DevilDog Posted March 24, 2008 Share #1 Posted March 24, 2008 My 84 VR is sick. Several months ago it took a full choke before it would start and then it progressed to were it would only start when it was warm. (set out in the the sun) Now it will rarely start without a spray or two of starter fluid. I have followed many of the suggestions on this site and have replaced the plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, new gas, etc. I also tuned the carbs. Once it is warmed up, it runs fine but getting it started is a major pain. If I don't have a charger on, it will crank until the battery runs out unless I give it a shot of starter fluid. Previously, after it was running and warmed up, you could shut if off and it would restart immediately. Yesterday, after I had rode it for a hour or so, I shut it off but had a heck of time getting it going again. It took several seconds of cranking it before it started. Any suggestions on what the problem might be or what to check next? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted March 24, 2008 Share #2 Posted March 24, 2008 Sounds like you have covered most of it. I think at this point, I would check the fuel pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeeze Posted March 24, 2008 Share #3 Posted March 24, 2008 Unless you can't diagnose no Spark on the Plugs, i believe your Carb-Set need a serious cleaning Job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinman Posted March 24, 2008 Share #4 Posted March 24, 2008 DD does it act like it wants to start without the choke on the first start of the day? You need to check the connectors to the tci clean and dielectic grease them any way Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilDog Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share #5 Posted March 24, 2008 DD does it act like it wants to start without the choke on the first start of the day? You need to check the connectors to the tci clean and dielectic grease them any way Jeff I just went and tried to start it without the choke. Sure enough it tried to fire up and then went back to cranking. I will clean the TCI connectors and see if that helps. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinman Posted March 24, 2008 Share #6 Posted March 24, 2008 Ok try this try starting it without the choke and when it hits start adding choke and see if it starts Let me know or you can call me 9196735095 Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted March 25, 2008 Share #7 Posted March 25, 2008 Hey Jeff, what are you getting at? What is that a symptom of? Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yammer Dan Posted March 25, 2008 Share #8 Posted March 25, 2008 Do the Sea-Foam?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilDog Posted March 27, 2008 Author Share #9 Posted March 27, 2008 Thanks for all the help. I have ran several cans of sea foam through the tank and have squirted some in the carbs but it hasn't had much effect. Haven't had a chance to take a look at the TCI yet. (Dang work keeps getting in the way). I will try to get to it tomorrow night. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil86 Posted March 27, 2008 Share #10 Posted March 27, 2008 One thing that tends to crop up on the 83-85 Ventures is leaks on the aging YICS chambers...the seams separate creating vacuum leaks, leaning out the carbs. I would think that could make for troublesome starting without choke. You could try unhooking the YICs and testing them for vacuum leaks with a Mity Vac. Some have just abandoned the YICS in place and plugged the intake ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted March 27, 2008 Share #11 Posted March 27, 2008 One thing that tends to crop up on the 83-85 Ventures is leaks on the aging YICS chambers...the seams separate creating vacuum leaks, leaning out the carbs. I would think that could make for troublesome starting without choke. You could try unhooking the YICs and testing them for vacuum leaks with a Mity Vac. Some have just abandoned the YICS in place and plugged the intake ports. I agree completely, well said Neil. I had all kinds of problems and it ended up being the YICS hose that goes to the right rear carb. I ended up taking them all off and plugging them. Bike runs a lot better. RandyA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilDog Posted March 28, 2008 Author Share #12 Posted March 28, 2008 I had a chance to take a look at the TCI tonight. The connections were pretty dirty and it looks like it may have got wet. I did wash the bike last week so that is probably how it got wet however I have been having starting problems for a long time so I don't think that is the primary cause. To be safe I am going to remove the TCI and make sure everthing is dry inside and that the internal connections are clean. What's the easiest way to remove the TCI? I didn't see any screws, etc but I am looking in from the top. Do I need to take the fairing off to get to it? