Stalling out

[zordeles]

Ok, so I took the bike out today and everything was fine at first. Got about 15 miles from home and was at a stoplight....when I went to take off, it quit. Ok...no problem...I assumed vapor lock at first. Popped the gas cap, and by the time I had rolled thru the intersection it started back up. 1/2 a mile later (with cap still popped open) at the NEXT light, same damned thing. Luckily nobody was behind me this time. Got over to the side of the road, gave it a sec and again...fired back up. Drove it to the first parking lot and let it sit for about 10 minutes. It started up fine and was ok until about a nile from home. Same deal...went to take off from a stop and it quit, only this time I got it to fire back up right away.

Checked my plug & wire, both are brand new and seated good. Vent line has no kinks or clogs. Das boot is brand new. I'm sorta stumped. Any ideas on what to check next? It does seem to be idling a bit high, but I dont want to mess with anything until I get a better idea of whats wrong.
And if it makes any difference...its a 2001 Blast with 5600 miles. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[brumbear]

sounds like a vacum leak check the carb seat.

 

[zordeles]

Checked that brumbear. Everything seems to be fine there. If this problem was consistent, it'd be easier to track down. It did it last week and no problems again until the ride today. Ive taken it out 4 times trying to duplicate the conditions and its ran fine. All Ive done was turn the idling down to a more respectable level. *shrugs* So...still stumped....[confused]

 

[zordeles]

I think I may have tracked down the culprit....
Sinc eit only seems to do this when the bike is hot, I was told it's most likely the coil. After it's sat for a few minutes, it starts right back up like nothing happened. Coil gets hot and when I try to take off from a stop, bam...no spark. Sit, cool, repeat...So...tomorrow I'm headed out to track one down locally, unless someone has another suggestion that could cause the same weirdness......

 

[zordeles]

Ok....finally managed to get the bike to act up again on MY terms (lol). I checked the ignition module, and yes, I'm getting the LED to light up the way its supposed to. So, I'm down to the coil being the culprit. I dont have any tester equipment, so I'll have to do this all the hard way. The coil I have on there is gonna cost almost 60 to replace, so she'll prolly be sitting still until I can get the $ together for it.

 

[Dizzy]

That's too bad. I just had to put a new tire on mine. At least we had the money for it. But, it saves me so much on gas I had to get it.

Hope you get it figured out soon. Mine was brand new when I got it, but had sat in the shop for 3 years. And, I couldn't keep it running at low speeds. Since this was my first street bike, I didn't have a license and tried to take my test on it. It kept stalling out, so I failed. Took it back to the shop. They had it for 3 days, but I'm not sure what they did. Put another 3 miles on it, took the test again and aced it.

 

[zordeles]

I have a guy supposed to come over in the next cpl days to help me figure it out. I'm still hoping for a low cost problem. I'm not even going to touch it now until I have someone with a bit more experience giving me a hand.

 

[zordeles]

Well.....update to my issue.....

Replaced the boot and it made a hell of a difference. At least at first. Now, it doesnt want to idle right at all. Ive dbl and triple checked the boot seating and its got a good seal. I DID run it out of gas and I'm thinking I may have garbage gumming up a jet. Ive never done this before and reading the material here is a bit overwhelming. Is it an easy job? And how much am I looking at for cost? Currently on a tight budget, but I want/need this ride going (for my own sanity. ) Was too hot out yesterday to get into working on it, so I just parked it and walked away. LOL Anyway, Ive flipped the diode, how do I disable the kickstand safety (since Ive seen it listed as a possible cause for interference but havent been able to find a post with instructions to actually do it). Not gonna touch carb until everything else is eliminated. THX

 

[pierce]

Cut and twist the wires together, Then electrical tape it and tuck it somewhere safe.

 

[zordeles]

Thats all there is to it? Ok, gonna try that now, thank you, pierce.

I'm really getting frustrated here tho. I got the idling down where it should be (close anyway, by ear), so its not revving bad anymore. Just got back from a quick ride and it sputtered and quit at the stop. Got it started (after 5 tries and quits), started down the road and it popcorned something wicked, I pulled onto my street and into my drive (yep, was that close to home luckily). It stalled again as I parked. Got it restarted but it doesnt want to stay idling. Almost like a skip, then it bogs out and dies on me if I try to give it some throttle.

Checked the led's on the ignition module and they flash brightly. I'm thinking maybe bad plug wire?? Garbage in the carb? Possibly bad coil? It only acts up when it's warmed up, if that helps.


***edit***
I did try running with the gas cap loose and it doesnt make a difference

 

[pierce]

You might want to run some seafoam through the gas, cheap and easy way of ruling out the jetting and making sure they are not plugged. Even better, B12.

When it stalls out, did you check the ignition light? Usually when its going it will start acting up when hot, but be fine other times so unless you checked when the problem happens, I would do so to rule out ignition. Coils very rarely go bad.

