FZRSupport: the FZROnline Archive

SO I just bought a 1998 600 for a project and am trying to bring her back to life. I was hoping to get some ideas about why it wont start. When I try to start it it cranks and sputters but wont catch. I have replaced the spark plugs the battery and the fuel pump I have also cleaned and re-synced the carbs. I have tried about everything I can think of it wont start by pouring fuel in the carbs or starter fluid ether. I have also checked the spark and there is spark on all plugs. Any suggestions will be very appreciated thank you.

Open the drain screws on one of your carbs to ensure you're actually getting fuel into the bowls.

Are the plug wires in the correct order?

I have checked the plug wires and they were correct and I will have to try the bowl thing.

Check your petcock, My bike was just like yours. Drained the fuel tank, changed oil filter, changed spark plugs (they were giving spark), adjusted the carb float levels and yet wouldn't start. Turns out there was something in the petcock that was preventing the fuel from going into the carbs, once I cleared it up, the bike started right up. It took me forever to even think about checking there. haha. Good Luck!

Where did you spray the Starter fluid?

did you take of the air box and spray it right in the intake? at this point that probably your best bet.

I sprayed the starting fluid in with the air box off. I also checked the pet cock and it was clear. I was also wondering if some one could tell me what the compression is suppose to be on each cylinder I checked it and it was about 160 on each cylinder.

I opened the screws on the bowls and there was fuel. Just to add on when i pour fuel or try to use starting fluid in the carbs it seams to make the bike not even try to start. It wont even sputter anymore.

You only need to spray a little bit or it will flood. When I first started my 600 I used a dropper and put gas in the intakes that way to make sure it started cause I was having problems with the fuel pump. Not a lot but it would run for about 30 sec.

Hinky1986 wrote:It wont even sputter anymore.

You may have fouled / soaked the plugs. Pull them out, clean them off - or pop in fresh ones.

Well cleaned the plugs but that didnt help.

you need the same few things to make any engine run...air, fuel, spark, and a crank signal. you may have air (put the air box back on though, the air is dirty) and fuel. are you sure you have spark? use an inline spark tester. they're ten to fifteen bucks. if you dont have one, ohm out the spark plug wires to verify one isnt open or have high resistance. im guessing the wires are fine, as the bike can run off of three cylinders.

my best guess is the coils. verify you have voltage on the primary side, check ohms on the secondary side. pull the harness connectors for the coils, look for burn marks or green crap (corrosion). make sure the connectors are not swapped. do the same for the voltage regulator, sometimes they can arc and burn a contact.

^^^^ everything up there doesnt have to be done if you get an inline spark tester. best fifteen bucks ever spent. if the spark system is intact, start looking at the crank sensor and related wiring.


...if none of that works, check your oil level. no joke. if fuel drained into the crankcase, it wont start. its a quick and easy check, and can save you your bearings. literally.

as a last resort, pull the valve cover and check the valve clearances. someone very well could have pulled the shims out. hey man, some people take everything good out before they sell a bike, even the $60 shim kit...it is possible, but unlikely, it's related to your valves not opening properly. explains why you would have compression

oh, duh, one more simple thing....is it fresh gas? and I dont mean "the tank is kinda empty, ill just fill it up and not worry about draining it" kinda gas. if you did that, the jets could have easily fouled and youre back to square one. if it was sitting over the winter the gas has gone sour more than likely

everything up there doesnt have to be done if you get an inline spark tester. best fifteen bucks ever spent.

One of these I presume?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lisle-20610- ... 257af9d8d8

Never knew about them...

GreyImport wrote:

everything up there doesnt have to be done if you get an inline spark tester. best fifteen bucks ever spent.

One of these I presume?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lisle-20610- ... 257af9d8d8

Never knew about them...

exactly. some of them you can even adjust the gap. lisle is the way to go. infact, all the major tool companies rebrand a vast amount of lisle tools. matco, snapon, cornwell...etc

well now it starts and runs for a second and then dies

That sounds like progress. Keep trying. How did you synch your carbs without starting the bike? I have no guesses as to your issue except maybe the fuel level in your carb bowls is too high. Turn the key on and when the fuel pump stops clicking, turn off the petcock then try to start the bike.