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Wouldn't start - help, suggestions !!

kwn306

High Miler
Joined
Oct 28, 2008
Messages
551
Location
Virginia, USA
Last night the wife and I were riding the Stelvio home from work, the usual 1.5 hour drive took 3 hours because of the holiday beach traffic, no big deal you just kind of get used to the traffic around Washington DC.

We rolled into Fredericksburg, VA and filled up with fuel, we had gone 158 miles and it took 4.1 gallons of fuel, asked the wife where do you want to go for dinner and headed to the restaurant. After filling our bellies and recharging our systems with a few cool ones we went out to the bike and it would not start.

The starter engaged but the bike would not fire. I removed the plugs and checked for spark, I had plenty, reinstalled the plugs and still nothing. On a fluke I held the throttle about 1/4 or 1/3 open while the engine was turning over and it fired up but wouldn't stay idling without giving the bike partial throttle. After letting the bike warm up it would idle, though ruff, it stumbles and falls on its face when taking off, but otherwise runs fine.

I thought I might have gotten some rotten fuel so I went this morning and purchased some dry gas and put 3 oz in the tank, turned the key on and it fired right up. I didn't drive it but it idled fine.

Anyone have any thought's? I do not have anything to check the TPS and adjusted the valves last weekend, the bike has been running perfectly up until last evening.
 
Your initial evaluation seems to be correct. If the dry gas works, problem solved. It is difficult to trouble shoot something when it is working correctly. If it acts up again, then we can take it from there.
 
What is "Dry Gas"?

I am presuming it's an alcohol to absorb water?

The bushies way to absorb water in fuel is to stick a bit of methylated spirits in the tank, just makes the bike smell like a hotrod for a bit.
 
Since FI isn't like a carb, where one jet can be sitting in water and the other in fuel, so it runs better at different throttle openings. I have my doubts about it being water. With FI, if there is something nasty in the line, at large throttle openings, it just passes more of it.

I would wonder if it is the stepper motor sticking closed (or opened for that matter) or some such, which may mean no idle and a poor mixture off idle.

Or not. But you may want to check the dashboard for ECU errors.
 
Just to be sure: have you been taking fuel with more than 10% ethanol regularly?
 
well, you tell me! And Mike, his question didn't really get answered.

Anyway, I meant regularly, as in "I don't really watch out to avoid E10 or E15". Not this one time to clean things up.
 
Dry gas in the USA is Isopropyl.

How does one get into the Speedo cluster to check for errors?

Most gas in the USA has 10% ethanol, that doesn
 
kwn306 wrote:
How does one get into the Speedo cluster to check for errors?

Use your mode switch to go to Menu. Toggle to diagnostics. Enter your service code which can be found here https://www.guzzitech.com/index.php?op ... =30&id=118

Read you dashboard errors and any ECU errors. You can clear Dashboard errors from the Menu, but ECU errors require VDSTS/Axone/Navigator to clear. Error codes are listed here: https://www.guzzitech.com/index.php?op ... &Itemid=55 in the general service manual. The error codes are the same for all the 5AM ECUs.
 
MENU
SERVICE CODE 10695
ECU ERRORS
DASH ERRORS




Antonio Alday
Guatemala
 
kwn306 wrote:
OK Gents.....still need help.

Checked the dash and ECU for errors and I have none.

What's next?

I ran into a similar problem with a Jackal, no ECU errors and ran like crap. Turned out to be a faulty ECU. I suggest you get it to a dealer and I hope you are under warranty.
 
Kwn, don't go looking for problems that aren't there. At the end of your first post you said it was running fine after adding the dry gas.
Is this still the case, or is it still refusing to run properly? If it's still running fine, leave it alone, and don't listen to the prophets of doom who post here. :)
If it's still playing up, get it back to a dealer to take a look.
But if it was crap fuel, you won't get any error messages anyway.
 
Brian UK wrote:
Kwn, don't go looking for problems that aren't there. At the end of your first post you said it was running fine after adding the dry gas.
Is this still the case, or is it still refusing to run properly? If it's still running fine, leave it alone, and don't listen to the prophets of doom who post here. :)
If it's still playing up, get it back to a dealer to take a look.
But if it was crap fuel, you won't get any error messages anyway.

Brian,

Good catch. It had been awhile since I read the initial post and I forgot he said it ran OK after the dry gas. You're on the mark as usual.
 
john zibell wrote:
Brian UK wrote:
Kwn, don't go looking for problems that aren't there. At the end of your first post you said it was running fine after adding the dry gas.
Is this still the case, or is it still refusing to run properly? If it's still running fine, leave it alone, and don't listen to the prophets of doom who post here. :)
If it's still playing up, get it back to a dealer to take a look.
But if it was crap fuel, you won't get any error messages anyway.

Brian,

Good catch. It had been awhile since I read the initial post and I forgot he said it ran OK after the dry gas. You're on the mark as usual.

Or to paraphrase POGO "We see the enemy and he is us !" :p
 
Since my last post I have dumped the fuel and refilled the tank from a known good station. Removing this fuel tank is a real pain in the a$$ BTW.

The bike as refused to start two out of five tries since that time, when it does start and run; it runs like crap (terrible stumble when pulling away from a stop, hesitates, etc.)

My dealer beleives that the ethonal in the fuel has cracked or split my fuel line in the tank. I guess that could be true.

Since I use this bike daily commuter (145 miles a day) and it has PMS issues I have had to drag out the old Kawasaki Concours out of the garage, dust it off and charge the battery. At 145,000 miles it still runs like a top, the wife doesn't like the ride though compared to the Stelvio.

Getting new tires on the utility trailer tomorrow so that I can tow the beast the 150 miles to the dealer on Sat. morning. Hopefully he can get it sorted out.
 
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