need help with 83 venture

[noel cassidy]

I bought a 1983 Venture, loaded with bling, 83,000 miles on her for a reasonable price. Overall condition is excellent. Bike starts right up and runs great. I installed new tires and brake pads and bled the brake system out and did some other small things to get it ready for riding season. My first ride was about 22 miles out and 22 back. Bike ran great on the way down, that is until I pulled into a radio shack to pick up some resistors. The bike stalled upon parking it,so I turned the key off, went in and got what i needed, came out and tried starting the bike. It wouldn't start, turned over fine and stumbled a bit but wouldn't start. I let it sit for about 5 minutes trying to figure out what i would have to do if the bike wouldn't fire. Turned the key back on, hit the button, and boom, she fires up. Rode it back, 22 miles. with no issues. Well the other day it did the same thing,only on a shorter ride. It seems to me that it is getting no gas and then all of a sudden it will cure itself. I know it would be either spark or fuel delivery. Has anyone else had a similar situation happen. I had a situation with an 86 venture where the fuel lines were braking down from the inside causing the floats in the carbs to screw up. This problem with the 83 seems to be something to do with fuel delivery, or as I said ignition problem. Just looking for suggestions.

[bkuhr]

Seems when mine does this I find I had mistakenly bumped the e-stop, and finally get it reset in process of resetting everything else. Peculiar only does this only when stopped and ready to shut down. I had considered adding a 'e-stop active' warning indicator, but finally learned to check it first.

[abusive throttle cranker]

Dunno what to tell ya Noel. It could be so many things. The coils may fail when heated up. I suggest you check it out a bit and try to narrow the possibilities.

[Power Trippin]

Sounds electrical, go thru all connectors. Disconnect, look for signs of corrossion on the terminals. You can get electrical terminal cleaning spray at most automotive stores. re-connect the connectors and disconnect them at least 3 times, then apply dielectric grease to all terminals. Check the ground connections on the bike. Might need to remove the handlebar controls with the start button and check the connections in there too. Keep us posted on the process and everyone here will help the best we can. Don't give up on her, shes a great bike, I've got one too. So I, as well as many other people on this site, can testify to that.

[Duck]

I have the same bike 83 and it is doing the same thing.

It will run just fine and fire first thing but after i start riding it dies and wont fire back up it will idle in my garage for how ever long i keep it in there it will get to running temp i can crank the gas and it doesnt die, But when i take it up or down the street when i go to down shift or even just slow down the bike dies and odesnt want to fire unless i choke it then i am unable to release the choke for a long time and try to baby it back to were it will run with no choke in the garage just fine.

I am going to look into the fuel lines right now and fuel filter thats what i start with in these problems because its the easiest to fix.

 

Let me know if you find anything out i will be following this and working on my bike as well

[utadventure]

When it dies and then refuses to restart.....

 

turn the key on....can you hear the fuel pump ticking? It will only do so for a few seconds and then will stop. turn the key off and then back on.....does the fuel pump tick again?

 

If so, your starving for fuel. The fuel system isn't keeping the carb bowls full while you're going. Could be plugged petcock (switch to reserve), bad fuel filter, pump going out, carb problems, etc.

 

Good luck!

 

Dave

[Duck]

i have been running cleaner in it just the last day since i just bought it 2 days ago.

I just went and pulled the fuel filter out BAM!!! rust.

Came out in little chunks so i am going to be taking the tank off today and giving it a cleaning.

 

I am going to start a thread on my bike as to not start posting in someone elses

[Yammer Dan]

Bad fuel cap? Not venting and shutting off fuel flow? When it stops open fuel cap and see if you can hear it sucking air in. And check to see if this helps to restart. You may not hear the air, depends on how much it is shutting down but if you open cap and it restarts check and see if fuel pump takes off when you open cap.

 

Hey Duck be carefull if you pull that tank. Had a 83 that rusted completely thru the bottom. I would just replace filter and watch it see how much is coming thru. Or add filter and drain tank completely in container to see how much rust is there.

[abusive throttle cranker]

You can remove the fuel sending unit mounted in the top. Then look inside, siphon, whatever ya need to do.

[Condor]

If the only thing you're doing is turning off the bike and then having starting problems, IMHO, it's electrical, in the ignition switch, or kill switch area. Work the kill back and forth with a little cleaner squirted in the module. Do the same with the ignition switch. See if it happens again. If it was getting fuel and runing fine when you turned it off...fuel isn't the issue. Also check the fuse box and make sure the fuses are making good contact.....

[bongobobny]

Wow, good luck with this one! It can be a bunch of things that you will need to troubleshoot! I would start with carrying a spare good spark plug and when it quits like that quick pull one of the plug wires and connect it to the spare plug and hold the plug against the frame of any good ground and crank it over to see if you have spark or not. In the mean time run a half can of Seafoam along with a tank of gas through it to help clean the carbs and fuel system, can't hurt and does help!

 

If you are losing spark get back to us and we will take it from there. As mentioned, there is a multitude of possibilities causing your problem...

[Duck]

Have you been able to look in to the problem more?

If it seems like fuel start cheap and work your way to more money start with plugs in lines and filters.Then start replacing any of those that are messed up.then from there go to carbs or the more intense expensive stuff.

 

I would try pulling the fuel filter off turning it around and blowing it out see if anything comes out if there is anytihng replace it and take it for a ride if it does it again check the inside of the petcock for a plug and blow it out.

thats the basic stuff to start with for fuel

[noel cassidy]

want to thank everyone for input on this one. Was in South America for a week so haven't had time to rip into the reason for what is going on. My first thought is to check the fuel system delivery, filter, petcock and gas tank. Replace fuel lines and check fuel pump. If all proves well, then i guess it is time to check the electrical end of it. again thanks to all. Will try to update on this as I figure things out.

