Strange Engine Problem

[PMitchell08]

I am having trouble getting my Blaster running after sitting for the winter. It is completely stock except for a TORS eliminator kit. Since the engine sat for the winter I assumed when it wouldn't start that it must be the carb. Sure enough it appeared that the float valve was stuck so I bought a moose carb rebuild kit, rebuilt the carb including new jets, new seals, new screws, new needle, and new float valve. Put it all back together, still won't start.

It has fresh premium gas, a clean UNI air filter, and a fresh spark plug which appears to have plenty of spark. I checked the compression and it was well within the high end of specs, I checked the reeds and they look like new and seat properly, I disassembled the exhaust and cleaned thoroughly with a MAP gas torch. The bike absolutely shows no signs of life. It turns over like normal, but doesn't really even show any sign of sputtering. I even towed it behind a truck to try to bump start it and still nothing.

The only other thing I can think to check is the timing but I had heard that the timing is not adjustable on the Blaster. If anyone has any ideas please help me out, I'm really stumped on this one. Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[nd jat]

Have you checked to see if the spark plug is wet after turning motor over? you need three things for it to run gas, air, & spark.

 

[brandoz28]

have you tried holding the throttle part way open? did you put an idle screw in the carb after putting the TORS eliminator kit on?

 

[PMitchell08]

Thank you for the replies.

Yes the spark plug is wet after kicking it a few times so I know it's getting fuel, it has obvious spark, and it is in spec for compression. That's why it has me stumped.

I have tried starting it with all possible choke and throttle combinations, no setup seems to be any more hopeful than any other. Yes it has an idle screw now, my dad is a machinist so he did a good job making sure it had clean, straight threads. The carb was properly adjusted after installing the TORS kit. I've ridden it for 2 seasons with the TORS eliminator kit so I don't see that as being an issue but I'm willing to consider anything.

Is there a possibility that an issue in the electrical system could cause it to have spark but with the wrong timing? I had heard that the timing wasn't adjustable, but I'm out of ideas.

I bought this blaster new in '03. I ride about twice a month in the summer and fall. It has always been well maintained, never been abused, only moderate trail riding, no racing. Always started on 2 kicks, never had any issues with the motor, left it sit for the winter and then it was dead. Never had this issue any other winter.

Thanks again for any additional suggestions.

 

[fioz600r]

Have you checked the airbox for any animal nests. As for the timimg you could elongate the mounting holes on the stator plate to adjust the timing +4 seems to be the norm. Does it back fire at all? You could of sheared the key way on the flywheel and that will throw the timing off.

 

[bagds10]

i dont know about newer blasters but on my 99 warrior there is a fuse toward the back of the bike by the battery (i know blasters dont have batteries) but maybe there is a fuse similar to it...? but i havent worked on a bike in a long time besides just recently stripping my blaster

 

[curt514630]

i would take the spark plug out and do a spark plug test kick it over see if your spark is good and go from there

 

[curt514630]

but i feel for you my bike is down now and i have to do a top end rebuild

 

[airwave]

if the plug has gas and your sure it has spark ,it should start . test the stator. you must not have any spark

 

[curt514630]

if the plug has gas and your sure it has spark ,it should start . test the stator. you must not have any spark

thats the only thing i could think of too maybe not stong enough spark. make sure the spark plug gap is good to

 

[yb200]

hows the compression??????

 

[royalt67]

Pilot circuit. Did you spray carb cleaner through all the passages, making sure it comes out someplace, especially in the carb throat? The cleanliness of that passage is SO critical. Also, did you take out the pilot jet and look through it? It is a tiny hole and must be perfectly clean.

 

[PMitchell08]

Pilot circuit is possible, but a new pilot jet was included and installed with the carb rebuild kit, I shot air and carb cleaner through all passages and everything appeared clear, I will tear it down 1 more time to be sure, but I've already had it apart 3 times and everything has seemed fine except the float valve which was replaced and now works properly. The airbox is completely spotless, the air filter is a brand new properly oiled UNI filter. It does not backfire or show any signs of combustion. Is there any particular noise associated with a sheared key on the flywheel? The motor does not make any irregular noise when being kick started or roll started, it just never starts. It seems like a sheared key is more likely to happen while the motor is running, whereas this problem just happened over the winter, it ran excellent when I parked it, hadn't been run since. There is gas getting to the plug and the plug is brand new, properly gapped, plenty of visible strong spark. Even if it had weak spark I would expect it to at least sputter or run after being roll started. I don't think there are any fuses in the electrical system. The compression holds at 130 (cheap tool so give or take 10 PSI) which indicates to me that there is no need for a new top end. What else am I missing? All suggestions are appreciated.

