don't want to mess with the idle when it is not warmed up - you'll probably set it too high. On the flip side, it's easy to set the idle too low after it's warmed up. You definitely don't want to mess with the idle when the choke is on. Others have posted about devices that can act as pseudo-tachometers. I think most of us can tell by the sound. It should be relatively quiet at idle but not so slow you can hear it "chugging." Some have said that it should idle higher than a car. I'm not sure about that - depends on the car I guess.

Don't leave the petcock on prime. I think that's been said many times. That will led to flooding and fouling of the carb. I've left my bike sitting sometimes for six weeks or more and I still haven't had to use the "prime" setting at all to get it started, never mind leaving it in that position. I have often had to leave it running in the garage for ten minutes to stabilize the carburation after a lengthy layoff.

The carb is very sensitive on the GZ and it doesn't like to sit unused. On the plus side, often a hundred and fifty miles of fresh gas (with, perhaps, some carb cleaner) will often fix it right up. Don't sweat it if it continues to run like crap for the first 60-100 miles.

If you get it running again, leave the choke on, at least enough to keep it going, and let it run for twenty minutes (open your garage door!) before you try to ride it. If it's still stalling after that, I recommend you take it to a dealer or a service shop.

I suspect it just hasn't been ridden for a long time and, as someone suggested above, it's clogged up.

I suppose this is obvious, but in case it isn't: riding a bike with stalling and running issues greatly increases your odds of getting into trouble - both roadside breakdown trouble (trust me, you don't want to push 300 pounds uphill wearing MC gear) as well as accident trouble. Running trouble is a huge distraction and will suck up your brainpower, the brainpower that should be watching out for road hazards, wet leaves, oblivious drivers, deer, etc. I'm just saying, I know it costs money to get the bike serviced, but it will cost you a lot more if you lose the use of your leg cause you were screwing with the choke/throttle/idle when you should have been watching out for the guy making a left in front of you.

Good luck, let us know how you make out.

alantf · 01-24-2010, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavenousPirate

There's 5800 miles on the bike. and to my knowledge the only service done on it was to replace the rear reflector

Oh shit!!!!!!!!!!! at 5800 miles you're about due your SECOND oil/filter change. If it's never had the first change done, get it done NOW, as there's sure to be microscopic metal traces in the oil from the running in!

alantf · 01-24-2010, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

You want to have an idle above 1000 rpms, but not much above that. The idle screw is a white plastic dial you'll find down around your ankle.

Suzuki say 1200 - 1400, so use that as a starting point (when you get it running, & the engine's nice & hot!). When you get used to the sound/feel of the bike, you'll be able to use your own judgement as to what feels right. Like it's been said before, the gz has a VERY temperamental carb.

Alan must have the queerest body shape ever. The big white adjusting knob is just under the tank, behind the carb. This seems to suggest that Alan's ankles start just below the kneecap!

:whistle:

alanmcorcoran · 01-24-2010, 05:10 AM

Well, the general vicinity. Bike IS a bit small for me. Thanks for clarification.

Easy Rider · 01-24-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Well, the general vicinity. Bike IS a bit small for me. Thanks for clarification.

Excellent post Alan!

(We'll cut you a little slack for not knowing the difference between your knee and your ankle!) :crackup

RavenousPirate · 01-26-2010, 02:14 PM

Alright, finally a day off from school and work so I'm going to be working on this again today. Charging the battery as I type this...

Quote:

Originally Posted by alantf

Oh shit!!!!!!!!!!! at 5800 miles you're about due your SECOND oil/filter change. If it's never had the first change done, get it done NOW, as there's sure to be microscopic metal traces in the oil from the running in!

It has had the oil changed once before. Forgot to mention that =P

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Don't leave the petcock on prime. I think that's been said many times. That will led to flooding and fouling of the carb

Right, I do know this. I meant I've been turning it on whenever I try to start the bike. I turn it off once the bike is started, and leave it off when it's sitting.

My plan for today is to drain out the gas in the tank and replace it with new gasoline. From there if I can get it started I'll let it run for a while and work from there.

From the suggestions I'm reading, it seems you want me to let it sit idle while it's running, but the last time that I started it I could only get it to stay running if I kept the throttle pulled. Would keeping the throttle pulled for around ten minutes be advisable? Or should I just take it to a shop now if I can't even get it to idle?

Water Warrior 2 · 01-26-2010, 02:37 PM

Add a little carb cleaner to the gas. Ten minutes might be a tad too long. You could overheat the engine. If, a big IF it will run fairly well after 5 minutes then go for a ride. At least that is what I would do in this case. If the carb is really gunked up internally things won't play out too well. Lotsa luck to you.

