zx6e starting problems

[kawboyx14]

I've been a guest here for a while, and now i actually have an issue i am sure one of you guys can help me with . my 98 zx6e is having some issues at this moment , and all i can guess is it has to be electrical. One morning i started it up to take a cruise to the store , and grab some food at the local grill, and it fired up quickly only to stall out right after i removed the choke. After several tries i gave up, hooked up the trickle charger, and four wheeled it. The next day i tried again to only a couple of engine stumbles and finally flooding. . Two days passed, and i drained the tank disassembled the air box, and checked the plugs. the plugs have about 500 miles on them so no issue there , connected to the spark plug wire , and got spark. the spark wasnt as strong as i would have imagined, so i checked the other three , same condition. I fueled up the fuel pump , with a nice little container i came up with hooked up to the fuel pump. and then same as before,, stumble, like only one cylinder is firing, and finally flooding. This has happened before once but as i gave up , it miraculously cured itself. THis time i havent been so lucky. Has anyone had this issue , and what was the culprit. i am looking for a schematic to maybe trace why the spark would be weak.

[LoudFastUgly]

What is the voltage on the primary side of the coil during a start request?

[kawboyx14]

Originally Posted by LoudFastUgly

What is the voltage on the primary side of the coil during a start request?

starts at 12.5 " I have an analog multitester" and scales down to about 10 with starter motor engaged and spinning. Testing the fuel pump showed the same, but when the release of stater button it lost power, i am assuming the pump is just a primer pump and the rest of the fuel is supplied by gravity or vacuum? I really need to get a service manual.

[LoudFastUgly]

Fuel pump is only required when fuel supply is low, otherwise gravity does all the work. If you're flooding you're not starving for fuel.

The voltage drop you are seeing, is that directly at coil primary or at battery +ve?

What sparkplug are you running?

[kawboyx14]

at the coil primary, battery , and pump, so i am guessing the draw from the starter , drops it down. standard replacement ngk spark plugs , absent minded on the exact part number but i just changed them the last time it did this back in april. rechecking the gap and fuel it up to see what happens next. Its just strange that the problem is intermittant , and mysteriously goes away.

[LoudFastUgly]

Pull the fuel line from the tank off of the carbs, does fuel flow? Are plugs coming out wet?

[kawboyx14]

Checked gap, and set at .035 , on full choke it started and ran for about 2 secs, and flooded out. Pulling carbs off tomorrow. It got to this point last time in april and then I tried it one more time before I pulled the carbs, and it started like it was new. It never gave me a problem for 9 months. Im baffled. I figured while I am at it change out the the starter solenoid, and the clutch/neutral safety switch. Thanks for the input , I will see what tomorrow brings and report whatever news there is.

[kawboyx14]

Got a manual, and went through it , draining the bowls removing the carbs checking the o rings, refueled , and checked float levels everything is good,,, syncd the carbs, fuel pump at 2 lbs ,,, same thing , maybe get 4 secs of running , then die. Upon restart ,, i get a cannon backfire. check the sparkplugs, rechecked gap 0.32... gtting spark. So i am completely baffled. Whats the symptoms of a bad ecu, i figured no start , or no fire at the plugs at all. i am about just to send it up to the local bike shop , and find out it was something simple.

[gpzrocker]

do the new ones have some sort of timing advance like my '84?

May need lubed.

Otherwise, deeper carb work could be/probably is necessary, I would think. I never have learned in what sequence all of the jets worked, need to do that sometime.

Good luck!

[kawboyx14]

Two words,, Bad Fuel. Thanks for the help . Its gonna be 64 here ,, I'm riding tomorrow.

[antiq]

clean the carbs! The idle jets are plugged. Bad fuel or rust in the tank.