banshee wont start

[sootman73]

well after my riding on monday i cant get my banshee to fire. not even try to start. what gives? before it would fire up instantly cold without the choke and idle perfect. what should i check first? i figured i would pull the spark plugs and see what those look like... also noticed a really small coolant leak monday while riding hard for 20 min in 2nd gear. but it would stop after a couple minutes of idling...

 

oh and i think the carbs need cleaned because i have to turn the fuel off or else it will just keep running and drain onto the ground.... guessing some crap in the bowls or the floats are bad? i dont know anything about the carbs on it now so i guess ill assume they are stock...

Edited September 9, 2010 by sootman73

[TNTS355]

well after my riding on monday i cant get my banshee to fire. not even try to start. what gives? before it would fire up instantly cold without the choke and idle perfect. what should i check first? i figured i would pull the spark plugs and see what those look like... also noticed a really small coolant leak monday while riding hard for 20 min in 2nd gear. but it would stop after a couple minutes of idling...

 

oh and i think the carbs need cleaned because i have to turn the fuel off or else it will just keep running and drain onto the ground.... guessing some crap in the bowls or the floats are bad? i dont know anything about the carbs on it now so i guess ill assume they are stock...

 

Start with plugs, buy a Clymers. See what you have, start with simple stuff, then come back and ask questions.

[sootman73]

well the plugs look fouled like i added too much oil the last time i mixed gas up. heres a pic of them. they are also BR9ES plugs should i switch to the BR8ES like what are recommended on here?

 

 

[TNTS355]

Yes an mix your oil at 32/1

[CarvedArt]

well the plugs look fouled like i added too much oil the last time i mixed gas up. heres a pic of them. they are also BR9ES plugs should i switch to the BR8ES like what are recommended on here?

 

If you have a coolant leak you need to get that addressed first.

 

Definitely use the factory recommended B8ES plugs or the BR8ES resister plugs. The stock plug boots already have 5kΩ resistance built-in so if you have stock or equivalent boots you don't need the R plugs. The added resistance isn't going to hurt but you don't really need it. Heat range is your bigger issue here, the 9 is a colder plug and can cause plug fouling. Unless of course you've added some serious horsepower modifications that are causing the cylinder temps to go up significantly like by about 70-100 degrees.

[rdzbangshee]

If you have a coolant leak you need to get that addressed first.

 

Definitely use the factory recommended B8ES plugs or the BR8ES resister plugs. The stock plug boots already have 5kΩ resistance built-in so if you have stock or equivalent boots you don't need the R plugs. The added resistance isn't going to hurt but you don't really need it. Heat range is your bigger issue here, the 9 is a colder plug and can cause plug fouling. Unless of course you've added some serious horsepower modifications that are causing the cylinder temps to go up significantly like by about 70-100 degrees.

sounds like to much oil and the wrong plugs , carbs must of gummed up with oil.

[sootman73]

well the coolant leak is too small to be able to see where its coming from for now. just a few drops and i couldn't see what was wet up above.

 

where do you guys get your plugs? my local autozone has them for like 2.50 each and they are regular stock. i'll get the hotter plugs too. and should i pull the carbs off and tear em apart(at least the bowls) to clean em out?

[sootman73]

Yes an mix your oil at 32/1

 

the previous owner told me they mixed it at 40:1 and i stayed between 32 and 40:1 and ended up fouling plugs. too much oil or would i been fine with the correct heat range plugs?

[sootman73]

so i pulled the left side carb off this evening and tore into the fuel bowl. got the float off and then the needle. well i've never seen a needle with a rubber end on it but i guess ya learn something new everyday... well the end of the needle is cracked and could be pulled right off like you were pulling the little nubs off brand new tires... i haven't really checked anything else out yet as im waiting for my paycheck to get carb rebuild kits and new spark plugs. anything else i should replace thats cheap while i have it down?

[CarvedArt]

so i pulled the left side carb off this evening and tore into the fuel bowl. got the float off and then the needle. well i've never seen a needle with a rubber end on it but i guess ya learn something new everyday... well the end of the needle is cracked and could be pulled right off like you were pulling the little nubs off brand new tires... i haven't really checked anything else out yet as im waiting for my paycheck to get carb rebuild kits and new spark plugs. anything else i should replace thats cheap while i have it down?

 

Rebuilding the carbs is a great idea, that will cure your fuel continuing to run after it's off issue. That behavior is controlled by the needle valve assembly, the o-ring that seals the outer sleeve of the assembly, and the float height. They go bad from setting and/or just age. Make sure you have plenty of carb cleaner and compressed air to get all of the passages cleaned out well. Also you should be aware that the carb bowls are carb specific, the bowl with the little brass "BB" on the front goes on the carb with the choke knob. If you can swing getting a carb sync tool that will come in handy too.

