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CRF will only run for 20 seconds

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Dago52

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Hello all, its been a long time. Since I sold my CRF250L to my nephew, he now has a problem. The bike recently had the fork seals replaced and he just got it back from the shop. He has been riding for about 3 days and now it will only run for approximately 20 seconds. He brought the bike to me and it need an air filter. All the connections look good and we are getting a good spark. I unplugged the EJK and that didn't help. The only mod he has done is removed the spark arrestor from the FMF Q4, but that was 3 days ago. He did confirm that he was riding the bike and all of a sudden it started to bog down and then it would only run for approximately 20 seconds. 

 

thanks 

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Red Rider-

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Hello all, its been a long time. Since I sold my CRF250L to my nephew, he now has a problem. The bike recently had the fork seals replaced and he just got it back from the shop. He has been riding for about 3 days and now it will only run for approximately 20 seconds. He brought the bike to me and it need an air filter. All the connections look good and we are getting a good spark. I unplugged the EJK and that didn't help. The only mod he has done is removed the spark arrestor from the FMF Q4, but that was 3 days ago. He did confirm that he was riding the bike and all of a sudden it started to bog down and then it would only run for approximately 20 seconds. 

 

thanks

I'd start by trouble shooting the fuel pump. I had a similar intermittent issue..... it turned out to be a bad pump.

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Red Rider-

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I thought of that. I just cranked and there is a bad noise coming from the crank case. Now Im thinking the valve could possibly be out of adjustment.

Will it start at all? You originally said it would run for 20 sec and die. Give us as much detail on the symptoms as you can.... Then we can brainstorm this thing!

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gnath9

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Yes, it will run for approximately 20 seconds and then dies. It does run really rough and I have to throttle it to keep it running for the 20 seconds.

 

Is it possible the kid dumped some bad gas in it ?  ....  :excuseme:  I'm just tossing out a crazy idea is all ..... 

 

I know when I was 16 and had no money I dumped some gas in my bike from a friends Dad's garage that was a pre mix for the chain saws or something ....  ?  man did that sucker smoke .... ?  My bike at the time was a oil injected 2 stroke and it never hurt the bike ... just fouled the plug and ran like crap. 

Edited by gnath9
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Dago52

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He filled the bike up a couple of days ago from a local gas station. It's possible I guess.

I now notice it kills the battery quick when trying to crank it. I took the battery out if my KTM and it cranked the Honda once and then it wouldn't crank. Put the battery back in the KTM and she cranked with no problems.

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Red Rider-

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The issue you've described doesn't sound battery or valve related to me. Like Gnath pointed out it could be as simple as bad fuel. How does the oil look in the sight glass? Check fuses? The problem the bike is having will likely be isolated to a faulty component. Not likely to be several different things.

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Red Rider-

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Is your MIL light on or does it flash when you turn on the ignition? Here's some trouble shooting ideas from the service manual. This is where I'd start based on what you've mentioned.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Engine won't start . Deteriorated fuel . Bent or kinked fuel hose . Bent or kinked fuel tank-to-EVAP canister hose (U.S.A. type) . Bent or kinked fuel tank breather hose (Canada type) . Clogged fuel filter . Faulty fuel pump or its drive circuit . lntake air leak . Faulty fuel injector . Faulty IACV . Faulty ignition system . Faulty ECM . Faulty bank angle sensor or its related circuit . Faulty fuel pump relay or its related circuit . Faulty engine stop switch or its related circuit . Blown Fl, IGN fuse (10 A)

Engine stall, hard to start, rough idling . Deteriorated fuel . Bent or kinked fuel hose . Bent or kinked fuel tankto-EVAP canister hose (U.S.A. type) . Bent or kinked fuel tank breather hose (Canada type) . Faulty IACV . lntake air leak . Faulty ignition system . Faulty MAP sensor . Faulty charging system

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Ducky Dog

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Im gonna guess here...

I am no EFI guru but I do know a few things,,,,

I would start with removeing the fuel line to the injector or where ever it attaches to from the tank

put the hose into a clear bottle and turn the key on,, the fuel pump should run and squirt fuel into the bottle

this will tell you if the pump runs and the condition of the fuel

 

the kids probably not telling something,, maybe!