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctraylor Posted March 28, 2008 Share #13 Posted March 28, 2008 Mine did the same thing once and it turned out that the choke cable came unhooked from the choke down by the carbs. I wan't turning on the choke. It would not crank cold and would run the battery down unless you gave it a shot of ether. Maybe worth a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyHorse Posted March 28, 2008 Share #14 Posted March 28, 2008 Unless you can't diagnose no Spark on the Plugs, i believe your Carb-Set need a serious cleaning Job. I would have to agree about carb clean sometimes seafoam wont do it. Mine would only start and run on full choke. It turned out to be the very small pilot jets got plugged up and seafoam wouldnt clean it out. I had to poke small wire bristles through the pilot jets to get it to run. Varnished up inside there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted March 28, 2008 Share #15 Posted March 28, 2008 I had a chance to take a look at the TCI tonight. The connections were pretty dirty and it looks like it may have got wet. I did wash the bike last week so that is probably how it got wet however I have been having starting problems for a long time so I don't think that is the primary cause. To be safe I am going to remove the TCI and make sure everthing is dry inside and that the internal connections are clean. What's the easiest way to remove the TCI? I didn't see any screws, etc but I am looking in from the top. Do I need to take the fairing off to get to it? Thanks. I believe, unfortunately that it needs to come off. The TCI mounts under the coil rack and the bolts for the rack screw from outside in. But I'm sure that others may have an easier way of doing it. If the connections were dirty, chances are you've found your problem. Good luck, Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilDog Posted March 29, 2008 Author Share #16 Posted March 29, 2008 Well I got the fairings off and have the bike pretty much tore down so that I can get to everything. I took the TCI off and took a peek inside. All the solder seems to be good and solid. As said earlier, the connections were pretty corroded so after cleaning those up I stuck the whole thing in the oven just to make sure everything is nice and dry. Thanks for the tip on the YICS. I pulled that off and sure enough there are several hairline cracks on the edges. I am not sure if it's leaking or not but I am plugging the hoses so I don't have to worry about it. Since I have it tore down, anything else I should take a look at or replace? I bought this bike a few years ago and I am sure I am the first one to see it with the fairings off since it was first built. I figured I'd replace fuses, bulbs, lube the speedometer cable, lube all electrical connections, etc. Any other areas to check out? Thanks for the tips and I appreciate all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted March 29, 2008 Share #17 Posted March 29, 2008 Since you're down that far, check and readjust your steering head bearings, might not be a bad idea to check 'em for grease while you are at it. Touch up any frame areas with spray bombs if paint is scratched off, just things that stick out at you. Check and double check all your electrical connections, even if they're clean go ahead and put some dielectric grease on them, will keep from getting problems in the future. Oh, if you want to, replace the standard fuse block with a new one. I'm not sure what the number is or where to get it, but GeorgeS or Muffinman can tell you. A good upgrade to prevent more problems. Good luck, Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shighley Posted March 30, 2008 Share #18 Posted March 30, 2008 Yo Devil Dog; While your checking electrical connections, take a look at the switch on the right handlebar. I had problems with starting after a bath (the bike, not me), and it turned out the contacts were bad and caused a voltage drop. I bypassed the thing and soldered the wires together. That TCI likes to have an honest 12V for proper function. I've also heard of sidestand switch connections causing problems. The other weird thing I noticed is idle speed has an effect on starting. When I raised mine to 1000 rpm, it started easier. Go figure! Ride safe, Steve (Semper Fi) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilDog Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share #19 Posted April 6, 2008 I hate it when I find extra parts on a bike. I found a hose (5/16) on the left side of the bike. (Pic attached) About 2 feet down there is a filter of some sort. It looks like it would have attached to the battery box but it (battery box) has a vacuum cap on the drain nipple. Any idea what its for? After capping vacuum nipples that went to the YICS, is it ok to remove the YICS chamber from the bike? Thought I'd better check in case it needs remain in place to shield the TCI and other wiring from engine heat, etc. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Posted April 6, 2008 Share #20 Posted April 6, 2008 I hate it when I find extra parts on a bike. I found a hose (5/16) on the left side of the bike. (Pic attached) About 2 feet down there is a filter of some sort. It looks like it would have attached to the battery box but it (battery box) has a vacuum cap on the drain nipple. Any idea what its for? Thanks for the help. It is a vent tube for the air box, connects to the left front corner area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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