Please read and advise; not sure what to do

[BG Hawks]

Ok, I posted awhile back about the issues with my bike starting after a coolant change (see below). The shop checked it out and all was good. Wife and I even went for a ride and all was good. Monday, I go to ride the bike and it won't start again. Same thing, starter half engages and then nothing. Try several times turning key on and off and nothing. I first started with checking battery at batteries plus and it tested fine. I started tearing the bike apart and checked connections, pulled plugs just to see what I can see. I also changed the oil for fear of gas in the oil after trying to start; there was gas in the oil. Everything I checked looked good. Started it up and she ran. I synch the carbs and put it all back together and took a test ride. The engine is noiser than it was and now i have a slight vibration. Honestly my fear is that a rod is bent and I'm screwed. Was thinking of calling the shop to see if they will do a compression test.

 

Need your thoughts as I don't know where to turn.

 

Original post

 

Start with the beginning. I have 2006 RSV with 22,500 miles. Last Wednesday took it in for coolant change. Picked up and road home just under 6 miles. Kept smelling coolant on the way home. Had my son's baseball game or I would have turned around and went back. I did call the dealer and spoke to Service Desk and they told me they had issues with the coolant; splashed everywhere. Told me they checked it on the dyno; all good and washed it several times. Told me to keep an eye on it and call if issues. Been rainy all week but today could ride. Went out to start it and there was a loud clank (best I could describe as I never heard it before) and then nothing. Had power as lights and radio worked. Turned key off, let set (30 seconds) and then turned on again; had power as lights and radio worked. Pushed started button and nothing but a buzz sound. Pulled seat and battery was still wet with coolant. Even the battery holder had some coolant in it as I pulled the battery. Wiped it down and put a meter on it, registered just under 12vdc (battery is less than 2 years old). Cleaned connections, checked fuses; all good installed battery and it turned right over. Checked coolant level (why not) and it was not full, it was not low either but right in the middle.

 

I don't know if this is separate or related. My Custom Dynamics LED tail light was not working properly, was on bright all the time ( I did notice this when I picked it up at the dealer). Pulled cover off and unplugged and plugged back in and all is good.

 

Question-Is all this related to the coolant splash or do I have a starter issue? Certainly looking for thoughts from some (many) that are smarter than me! Cancelled ride today as I did not want to get stranded away from home.

[rougeray]

I'm concerned that you have gas in the oil. I have had a hydraulic lock on my bike before and it was due to putting on an aftermarket fuel pump that allowed fuel to the carbs when the bike was sitting idle. The actual problem is a carb float that is not sealing therefore gas is trickling out of the carburetor past the valves into the cylinder. When you try to start the piston cannot compress the liquid and it jams the starter. It took about 4 times of this happening before I figured out what it was. I was very lucky that I didn't do damage to the engine. If this is what's happening to you when you press the start button it sounds like the starter is gonna come out of the side of the engine ie a very loud bang. It happened every time I filled the gas tank up and let it sit overnight. The head pressure from a full tank allowed fuel to flow into the cylinder. Gas is getting into the cylinder around the rings and into the oil. Soooo you can damage the engine two ways. Gas in the oil and trying to compress a liquid which can damage a piston or connecting rod. If this is what's happening to you turn the fuel petcock off every time you stop the engine. That will allow you to ride but the ultimate fix is removing the carbs and finding out why a float is not sealing when the bowl is full.

[rougeray]

Concerning your original problem you said you measured your battery voltage and you said it was just under 12 vdc. That buzzing noise you heard was probably your starter relay. Battery voltage should be up around 12.6 vdc. The relay is located on the left side of the bike. You have to take the left side cover off, the passenger foot rest and plastic cover behind it. Look it over real good as it develops corrosion. The positive cable from the battery and the cable to the starter are attached. If battery voltage is low the relay will not fully engage and make a buzzing noise. I have replaced that relay twice due to corrosion. The last time I coated all connection with dielectric grease. Seems to be ok now. Even if you have a fully charged battery it can give you that buzzing noise due to corrosion that will not allow full power from the battery. BTW that relay has two 30 amp fuses. One is a spare the other is the main fuse for the bike. I would pull the main fuse out and look for corrosion. It may not want to come out if it's corroded real bad. You could have two different problems here. Gas leaking into the cylinder and corrosion at the starter relay. What ever you find post it so we can learn from your problem.

