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XT600E Cold Starting Issues

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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 09:41 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: XT600E Cold Starting Issues Reply with quote

Had my XT for a few weeks now,

How difficult are 600 singles to start in the cold?

Turning over fine, if not amazingly fast (battery is not in the best condition, will be replaced with a motobatt soon), starting on half choke then usually cutting out again. Then starting soon after and running fine. Ride down the road, choke off when it feels a little warmer.

The issue is after a good 10/15 mins of riding when stopping and the engine idles it will run fine then conk out with no warning. Not a laboured conk out 1.4k revs/idle then conk. Usually starts up more or less on the button, sometimes needing a little cranking.

Now every previous bike i have owned would be warm and up to temperature by this time, are the XT600E/Big singles known for taking longer than sports bikes etc to get up to temp (no guage)?

Definately have petrol, same issue with On and Res fuel tap settings, i dont believe its a case of trapped fuel lines as otherwise it runs fine.

Im going to replace the battery anyway but before i do ill find someone to check the current battery voltage, to see if the charging system is okay.

The previous owner mentioned he had an issue with the solenoid which aparently cleared it's self up after a service??

Once i finish work at 3, ill be riding over to a mates house, a good 10/20 mile and will let it idle for a good while to see if it conks out when known to be warm.

I did completely run out of petrol the other day coming back from Yorkshire, drained it dry on reserve and pushed to a petrol stn, could it have pulled crap into the carbs? Once i filled it back up it took a good few miles of running to be on song again, cutting out while riding away from the petrol stn, i figured this to be the lack of petrol, but again it took longer than im used to with twins/fours to get back on song after running completely dry...

TL:DR - Two issues,

1, Are the XT600/singles generally known to be hard to cold start/dodgey solenoid??

2, Random cut outs mostly from idle when cold ish, a few times while riding (shortly after draining tank dry on reserve 5/10 miles previously)

Help with this would be appreciated Thumbs Up
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]
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PostPosted: 10:22 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

If it wasn't being difficult before you ran it dry then it sound like you have dragged some muck through to the carb.

XT's can be a bit reluctant to start if left for a few days without running but otherwise they should be fine.

I've only used the choke once this year I think, otherwise it starts on the button. Maybe yours is a combination of dirt in the carb and a weak battery?
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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 11:10 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah i cant say this conking out issue happened before i ran it dry.

The starting was a bit ropey from cold, but its now left outside rather than the warm garage it is used to... i was turning the fuel tap to off when parking it up for the night, which i have stopped doing now...

I was going to try and make this battery last the next few months and then buy the new one just before i go for my trip.

I wonder if redex would help the carbs? ill probably give that a go today.

I hope it's that simple as slightly gummed up carbs, still, it don't inspire the greatest confidence.
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]
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PostPosted: 11:34 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd be thinking about taking the carb off and giving it a good cleaning. When you're about to embark on a huge trip the last thing you want is your bike playing up - you'll kick yourself if you're out in the middle of nowhere and it's still happening.

Get it sorted before you go and you won't have that nagging doubt in the back of your head all the time.
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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 11:54 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Definately will do, has been added to my 'to do' list before i go.

Ill still run redex through it today and hopefully that will do me for the next month or so..

Thinking it might be worth having the top off and checking the valves, replacing all wheel bearings, possibly even buying replacement Reg/Rec and maybe a solenoid

What i found worryingly funny was that i managed to run out of petrol on the A1... Does not bode well for the wilds... Acerbis tank is the main priority atm...
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PostPosted: 12:03 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

How many miles has the bike done?

The general advice for the valve clearances on low mileage bikes is 'don't bother'. I suppose you might as well check them, it won't take long and they're the screw and lock nut type so nice and easy to do. If the wheel bearings are OK at the moment then leave them until they need changing, just take some with you.
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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 12:10 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brought it with 8500, is now on 9200.

What are the recommended service intervals? (Ill check the manual when i get home).

I got about 3 months till i plan to leave and will try to keep the mileage down, i reckon by then it will be sub 12k realistically..
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Robby
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PostPosted: 20:30 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Something is nagging in the back of my mind about big Yamaha singles being utter bastards to start warm when the valve clearances are tight.

Some crap under the mixture screw on the carb could lean off the mix at idle enough to make it struggle and die, but it should start up again with a little throttle.
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PostPosted: 20:48 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've just remembered something - I've read about people having problems with a small mesh filter that sits under the float valve seat. It gets blocked very easily and can cause problems. I think the common fix is just to bin the filter although it's worth checking up on that first as my memory is a bit hazy.
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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 21:10 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the way home from work it cut out again while coldish, riding along at medium revs, i could have kept it running by revving the tits of it but just let it conk out, started up on the button a few seconds later...

Have since emptied a full bottle of red-ex in the tank and in the brief ride of no more than 5 miles had no more issues, it sat there idling. Mind you by this time it was properly warm.

Thanks Joe and Robby, those two nuggets are enough to definitely justify checking the valve clearances in the next month as now you say that i can picture it being a tight clearance issue, as well as fully cleaning the carb for peace of mind anyway. Ill find a fiche and see which filter you are talking about, as i was reading about what you say there over on the hubb this afternoon.

People were also saying it might be an idea to switch the fuel tap off close to home so its not full (to help starting from cold)

I think the alternator/reg/rec is working as the battery feels like it has more juice after 10 miles or so, Hopefully will have access to a multimeter this week so i will check that before ordering a new motobatt (will probably try and source a spare rectifier anyway as a backup) Thumbs Up

Edit:

Just like you said, similar issue, although his sounds more extreme/clogged, seems the little mesh under the floats could be the culprit
https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/yamaha-tech/xt600-weird-carb-problem-59235
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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 21:22 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also reading that it might be worth installing an inline fuel filter in the actual tubes if getting rid of the mesh...
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PostPosted: 21:30 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

TheDonUK wrote:
Also reading that it might be worth installing an inline fuel filter in the actual tubes if getting rid of the mesh...


It's on my to do list. The Acerbis tank has two fuel lines running from both sides into a T piece and then into the carb. On the left side you might struggle fitting a filter on to the short sections of fuel line. The right hand side has plenty of length to fit one so I was thinking of fitting one there and closing the left fuel tap.
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sickpup
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PostPosted: 21:31 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Robby wrote:
Something is nagging in the back of my mind about big Yamaha singles being utter bastards to start warm when the valve clearances are tight.


Common to many bikes but worse on Yamaha 5 valve heads like the FZR1000. Mainly inlet valves over tight.
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Robby
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PostPosted: 22:09 - 29 Jan 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thinking about it, the symptoms are exactly like my old CBR600 when it had a dead reg/rec but a healthy battery. After 10-20 minutes it just felt like it was running out of fuel, but keeping the revs right up helped for a while, then it would just die on me. Then if I left it for 20 minutes it would start up again, and keep going for another 10 minutes.

Get a multimeter across the battery terminals with the engine running before opening it up to check the valves.
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