Stalling and Battery Issues

[TX_Kat600]

I was at the gym last night when i met a guy who just bought (a month ago) a used 2005 Kat 600 with 900 miles on it.

Apparently he has issues with two things.

One: It takes several attempts to start it up (and yes I asked him about the choke). Once started, he has to continuously rev the engine in order to keep it from stalling (this is true even after it is warmed up...idles way to low...I told him to adjust the idle screw to see if that helps).

Two: He has to recharge the battery about once a week. He thought the problem was an old battery but it still does this even after buying a new one.

I'm not mechanically inclined enough to help this guy out. Do any of you have ideas about what could be causing it? I might have ideas if it was just one problem or the other....but with both happening there might be a bigger route cause that I just would not know.

Thanks Ya'll!!!

[thecynic]

Hmm.. testing the alternator would be a good start, same with the wiring. Shame it's such a PITA for the most part.

As for the idle, I've been initiated into the 'didn't hook up the vacuum hoses properly' club. I couldn't even get my bike to start cold, but just a slight leak would make it run lean as hell and hard to start. If I was him, I'd go to the local autoparts store and just pick up some lengths of vacuum hose and replace any that look suspect, make sure none of the carb test point covers are ripped up, stuff like that.

I'm sure there are ways to test proactively, like spraying starter fluid onto the vacuum hoses/carbs to see where the problem exists, but if it is vacuum related, you should be able to tell by just looking at the hoses/airbox/carbs.

[macgyver]

If the bike does not stay running even after it is warmed up I would probably think first thought...carberators may need clean/adjusted. It sounds like the bike is getting a lack of fuel so if the carberators are ok maybe tell him to check the fuel filter to see if it might be clogged. Also have him check the airfilter to make sure it is not clogged with dirt. Worst case scenario I would say maybe it has a bent valve in the engine.

For the second problem I would first check the new battery fluid level if it has one to see if there was a problem with underfilling from when he got it. If the level is down below the top line get some distilled water from the store and top it off and recharge the battery at a trickle charge for the reccomended amount of time(usually 3-5 hours). check the level again after the battery has been charged to make sure it did not drop down below the top line. If he already did this with the battery than its probably safe to say that the generator is not recharging the bike when it is running. This could simply be tested by using a charging system tester or hooking up a voltmeter to the bike. The bike should be putting out about 11 volts when running. If the generator tests ok than he probably has a parasetic drain on the battery when the bike is off which can be tested by hooking a voltemeter up to the battery when all accessories are off and get a baseline reading. If the reading is unusually high start pulling fuses until the drain goes away. Whatever fuse you pulled to stop the drain is where the problem lies. So start ripping the bike apart to look for a loose wire/connection ect.

[The CyberPoet]

Ummm...

98+ Uses a maintenance free battery -- no water to add, check.
Charging system should be above 13.2 volts when running, battery should be at or above 12.65 or 12.7 volts when the engine is off.

Did this guy post up himself? I ask because I'd swear I answered these battery-related questions last night in a different thread (yeah, here: http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21203 ).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mr. Nice Guy]

I had a problem once - sounds very similar to this guy... turned out that a wire to one of the coils had been pinched against the frame and was shorting out ... made the bike seem like it was having carb troubles... also wouldn't stay running.

The bike shop almost rebuilt the carbs (they thought that was the trouble too) before they discovered the real issue.

I'd do a spark check anyway, just to be certain.

[DreKat]

the carb need some work by the sounds of it.

next the battery issue first disconect the battery then at night time connect it with the lights off. If there is a spark when you conect then something is drawing from the battery. I had the same issue last summer so what i did was remove all the fairings and the tank then disconect all the wire one at a time and conect them back together and never had it happen again.

[TX_Kat600]

Ummm...

98+ Uses a maintenance free battery -- no water to add, check.
Charging system should be above 13.2 volts when running, battery should be at or above 12.65 or 12.7 volts when the engine is off.

Did this guy post up himself? I ask because I'd swear I answered these battery-related questions last night in a different thread (yeah, here: http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21203 ).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

that sounds like him...but not sure. I did tell him about the forum and suggested that he post a question. I'm going to invite him over to my house so we can pull it apart and take a better look. As a new rider myself I would appreciate someone offring the same gesture to me. Thanks for the help CP!

[slayergsxf1]

the bike is only a year old,how was it stored by the previous owner?if stored improperly no stable ext. then probably a carb problem for low idle.corrosion problem anywhere on the bike? bikes stored half assed for just one season can bring out the gremlins.