also posted on cbr forums 04CBR600RR won't idle or run correctly

[JettaJayGLS]

Hey guys, heres my post directly from cbrforums. I really could use all the help I could get, so any info here would be appreciated. Wanna get back on the road ASAP

OKay, so last night, I was out watching some fireworks...on the way home there was a stupid amount of traffic. My temp got up to 220, no higher, and my bike wouldn't idle anymore. It would just die. If I gave it gas, and kept on feathering the gas, it would run absolutely fine. I thought it was weird cause its been as hot as 224 and ran fine. Either way, i pulled over, waited for the temp to get back down to 190, then drove home perfectly fine with it idling normally.

So today, I go to start my bike, won't start. It turns over, no lights are flashing or staying on. The FI light and the oil light will turn on for about 10 seconds when i turn the key, but then turn themselves off. I think this is what always happens though, but i'm not positive. It will start if I feather the throttle, and keep it above 2 grand, sound horrible, but if i let go it will die. If I try to rev it to about 7 or 8, it sounds horrible, sputters a bit, and really won't let me rev it any higher than that. While i have it running, it has some smoke coming out of the exhaust, not a lot, and its not dark, but its more smoke than normal.

I just changed my oil about 500 miles ago with GN4 and an OEM oil filter, did about 300 miles over the weekend,

I tried searching this forum with no luck, so now I am just going page by page trying to find the problem.

I have a service manual, I am VERY mechanically inclined, and would love to fix this problem ASAP.

I also have adjusted the idle screw to try to get it to idle, but like an idiot i did not mark it where it originally was, so does anyone know the stock setting? Like all the way tight then how many turns out?

Thank you, I REALLY need to get this thing running while it actually isn't raining.

I forgot to mention in my first post that i tried disconnecting the battery to allow the ECU to reset, cause I know that can help with cars, but no luck

[butcher bergs]

Gotta disconnect the battery for at least a half hour to reset the ECU.

So what you're saying is, the instant your bike hit 224* it started to crap out?

[JettaJayGLS]

Gotta disconnect the battery for at least a half hour to reset the ECU.

So what you're saying is, the instant your bike hit 224* it started to crap out?

I'll leave it disconnected overnight and see if that does anything.

And what I am saying is that the night it started acting funny it only got to 220, but in the past it has ran perfectly fine at 224. Which kind of rules out overheating.

[butcher bergs]

It's not throwing codes (FI light) either?

At this point I wanna suggest you have water in the fuel system but I won't suggest that just yet.

[JettaJayGLS]

It's not throwing codes (FI light) either?

At this point I wanna suggest you have water in the fuel system but I won't suggest that just yet.

Yeah, here is my plan of attack for tommorow...

drain gas, throw some stabilizer in with new gas (not NOS energy drink), check plugs, check each cylinder for spark, look for things that would be obviously wrong like an unplugged sensor or something.

Too late to do it tonight, and I figured I would let the question soak overnight before I start tearing into it incase this was a common problem.

And there are no codes being thrown.

[scubasteveRR]

well to rule out overheating even more my 600rr got up to 235 sitting in traffic at Hampton beach and had no issues...

I have a 03-04 service manual printed already if you want it. it was to my last bike. or if you just want the pdf version i could upload it somewhere for you to download but it... Let me know

The overheating thing brings up a good question... at what point should you shut off the bike and to avoid doing any harm. when it hit 235 I was getting worried and almost shut it off to let it cool off??

[JettaJayGLS]

well to rule out overheating even more my 600rr got up to 235 sitting in traffic at Hampton beach and had no issues...

I have a 03-04 service manual printed already if you want it. it was to my last bike. or if you just want the pdf version i could upload it somewhere for you to download but it... Let me know

The overheating thing brings up a good question... at what point should you shut off the bike and to avoid doing any harm. when it hit 235 I was getting worried and almost shut it off to let it cool off??

I have the manual, thank you though

[butcher bergs]

The overheating thing brings up a good question... at what point should you shut off the bike and to avoid doing any harm. when it hit 235 I was getting worried and almost shut it off to let it cool off??

There's an electric fan for a reason but 240+ can't be any good....that's why I ride bikes that don't have but a single LED for overtemp.

No display, no worries!

[JettaJayGLS]

So I swapped the plugs 17 bucks a piece I almost had a heart attack when the guy told me.

Checked each coilpack for spark, all had em.

Swapped the plugs, biked fired up idled, and ran great, but the idle is a little bouncy....kinda making me nervous. It might have always been like that, not too positive, but it feels a bit bouncy.

Any thoughts?

[butcher bergs]

Let the ECU re-learn? I'd give it some time regardless.

FWIW; My F4i has an extremely lumpy idle when the enrichening circuit closes but the motor's still "cold". It literally has a "whomp" to it until I start riding it around.

[JettaJayGLS]

Let the ECU re-learn? I'd give it some time regardless.