Easy Rider · 01-26-2010, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavenousPirate

From the suggestions I'm reading, it seems you want me to let it sit idle while it's running, but the last time that I started it I could only get it to stay running if I kept the throttle pulled. Would keeping the throttle pulled for around ten minutes be advisable? Or should I just take it to a shop now if I can't even get it to idle?

That depends on how FAR you have the throttle open and how FAST it makes it run.
You need to keep it at or near idle speed for a few minutes; how you accomplish that isn't really too important.

It would appear, though, that you have a major carb problem, since having the choke fully operated should also make it run fairly fast. If the only way it will stay running is REAL FAST, then you're probably destined for a trip to the shop, as you should NOT run it real fast for more than a few seconds.

alanmcorcoran · 01-26-2010, 04:09 PM

Ravenous,

Let me preface this with the caveat, "I'm not a real mechanic, and I couldn't even play one on TV." I sort of had the opposite problem - mine would idle, but as soon as I touched the throttle it would stall out. Basically it couldn't handle anything but the minimal RPM's. That being said, I've let mine idle for ten minutes or more without any noticeable issues. The main thing I can tell you is that, I have on multiple occasions, experienced extremely crappy carburation issues that cleared up entirely simply by getting 150 miles of gas and some carb cleaner through the works. And, on one occasion, no amount of riding would fix it and I had to take it to a dealer to get it fixed. On the had-to-go-to-the-dealer problem, it actually took three visits until they got it fixed up. I'm not sure if they just shined on the carb cleaning or what they did wrong the first two times, but when I went down there the THIRD time and made a complete asshole of myself (not difficult for me) they got it fixed right up (and it's been running good ever since.)

So to sum up: Many GZ carb issues are the result of inactivity, which the bike is very sensitive to, and can be self fixed by non-mechanics if you can get the bike to run well enough to run a tank of gas through it. But some are not going to respond to this and will need to be addressed by a mechanic. It's going to be up to you to decide which category yours falls in. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Be careful with the gas. Don't mess with the spark plug, or the battery or the battery charger, if you got gas all over the place. Avoid wearing synthetic clothing when working around gas, especially "pull-over" (non button) shirts. If you get gas on your clothes, stop what you are doing and carefully change your clothes. And no smoking!

RavenousPirate · 01-26-2010, 05:55 PM

Okay... Status update!

I charged up the battery again, emptied out the gas tank, replaced it with fresh gas, and put carburetor treatment into it.

The bike now starts flawlessly, don't even have to set it to prime. However, it still won't idle. From this, do you guys think it's still a carburetor problem or should I start adjusting the idle screw? I didn't really want to toy with it since I have no way of telling how many rpm's the engine is doing. I took a picture of mine in the hopes that you guys could look at it and tell me if it's too low or not.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/ ... rcycle.jpg

Another question... after replacing the gas I set the petcock to prime again and noticed that gas was leaking out of a hose under the seat, behind and to the left of the battery if you're looking at the right side of the motorcycle. What is this hose and why is it leaking gasoline on my motorcycle?! If you're looking at the parts manual, it's number 46 under carburetor.

