Vision wont start

[glennw]

Was it on the side stand? Is the wire cut to it?
If not I was thiking it might a viberated open a stuck switch while running with the stand down???

[Waapman]

yeah it was running with the sidestand down, I'll look at it.  But I dont think thats it... If so would it still let the starter turn. The engine almost cranks...  it backfired on me twice today while trying to start it.

[glennw]

I would check all those damn vacuum lines. Don't forget the one to the petcock.

[Lucky]

Couple of things to check also:
try to reproduce the problem, if it happens again, pull the cap off the tank, set the petcock to "prime" for about 2 min and try again.  the vent in the cap may be blocked.

also, if you had a vaccume leak it probably would be hard to start all the time & idle high or "hunt", but still worth checking.  Check the YICS canister for leaks (see my site http://www.xz550.com) for instructions on checking the YICS, and read the page on the 10 most common vision problems.

--Lucky

[Waapman]

Ok, checked YICS.  Its good, put diffrent TCI box on , still no start.  Checked all Vacuum lines and fuses????? Petcock works and gas is getting to the carbs.  One thing to note, while it did run ....Id hit the throttle and it seemed like an awful lot of black smoke came out, not sure if this means anything besides oil in the combustion chamber.   Could this be a sign of the gas running to rich.  Could my bike simply just be flooded????

[Lucky]

Just as a general rule of thumb, black smoke is fuel, blue smoke is oil & white smoke is water (or coolant).

This line confuses me:

"Its good, put diffrent TCI box on , still no start. ?Checked all Vacuum lines and fuses?? Petcock works and gas is getting to the carbs. ?One thing to note, while it did run ...Id hit the throttle and it seemed like an awful lot of black smoke came out"

do you mean you can get it to start/run but it dies? or that was before and now it won't start at all?

anyway assuming it's running rich, try this: pull one the bowl drain hose connecting both carbs on the left side of the bike and see if you have any fuel comming out of either carb.

BTW these drains should NEVER be plugged, because if you happen to have a leaky petcock and a leaky inlet, you'll end up with a crankcase full of fuel...a very bad thing!

if you have fuel here (even if you don't) try rapping on the side of the carb with a screwdriver handle.  if there is a piece of trash stuck in the needle, this may dislodge it.
you can also try spraying carb cleaner in the "T" hose connections on each carb.

try this if you can get it running, see if it helps.  if so, suspect rust in the tank (is it sealed?)

also, if you haven't figured it out by now, these bikes MUST MUST MUST have a fuel filter installed inline from the petcock to the carb. there is no stock filter to replace other than the crappy screen on the petcock.

--Lucky

[Waapman]

By "still no start"  I meant the engine wouldnt crank.  Battery is fully charged and starter is going full speed, gas is 3/4 full. And when I hit the start button the engine wont turn over, Ive tried the choke every way possible.

[Lucky]

reread my last post, I got booted before I finished the post...  also, I am talking about the one you were going to ride & died in the driveway.

if you want to email me your phone # i'll call you (if your in the US/Canada)

--Lucky

[Waapman]

All right everyone get ready for a nice good laugh.....  After checking and rechecking and taking apart everything, I had a epiphany (Check the spark plugs!)  so I pulled one out and hit the start button , nothing happend.  So I went to the other Vision Im restoring and pulled a brand new spark plug out of it and hooked it into the good Vision and vroom it cranked but ran on one cylinder.  So I switched out the other spark plug and it fired right up; problem solved.   You'd think  I would have learned to check the obvious stuff first.   Although its strange  that they just died all of a sudden like that?  Thats why I never suspected them.  Thanks everyone for all the help,  Kudos! Lucky for the phone support offer.  Now its back to work on the original Vision that wouldnt crank!!

[Lucky]

You should be aware that it's extreemly rare for Visions to Ever have plug problems.  Changing the plugs may have cured the symptom, but not the cause... so, what wwas the condition of the plugs? were they wet, sooty, crusty, etc? what color were they? brown, white, black?

from everything you describe, it sounds like the bike did flood, and if the spark happens to be weak to begin with, it might have been too much to get it to fire.  I'd still check to make sure the carbs are holding fuel properly, just to be sure.

Then again, they could just have served their time..lol

[Waapman]

The plugs were supposedly changed 6 or 7 months ago?  They were pretty black and damp.  That was why I didnt check the plugs to begin with,  they were practically new.  How do I check the carbs to check they are functioning correctly,  do I need to fiddle with the float bowl?

[QBS]

The next time your V seemingly turns itself off, whether while idling in the driveway or at speed, rock the engine stop rocker switch back and forth a couple of times and then hit the starter button.  If it cranks immediatly and then starts, the chances are real good that you've got corrosion in the rocker switch.  I don't know a definitive fix except to use some needle nose pliers to unplug the black and white wire from the TCT box connector block.  In fact, that would be the first thing I would do in the diagnosis process.  That eliminates all  the various and troublesome switches and connectors that comprise the safety lock out system.