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Tro1086

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If batteries are having a hard time turning the bike over but fine in another bike (good battery) then it sounds like it could be some bad bearings or something in the motor, like something is bound up and not moving freely.  Is the bike trying to lurch forward at all?  Try starting it with the rear wheel in the air?  If its some kind of clutch or tranny problem then the wheel should spin without killing the motor that way.  Try turning the motor over by hand and see how it feels, is it binding up or hard to turn?  Mine turns over very easy by hand.  Take the large case plug out on the left side, above the tip of the shifter, then you can use a socket (17mm I think) and turn the crank by hand, manual says to only turn it counter-clockwise.  I had to use my biggest screwdriver and wack it with a hammer a bunch of times to get that case plug to finally break loose.  Or you can put the rear wheel in the air, put in 6th gear, and use the wheel to turn it over.  You would get a better feel of things turning it by the crank thou.  You can also pull the spark plug out so you are not getting any resistance from compression, then you would really feel if you had some bad bearings binding things up.  The fact that it will start thou and run for about 20 seconds before it dies makes me think it could be related to heat or not enough oil on the bearings also.

 

When a good battery is having trouble turning the motor over, it makes me think theres something physical inside thats binding up or dragging pretty bad.  The only other thing I can see related to a good battery struggling to turn the motor over, is if you have a short somewhere that is drawing a big load from the battery and sucking the voltage down, but I think youd probably notice something burning if you had a short like that.  If you have a volt meter check the battery out of the bike, in the bike and everything off, in the bike and everything on, but motor not running.  You will see a voltage drop with the key on/motor off, because the headlight, etc is drawing juice, but if you have anymore than a 1 volt drop then theres a problem, and it shouldnt drop below 12v with the key on/motor off, unless it sits like that for a long time ofcourse.

 

I wouldnt think a bad valve adjustment would let it run for 20 seconds and die, that dosnt make sense.  If there so bad it dies after 20 seconds, then I wouldnt even think it would start.

 

Another guy had the dealer sell him the wrong oil filter and I think it basically starved his motor of oil and his motor would lock up while going down the highway.  Has the oil/filter been changed recently, possibly something wrong there?  That would most likely lead back to had bearings somewhere, like I said at the begining.  Pull the oil filter cover and make sure you have the right filter in there and its installed the right direction.  Sounds too obvious to screw up, but like I said, its already happened before when the guy got the wrong filter from the dealer.

 

Keep us posted and if you need more help or info be sure to ask!

Edited by Tro1086
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Red Rider-

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The bike has about 4,500 miles. I asked about the previous oil change and he confirmed no metal in the oil. The bikes warranty just expired in April too.

You should create a record of maintenance performed... oil changes, valve inspection etc. then take the bike to the dealer ASAP and see if they will cover the repair. Since the warranty period expired just a week ago they may honor it and work something out for you. I think it would be worth a try!

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Dago52

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You should create a record of maintenance performed... oil changes, valve inspection etc. then take the bike to the dealer ASAP and see if they will cover the repair. Since the warranty period expired just a week ago they may honor it and work something out for you. I think it would be worth a try!

We are working with the local dealer but they are not much help. In fact, they just sold out to the Honda automobile and they are building a new shop.

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Red Rider-

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We are working with the local dealer but they are not much help. In fact, they just sold out to the Honda automobile and they are building a new shop.

Sorry to hear. These engines should go 50-60k with very few problems. Any suspicion why it failed?

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Dago52

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Not yet but I've been doing some thinking. I sold the bike to my nephew about a year ago so he has been doing the maintenance. I think it's a combination of his riding style and poor maintenance. The air filter was really bad and he must have messed up on the last oil change. But every time he stops he is constantly revving the engine and every time he takes off he tries to ride a wheelie. He is always revving the bike like he wants everyone to hear the fmf. But he's only 20 and has no clue yet. Hopefully he will learn a lesson after paying the bill to have the engine rebuilt.

Thanks

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