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Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:25 pm
by BAT
I've been working on this thing for three weeks and can't figure it out. The bike runs great for 10 minutes then starts to cut out in the upper rpms then it loses a cylinder. I limp it back to the garage and it will die a minute later.

Fuel pump is good
Fuel filter is good
Bowls have fuel
Vents aren't clogged

It really seems like a fuel problem, but right when it happened the last time I disconnected the fuel line and fuel pours out. I took the bowls off after that and they were full.

I'm thinking the ignition is getting weak or malfunctioning. Any ideas?

Also, the red wire going to the key switch gets super hot, but the brown wire going out doesn't. It drops the voltage by 1 volt. Amps could be much more. I think the switch is worn and is causing resistance.

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:51 pm
by reelrazor
BAT wrote:I'm thinking the ignition is getting weak or malfunctioning. Any ideas?

Also, the red wire going to the key switch gets super hot, but the brown wire going out doesn't. It drops the voltage by 1 volt. Amps could be much more. I think the switch is worn and is causing resistance.
I think you know the answer here....inductive ignition is VERY voltage dependent for good spark. Is the main fuse getting hot?

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:56 pm
by BAT
No the main fuse doesn't. The red wire is REAL hot coming out of the harness going into the connector to the KEY, then a little less hot after the harness to the KEY.

I'm wondering if this is the actual problem. The hotter a wire gets, the more resistance it creates, so......

Also the bike sat for three weeks in the weather and it has rained a lot lately. It ran fine when parked. I'm thinking the inside of the key switch has corroded.

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:11 pm
by yamaha_george
BAT wrote:No the main fuse doesn't. The red wire is REAL hot coming out of the harness going into the connector to the KEY, then a little less hot after the harness to the KEY.

I'm wondering if this is the actual problem. The hotter a wire gets, the more resistance it creates, so......

Also the bike sat for three weeks in the weather and it has rained a lot lately. It ran fine when parked. I'm thinking the inside of the key switch has corroded.
Make your self a thiefs pigtail to by pass the key switch ( google that to see how to steal bikes I kid you not )

If it is the switch then the red wire will stay cool else you have aproblem else where (FZR rh switches are known culprits of all sorts of weird sh*t )

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:08 pm
by haro504
im gonna say you have a short somewhere thats why the wire is getting hot or a bad connection. the heat is a result of the connection and it is probally draining your battery. have you checked the voltage while its running. i had a broken wire on my vr and once it drained the battery it just shut off

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 7:30 pm
by R3TARD
I was going to ask if you were running the stock fzr voltage regulator like this? Image
If so I would change that asap. If it looks like this Image it has already been changed out
I know my bike behaved that way when my VR went out.

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 8:51 pm
by BAT
I'll try the bypass. Its a connection issue, not a short. The stock VR already went bad and swapped it for an R6.

Hopefully the voltage drop is whats causing the problems. I have a feeling it is, it was much worse, and the key has been turned many times since then. No more leaving bikes out in the rain.....

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 4:13 pm
by BAT
The short wasn't in the switch, its in the left handlebar controls. Disconnected it and the wires cooled down. However the bike still sputtered and died.

But I did notice that is was only putting out 12 VOLTS!!! The VR was also pretty darn hot. The battery holds juice though and doesn't drain. It takes about 6 tries with the starter for the battery to start losing power.

I didn't even think about checking the charging voltage since the battery stayed charged.

After the bike dies and I wait a minute and try to restart it, it will fire for a brief second and quit. It will often repeat that.

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 4:21 pm
by haro504
is there and particals it your tank. i think there is a small filter tube on the petcock in side might be blocking flow

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 4:31 pm
by BAT
Fuel flows great.

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:43 pm
by haro504
well i would say run it till it dies and check for spark and voltage on the battery right after it dies bring a meter in a bag and a spare plug to check for both if they are good might be the computer as you use it it might be heating up and cutting out. if it turns over after it dies its most likly not the battery. you just gotta rule out one thing at a time. i would make sure your vr is working if its getting hot and only 12 volts though

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:19 am
by haunter
also try and get the pump to run again after it dies

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:53 pm
by BAT
Spark is good after death. Volts are 13.5. The short was sucking juice. Pump runs.

Anyone know what power to the coils should be? 12V+? I'll check that next. Spark is either getting weak or timing is going off. Well regardless of what it is, I guess I'm just gonna buy a ignition box.

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:26 pm
by haunter
try pulling a plug and seeing what it looks like?

Re: Losing power and dying after 10 minutes

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 12:37 pm
by j20brett
My 99 600 is doing the same thing. Ive seen some references to using an R6 voltage regulator also. Any particular year range to get? Wiring involved or plug and play?