gpz playing up again

[Dalemac]

Starting to really irritate me now....

gpz500 1997 model 10.5k miles on the clocks, has an alarm which is wired into the loom.

it will not start. the starter motor is turning but the engine will not kick in to life.

got stuck in a car park today....thinking i had siezed it, turned out the clutch plates were just stuck together. Still couldnt start it so had to get recovered home.

I did a spark test and im not getting a spark from either spark plug, from what i can tell.

so, what next? and why would i not be getting a spark now when i had one an hour earlier?


Dale
____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[big.bee.time]

[Dalemac]

Sorry - im not sure how you do that, care to explain?
____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[stinkwheel]

Hmm. Odd. Check the wire leading into the main fuse on the side of the solenid for corrosion.

WD40 and wiggle the ignition switch back and forth a bit. Same with the kill switch.

Could be the idiot switches playing up such as the sidestand switch, is the neutral light coming on?

Or obviously your alarm could be an issue.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Dalemac]

yeah the neutral light is coming on.

Funnily enough, i got rid of the old sola alarm a month ago, and replaced it with an alarm from the net.

Its been working ok, getting a bit hard to start it, but now it wont start at all.

fuse looks fine to me.

Have tried the wd40 trick on the ignition and have flicked the kill switch back and fourth after spraying wd40.

i cant do anything elts tonight, its threatening to rain and i only have my driveway to work....not got a garrage


what in the alarm could be causing an issue? the alarm is functioning exactly has it has since i changed the alarms.



____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[stinkwheel]

Depends on how it is connected in and if it incorporates an immobaliser.

The safety interlock switch system could definately cause this sort of problem (eg sidestand switch). If you were to temporarily connect the black on green wire coming out of the IC igniter box to earth, it would bypass the entire ignition "idiot switch" cutout system.

If you were just suspicious of the sidestand switch, follow the wire up from the switch until you find the connector block, pull it apart then bridge the two wires on the bike side (a bent paperclip works fine as a temporary measure to see if this is the problem).

Failing all that, try giving the fuse-box several sharp thumps with the heel of your hand as you try to start it. There are a few microrelays in there that can stick.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Dalemac]

cheers stinkwheel, will give it a go in the morning, if it isnt raining.



Dale
____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[Dalemac]

right, managed to borrow a batetr charger and got it all charged.

Gonna go home after college and do another spark test, just to be sure.

If not will be going over the elctrics, cleaning all connections and checking the fuses.

Will then check all the electrics and make sure the components are working correctly, such as the ht leads, coils, etc and see if i can trace the problem back to a specific place.

Failing that i will check the sidestand switch.

sound like a good plan?
____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[stinkwheel]

Remember. After the CDI box, all the ignition componants are seperate for each cylinder. It is highly unlikely that eg. both coils would have gone similtaneously.

If neither plug is sparking, the problem is almost certainly either the CDI system, the inputs to the CDI (pulse coils and power supply) or the safety cutout system.

Of these the safety cutout system is most likely to malfunction and is easiest to check.

If it was my bike. The first thing I'd do after charging the battery and checking to see if it works is to temporarily bypass the sidestand switch by jamming a bent paper clip into the connector block for it. If that did the trick. I'd permanantly bypass it by soldering the two wires together.

I'll go further. With my bikes, I have pre-empively bypassed the sidestand switches before they have a chance to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Dalemac]

didnt get round to checking any of the electrical components. I just cleaned up a few connections and tried to get a spark - sucsess for one plug, but not for the other, so i binned both and bought a new set of plugs, ut them in and it started up after turning over 3 times.

turned it off, can back to have a quick ride and it wouldnt start again.

Remember i said about the clutch plates sticking together, and me thinking it was siezed?

well i put the bike into gear, pulled in the clutch and there was a bit of resistance as i rolled forwards and backward, the plates free'd and i hit the start button again and it fired up.

It also happened at the petrol station and after a mates i called into - same thing happened and the same rocking forwards and backwards action free'd the clutch plates and it started up.


To be honest im a bit bewildered - what does this mean? what is causing the clutch plates to stick together and result in the bike not starting?


is it new clutch time, or is there a way around it?

ive not heard about this problem before - is it common??

Cheers,


Dale
____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[stinkwheel]

I absolutely garauntee that sticking clutch plates won't prevent the bike starting if you're in neutral. Not even if someone sneaked into your lockup overnight, stripped the clutch and superglued them together.

So, what else has been fiddled with in the circumstance you just described? 2 things as far as I can see.

1) The bike is no longer in neutral.
2) The clutch is pulled in (and so is the clutch switch).

Next time it won't start. Humor me by just pulling in the clutch and seeing if it'll start then. If it does, switch off and try again without the clutch pulled in just to prove the point. If it'll only start with the clutch pulled in, this will isolate the fault to a very specific part of the wiring. The part between the fuse-box and the neutral switch in particular.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Dalemac]

Turns out that the exhaust was pretty much to blame for the revving problems, got them welded up and sprayed and it has improved the situation a great deal.

still have a problem in starting it though, going to get some new HT leads and see if that does the trick, if not a new set of coils will be in order.


IM still a but worried as to the fueling, while warming the gpz up this morning i noticed a large amount of fuel was coming from the left hand side exhaust can out of one of the drain holes. only happens on the left though, although the engine is definately running on two cylinders as it is revving fine now.


going to get the tank off again on sunday, do a compression check and check the diaphragm on the left carb.


Anything elts to suspect regarding the fuel out of the exhaust?

Dale
____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[stinkwheel]

I'll tell you one thing. There are two sets of coils on a GPZ500s. What's the chance that both of them failed at the same time?

In short, it isn't your coils unless there is a fault affecting one cylinder only. If there is, swap the coils over and see if the problem changes sides.

Saved you some money right there.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Dalemac]

cheers stinkwheel.

will give it a crack on sunday.
____________________
YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000