FWIW; My F4i has an extremely lumpy idle when the enrichening circuit closes but the motor's still "cold". It literally has a "whomp" to it until I start riding it around.

Hopefully that does it, I only took it out for maybe a mile but revved it up to 12-13k in first and it pulled as strong as ever. I've been SUPER sick lately, and i was struggling just to get the work done on it so maybe this weekend I'll get some more time on the bike.

[nilez]

shot in the dark... check the rectifier.

EDIT: maybe not, I didn't read the entire thread. Wouldn't hurt to check anyway!

[johnnym]

my rr runs fine over 220 the fan should kick on at 220 too
but it sounds like you fixed it

[BMFR6]

dirty TPS?

[snwbrdr435]

You get sick as soon as my bike is on the road ghey

[Cerberus]

did the plugs that came out show any signs of failure or excessive wear?
if not, then i would suspect that the plugs were not the cause but rather a coincidental improvement was seen when they were replaced.

if the fan should have come on at 220.. did it?

did you have any rain/ bike get wet?

if so, possibly moisture in the spark plug wells causing spark leak remedied by the plug change.

otherwise i got nothing.
screw it, its running, go ride it and forget about the issue.

[JettaJayGLS]

did the plugs that came out show any signs of failure or excessive wear?
if not, then i would suspect that the plugs were not the cause but rather a coincidental improvement was seen when they were replaced.

if the fan should have come on at 220.. did it?

did you have any rain/ bike get wet?

if so, possibly moisture in the spark plug wells causing spark leak remedied by the plug change.

otherwise i got nothing.
screw it, its running, go ride it and forget about the issue.

Haha, yes the fans still come on.

I had JUST washed the bike that day, but i've also ridden this thing in HEAVY downpours and washed it before with no issues.

Thats what I was thinking, of this just being one of the smaller problems and there being another bigger one somewhere.

The plugs were alright, I've seen worse, but i am 95% positive these were the original plugs with 15k on em. They were a bit rounded and pointed at the top, and a bit dark, but as I said, I have definitely seen worse.

Don't mind my stupidity, but what is the rectifier? And my TPS do you mean temp sensor?

[Cerberus]

rectifier coverts the AC created by the stator into ~14VDC that your bike uses.
techincally the rectifier just turn AC into DC and the regulator would do the voltage control but since both are intertwine inside the same 'box' these days, the terms get mushed together and misused a lot

TPS = throttle position sensor

[BMFR6]

TPS=Throttle Position Sensor

the tps lets your ecu know how much you are twisting the throttle, the ecu in turn is going to control your fuel injectors. if the tps is dirty/damaged it cannot provide accurate information to the ecu. the reason you have the issue starting or at idle (again, thinking of a volume knob), the low end of the tps gets the most wear and tear.

again, just a thought as your symptoms were very similar to what I and a lot of other r6 owners have experienced

[Jim]

if you have a bad rectifier, i've heard CBR owners will often swap it for a gsxr rectifier and never have a problem after.

[JettaJayGLS]

Had the bike out today, ran great, but idle is still a bit iffy....any good way of checking the rectifier and the TPS? Or do you just replace em? Costly parts?

Let me elaborate on the idle thing actually....

I'll start the bike, it will idle smooth at 1k. I will drive, come back, it will be at 1300, i will drive again, come back, it will be at 800, I cant really point a finger on a pattern either.

[butcher bergs]

You'll have to do some searching with regards to checking and setting the TPS.

Why not ride it for more than a mile before you start tossing money at the bike? You say it runs fine but the idle is questionable but you're not sure if it was like that before......see where this is going?

[BMFR6]

TPS

[JettaJayGLS]

You'll have to do some searching with regards to checking and setting the TPS.

Why not ride it for more than a mile before you start tossing money at the bike? You say it runs fine but the idle is questionable but you're not sure if it was like that before......see where this is going?

I put about 30 miles on it today

I just dont want the same thing to happen as before and I get stranded. Luckily when it stopped running it was parked at home.

[Bandit12k]

plugs.

simple...

Take your old plugs, go to walmart, and match them up.

One thing i've learned through my many years of tinkering, and years of tuning, and years of "sooping" things up, Plugs go easy, and all the time... Run it too hot, too rich, or too lean just once, and it can get a slight dusty coating on it that acts like rubber insulation around a wire.

I am a welder, and if you've ever welded with fluxcore, or tried to weld over rusty metal, you'll understand it doesn't take much to knock out that spark!!!!!!!!!
And that's at 220V, with a WHOLE LOT of amps.
A 12v spark at only a few amps is easily muffed by just a poof of sweet baby pampering honda post intake fairy powder.

17$ is rediculous for plugs... completely un needed.... Go to Wally-world. (walmart)
a 2$ plug will do EXACTLY the same thing as the 25$ quad tipped super delux plug.

Electronics lesson : Even with 4 tips on that spark plug, you will still only get ONE arc of spark. The easiest path of travel for the juice to get to.


'nuff said.
The young one has spoken.