01-24-2010, 02:55 AM	#21
alanmcorcoran Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,926	Re: Bike just won't start! You want to have an idle above 1000 rpms, but not much above that. The idle screw is a white plastic dial you'll find down around your ankle. It's a good idea to mark where it's set before you start moving it, and stick to no more than quarter turns until you get a feel for what you are doing. I recommend you kind of work it back and forth a little as you turn it so there's no unreleased tension left in the cable pulleys. It's not a real sophisticated control and, like a piano, it can drift a bit when you are "tuning" it. Frankly, I suggest you hold off mucking with the idle until you make some progress on getting the bike to run (unless it is idling very slowly and roughly.) Let me explain why - GZ's don't really get running well until they are warmed up and, in my experience, this takes at least ten minutes. You don't want to mess with the idle when it is not warmed up - you'll probably set it too high. On the flip side, it's easy to set the idle too low after it's warmed up. You definitely don't want to mess with the idle when the choke is on. Others have posted about devices that can act as pseudo-tachometers. I think most of us can tell by the sound. It should be relatively quiet at idle but not so slow you can hear it "chugging." Some have said that it should idle higher than a car. I'm not sure about that - depends on the car I guess. Don't leave the petcock on prime. I think that's been said many times. That will led to flooding and fouling of the carb. I've left my bike sitting sometimes for six weeks or more and I still haven't had to use the "prime" setting at all to get it started, never mind leaving it in that position. I have often had to leave it running in the garage for ten minutes to stabilize the carburation after a lengthy layoff. The carb is very sensitive on the GZ and it doesn't like to sit unused. On the plus side, often a hundred and fifty miles of fresh gas (with, perhaps, some carb cleaner) will often fix it right up. Don't sweat it if it continues to run like crap for the first 60-100 miles. If you get it running again, leave the choke on, at least enough to keep it going, and let it run for twenty minutes (open your garage door!) before you try to ride it. If it's still stalling after that, I recommend you take it to a dealer or a service shop. I suspect it just hasn't been ridden for a long time and, as someone suggested above, it's clogged up. I suppose this is obvious, but in case it isn't: riding a bike with stalling and running issues greatly increases your odds of getting into trouble - both roadside breakdown trouble (trust me, you don't want to push 300 pounds uphill wearing MC gear) as well as accident trouble. Running trouble is a huge distraction and will suck up your brainpower, the brainpower that should be watching out for road hazards, wet leaves, oblivious drivers, deer, etc. I'm just saying, I know it costs money to get the bike serviced, but it will cost you a lot more if you lose the use of your leg cause you were screwing with the choke/throttle/idle when you should have been watching out for the guy making a left in front of you. Good luck, let us know how you make out. __________________ [hr:5yt6ldkq][/hr:5yt6ldkq] http://alanmarkcorcoran.com Motorcycles, Music, Musings and More… Login or Register to Remove Ads
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01-24-2010, 05:10 AM	#24
alanmcorcoran Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,926	Re: Bike just won't start! Well, the general vicinity. Bike IS a bit small for me. Thanks for clarification. __________________ [hr:5yt6ldkq][/hr:5yt6ldkq] http://alanmarkcorcoran.com Motorcycles, Music, Musings and More…
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01-26-2010, 02:37 PM	#27
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Bike just won't start! Add a little carb cleaner to the gas. Ten minutes might be a tad too long. You could overheat the engine. If, a big IF it will run fairly well after 5 minutes then go for a ride. At least that is what I would do in this case. If the carb is really gunked up internally things won't play out too well. Lotsa luck to you.
	0

01-26-2010, 04:09 PM	#29
alanmcorcoran Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,926	Re: Bike just won't start! Ravenous, Let me preface this with the caveat, "I'm not a real mechanic, and I couldn't even play one on TV." I sort of had the opposite problem - mine would idle, but as soon as I touched the throttle it would stall out. Basically it couldn't handle anything but the minimal RPM's. That being said, I've let mine idle for ten minutes or more without any noticeable issues. The main thing I can tell you is that, I have on multiple occasions, experienced extremely crappy carburation issues that cleared up entirely simply by getting 150 miles of gas and some carb cleaner through the works. And, on one occasion, no amount of riding would fix it and I had to take it to a dealer to get it fixed. On the had-to-go-to-the-dealer problem, it actually took three visits until they got it fixed up. I'm not sure if they just shined on the carb cleaning or what they did wrong the first two times, but when I went down there the THIRD time and made a complete asshole of myself (not difficult for me) they got it fixed right up (and it's been running good ever since.) So to sum up: Many GZ carb issues are the result of inactivity, which the bike is very sensitive to, and can be self fixed by non-mechanics if you can get the bike to run well enough to run a tank of gas through it. But some are not going to respond to this and will need to be addressed by a mechanic. It's going to be up to you to decide which category yours falls in. Good luck and let us know how you make out. Be careful with the gas. Don't mess with the spark plug, or the battery or the battery charger, if you got gas all over the place. Avoid wearing synthetic clothing when working around gas, especially "pull-over" (non button) shirts. If you get gas on your clothes, stop what you are doing and carefully change your clothes. And no smoking! __________________ [hr:5yt6ldkq][/hr:5yt6ldkq] http://alanmarkcorcoran.com Motorcycles, Music, Musings and More…
	0

01-26-2010, 05:55 PM	#30
RavenousPirate Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 13	Re: Bike just won't start! Okay... Status update! I charged up the battery again, emptied out the gas tank, replaced it with fresh gas, and put carburetor treatment into it. The bike now starts flawlessly, don't even have to set it to prime. However, it still won't idle. From this, do you guys think it's still a carburetor problem or should I start adjusting the idle screw? I didn't really want to toy with it since I have no way of telling how many rpm's the engine is doing. I took a picture of mine in the hopes that you guys could look at it and tell me if it's too low or not. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/ ... rcycle.jpg Another question... after replacing the gas I set the petcock to prime again and noticed that gas was leaking out of a hose under the seat, behind and to the left of the battery if you're looking at the right side of the motorcycle. What is this hose and why is it leaking gasoline on my motorcycle?! If you're looking at the parts manual, it's number 46 under carburetor.
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