My new-to-me 3rd gen Magna won't start today. It's 36 degrees out. It's been 10 days since I started it last. I bought it 3 weeks ago. I've started it a few times since I bought it. I put stabil in the tank and ran it long enough to warm up 10 days ago.
I was feeling all PMS-y today so I tried to start it up again. Wouldn't start. Plenty of crank. Sounds like it wants to start. The exhaust smelled like exhaust, not raw fuel. I believe it was maybe hitting on one cylinder or something?
After I get the kids tucked in their beds tonight I'll try again. I'm stubborn. I want to ride this week if the rain washes away the rest of the road slush by midweek.
New gas? Check the plugs? Check the fuel flow while cranking?
I have yet to find a service manual for the 3rd gen online -- so I'm stumbling in the dark. I'll keep searching for the service manuals.
I know my way around the V30 a little bit. I assume that the 3rd Gen magna, like the V30, has a fuel pump. Does it truly have a reserve tank (like the V30) or does it just have two drains in the main tank -- one high, one low? The petcock on the V30 was lower than both tanks. To drain both tanks, you could just disconnect the fuel line at the petcock. The petcock on the 3rd Gen is right up under the tank. Makes me think there is no under-the-seat reserve.
One difference I've noticed is that to clear a flooded V30, owner's manual says shut the engine cutoff "Off", and crank for 5 seconds. The 3rd Gen has no such provision and in fact will not even crank with the engine cutoff in "off" position. I might've flooded it in my earlier attempt to start it.
Any help appreciated. Thanks.
Battery? If it's flooded and cranks strong, try WFO throttle. Works on my '84 Baby Sabre.
ReplyDeleteYou could always roll it down a hill and shift it into 2nd, but then it has to be the battery. Its worked for me twice. Make sure the kill switch is not engaged, the bike is on and in 2nd gear, holod down the clutch, get going pretty good then let er out. You’ll feel it sputter if it works then give it a little gas, ride it around a bit to charge the battery.
ReplyDeleteThis is surely the most hoser-like way to start a dead motorcycle, and should be done in low or no-traffic areas.
That’s my disclaimer.
M
Gen3 magnas don't have 2 tanks or fuel pumps just a
ReplyDeletepetcock run/reserve/off. It's time to go back to
basics. Plug in the battery tender until it goes into
float mode. Try it, petcock to reserve,choke full on
and don't touch the throttle. Try 3 or 4 times. If
no start check for spark and fuel. If that doesn't do
it then pull the plugs. Front ones are a PITA.
And the starter does not work with the kill sw off.
Yeah, and if that doesn't work it is time to roll it off a cliff. :)
ReplyDeleteBut before you cliff it, try a little starter fluid in the airbox.
While cranking shoot starter fluid at the air intake hole. Prolly
start without changing gas.
Be careful! That's my disclaimer. :)
How come nobody said the obvious? The carb's cold-start enrichment
ReplyDeletecircuit and the low-speed jets are likely gummed up. Since the
phase-out of MTBE clean-air additives in gasoline there has been a
rash of problems with gummed up carbs. The brass jets get corroded
from the water carried their by the Ethanol in the fuel and they also
get green jello-like deposits which harden up over time.
You've got to figure the pervious owner didn't ride it too much before
he sold it and probably didn't drain the carbs. Pull the carbs and
look inside the bowls. My educated guess is that one or more of the
jets will be partially or totally clogged.
On ether...
ReplyDeleteI had heard that ether or starting fluid was a no-no for high-compression
engines. But I don't remember where I heard that.
I've used it to start #%)(!@ $)QW#% snow blowers or lawn mowers before.
On draining the carbs...
Without a service manual yet, and never having done it (in three winters
with V4's) I'm wondering how to do it. I guess I'll check the V30 service
manual and try to translate it to the 3rd gen.
not sure on your magna, ted, but it is usually pretty
ReplyDeletestandard to have a screw at the bottom of the bowl.
unscrew it, have a catch can or summat handy to catch
the fuel that (hopefully) spews out and tighten it
back down when done leaking.
Look around http://hondatech.info/ and stop whining............:)
ReplyDeleteYawl do know FINEC, eh?
I am whining. I admit it.
ReplyDeletePicture the Peanuts cartoon character Linus without his security blanket.
Dizzy. Faints. Whines. Moans.
That's me without a running motorcycle.
I did find the drains for the carbs. I'll pull the plugs next.
Perhaps because the bike started 10 days ago this didn't impress the
ReplyDeletecollective as "obvious?" I'm no fan of ethanol and what it does to fuel
system internals (let alone farmer's pockets,) and I firmly believe that
"rust never sleeps," but ten days?
My perhaps foolish methodology is to question what's changed since
the bike last ran, and then work from the simple to the complex. Pulling
the carbs doesn't seem to me like a good "first check" from the
symptoms as presented.
I have no idea what Sta-Bil (old and at unspecified mix ration) might do
to the vapor pressure of the gas, which, given limited riding, might be
"summer fuel" and at 36ยบ might be unwilling to vaporize.
Seems like everybody has mentioned the necessary pieces to your puzzle. To put them in order:
ReplyDelete1 check battery - voltage 12v +, any visible sulfation, cloudy white stuff if the batter case is seethrough. A week or no battery conditiond will create ignition problems
2 do you have a good spark. Do on do this is the engine is flooded!!! In a cold not been turned over state, pull a spak plug, connect it to the plug wire and lay the threaded part firmly against a good ground like the cylinder head, then crank the engine: do you see a bright blue spark?
If yes, go on to 3.
If no, no spark no run. You have an ignition problem at this point, you may also have fuel and or mechanical like a stuck valve; but fer sure you have an ignition problem. solve that first.
Trouble shooting electrical problems requires at least a manual and if possible a schematic. Old bikes often develop simple problems like bad/dirty switch contacts, or diconected connectors. Start with the obvious and check all connections visably, make sure they are clean and tight. If taht doesent do it, it is time to pull out the test meter and check continuity etc.
3 You have a good fuel source and is it getting to the engine in the right quantity?
Put a clean shop rag under the carbs and drain them one at a time onto the cloth. Are you getting the same amount from each carb? Is the fuel clear or does it have varnishy look, experts will say you can tell stale gas by the smell? Are droplets that bead up on the cloth? This is probably water and can be a real pain. Water doesn't burn and will make the bike act like it is out of gas.
If the fuel is good go on to 5
If the fuel is bad: water, stale or deposits. Remove and drain the tank. Get a fresh tank of gas 1 gal or so and then try draining the carbs again until you get clear fuel. At this point you may still have clogged passages in the carbs but if you have clear fuel draining go on to 5 and see if you can get the bike to fire up. I was lucky last summer and was able to free up some clogged jets with a couple of onces of some 44K .
5) are you getting air? Check the air filter, is it clean and un obstructed? It the air intake track clear? check the duct between the air cleaner and the carb? No squirel nests? Hold the air filter up to the light, can you see light through the filter element if its a paper one?
6) you have air, fuel, spark: if your bike still doesn't start then you must consider mechanical problems that will effect compression: tight valves, bad rings, timing issues.
Pull all the sparkplugs and with a good battery check each cyinder's compression with a compression tester. values should be between 20 psi of each other and over 100. Check the manual to get the exact specification for your engine. And don't forget to due a wet compression test by giving each cylinder a squirt of engine oil for your second set of readings. This is helpful in diagnosing bad rings
On Draining Carbs:
ReplyDelete1. Find a carb.
2. Locate the lowest point on it. There'll be a screw.
3. Unscrew the screw maybe half a turn.
4. Gas will piss all over the inside of the V. Hook a hose up first
if you care.
5. Move to the next carb.
6. Smoking is ill-advised during the procedure."