DESPERATE! Cant handle rain?

[adamcfc]

Hello, my names adam, im 16 and own a Rieju RS2 Matrix 50cc. A geared bike, made in 2007, done just over 4000 miles.

I am desperate for help ASAP, hopefully today as i plan on sorting it out saturday and sunday if someone can help me on here. I should also point out whilst i know more than the average 16 year old about bikes, im no way an expert

The problem - its a long story.

I bought the bike about a month ago, in seemingly immaculate condition other than the fact it wouldnt start on the button. The bloke had put a new battery and starter motor in and said the problem laid with the starter solenoid. It bumpstarted and ran fine. On the way home i could hear fizzing, so pulled over only to find watery substance all over the right fairing, the coolant was leaking from the lid and dripping onto the exhaust manifold then evapourating, apparently so. Until i got the lid fixed i was topping up the expansion bottle after every ride and sometimes during it, being careful to never let the bottle be completely empty.

One day at school it rained, the first since i had the bike. I went to start it after school (bump start) everything was fine, rode about 200m and then it started spluttering, losing power, and eventually died. Now things were strange, it would start, then find it very difficult to idle, if i revved it it would only go to around 5000 revs and then the next twist of the throttle only took it to 4000, then 2500, and so on until it died again. There was also white smoke from the exhaust. We left it at school as it was unridable and came back the next morning, to find the same problems. So it went to the garage.

The garage said it was the head gasket becuase the coolant bottle was emptying into the engine. They tried the new head gasket 4 times, (events i wont go into) the garage took around 2 weeks to do this, until we just collected it and took it to a man to fix in his spare time. Each time the garage changed the gasket after a few hours the water had leaked back into the engine.

Today i got the bike back from the man after another week. He replaced the piston barrel and head as they were incredibly warped and rubbed. This is because the thermostat wasnt connected, so i didnt know when the boke was overheating, which it must have done due to coolant problems. So this warped the head and blew the head gasket. He charge me £302.78 for parts and labour.

I rode the bike today, seemed fine although a little different. Its been running ok today. Then as i left my girfreinds house it rained VERY hard, 5 mins later it was spluttering as i was riding and losing power until it wouldnt rev above 2000 and died. Once again i can start it but it wont rev, dies, and has white smoke coming from the exhaust.

Any ideas? Is this an electrical problem (there was a slight problem after the episode today when it lost power and went funny again, but i can expand on that if i need too)? Is it due to water leaking in the top of the fuel tank? Water in the carburetta?

Only proper symptoms i can give is that theres white smoke, and if left idling will rev once up to about 5000, then goes down and down until it dies.

Really need help please, i have the next two days to try out any solutions.

Many thanks, Adam

[binge]

What condition is your HT lead in?
2 strokes are renowned for cutting out in the rain because of water getting in and around the HT lead and cap.

Pull the cap off, clean it out. Give it a mist of WD40, and put it back onto the plug. While you're there, whip the plug out, and check to see how it's burning.

Make sure the Airbox is clean, and fixed properly onto the carb.


And it might also be worth, just trying out a shower cap or some sort, pulled over the petrol tank, to eliminate the fact of water in the tank.




Ben

[adamcfc]

Thanks for the reply. Going to have to ask what a HT lead is though :/ Is that what delivers the spark into the head of the piston?

It has a racing air filter on the carb, a metallic red one. I can give that a check tomorow by taking it off?
Yeah i will try with the shower cap, but last time i couldnt get the bike running again so will try that once its working again.

Thanks again

[hornetmike]

sure its not the head again ?
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87 Honda CG 125 - 97 ER5 - SR 50 -81 Z250- 96 CBR 600 F- 94 GPX600R 88- GPX 400R- 87 GS 125 - 2006 Honda CB600F- 2003 ER5 - Honda CBF 1000 2009 - Honda CBR 600 RR 2011
Current BMW R1200GS 2010

[adamcfc]

I just cant see how it can be the head again. Ive done nothing for it to go? It just rained. And its less than 48 hours old, and done less than 50 miles of which ive been going careful anyway.

