Start Dammit!!!!

[LMJ]

Yes. The fuel valve is open.

Yes. The choke is all the way open.

Yes. There is gas in the tank. From November with Sta-Bil as per mixing instructions on the bottle.

Yes. There is spark.

Yes, the kill switch is set to "RUN".

*WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRR
WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRR
WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRR
WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRR
WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRR
WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRR
WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRR
WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRwhirrwhirrwhirrwhirrwhirrwhirr whirr whirr
whirr whirr whirr whirr.... whirr........ whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... BZZZZT*



It worked last Thursday. Not well, but it ran.

[crevans]

Well, if you've got fuel and spark, that only leaves air and compression.

It might help to know what make and model of bike you're having trouble with too...

[LMJ]

Originally Posted by crevans

It might help to know what make and model of bike you're having trouble with too...

Yeah, but tough shit!

Honda CB550SC. 1983, electronic ignition. The choke is actually fuel enrichment, since Honda had to severly lean out the last of the air-cooled quads in order to meet emissions.

I suppose I should clean the air filter (K&N) anyhow after sitting.

But the damn thing just ran last week, and hasn't been run since... But today, not even a sputter.

[CMWoody]

Is your bike carbed? Drain it before you stored it?


Not good for continued use but it'll wake most anything from its deep slumber.

[LMJ]

Originally Posted by cmwoodys

Is your bike carbed? Drain it before you stored it?


Not good for continued use but it'll wake most anything from its deep slumber.

Carbed as in it has carbs? Yes. As in have I taken them apart this spring? No.

No, didn't drain it. Put the Sta-Bil in and shook the hell out of the bike to mix.

[scapegoat]

If you pull a plug(s) is it/they wet with fuel?

[GreaseMonkey]

+1 on the starting fluid. I think the bike is just a little ticked off at you because you didn't take her for a ride long enough to burn all of last years gas out.

I'd suggest not making that same mistake twice. :)

[Luke]

Originally Posted by LMJ

No, didn't drain it. Put the Sta-Bil in and shook the hell out of the bike to mix.

Did you run it after you put the Sta-Bil in it?

[LMJ]

Originally Posted by Luke

Did you run it after you put the Sta-Bil in it?

Yeah, then, and a week ago.

[Photog]

Charge battery.

Crank it over again.

Pull plugs (are they wet?)

Reinstall plugs. Try starting fluid.

If you didn't run it after putting stabil in the tank it may not have gotten into the carbs...you could have some junk there, hung carb float(s), etc. but typically you'll get at least a pitiful cough or something on an I4...unless all the carbs shat the bed at once.

Does that bike have a starter interlock on the sidestand? If so check to see if it's doing its thang properly. Sometimes they gunk up and get sticky.

[skeeter]

Your profile lists a cb550c. How old is the bike? Does it have points?

[LMJ]

Originally Posted by skeeter

Your profile lists a cb550c. How old is the bike? Does it have points?

1983 CB550SC.

Nah, primitive electronics.

Battery spends more time on the charger than in the bike.

I can't pull the plugs right now with the basic survival toolkit I've got on me. I'm going home next week over spring break and was hoping to take the bike to go over it properly. Similarly, if I'm gonna need to take the carbs apart, I'll need to do that before I go home; all the specialized tools are there, I've just got enough here for basic wrenching.

Doesn't have a sidestand starter interlock as far as I can find on the bike or in materials.

Does this change things at all?

When it ran last week, there was a little bit of visible puffing. White/grey, and quickly dissipaiting... Not the blue smoke of death that hangs in the air. And it was very hard to keep idling. I ran it about 20 minutes, during which it would idle normally, then start idle faster as it normally does when fuel is pouring in in excess and it's up to happy running temp. So I'd turn down the enrichment a bit, it would run and then gradually die over 30 seconds to a minute. At this point, if I opened the enrichment back up, it would surge; if I opened the throttle, it would rev, and then instantly die when I let it go back to idle. With the enrichment back to full, it would re-fire with minimal cranking.

[swjohnsey]

+2 on the starting fluid. After the bike has set long enought to dry out the plugs give it a shot of starting fluid in the air intake (no need to take off air cleaner). If it starts momentarily or even fires it ain't an ignition problem.

I have had bikes in perfect running order get persnickety and decide not to start. If the starting fluid works give it an Italian tune-up and put it away. If not you probably need points and condensor or at least need to set them.

[Photog]

You're gonna need that battery charged up to keep at this which is why I mentioned putting it back on the charger.

Originally Posted by LMJ

When it ran last week, there was a little bit of visible puffing. White/grey, and quickly dissipaiting... Not the blue smoke of death that hangs in the air. And it was very hard to keep idling. I ran it about 20 minutes, during which it would idle normally, then start idle faster as it normally does when fuel is pouring in in excess and it's up to happy running temp. So I'd turn down the enrichment a bit, it would run and then gradually die over 30 seconds to a minute. At this point, if I opened the enrichment back up, it would surge; if I opened the throttle, it would rev, and then instantly die when I let it go back to idle. With the enrichment back to full, it would re-fire with minimal cranking.

Unhappy carbs.

One more thing to check before you start playing with the carbs is the air filter. Make sure no furries have made a nest ior died in there and clogged it all to hell.

Another thing external to the carbs could be a potential air leak from dry-rot.

But see if you can convince it to start by using the starting fluid. See if you can run out the gas that's in there if you haven't drained it already. Use as little enrichner as you can once it's going so it may take a bit of finess to ease off on that. You're gonna try and burn out old gas, and clear the plugs...i.e., italian tune up.

[LMJ]

IT LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks all for your help and patience.

I pulled the air cleaner to clean it out, then hit it with the starting fluid. It went on the first try, though it's still not happy idling below 2500. I put in a bottle of carb cleaner, rode it up to the gas station, filled up the last 3/4 gallon of room in the tank, and rode it back without anything out of the ordinary.

Thanks again!

EDIT: Think I found my new avatar!