 

Where was/is the coolant leaking from? Might it be leaking from the front onto the pipe? If it's leaking from the front onto the pipe that would be coolant coming from the catch can (sometimes called the overflow tank); the little plastic tank in the back under the seat. It has a High/Low marker on it but has no way of getting coolant back into the radiator. It has a hose that runs back up to the front and purges over the pipe. You can lengthen or reroute the hose to keep it from hitting your pipe and have it "leak" where you want it to so you can tell when you actually have a real leak.

 

Have a look at this pinned topic: Banshee Digital Toolkit it should help you to determine if your jetting is right. It also tells you how to set your floats after you replace those fuel inlet needle valves.

[rdzbangshee]

well after my riding on monday i cant get my banshee to fire. not even try to start. what gives? before it would fire up instantly cold without the choke and idle perfect. what should i check first? i figured i would pull the spark plugs and see what those look like... also noticed a really small coolant leak monday while riding hard for 20 min in 2nd gear. but it would stop after a couple minutes of idling...

 

oh and i think the carbs need cleaned because i have to turn the fuel off or else it will just keep running and drain onto the ground.... guessing some crap in the bowls or the floats are bad? i dont know anything about the carbs on it now so i guess ill assume they are stock...

[/quote/ i like yamalube 2s i use it all year round 20to1 mix to 40to1 it will never gum up the carbs . 60 hours on my engine 0 wear on the parts.you should try it and i bet you will see .

[sootman73]

Well it was pretty much just the fouled spark plugs that were the cause. i do need to get the carbs tuned though because i think it should be making a lot more power than it does and the throttle response isn't as good now either. Since ihad the carb apart(well just the bowl off the left side) it idles high too. i didn't touch any other screws though so im not sure whats causing that..

[pondtunes]

Well it was pretty much just the fouled spark plugs that were the cause. i do need to get the carbs tuned though because i think it should be making a lot more power than it does and the throttle response isn't as good now either. Since ihad the carb apart(well just the bowl off the left side) it idles high too. i didn't touch any other screws though so im not sure whats causing that..

 

 

 

I've gotten into the habit of completely cleaning my carbs whenever I have them off, the slide assembly, main/pilot jets and all the passages in between, that way you KNOW they are clean and not causing an issue. I've also had my slide stick open once or twice early on when first started messing with this thing, I blame it on just cleaning the jets and didn't take the 30 seconds it takes to spray off and wipe down the slides.

 

You'll also need to make sure they're syncronized (easiest way is with a carb sync tool) otherwise you'll have a really sluggish take off/bottom end)

 

Nothing quite as annoying as half cleaning your carbs hopping on and going for a short ride to only find out you have to tear the whole thing right back down because they weren't completely clean!

 

 

If your throttle response is off it could be your carbs are out of sync now, with the carbs in place press the throttle a few times while looking into the throat of the carbs, you should see both slides move at exactly the same time. If not then adjust the adjusting nuts on top of the carbs to get them back in sync.

[sootman73]

I've gotten into the habit of completely cleaning my carbs whenever I have them off, the slide assembly, main/pilot jets and all the passages in between, that way you KNOW they are clean and not causing an issue. I've also had my slide stick open once or twice early on when first started messing with this thing, I blame it on just cleaning the jets and didn't take the 30 seconds it takes to spray off and wipe down the slides.

 

You'll also need to make sure they're syncronized (easiest way is with a carb sync tool) otherwise you'll have a really sluggish take off/bottom end)

 

Nothing quite as annoying as half cleaning your carbs hopping on and going for a short ride to only find out you have to tear the whole thing right back down because they weren't completely clean!

 

 

If your throttle response is off it could be your carbs are out of sync now, with the carbs in place press the throttle a few times while looking into the throat of the carbs, you should see both slides move at exactly the same time. If not then adjust the adjusting nuts on top of the carbs to get them back in sync.

 

i did adjust the slides as best i could. got them to be as close to exact as i could see. who knows if anything else needs adjusted though. they are pretty dirty but i haven't been able to afford the carb sync tool and the rebuild kit or i would have completely disassembled the carbs and cleaned the crap out. seems like the airbox side of the carb isn't really that clean. kinda oily and dirt stuck in there. not a good seal in the air box? t

 

the bike is still pretty good on the top end but either im getting used to the power or its not as strong as it was two weeks ago... wish i knew someone around here that knew these bikes so they could tell me if the thing is bogging or sluggish off the line....

[Larry's Shee]

Get a spray can of carb clean ($5) ,don't need a O H kit to clean them ,it's a start. Check that tank is clean. Couple paper towels to clean air box. Figure out why it's so dirty.