[Frost]

Sounds like someone has modified the air box or air filter to try to make it go faster but just let it fill up with water. It's also possible that there is water in the fuel, or carb.

[adamcfc]

Ok, so tomorow i will take the fairings off, take the air filter off and check it for crap, and check its not wet?

Is there a way of checking for water in the fuel tank, or checking the HT lead?

And i will google how to clean the carburetta and might attempt that, but what would i be looking for to know theres water in there?

And any other ideas are useful

I will check back in the morning, and start to try a few things out on it. Many thanks

[adamcfc]

[kramdra]

I dont know about 2 strokes however should be pissible to do compression/leak down test.

If the gasket surfaces are not good, it will leak and need to be resurfaced. + are the head bolts done up correctly


did you follow the run in, since its a new barrel?

[Noxious89123]

Here's a chart showing different spark plug condition / colour that will give you an indication of how it's running. Failing that, you can always take a photo and post it up here for a second opinion.
https://img26.imageshack.us/img26/3743/readingsparkplugs.jpg
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Paxovasa]

HT lead is the lead that clips onto the spark plug. Water may be getting flicked up and onto the spark plug (HT lead) by the front wheel. As has been suggested, spray the plug and the spark plug cap (HT lead) with wd40.
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Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[adamcfc]

[Ichy]

How exposed is the air filter? Pod filters are notorious for soaking up water when it rains which causes them to become restrictive. This creates a very rich mixture and stops the bike from reving. Next time it does it just pull the filter off and see if it improves. Don't leave it off for too long since the mixture will go weak without the filter on there. From a practical point of view your far better off fitting an original air box.
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[adamcfc]

Thanks Marki, il bear that in mind next time

BREAKTHROUGH!?

Tried it about 30mins ago and exactly the same, sounds like its misfiring, and still the white smoke.

Now, i opened to fuel cap, to see drops of water clearly along the bottom of the cap! I think water must have got in the petrol tank through a dodgy seal around the top of the tank. If the engine was combusting water aswell, would this produce white smoke?

Im going to drain the petrol down this morning, and replace with new stuff, then try the bike again. Like i say it starts and idles okay, but wont go above 5-6000 rpm, would this also be explained by water in the fuel? But when i put the new petrol in, wont water still be left in the tank, so should i try and flush some petrol through the tank first before i put all the new petrol in?

Finally, could this have gone further, i.e water gone into the carb, or engine, or somewhere else, if i just change the petrol is that the right thing to do.

[Paxovasa]

If you have water in the tank, it will also get into the carb.

Drain the fuel tank and the carb.
____________________
Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[binge]

[adamcfc]

Ok so if its the air filter causing the problem, how do i get the bike running again? Then i can look at replacing it or protecting it, thanks again, Adam

[Livefast123]

[Truzo]

When i got my rd125 it had a nasty k&N air filter on it.

The bike ran like dog shit !!!

Standard orignal air filter FTW !


Truzo.
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Current Bikes: RXS 100, RD 125lc3, RD 350 F2

[finpos]

Agree with getting rid of the pod filters, but if you have water in the tank, it didn't get in through them.

Most likely the water drain for the tank is blocked. If you look around the cap recess, you should be able to see a small hole somewhere. Pour some petrol into the tank recess (not into the tank) and it should hopefully vanish down that hole through a tube that runs internally to the tank and come out of a metal pipe on the bottom of the tank - this should have on it a rubber tube which runs down the bike and comes out near the bottom of it somewhere.

If it's blocked, then water will build up in the tank recess and eventually get sucked in through the cap's air breather hole. You can try to run a bit of fishing line or similar through it to unblock it, but usually the problem is that it's corroded and is leaking internally into the tank, making the water contamination even worse. If that's happened start looking out for a new tank because it's an absolute nightmare to repair.

f.