SuzukiSavage.com - Stubborn BIOTCH

DesertRat Serious Thumper Offline I love rat bikes! Posts: 1569 Arizona	Stubborn BIOTCH 12/09/15 at 18:11:47 weather has been cooler, 30's-50's and now the bike is being very very cranky. Hard as snot to get started in the mornings. Backfiring like I ate pinto beans. What's going on?
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #1 - 12/09/15 at 18:31:25 I'd start by checking the battery voltage while the starter is engaged and be in neutral. There's no crime in putting something that burns in the intake.
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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28663 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #2 - 12/09/15 at 19:27:21 I'd start, by laying off the beans.... ... What oil are you using?... (if you are riding in that cold,... a 10W-40 would be better than a 20/50)... I think it may be too thick that early in the morning...
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Dave YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 18099 Camp Springs, Kentucky Gender:	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #3 - 12/10/15 at 03:11:39 Cooler air is more dense, and that can cause the bike to run a bit lean if you are jetted best for warm weather. What jets are in your bike? Do you have to run with the fuel enrichment lever (choke) out for an extended period?
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DesertRat Serious Thumper Offline I love rat bikes! Posts: 1569 Arizona	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #4 - 12/10/15 at 04:30:40 Justin - battery voltage = OKAY Bot - I'm running the Rotella 20/50 Dave - I haven't re-jetted yet, still stock. No choke, she won't even turn over with the choke out!
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Dave

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Re: Stubborn BIOTCH
Reply #5 - 12/10/15 at 05:13:21

DesertRat wrote on 12/10/15 at 04:30:40:

Dave - I haven't re-jetted yet, still stock. No choke, she won't even turn over with the choke out!

What does "turn over" mean to you? Does that mean the starter turns the engine over - but the engine will not start? Using the terms "won't turn over", "won't crank", etc. can be very confusing. If the starter turns the engine over - but the engine won't fire or won't start....that may be a better description for what is happening for you.

I do believe the Rotella is 15W-40....I don't think Rotella comes in a 20W-50. The oil could be too thick of oil for 30-50 degree riding. It could be that the starter is working too hard to turn the engine over and either there is not enough voltage left over to supply the ignition system adequate voltage - or the engine is rotating too slow to get a good vacuum in the carb to pull adequate fuel into the cylinder. You might try a thinner oil....I am not familiar with what 10W-40 oils are suitable for the Savage and has adequate ZDDP and is safe for the wet clutch.

However...that does not have any affect on the backfiring once the engine is running. If "stock" means you still have a #47.5 pilot jet, I would consider a #50 or #52.5 as a cold weather option.

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oldNslow

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Re: Stubborn BIOTCH
Reply #6 - 12/10/15 at 05:28:44

Dave wrote:

Quote:

I do believe the 20W-50 is too thick of oil for 30-50 degree riding. It could be that the starter is working too hard to turn the engine over and either there is not enough voltage left over to supply the ignition system adequate voltage - or the engine is rotating too slow to get a good vacuum in the carb to pull adequate fuel into the cylinder.

Exactly. Classic symptom of a weak battery. Have you tried jumping the bike from a car battery( car off) or hooking up a charger long enough to see if the bike will start ? A trickle charger probably won't do it, but a charger that puts out 10 AMPS or so wont hurt anything as long as you just use it for the jump and don't try to charge the battery with it.

Or take the battery someplace that can load test it. Sometimes just reading the voltage across the terminals doesn't tell you everything you need to know.

My bike starts just fine at 30 degrees with 15W40 Rotella so I'd suspect the battery before the oil.

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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #7 - 12/10/15 at 08:46:41 I told him to check it under load. Next question is petcock. If it's stock, put it on prime. And if I Ever wanted to make sure mine wouldn't start, all I had to do was twist the gas..
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DesertRat Serious Thumper Offline I love rat bikes! Posts: 1569 Arizona	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #8 - 12/10/15 at 14:44:50 okay, I'll throw the battery on a charger I may swap the jet out since I have a break until Monday
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #9 - 12/10/15 at 19:10:12 I can see my posts. Maybe no one else can..
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gizzo

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Re: Stubborn BIOTCH
Reply #10 - 12/11/15 at 02:18:22

JoG, I see them too... I think your idea is the right place to start. It's pretty common for a battery to suddenly give up when the weather cools down. Like JoG said,test it under load. A tired battery can easily show 12v at no load but have no amps to give. Even if it can crank the engine,there might not be enough left for the ignition system.
I find it beyond belief that a slightly thicker grade of oil could prevent an engine from starting. But what would I know?

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Re: Stubborn BIOTCH
Reply #11 - 12/11/15 at 03:30:21

gizzo wrote on 12/11/15 at 02:18:22:

I find it beyond belief that a slightly thicker grade of oil could prevent an engine from starting. But what would I know?

If other things like the battery or jetting or compression are marginal....I can see how a thicker oil might be the "final straw" that makes a difference. With thicker oil and cold weather the starter will not be able to turn the engine over as quickly, and the battery will have to provide more power.

I still don't believe it will have any affect on the backfiring/popping.

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gizzo Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiCabbage. It's Savage. Posts: 1318 Australia	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #12 - 12/11/15 at 03:49:11 If you say so.
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Steve H Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1223 Spartanburg, SC Gender:	Re: Stubborn BIOTCH Reply #13 - 12/11/15 at 04:04:00 I use Rotella 15w40 and have no problems starting mine in the cold. Low 20's is as low as I've dared to ride it and it started perfectly. I'm thinking with everyone else, look for a partially dead battery.
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DesertRat

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Re: Stubborn BIOTCH
Reply #14 - 12/11/15 at 06:22:46

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 12/10/15 at 19:10:12:

I can see my posts. Maybe no one else can..

Justin, I can see it too Wink

I'm LAZY as crappity smack, so nope, not gonna check it under load.

I pulled the battery this morning and tossed it on the charger; it's showing only a 50-75% charge. Gonna let it sit until this evening, may pull the carb and re-jet since we are expecting a bunch of rain for the next few days.

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