CBR600F3 problems

[alan0259]

Hi All,

I ran out of fuel last week whilst out and forgot to put it on reserve before it cut out completely, this has happened before and it takes a lot of shaking the bike to get it to start again (assuming the fuel isn't hitting the straw being so low), after about 15 attemps it seemed I had drained my battery, I managed to put £5 of fuel in and managed to bump start it, it was spitting something (fuel?) out of the exhaust for a few secs and then went back to normal.

A week later (after not riding it since the fuel thing) I took the baffle out of my Carbon Can Co and took it out for an hour, the bike was idling at some traffic lights and just cut out with no warning, I tried the starter button and it was compeltely gone, I had to bump start it again (plenty of fuel this time!), and noticed that when it was in 3rd/4th gear at 30/40mph it would splutter a little on full throttle (never done this before).

Does it sound like...

I flooded the engine trying to start the bike on reserve?
The bike doesn't have the right air/fuel mixture without the baffle?
The 15 failed attempts have killed the battery?

It 'baffles' me how the battery could be nackered when it started up fine after a week being stood still

Thanks!

[supZ]

when you say 'tried the starter button and it was completely gone' do you mean it wouldnt even turn over or it turned over but wouldnt start?

if the latter id be looking more at fuel filters/blocked breathers etc.. but the former id say you've managed to knacker your battery OR your rec/reg has failed meaning its not charging it which is a common issue for the cbr6's

spluttering on throttle will indeed be the fact you've removed the baffles. remember they're carbed not injection so cant adapt to changes in the airflow without help. (rejetting)

i doubt starting it on reserve would have caused any problems. the fuel filters there to stop any crap from being dragged into the system and on reserve you still have plenty of fuel to allow you to get going.

and it wouldnt be flooded if you'd left it a week. petrol evaporates very quickly, although if its old fuel you can end up depositing residue in the carbs and clocking them up. ideally you'd want to strip and clean them but you can sometimes get away with taking the pipe off the fuel tank and blowing down it. can sometimes clear any crap and allow you to start it up and blow out the crap.

out of interest, when you open the fuel cap do you hear a rush of air? if you do that might explain the starting issues and cutting out. it'll be an airlock. check your breathers, make sure they're clear and not kinked and make sure the overflow just under the cap isnt blocked either.

hopefully some of that can help
____________________
CBR954RR - Daily toy
CBR600RR - Trackbike

[alan0259]

Cheers supZ,

I have opened the fuel cap since to fill it with fuel and never heard anything, i'll give it a try later though and will listen for it.

When I tried the button (after it cut out at traffic lights) it didn't turn over at all, just pure silence. I forgot to mention that I always ride with my lights on, and that the oil light was dimmer than usual, when I turned the lights off it went bright again.

Is there a reason that once it cuts out from no fuel, that when I put it on reserve it never starts back up easy? Does the choke need to be on? Or do you need to leave it a while? Haven't yet understood the reserve system!

When I mentioned the engine flooding, I thought this was the case when I tried so many times to get it started (with only the fuel reserve), this was making a 'dump valve' kind of noise after a while when it was turning over, like an air noise, since I put fuel in the bike and bump started it this noise has now gone.

It's just the fact that it cut out on idle that worrys me, nothing to do with the baffle being removed? Any tests I can do with the battery/rec?


Thanks again.

[supZ]

once the bikes run out of fuel it will take a few goes to get it going again once onto reserve as you've run the lines dry so its got to get the fuel back through the system.

iirc the fuel pump only actively runs whilst starting and relies on pressure after that so with air in the system its more difficult to get the fuel flowing again.

the 'dump valve' noise was possibly the fuel pump sucking air in

you probably flooded it trying to start it making it more difficult and just wore the battery down after that.


if you've got a multimeter stick it on the battery and see what voltage its putting out. should be around 11.4v+ if just sitting. that should go up to around 14.4v whilst the bikes running underload, this indicates its charging. if you dont see a change when the bikes started it could indicate your rec/reg is dead (cheap enough off ebay)

when was your last service? might be worth taking the plugs out an giving them a clean. make sure they're not fouled at all, and check the filter, make sure its not clogged up.

all i can think of at the mo
____________________
CBR954RR - Daily toy
CBR600RR - Trackbike

[alan0259]

Thanks, i'll try the multi meter thing some time.

Its done around 21k and it's a 1998, it hasn't had it's major service yet, and I've just bought my first house so funds are mega tight at the minute, looking to get the service done just before winter time.

Wouldn't like to change/inspect the plugs myself either

Ran faultless up until it cut out, hopefully it's just something to do with the battery. Even when I bumped it yesterday it ran another 15 mile or so with no problems.

[whitedevil]

I would take the battery off and take it to a garage and get it load tested, they should do it for free its only a 30 second job. If its fine then get the multimeter out and start checking the charging system.
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GPZ500 sold ~ CBR600FS-2 sold ~ ZX6R sold ~ Street Triple R

[Robby]

Sounds exactly like what happened when the reg/rec failed om my old 98ish CBR600.

Riding along, felt like it was running out of fuel for a while, then died. Started up after sitting for a minute so the batter had recovered some charge, then ran for about 5 minutes and died again. Lights were getting dimmer, but didn't seem that dim.

Knackered reg/rec is the most likely problem. Get a new one, fit it, and see if the problem goes away. I bought an extremely cheap one on ebay from Hong Kong for about £20 delivered. It worked, don't know how long for because I sold the bike a couple of months later.

[alan0259]

Also noticed that when I check the oil level with the dipstick that it's very watery, when you pull the dipstick out you get about 6 drips falling off the end, shouldn't the oil be more thick?

Possible that fuel has got into it when it flooded?

[whitedevil]

Does it smell of petrol? Also check to see if your coolant level has dropped.
____________________
GPZ500 sold ~ CBR600FS-2 sold ~ ZX6R sold ~ Street Triple R