 

[mrridg]

Do you have pests? Besides the pilot, choke, and idle air mixture circuits on the carb, the last thing I could think of is to check your wire harness for rodent chewing or exhaust system to make sure no pests or rodents built a house in there over the winter. Maybe swap the CDI with a known good one. Good Luck.

 

[PMitchell08]

Had the carb apart again, I've had several people look through the carb who are more experienced than myself with carb rebuilds and we all agree, the carb is spotless. I'm still investigating any possible ignition issues, but I've been busy lately so haven't put much time into it.

I inspected the entire external wiring harness and found no signs of wear or damage. The exhaust system is free flowing, I removed the entire system and cleaned it with a map gas torch to dry up excess internal carbon deposits, then ran compressed air through in both directions without any resistance.

I took the CDI off and cleaned it up, found corrosion in the spark plug boot so I cleaned it thoroughly for a better connection. I Ohm'ed the primary and secondary ignition coils, I got a near perfect reading in the middle of the range for the secondary, (~6.7kohms), but I could not get a reading for more than an instant on the primary.

I am an absolute novice with a Digital Multimeter, but I tried every possible way to get a connection per the service manual's instructions and still no reading. After putting the questionable coil back on I am getting more sputters than I did before, although I do not know if it is thanks to a cleaner connection or just coincidence. Like I said before, there appears to be plenty of visible spark, but I'm now questioning its integrity. Should I just assume there is an issue with the CDI and buy one or should I try to test the stator and other electrical components?

Again, I really appreciate the ongoing support, it's as frustrating for me to keep asking questions as it is for you to keep kindly answering them. Thank you all.

 

[nd jat]

Just a thought have you tryed fresh gas? gasoline can lose it's btu from long periods of sitting, and becomes hard to ignite.

 

[nd jat]

never mind you did post fresh gas, but was the tank of gas taken out that was in it? and filled the tank with nothing but fresh gas?

 

[bagds10]

when you kick it over is the key and killswitch on? just kidding man. let us know how it turns out

 

[PMitchell08]

Haha Yes key and killswitch are on, but good call I never did mention that. And yes the fresh gas is premium, fresh from the pump, completely drained the tank and the float before adding any fresh. Right now I'm in the process of finding a local shop that carries the correct flywheel puller so I can get to the stator.

Any suggestions on that?

 

[PMitchell08]

Okay I did some work on the electrical system under the instruction of the service manual on this forum, here's what me and my digital Multimeter were able to figure out.

Switches are all fine.

Spark plug boot tested at a steady and consistent 5.05 k ohms, acceptable range is 4-6k ohm, perfect.

The pickup coil reads at a stable 19.1 ohms, spec is 16-24, perfect.


Ignition primary coil reads at 0.0 ohms, occasionally jumps up to 1, then right back to zero, could not get a reading to stay consistently above 0 despite my toying with it for 20 minutes. The acceptable range is 1.44-1.76 Ohms. This appears to be a problem assuming I am operating the DMM properly.

The secondary coil reads at a steady and consistent 7.91 kohms, this is on the high side, but within the specs of 5.28-7.92 k ohms.

I don't particularly understand the specifics of an ignition system so I guess my question is, with the information given is it possible that I would be getting some spark from the secondary coil, making it appear to have spark when it doesn't have any from the primary? If so, would this be enough of an issue to keep the engine from running entirely?

I don't want to buy a new coil and find out it's useless, but it seems to be a probable issue.

I also found that source coil leads were far out of spec, reading at a consistent 90.2 ohms when the spec is 192-288 ohms.

If someone with electrical/ignition expertise could let me know what the best course of action is that would be awesome.