Starting issue with my SX

[Huffa]

Let me 1st say I rebuilt this carb with a kit about a year ago and it still always seems to do what I am describing here .........

My SX always seems to start so hard when it sets for some time. With a fully charged battery it seems to crank rather slow and I don't dare use the choke or it will siese to turn over.

It almost seems like the cylinder has gas in it and it's making the compression higher then it should be, hence the slow turn over of the motor.

It only cranks for about 15 seconds then stops cranking THEN I come back to it a few minutes later and while it still does not crank as fast as it should, the thing starts up, using no choke, no throttle but it does want to stall again until uit warms up.!

HOT it always seems fine but let it set a week or two and this old habit comes back again. Could it be just the float level possibly?

This is in a warm garage too, just so ya know.

[rally4x4racer]

is it running rich? sounds like it is flooding maybe.
what is your air filter and main jet - is it stock?

[Huffa]

is it running rich? sounds like it is flooding maybe.
what is your air filter and main jet - is it stock?

Filter & main stock. Yea, that's what I think too and why I ask about the float level. Wouldn't a high float make it run rich? Normally you never have to screw with them though?

[rally4x4racer]

or if it is stickin, yea

the bad part about trying to get rid of this symptom - is that to truly test your adustment you got to wait a week and let it sit.

what all have you tried so far? Have you tried removing the air filter?
Next time it sits I would first SNEAK up on it and turn off the petcock, then QUIETLY drain most of the fuel out of the float bowl... then give it a rip to see if it wants to start with less fuel...

[DeePa]

id say next time, turn the petcock off, take the fuel line off of it and see if it leaks.

Now run the trike until the bowl drains.

Wait a week, and then try cranking it and see how it turns over with out any fuel what so ever.

Turn the gas on and see how it goes.

Or just pull the plug and crank it over a few times, see if it shoots any gas out, then put it back in and see what happens.

[Tri-ZNate]

sounds like your starter is starting to die. Maybe also be the float is stuck like said. i know today we couldnt get my SX started by cranking, but 5 good kicks later and it was good to go

[jason85atc250r]

it could be what Deepa said. my 85 250r had a leaking fuel petcock that would drip when turned off and make it hard to start when sitting for awhile like your 250sx.

so maybe thats it. my buddy had it hapen also to his 87 250x quad.

[edog]

Does it have gas in it?:D

[p26575r16]

My old '85 sx did exactly the same thing. I just got used to it, never had a chance to figure out what was wrong. If I knew I was going to ride, I'd attempt to start it about 10 minutes before the ride, then when I was ready, it fired right up, but I still had to let it warm up before I could really ride it. After it was warm, it ran great and always restarted great.

[burnoutboy]

I had the exact same symptons on my 200es BigRed, it was a bad battery. Battery would not have enough juice to start a cold motor.

[mark38090]

Mine always starts hard when cold and then you have to stay with it a few minutes to get it to operating temp...

[Huffa]

I had the exact same symptons on my 200es BigRed, it was a bad battery. Battery would not have enough juice to start a cold motor.

Thanks all and it may possibly be the battery maybe because on the third kick (wheelie pop mentioned try kicking) it started up and ran pretty good.

Battery isn't that old and shows on my charger that it's a full charge (by lit dots, not guage) but yet wa,wa,waaaa,waaaaa, click,click,click, dead, sort of because in a few minutes it shows full charge again.

Can a weak battery still show a full charge?

Can something in the starter cause excessive draw?

HMMM, I think I'll try the battery out of my Nighthawk and see if that solves the problem and if the size fits the box correct, I'll just use that one but if that doesn't work,then I'll borrow my neighbors SX right smack a side of me and start switching parts till it works proper. His always lites right up and that thing sits for months!

I'll check everything else mentioned from everyone though, I want this issue resolved !! This machine does sit quite a while before I ride it though so I'll put some fresh gas in too.

Thanks all! (Oh, I said that already)

[bigreddaddy]

Definitely sounds like the battery. Have someone use the electric start while you use a Volt/Ohm meter on the battery. Set it for 20v DC. When it is being started watch the meter reading. If the voltage drops under, say 9-10 volts then you need another battery.

[Dirtcrasher]

I know that there are a couple of batteries that fit the SX. Some of them are cheaper but don't have the right CCA's that the SX requires.

My SX's sit for months and fire right up also.

If you want to know whether the petcock leaks, just turn it off and pull off the hose. Leave a rag under there to absorb the gas. Check it in a half a day of time. If the rag smells of gas, then the petcock is leaking.

[BigReds Forever]

the starter on my 250es sort of this kinda thing. The brushes were bad. Just something to check out, sounds like in your case its either the starter or the battery. Even an almost dead battery can be charged (usually) but they just dont hold that charge once you take the charger off. Something you could try to see if this is the probelm would be to 1st try starting with the kick start, kick it up to about 10 times, and if it doesnt start within that, then you have some fule problems.

[Bryan Raffa]

try another battery if it still persist check the brushes in the starter

[Huffa]

Definitely sounds like the battery. Have someone use the electric start while you use a Volt/Ohm meter on the battery. Set it for 20v DC. When it is being started watch the meter reading. If the voltage drops under, say 9-10 volts then you need another battery.

I just got done doing all this........

1) carb off, checked all jets, float is a plastic job and none adjustable and everything checked out A-OK EXCEPT I'm not sure of the pilot screw setting, it was at 1 turn out manual says 1 &1/4 and two with the small stars as if each setting is for a certain year abd to read somewhere else. I could not find any other info so I comprimised and set it at 1&3/4.

I forget, is turning the pilot screw out letting more fuel in or more air?


2) Flushed tank, check petcock, all A-OK exceot for this freakin CHEWING GUM type substance that bI fiound in tank! It took me a 1/2 hour to get it out, no idea what it really is, not a clue!

3) Put back together it started on 2nd kick, this was with the carb having the airbiox off completely, so naturally it will be leaner then normal. Tried the ES and that worked fine too but I still want to test battery.

What setting on this meter do I set it at and where do I plug in the 2 wires, which of the three holes? I'm terrible at electrical stuff so you got to steer the way for me completly, THANKS !!

[brapp]

come to the ride and we can also check withother bikes and se ewhat works best.

[ATCnut]

To check the battery, put the black lead in the black hole labeled "COM" and the red one in the hole directly above it for volts "V". Set the knob to the 20 setting in the DC V section. Put the red lead on the positive battery terminal, and the black lead on the negative battery terminal. It should measure around 12 Volts fully charged. While the engine is cranking, it should not drop below 9 volts.

The other thing to check is for corrosion on the connections, or a bad wire. Put the black lead on the negative terminal of the battery, and the red on the engine metal. While cranking, you should not see more that .5 volts of drop there. If there is check the black wire and its connections.

Then put the red lead on the positive battery terminal, and the black lead on the big terminal on the starter. while cranking, this shoudl be less than .5 volts. If more, again check the wires. And put the leads of the meter on the two big terminals on the solenoid, There should be less than .1 volts across the soleniod while cranking.

If all this is good, then either the starter or the battery are bad.

[rally4x4racer]

huffa - hows the sx doin?

[Bryan Raffa]

that green stuff looks like tire slime..did it have black specks in it?.. you must have been trying to seal the hole in the tank,,,,:lol: