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Jackal cuts out intermittently

profwacko

profwacko

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Famiglia
Joined
Oct 28, 2008
Messages
122
Location
Austin
Of course, it's intermittent.

There's not many problems on a Jackal (or Guzzis in general) where they wave a red flag at you.

Anyway, overall, it runs really great, except that it occasionally cuts out.

By that, I mean it just loses power for a few seconds, and then catches again.

It happens most often going downhill on the freeway.

I thought it was a clogged fuel filter, so I replaced that, and put in a new air filter as well.

It might actually be worse now.

The bike has a little over 30k really trouble-free miles on it.

Still using the electronic petcock. Could this be it?

I'm looking for suggestions of things to check out.

ADVthanksANCE

-Jack
 
To win, I'm betting on the sidestand switch ...

For place, another electrical connection broken, e.g., corrosion in ignition switch ...

To show, yeah, mebbe TPS.

I've had all three (tho not at once :blink: ) cause symptom as described on my HDM EV.

Seriously, the s/s switch is a classic starting place to look when Calis run great... until they don't for a second, then again back to varooom.

Overwashing led to my ignition switch corroding. A broken wire would keep the juice going great until some bump or whatever jarred it loose momentarily.

I'm on my third TPS, tho my recollection is of more rough running than the momentary gap in a fine running machine.

Good luck.

Bill
 
>>sidestand switch
Well, it's still connected, so that might be it.

On a Jackal, do I need to jump the connector after I disconnect it?

>>TPS
That's a possibility as well.

>>another electrical connection broken
Also a possibility.

R-Rod just told me about a bike he sold cheap, and the guy who bought it re-wired the whole bike, and found a broken wire inside a pristine insulator sheath.

On the way to work today, the bike ran absolutely perfectly until I got about 25 miles into my commute.

Then, it started really acting up.

While running smoothly along, the bike would just nose over, like I had chopped the throttle.

Runs great for those first 25 miles though. >8[

Thanks for the input, guys.

-Jack
 
profwacko wrote:
>>sidestand switch
Well, it's still connected, so that might be it.
On a Jackal, do I need to jump the connector after I disconnect it?
Click to expand...
Just unplug it on a '00-01 Cali.

It doesn't sound like a TPS to me... more like a sensor/wiring issue. I have the VDST sitting here if you want to ride over. ;)
 
this kind of things freak me out. I hate the idea of spending forever in my garage chasing gremlins. Whatever it is, when you find it, let me know so I can write in my notebook!
 
Michael wrote:
this kind of things freak me out. I hate the idea of spending forever in my garage chasing gremlins. Whatever it is, when you find it, let me know so I can write in my notebook!
Click to expand...

As compared to chasing the little imps by the side of the road in BFE ... where I've done some of my wailing and gnashing of teeth ... I'll take a garage and some Peroni any old day. :p

Seriously, that is the beauty of these boards.

And, I suspect the Prof will run this to ground (OK, pun intended :laugh: ), and, I'm still betting on sidestand switch, with a fallback to that loose wire. The latter may be a bit harder to unearth (sorry), but even that's doable.

Bill
 
Here's a little more input:

Running down the freeway at 75-80 indicated (actual 65-70?) in 4th gear, the bike just sings along with no issues.

Shift into 5th, and it immediately starts acting up.

Meesathinkin that there's a connection somewhere (probably to the coils) that needs the extra voltage generated by the higher engine speed to overcome the abnormally high resistance that has developed for some as-yet-unknown reason.

Or maybe this is a voltage regulator issue. I think it's still the original one.

More to follow...

-Jack

Kodak plant burns to the ground.
No film at Eleven.
 
profwacko wrote:
Here's a little more input:

Running down the freeway at 75-80 indicated (actual 65-70?) in 4th gear, the bike just sings along with no issues.

Shift into 5th, and it immediately starts acting up.

Meesathinkin that there's a connection somewhere (probably to the coils) that needs the extra voltage generated by the higher engine speed to overcome the abnormally high resistance that has developed for some as-yet-unknown reason.

Or maybe this is a voltage regulator issue. I think it's still the original one.

More to follow...

-Jack

Kodak plant burns to the ground.
No film at Eleven.
Click to expand...

You are describing a condition of increased combustion pressure when you go to 5th. If the pressure is high enough, the plug won't fire (this describes a coil tester machine I used in the 60's and 70's) If there isn't enough voltage supplied to the spark plug the electricity can't jump the gap.

Causes of misfire:

Bad plugs or gap too wide
faulty resistor caps
extra resistance in the spakr plug wires
Insufficient voltage out of the coils
Possible not enough voltage to the coils to induce sufficient output voltage.
 
>>If there isn't enough voltage supplied to the spark plug the electricity can't jump the gap.

Certainly sounds reasonable enough, plus my plugs were really gone.

Sadly, even after changing the plugs, I still have the same issue.

It runs great in 4th at 75-80 indicated, then misses in 5th.

Or if I take off pretty fast in 1st, it will miss after I shift to 2nd.

My next step is petcock. I'm am still running the electrically switched one.

Is there a screen in there I'll need to clean or replace?

Or should I just ditch it and get one off of what model?

ADVthanksANCE

-Jack
 
profwacko wrote:
>>If there isn't enough voltage supplied to the spark plug the electricity can't jump the gap.

Certainly sounds reasonable enough, plus my plugs were really gone.

Sadly, even after changing the plugs, I still have the same issue.

It runs great in 4th at 75-80 indicated, then misses in 5th.

Or if I take off pretty fast in 1st, it will miss after I shift to 2nd.

My next step is petcock. I'm am still running the electrically switched one.

Is there a screen in there I'll need to clean or replace?

Or should I just ditch it and get one off of what model?

ADVthanksANCE

-Jack
Click to expand...

So it isn't the spark plugs. What about the leads, coils and spark plug caps?

The petcock may not be your problem since it runs fine in 4th at 75, but misses when you go to 5th. Increased combustion pressure again. So I don't think your problem is fuel related. It isn't a bad idea to replace the electric petcock with one of these http://www.mgcycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=39 they were standard on the 1993 CA III ie.
 
>>I don't think your problem is fuel related.

I agree, John Z, because when I gas it when it is missing, it immediately takes off just like normal.

I am beginning to think that Margrave was right about it being a scratchy TPS, and early on in this thread. Thanks Jon.

And thanks to John Z for the link to MG-Cycle.

I ordered the petcock just for insurance, and some valve cover gaskets and oil pan gaskets.

I also ordered the HD TPS (part #27271-95 HD) from chicagoharley.com. $42 shipped.

I'll post again when I have more info on this.

Again, thanks to all for sharing your considerable experience.

-Jack
 
Jack,

Since you are replacing your TPS, the guys at MPH have posted some valuable information. Go to this page http://www.mphcycles.com/Technical/Tech..html one of the links gives the TPS angle in degrees, their link for the excel spreadsheet provides voltages corresponding to degrees and the last link the procedure. The hardest part is getting the torx fasteners out. Carefully pick the paint out with a dental tool, then use a t-20 1/4 inch drive socket to get the buggers out. I replace them on install with 4mm socket hear screws (Allen) 12 mm long. To get a straight shot, I usually remove the starter. It only takes a couple minutes and give you clean access to the TPS fasteners.
 
Jack, It also takes more current to fire the spark in a lean cylinder. I've heard guys say they have flushed the tps with contact cleaner. Never tried it myself.
Good luck.

I'm with Bill a couple Peroni's in the garage always sounds good to me.
 
PS, thanks for the info.

>>It also takes more current to fire the spark in a lean cylinder.
True, but probably not the problem I am having.

Historically, when this bike is lean, it returns nearly 50 mpg's, and since it's now in the low 40's, meesathinkin that it's going to turn out to be the TPS.

I should be getting it (finally) on Tuesday.

Phlegm at Eleven.

-Jack
 
Well, Margrave must be psychic.

I switched the TPS, and BINGO!!

The one I took off had a bunch of sludgy looking muck in the bottom of it, likely stuff that leaked out from the bottom of the throttle shafts. Very nasty.

And that has to be it because I didn't change anything else.

TVM, Jon.

-Jack
 
I havn`t checked all the replies, but I had exactly the same thing with my 1100i Cali, and it turned out to be the relay that works the fuel pump, and, I believe the ignition. I realised that the fuel pump wasn`t running when the ignition was turned on. A friend tried replacing the relay with another from the bike and the fuel pump started right up on turning the ignition key.

Ray.
 
profwacko wrote:
Well, Margrave must be psychic.

I switched the TPS, and BINGO!!

The one I took off had a bunch of sludgy looking muck in the bottom of it, likely stuff that leaked out from the bottom of the throttle shafts. Very nasty.

And that has to be it because I didn't change anything else.

TVM, Jon.

-Jack
Click to expand...

If 6 years of posting on guzzi forums, this is my first correct diagnosis, I am going to print this post and frame it, thats "one in a row"

Glad it worked for you, I think I will go to the V11 forum and teach ratchethack how to set up temp sensors.....
Cheers,
 
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