I would replace your spark plugs, wires and check ignition before I suspected coils. All cheap and easy things to do. I would also check your grounds and make sure they are clean and tight and make sure the battery is good.

Once all the these things are verified as good - ignition it is. I can't even remember the last time I hear a coil going bad, but if you absolutely insist, then go to a friends house and use a voltmeter to test it. Easy to do, and takes the guess work out of it. You can also buy one for just a few dollars.

 

[jetlee]

Check your petcock is flowly freely. Crap in the tank can block it and give similar symptoms to clogged tank vent.

Rare that the coil goes out without frying the ignition module.

 

[zordeles]

Ok, I have checked the ignition light when it stalls and flashes brightly like its supposed to, so I'm going to rule that out, for now. I plan on replacing the plug/wire as soon as I have the money, as well as getting some seafoam to run thru it. (By the end of the week) I only mention the coil, because an HD guy told me it's a common symptom of a bad coil, ie: quits when it gets hot. I never had any problems like this with my former rides, so I'm trying my best here. BTW, I went out to do the kickstand bypass...no need. It's already been done by previous owner. I'm leaning towards a carb/fuel flow issue now. Today I was only out for less than 10 mins when it started giving trouble.

Ignition module and coil are the modded ones Ive seen here, not stock. I'm wondering if it's possible the previous owner didnt do the carb work, or didnt do it right? Would that maybe cause this? Either way, it looks like I'm going to have to get into the carb at some point.
So, I guess until I can get the seafoam run thru it, I'll just have to let her sit and wait.
THX again.

 

[pierce]

So it flashes with idle?

What you are describing does not sound like a carb issue. Poor running, can't keep an idle, hesitation etc, those are all typical of a clogged jet, but cutting out when hot is not one of them.

Get a voltmeter and test away. All my bikes are carbed, and most have been over the years and that would be the last thing I suspect with what you describe.

 

[jetlee]

If the module is aftermarket, which one is it? What coil is in use? Some ignition modules require a 3ohm coil, some require a 1/2ohm coil.

Also check your petcock flows freely. Have you tried running it on reserve instead of regular?

I agree, it doesn't sound like a clogged jet.

 

[zordeles]

The coil is 3 ohm Twin Tek. And the ignition module is the same brand. And yes, it does flash with idle.
And like Ive stated, it only starts giving me trouble when its hot. Depending on the temp outside, I can almost say 15-20 minutes. Bit less if it's really hot (like today was). Ive never had problems like this with any other bike Ive ridden, hence my complete frustration. And the only reason I questioned the coil, is because my HD friend and my father both suggested it as an overheating coil. I dunno, to be honest. I'll try to get my hands on a meter and see what it tells me.

When she's cold, she runs like a dream. I took it out to run over to the store tonight, and it was fine, but it's been sitting since early this afternoon. But once I try and really ride, I get this quitting issue. Ive been trying to do my homework here, searching through every resource I can find, and I havent been able to find MY problem exactly. Similar, yes, but nothing quite the same. I'm almost to the point of just selling it and getting something else, but damn.....I really really like this ride....

 

[pierce]

Jet would know more about that ignition than I would.

 

[jetlee]

This problem has been documented at BuellRidersOnline.com and the BadWeb, though it's usually the module that fails.

The Daytona Twin-Tec does utilize a 3-ohm coil (stock is 1/2 ohm), so you're fine there.

The coil doesn't see much heat as it's not mounted to the engine.

Do you have any spare ignition parts to swap in for troubleshooting? An extra 3-ohm coil (from any Harley) or another single-fire ignition (from any 97-03 Sporty)? If you have either/both of those to swap, then it's pretty easy to troubleshoot.

 

[zordeles]

Yeah, I don't have any nor access to any spares. Wish I did. From what Ive read, the module would only be bad if the LED's either didnt light up or were dim? Mine aren't dim. *shrug* I dunno. All my other rides were old tech. LOL Didnt have any of the fancy electronics.

 

[pierce]

Modules can go bad in a variety of ways that can be difficult to detect. If the light is going, then you definitely know, but unfortunately thats not always the case.

Sometimes mechanical things have their advantage, as with modern ignitions its all electronic, so when they go - which isn't often - you just need to replace them.

nonsense lecture/ Personally, the odds of your ignition going are increased given that you have an aftermarket. Not that the ignition is not as reliable but it ups the chances that the PO was not as mechanically inclined as he thinks he was. In other words, your bike is only as good as the last mechanic who worked on it. Unfortunately many motorcycle owners take the initiative of doing their own work. I think thats a great thing, but when things go wrong, don't count your mechanical experience out if things go wrong, take it as a learning experience and know that you will do better next time. The wrong thing to do is just to blame the part. /end lecture!