[noel cassidy]

Back to the Venture. Other day I started the bike up. It started a bit hard but did fire and ran fine for a few minutes, enough to warm the engine up and then it died. It would not start again. I did notice that the I was not hearing the clicking sound of the fuel pump when turning the key off and back on. I am thinking that I may have a fuel delivery problem. My plan is to drain the tank to check for rust, replace fuel filter and check fuel lines. Don't know if there is a test for the fuel pump but that would be my next step in the process. May be as simple as a loose electrical connection. Will keep you all posted.

[bongobobny]

You may end up having to replace your 30 year old fuel pump, the points inside are probably shot. There are a few aftermarket units that will work out for you...

[Marcarl]

I would start with the fuse box, check all the fuses by taking them out, check them and then put them back in, in the process you will find some loose holders and when you go to tighten them up, you find that they break, so then you will need to fix that first. If that doesn't clear your problem, replace the fuel filter, and the fuel line going from the pump to the carbs, for it has been known to cause problems. If those two areas don't give you satisfaction you'll have to become more sophisticated.

[mralex714]

When the bike dies are you in gear or neutral? I ask this because mine would stall when stopping while in gear. The point I bled my clutch problem solved.

Edited May 5, 2013 by mralex714

[noel cassidy]

Bike dies when in neutral. I know if it quits while in gear it could be a faulty kick stand switch.

I do think it to be a fuel delivery problem. Haven't had the time to check into it as I have been traveling for business quite a bit. Now have some time so will try to get to the bottom of this problem.

[dacheedah]

I would start with the fuse box, check all the fuses by taking them out, check them and then put them back in, in the process you will find some loose holders and when you go to tighten them up, you find that they break, so then you will need to fix that first. If that doesn't clear your problem, replace the fuel filter, and the fuel line going from the pump to the carbs, for it has been known to cause problems. If those two areas don't give you satisfaction you'll have to become more sophisticated.

 

Echo Carl, if you still have glass fuses, replace the fuse box with an updated one. Those electrical gremlins hit at the most inopportune time.

[noel cassidy]

HAve checked the fuse box and all the fuse holders are in good shape and the fuses are not blown. I plan on updating the fuse box with a more modern unit as the 86 venture I owned had fuse problems and broken terminals. I updated that one and had no problems there after. Have removed the bags and side covers, next I will drain the tank to check for funk. Then look at the fuel pump to see if it is the problem. Funny thing though, the fuel pump seems to work when cold, but cannot hear it clicking when the bike dies. Turn the key on and off and nothing., no clicking noise.

[bongobobny]

Noel, there is several possibilities that can be going on. Yes, the fuel pump can be thermally sensitive but so can the "fuel pump" relay! The fuel pump relay is the one on the right side of those 5 relays across the front of the fairing front frame, or to the left if you are standing in front of the bike and looking at it.

 

First, a little info on the fuel pump relay, which is more than just a relay. On the primary circuit of the relay there is a 5 second countdown circuit that allows voltage to the fuel pump. Along with this circuit there is another detector circuit that is looking for the presence of ignition spark. As long as spark is detected the relay stays closed keeping voltage to the fuel pump. If spark is not detected then the relay is opened shutting off voltage to the fuel pump. The count down timer is engaged every time you turn the key back on.

 

OK, armed with this information, here's what to do. Have a 12 volt source available such as a spare battery or a pair of wires from your battery ready and warm the bike up until the symptom comes back. As soon as it stalls out, turn the key off for a few seconds to a minute and then back on and listen for the fuel pump to click for a few seconds. If it does not click, apply 12 volts directly to the fuel pump wires and listen for clicks. If it does click then your overpriced fuel pump relay is bad. If it does not click then your fuel pump may be thermally sensitive and needs replacing. Now keep in mind there could be some other kind of problem and your carbs may be full of gas which will also prevent the fuel pump from clicking but that is remote...

[noel cassidy]

Back with an update. I removed the fuel delivery line to the fuel pump and drained the tank through a paint filter to check for rust or debris. The gas was clean and no rust appeared. Removed the fuel pump. Removed the line going to the carbs and noticed gas poured out of it.Tested the fuel pump and it seemed to work as it should (clicking noise). It is my understanding that the fuel system being a pressurized type, the fuel pump would not click if there were fuel through the system into the carbs and would activate only when needed too, or when fuel level in the carbs was down. The fuel pump itself looks new, like out of the box new, but that means nothing here. i now have to wonder if I have a spark problem, like maybe the coils are failing when they get hot. The first time this scenario happened I had ridden the bike about 22 miles, pulled into a radio shack and it quit. Started up again after about 15 minutes or so and ran the 22 miles back to my shop. The next time it took less then 5 miles for the problem to arise. The last time, I started the bike up and let it idle for a bit before it quit running. Would not restart after that. Suppose I need to check for spark. Is there a way to check the coils? What is the availability of coils?

[bongobobny]

If it is an ignition issue, I would suspect the TCI before I would suspect more than one coil failing at the same time. These engines are quite strong and will still run on 3 cylinders or even 2...

[Marcarl]

You might have an electrical issue, where the circuit heats up and then the connection comes apart,,,,, check your fuse box next time. when it shuts down, immediately check for power on the load side of the fuse box with the ignition turned on. You'll need to take a multi-meter along for this.

[noel cassidy]

Makes a lot of sense that the coils would probably not be the cause of my problem, seeing as there are 4 of them and very unlikely they would all crap out at the same time. The TCI unit, now that is another question. Are they available?