'89 FZR600 hard starting + fuel smell

Just picked this tax and tested beauty up for £notalotatall.

Only issue is hard starting, takes about 3 minutes cranking to get two pots going, then the other two chime in 30 seconds later and you're laughing. I've renewed melted starter wiring caused by this thing obviously being held on start for ages to get it going.

It stinks of petrol when you're trying to start it. I've checked the choke plungers, they all actuate freely both directions, all throttle butterflies are opening and closing correctly. Is there anything known for going on these? I assume the fuel pump and relay are working fine as if it was all dead it wouldn't start would it?

Edit: Has apparently new plugs and leads all round, coils *look* in good condition (insofar as that's ANY measure of condition at all).

Float bowls?
Valve clearances? (fucking hope not, my old gpz400r would start and it hadn't seen a spanner since the cold war ended)
Fuel filter? (would cause starvation though surely?)

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Make sure your battery is fully charged. Ensure you have enough gas, and that the petcock is not off.

Make sure the kill switch is in the on position, and when you click the ignition to start it, the fuel pump is activated.

Pull a spark plug and make sure it's not fouled anyway. Make sure your carbs are clean and not clogged.

If the motor is turning at this point, yet still not starting, you probably have a valve problem, and they at least need adjustment.

Personally, I'd start with the battery voltage across the terminals with a micrometer, check the fluid level as well if its an old lead acid with a breather.

Next up would be the carbs themselves, checking the hoses and the diaphragms and most likely the floats and jets. Check all the inline filters.

Obviously, if it stinks of petrol you need to diagnose that as a matter of urgency.

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€œMan differs more from Man, than Man from Beast.€ - Rochester

Sounds like it's overfuelling. Suggest you check the float heights to see if they are correct.

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"THINK" it's not illegal yet.

How long has it been stood for ?. It might need fresh fuel.
Ronzzr11

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ZZr1100c3,GPz1100b1,GPz900r,GPX750f1
DREG#11,SNSG#11, A/C#11,2V/4#11



ZZr1100c3 ............Jennifer Connelly
TWO#A/550/900/1100/1100
"Atomic batteries to power!" Turbines to speed!".

Hi

Mine can be a pig to start. Has a habit of dumping fuel down the inlets when parked even when the petrol is turned off. Basically seems to empty the float bowls into the engine sometimes. Only way I can see for this to happen is if intake for the idle circuit are blocked, let the rest of it work like a syphon.

My solution? Turn the petrol off a couple of hundred yards before I reach my destination to run the contents of the float bowls down a bit.

All the best

Keith

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Traxpics, on track pictures.

Right, I drained the fuel system (carb bowls and fuel tank) and filled with fresh fuel. I've also replaced the plugs which were blacker than er... something reflecting very little light at all.

Still not firing. It turns over with an intermittent noise I can only describe as "bom", the faint single firing event that gives you hope yet utterly fails to turn into vroom. It goes "bom" every second or so. It doesn't even sound like it's trying properly tbh. I'm going to double check HT lead connection order - I've put them back how they were but that's not to say they were right to start with.

The only other point to mention is the HT leads have been bought at a standard (looks like a foot or so) length and not cut down, is the increased resistance of these longer leads likely to produce a total non-starter?

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I hereby explicitly refuse permission for any content posted by myself or others under my authorisation using the "MotorcyclesFish" account to be used for any publishing purpose in any for-profit media without my express written consent.  Furthermore, I assert my write to be made known the author of any such materials should my express permission be granted for the use of materials as described above.  Materials posted before the acquisition of Visordown.com by Magicalia, posted as they were on a not-for-profit site with differing terms and conditions, will not be considered by myself to be covered by any subsequent or retroactive terms and conditions of use for this site, and any attempt to use them under the rules of these retroactive terms and conditions I will consider unlawful and act accordingly.

Check each plug to make sure its sparking with a clean strong spark while your cranking it over (dont forget to earth the plug on the frame etc)

If sparks are healthy then move onto compression ! Do a compression check and if its healthy then look at fueling..

My guess is that its poorly fueling and the valve clearances are in dire need of attention.

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Here`s what I would do:
1 - New sparkplugs, with correct clearance checked before mounting (yes, even if new!)
2 - On my next starting attempt, I would open the fuel cock, then shut it off , and only THEN would I try to start. If it`s over-fueling, it should start much easier than with the fuel cock open (i.e., less time cranking over before vroom ).
3 - If it`s all the same, remove, clean and recondition the carbs. Float valves, slider assemblies, all jets, needles and diaphragms all need < thorough checkin, and maybe replacing.
Just what I would do...
Best of luck
DF

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YZF1000R
Gilera Nordwest
FZR400RR

It's currently looking like crappy uncut universal HT leads and plug caps. Will post back if the bugger fires up, got me old man running us down a set of leads and caps for us tomorrow

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I hereby explicitly refuse permission for any content posted by myself or others under my authorisation using the "MotorcyclesFish" account to be used for any publishing purpose in any for-profit media without my express written consent.  Furthermore, I assert my write to be made known the author of any such materials should my express permission be granted for the use of materials as described above.  Materials posted before the acquisition of Visordown.com by Magicalia, posted as they were on a not-for-profit site with differing terms and conditions, will not be considered by myself to be covered by any subsequent or retroactive terms and conditions of use for this site, and any attempt to use them under the rules of these retroactive terms and conditions I will consider unlawful and act accordingly.