SuzukiSavage.com - Bike start problem

TheProduct2007

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Bike start problem
09/23/13 at 08:17:06

I have a 96 savage with 12500 miles. Recently I've been having problems getting it started. In order to start the bike, you can not put the choke on or even half on. You have to apply some to almost full throttle and then it will fire. Once it starts some white smoke will come out of the exhaust but that is just for a second. I do have oil leaking from the head gasket too but it's been like that before the issue with starting. What is the issue with this?

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Dave

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Re: Bike start problem
Reply #1 - 09/23/13 at 09:29:06

My bike never needed the choke (fuel enrichment) lever to start.....but I never tried when the weather was below 50, and I never had to crank the throttle open.

Your symptoms sound like the engine is getting too much fuel. Do this test and see if you petcock is working properly. Do the entire test....not just part of it.
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1251932429/1

Your oil leak is not the head gasket......it is most likely the head plug. Just to the side (foot brake side) of the exhaust port is a hole where you can see the nut on the right front cylinder stud. Just above this is a rubber plug that leaks oil......and it has to be replaced to correct the oil leak problem. Use the search function and look up "head plug leak" or go to the Index in the Technical Section to find the repair process.

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TheProduct2007 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 90	Re: Bike start problem Reply #2 - 09/23/13 at 10:09:21 I have the Yamaha petcock replacement and there it does look like the head gasket is leaking. There is oil on both cooling fins I have a picture of it but it's too large to attach I can email a pic or text it if you want
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TheProduct2007 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 90	Re: Bike start problem Reply #3 - 09/23/13 at 19:28:38 I just got in my new drag bars and I was tightening the screw to the clutch lever and it wouldn't tighten but it would still catch, I unscrewed it to find out that the inside of the clutch lever is stripped. Does anyone have any suggestions?
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Bike start problem Reply #4 - 09/23/13 at 22:22:39 Probe the hole to see if a longer bolt can be used.
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TheProduct2007 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 90	Re: Bike start problem Reply #5 - 09/23/13 at 22:55:30 How would a longer bolt help? Wouldn't the bolt need to be wider instead? Sorry I'm just trying to understand
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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Bike start problem
Reply #6 - 09/23/13 at 23:01:18

If thereare enough threads "down there" that havent been ruined, a longer bolt may have enough to engage.. If not, then if you can use a fatter bolt in that location w/o ruining anything, then you could tap the hole out. You may have to drill first. I dont remember where the bolt youre talking about is, exactly.,I do know that certain taps require a certain drilled hole size. Cant just shove the next size up tap in a hole.,
IDK the diameter of the bolt, or which is the next closest size up. its possible that an SAE tap/& bolt would be the closest. It doesnt Have to be metric,.,it just needs to not take more material than necessary

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babyhog

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Re: Bike start problem
Reply #7 - 09/24/13 at 05:32:37

TheProduct2007 wrote on 09/23/13 at 10:09:21:

I have the Yamaha petcock replacement and there it does look like the head gasket is leaking. There is oil on both cooling fins I have a picture of it but it's too large to attach I can email a pic or text it if you want

Seeing that you don't have many posts, we used to have alot of trouble with picture size. Third-party picture host works best, here are instructions -- http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1347074669

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TheProduct2007 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 90	Re: Bike start problem Reply #8 - 09/24/13 at 06:29:23 Hey justin thanks, I got a better understanding for that now. It is the cap head screw that goes into the clutch lever assembly to loosen it up.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Bike start problem Reply #9 - 09/24/13 at 06:32:45 Well,, I no l;onger have a Savage to look at,, I soldmine
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TheProduct2007 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 90	Re: Bike start problem Reply #10 - 09/24/13 at 06:38:26 I understand, this is my first bike and I'm slowly bobbing it. I just got a lot of different issues that are popping up because it was sitting for three years before I bought it
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Bike start problem Reply #11 - 09/24/13 at 06:51:39 Well,, steel bolts in aluminum threads can sure ( pardon the pun) screw things up. Patience, attention to seating a tool correctly, hitting the stuff youre gonna mess with tomorrow with some penetrating oil today,,the right tools,, all thesethings pay off,
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TheProduct2007 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 90	Re: Bike start problem Reply #12 - 09/24/13 at 08:42:27 Here is a pic of the oil leak
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Re: Bike start problem
Reply #13 - 09/24/13 at 08:43:06

Lever or the perch the lever rides in? Just pulled all that mess off mine yesterday, can fish it out of the junk bin if needed. Stateside you can send me your mailing address, I'll drop it in a padded mailer and send it your way. The perch on mine has good threads, but the inside is a bit wallowed out. Lever assembley and safety switch are fine. Perch would require a touch of shimming to get it to hold tight, piece of beer can works fine.

If you aren't stateside, it isn't worth shipping, postage costs more than the parts would new.

I switched to a drum front brake, so need to change to matching brake and clutch perches/levers. Brit spec stuff.

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TheProduct2007 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 90	Re: Bike start problem Reply #14 - 09/24/13 at 08:44:42 The top cooling fins have no oil on them but the bottom ones are almost drenched in it. The bike is hard to start so I have to apply a lot of throttle to get it started without the choke on and it will puff some white smoke for the initial startup but afterwards it doesn't smoke.
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