kawasaki zephyr 550

[rtcabal]

hi there. this is my first post on this forum. any help would be greatly appreciated...

i've had a '91 kawasaki zr550 for a little time. man, is it quirky! long story short, i had a bunch of work done on it before i put it in storage for the winter. it ran like a champ at the end, though it took them all summer to finish. now, i try to get it running for happy spring time and i can't get it to idle. maybe i'm just using poor cold start procedures, so, like i said, i'd be grateful for any help.

i can get it fired up with the choke on, but that's it. it revs high (about 5k), and it will only stay running with the choke on full. i let it get warm like this, trying to coax it to idle, but nothing.

thanks for looking,
taylor

[hmmmnz]

like most bikes that have been sitting for a while,
do the basics first,
drain the float bows, check that the oil hasn't got any petrol in it from faulty float valves letting the fuel past, (probably best just to drop the oil an way)
change he plugs,
once its basically running check that its firing on all cylinders.
you might be running on 3 and thats why it not idling properly.

try all that and go from there

good luck
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[rtcabal]

thanks for the help. that's the kind of answer i was hoping for.

[hmmmnz]

no worries mate, keep us posted
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[ZRX61]

Pilot jets are gunked up.

[Finglonga]

Fuel shouldn't go off in 6months, mine was standing nearly 8 months and started first time.
____________________
Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[bish777]

could just be rusty gunk has settled and blocked things, even if the fuel isnt stale.

It is worth replacing the air filter as well as its most likely blocke dby damp.
____________________
GSXR1100J

[ZRX61]

[bish777]

After wringing the water out of a mates VN750's air filter after a lay up, Its a pretty serious possibility. Condensation can get in anywhere, and paper air filters are pretty vulnerable.

Itll cause the thing to run far too ruich and flood, therefore preventing the poor thing from starting especially if the person uses the choke.
____________________
GSXR1100J

[rtcabal]

well, i'm going over there today to check the plugs and the filter. should have done this first, but it ran very well about 6 months ago.

i'll let you know what i find. if the plugs look fine and the air filter checks out (which i think is not paper, in fact, and is relatively new), then i'll drain the bowls.

thanks for the help.
-t

[stinkwheel]

Might be worth putting some fresh fuel in anyway. I dragged my H100 out today for the first time in a couple of months and it ran like a bagowank until I'd got some fresh fuel in there. Couple of miles on from the filling station and it was ringing away like a good-un.
____________________
“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.

[Scotsman37]

I had a zephyr 550 and my pal still has one and we both had the same problem in the past.

You need to either replace the choke cable or force WD40 down the cable by purchasing a device which allows you to do that as crap/rust particles can eventually make the cable become sticky. Once it's like that cable choke will stay partly on as it doesn't have complete free movement.

Forcing down WD40 down the cable is easier otherwise you'll need to know what you're doing, as you need to tape the new cable to the old one to feed it through otherwise the fuel tank will need to come to get access.

You canb get that device from any good bike & accessories shop

Good measure also my bike had only got past the MOT with the choke fully on - phew! - a week later fuel was coming out the overflow pipe when the bike was stood up upright even when the engine was off i.e. the float valve within carb finally became stuck and the only solution was to remove the carbs from the bike and spray some carb cleaner inside after opening the float bowls at the bottom of the carbs plus spraying a pressurised can of air bought from maplins electronics.

-- Don't ever remove the caps on top of the carbs because it's a bugger fit back rubber diaghram into the grooves.

Fit a fuel filter to the fuel line to prevent any crap/rust reaching the carbs.

You could try meantime spray some carb cleaner into the bike's air intake to help prevent doing whats mentioned above !

Also, if the bike has been on it's side stand for several months over the months then rust from the fuel tank or crap in the fuel can eventually make the float valve stick and cause fuel to out through the overflow pipe at bottom of the bike. It happened to my Zephyr as I didn't have a garage to put in for safe keeping over th winter and it only has a bike cover to keep it from the elements.

[rtcabal]

thanks alot.

the #2 spark plug was fouled. i pulled it, cleaned it, then couldn't get the damn thing to start at all.

if its not firing in that cylinder, what should be my next order of business? i want to avoid taking the carbs off, as they are a major pain to get back on, sandwiched between the airbox and the motor like they are.

the choke definitely needs coaxing; i'll try lubing it and see if that helps. but when it ran before, poorly, i had to hold the choke all the way down. it wouldn't run otherwise.

i also drained the bowls and the gas that came out looked really nice.

i really want to solve this problem. i have a factory manual for it. was going to test the ic coil, as its easy with a multimeter. after that, not sure where to go with the ignition.

i appreciate all the help.

[Scotsman37]

have you tried switching spark plugs around to test it? If test multi-test shows nothing wrong then try replacing spark plug(s) but if defective check connection blocks for contaminiation and clean with WD40 in case electrical charge is not reaching spark plug

[ZRX61]

[ZRX61]

Apparently "no" is the answer to the any question enquiry then?

Or have you been stunned into immobility?

[rtcabal]

so i went through the ignition system yesterday. everything checked out except the ic igniter. since the bike would only start reluctantly, then only run at 6k rpm this makes sense to me, as it controls the spark between the ic coil and the ignition coils.

any experience with this? basically, there's a chart in the manual with a list of resistances that you measure between the pins. many of them failed. this thing costs $450, or else i'd have ordered one already.

once again, i don't think this is carb related as the gas that i drain from the bowls looks really clean, and the carbs were rebuilt before it was parked last winter.

thanks for the help.

[ZRX61]

[rtcabal]

the ic igniter failed the tests in the manual. when it did start and run it would only do so poorly, at 6k rpm and with the choke open all the way. doesn't that sound like messed up spark timing?

has anyone ever experienced a fried ic igniter?

[ZRX61]

You stated earlier it wasn't firing on #2, so thats either a plug or fuel. NOT the ignitor.

However, It's been about a week since I told you how to fix it & almost a month since I told you what the problem is. At this point I'm done. Go do whatever the fuck you want with it.

[bish777]

The ignition unit is very very unlikely to fail.

Strip and clean the carbies, and check your HT leads and caps.
____________________
GSXR1100J

[rtcabal]

wow.
thanks for the help.

[ZRX61]

[Beena22]

So what was the outcome on this then as i've just bought a Zephyr 550 and it wont idle either? I have booked it in with a mechanic to get the carbs cleaned as I believe that is the likeliest suspect.

Just in case anyone else was having the same problem then it may be worth noting that it was the pilot jets clogged up and after a good clean and soak it idled fine.

[newellphillip...]

I have just brought 1993 550 zephyr non runner
bike has no pipes whatsoever on carb Keihin CVK3O i need help with what pipes go where as i cant seem to find picture or diagram any where