Cold start problem 86

[Guest gerrycormier]

1986 Venture started great in warmer weather on little to no choke.

As time went on it got harder to start. Now it "might" start after turning over for a minute or two and ocassionally backfiring with various choke settings in the start process and eventually starts with no choke.

It seems to bog down quit a bit, rpm wise, when choke or gas is used while engine cranks. No gas or choke it cranks quit a bit faster.

Once it has finally started it will then re-start instantly, everytime, with maybe one or two turns, all day long, works great, lots of power and with excellent gas mileage.

Sit for 12 hours overnight and back to hard start problems.

New battery is in top condition and cranks un-choked motor over quickly. New plugs. Tried spraying starter fluid (ether) in carbs after removing air filter which had absolutely no effect.

I am suspecting the CDI perhaps ?????????

Gerry

[skydoc_17]

Hey Gerry,

I have an 86'VR and an 87'VR and you would SWEAR they were two different types of bikes! To start the 86'VR I give full choke, hit the button, and she fires right up. Now the 87'VR (which is my favorite) If I even LOOK at the choke lever BEFORE I hit the start button, it will not start when it is cold. Here's what I do for the 87'VR:

Key on, left thumb on choke lever (but do not move lever) I then push the Start Button, once the bike fires I then use my left thumb to move the choke lever until I hit between 1500 and 2000 RPMs. Then like you said, I'm good for the rest of the day. Don't ask me why! But it works every time.... I just have to remember which bike I'm on!

Hope this helps,

Earl

[Venturous Randy]

This does not sound like your situation, but one of the problems people have on these bikes is if they are like mine, DO NOT give it ANY throttle while starting. I may give mine a little choke, but if I give it any throttle, it don't work good. I will use the choke to control RPM"s for a few seconds until it gets going.

RandyA

[Guest gerrycormier]

Thanks for ideas so far!

I had a VStar 1100 before the Venture so I know about the choke/throttle issue.

Choke is not used nor is throttle touched for first 45-60 sec of cranking but when I do try choke or throttle crank speed drops quite dramatically, because of increased compression I think. Let off on choke or throttle and crank speed is right up there again.

It almost seems like it doesn't fire enough or just occasionally, until it cranks over for a while!

Gerry

[Condor]

It seems like every one of these bikes has it's own formula for cold starting. I guess it's all part of their 'personality'. The craziest one is my '83. Full choke and then reduce it until it kicks and then go back to full in warp speed. While warming up the R's will continue to rise, and as they do I keep reducing the choke to keep the revs in the 2000 K range. Once it's warm I'm good to go. Starting is not an issue during the warmer months.

One thing you can do to help starting is change the plugs and make sure your battery is 100% charged. If you have a 'smart charger' charge it over night, and with the new plugs and charged battery see what happens. MOF if you're running an OEM wet cell battery that could be your problem. They don't have a lot of amps anyway, and during cold weather even less...

[Ozark]

Like they have all said, each bike is different. My '88 can be a little tricky in the warmer months if it hasn't been started in a few days. When it gets cooler though, just use full choke and absolutely no throttle. Usually fires up in a couple of turns. Leave choke on for a couple of minutes and enjoy the ride. I have found out that my bike runs down the highway just fine even with the choke still on. Word of caution, they get terrible gas mileage that way.

[Monty]

Remember, you get a hotter spark and much better starting if you DO NOT have both resistor caps AND resistor plugs. Since I removed the resistors from my caps, and replaced them with short pieces of #8 copper wire, the bike starts 100% better.

 

I never give any throttle when starting, unless it's flooded. You may be flooded, and if you want to test whether or not you are, then open the throttle completely, and crank it until it starts. This allows more air to enter, and usually recovers from the flooded condition.

[Guest gerrycormier]

The problems I found in order of severity:

1. CDI worked when warm but was intermittent to killing #3/#4 on attempted start up at cooler temps. New used CDI fixed problem immediately.

2. Spark plug boot ends were sparking to case when humidity was anything above desert like. Spark plug wires were also leaking. Changed both.

3. Fuse wiring was corroded and fuse holders barely holding on. Soldered in new fuse box and cleaned up all wiring around battery and top end. All lights now brighter and no hesitation when starting, no battery discharg when all lights, etc turned on.

4. Carb sync was off and I didn't notice it until I actually synced them properly.

5. Mid carb circuit was partially clogged, causing miss just above idle until hi speed circuit kicked in, but cleared after spray, new gas and a good hard run. Idle and hi speed great.

 

Thanks to all who replied to my questions and offered advice. Much appreciated!

 

Gerry:smile5:

[Flyinfool]

Glad you got it sorted out, and appreciate your posting the final resolutions.