[Flyinfool]

I do not know if it is possible to spill enough antifreeze to get some into the cylinder and cause a hydro lock. Check your air cleaners, if they are wet with antifreeze then the dealer did get some into the engine. This could easily damage the engine.

 

I never measured the conductivity of anti freeze to see if it can short things out. My guess is that it is conductive enough to drain the battery and cause other electrical issues.

 

If you think you have gas leaking into the engine, Pull the plugs and then turn it over. if there is gas in a cylinder it will spray out the plug hole and not hydro lock.

 

Be very careful you do not ignite the gas spraying out of the engine.

 

Depending on where the engine stopped in its rotation relative to the cylinder with liquid in it has a lot to do with what happens. if the hydro lock happens as the first piston is coming up with only starter power, it will stop the starter with likely no damage, If a cylinder fires Before the cylinder with liquid comes up on compression stroke then you are likely to break something as now you have both the power of the starter and the power of the cylinder that has fired as well as the inertia of the rotating assembly all hitting that one point for a hard stop. All that energy has to go somewhere.

 

You said you had gas in the oil, are you sure it was not antifreeze?

 

I'm not sure just where to start, You may have multiple issues which always makes it harder to diagnose. You seem to have symptoms that should be completely unrelated.

[k9cottage]

have you tried putting a 19mm socket on the crankshaft nut and turning it by hand [anti clock wise] this would either confirm or reject the competition lock theory .if you can turn by hand then you will know it is on the electrical side .

[MikeWa]

1. Coolant splashed all over is not normal during a fluid change. Why did they run the bike on the dyno?

Did they run the bike on the dyno and overheat it or what? I am concerned about heads.

2. Battery below 12 volts indicates a problem. Battery, stator or connections etc.

3. Tail light on bright sounds like a brake switch stuck on. Possible coolant contamination but unlikely.

4. No start. Yes check as k9cottage suggested.

[XV1100SE]

A thought on possible anti-freeze in the oil....when you took the bike in for the coolant change, did they also do an oil change? If they aren't familiar with the Venture....wondering if they had the oil filler cover off and then pulled the freeze plugs (behind false fins). That is one way anti-freeze could have mixed with oil.

 

If they aren't familiar with Ventures, they wouldn't know what happens when you pull the freeze plugs and them saying "they had issues with the coolant; splashed everywhere" would explain that. And if they pulled the freeze plugs before draining the rad...they would have quite the mess !

 

[BG Hawks]

Thanks for the replys! Taking the bike in next week to have it tore down and inspected including a compression test. I will keep everyone posted.

[XV1100SE]

Thanks for the replys! Taking the bike in next week to have it tore down and inspected including a compression test. I will keep everyone posted.

 

Taking it to the same shop ? Are they a Yamaha dealer?

[BG Hawks]

Yes, I am taking it to the same shop and they are a Yamaha Dealer. The mechanic that will look at my bike is Yamaha Gold Certified. I know the service manager from a past life where he helped me out. Some may say that I'm taking a leap of faith with them and yes I am. Fingers crossed that all is good and I can ride the rest of the year. Thanks for the question!!

[XV1100SE]

Even the Yamaha dealers don't see very many Ventures since they run forever and a lot of us do our own maintenance. I'm lucky that the shop I go to occasionally has a senior mechanic that knows the bike. He may be the only one since any time I've taken it in he's been the only mechanic that has worked on the bike.

[BG Hawks]

Just got the bike back from the shop and all was good. Ran a check on electrical and battery and all good, then did the compression test and had good marks there. Mind is at ease but still keep an eye on it. Thanks for the thoughts and comments.

[Flyinfool]

So did they tell you what all they had to fix/clean/replace?

[Phoneman1981]

Two different Yamaha shops have worked on my bike. Not 100% satisfied with either one of them. Overlooked worn brake pads from one dealer and other dealer forgot to tighten caliper bolts. Because of their efforts and thanks to this site no one but me has touched my bike since. The friendships and support from members here have greatly increased my knowledge and confidence.