| Author | Message | ||
     Latrobe |
Hello All, my first time posting on the site. I want to run something by the forum and see what you think. I have an XB12s stock with 24K on it. I lost a stator about 6K. I have been standing on the side of the road twice for batteries that have shorted on the inside. I have also had several episodes where the bike began running poorly and under any power load begins to misfire / die. Gauges and electrical power still there and usually starts back up just to continue my praying I make it back home so I can go through the inspection process again. A couple times upon inspection of everything I have found nothing. Once I found a sparkplug had become loose confirming my concern it was coil related and again found a sparkplug wire was not fully seated on the rear cyl. Well last week it began acting up again. I made it home stalling repeatedly as I climbed my driveway. With no time to look into it for several days I just drove a car to work. I finally had a chance to go over everything and could only come up with one theory. When pulling off the tube from the fuel tank vent to the cannister I noticed it had fuel in it. Thought Hmm, I am low on gas, I always fill it as much as possible, have noted being low on gas when this has happened before, noticed a post on this board of another claiming the possibility that low fuel was causing him trouble. Is it possible this is my issue. I fill the tank so high that fuel gets into the vent plugging it. I then run the tank all the way down and the vacuum built up inside is causing the fuel injection system trouble. Could this be my mystery trouble? Thanks Rich | ||
| Darthane |
I fill the tank so high that fuel gets into the vent plugging it. ...that would be bad. Even if it's not the end-all-be-all of your troubles, I know from personal experience that a blocked fuel tank vent can be frustratingly inhibitive to pleasurable riding. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
Was your voltage regulator replaced when the stator was replaced? | ||
| Sam_07 |
What oil are you using? | ||
| Moosestang |
How did a spark plug wire come off? They are almost impossible to pull off, you have to push them up and off using a small flat blade screw driver. | ||
| Latrobe |
Yes Voltage Regulator was replaced. I have not lost a stator since. Oil is HD 20 - 50 conventional. I change it about every 1500 miles. Technicaly the spark plug wire did not come off. It was never put on correctly and discovered a week or so later. Mechanic oversight \ bone head move. That rear cyl can be a bear. I only mentioned it because I am not 100% sure that was the case. I reseated the plug wire after what seemed like it might have been not on properly. Since I would have also taken the vent line off to get in there maybe that is what fixed the problem that time. thanks Rich | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Once I found a sparkplug had become loose confirming my concern it was coil related There's something missing here. A loose spark plug is a problem all by itself. Not sure how that's connected to a coil problem, except that they are connected physically, but a bad coil is not going to loosen a plug. So, back then, once you tightened both plugs and made sure the caps were on properly, did the bike run better afterwards? Overfilling the tank is a bad habit and it will skew the info but it won't do the electrical damage you've mentioned. It can cause poor performance, bad mileage and stalling with miraculous healing after a rest. So, here's my advice: first check the plugs again. The loose plug could have caused some wear and now it's loose again and/or the threads are damaged. That would give you a bad seal and misfiring. Make sure they're the right plugs. Second, fill the tank to the bottom of the filler neck. Go for a long ride, not too far from home, and see if it runs smoothly. You'll need about 30 minutes steady riding for the ECM to correct itself. (Not sure about the 30 minutes, somebody will clarify that.) I wouldn't do anything else until I had done those. I think the other thread gave us a lot of info on the pump but it also indicated that basic troubleshooting procedures are good too. One thing at at a time, in sequence. | ||
| Aptbldr |
'04 Service manual claims, "Returnless fuel system (excess pressure relieved in tank by Fuel Pressure Regulator Valve." | ||
| Iamarchangel |
This thread will tell you everything you want to know about the fuel pump. I'm pretty sure that the pressure controlled by that valve is the pressure within the pump that is vented inside the tank. It's not regulating the pressure within the fuel tank. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/402439.html?1224618394 | ||
| Thedavyboy |
25,500 on my XB and never had an issue other then fouled plugs once . If your over filling your tank the fuel is just going to drain out of the vent tube and onto the ground ! so it should not be getting clogged . This is the most reliable motorcycle I have ever had .  | ||
| Froggy |
Thedavyboy, yours is not a California model. The CA bikes run like crap if you over fill them because it spews out into the carbon canister. | ||
| Etennuly |
If you think you have a vacuum building in the tank there is a simple test. Ride the bike until it runs into the suspect problem. Listen carefully at the fuel cap as you release it with the key. If a vacuum is present, and enough to cause a problem, you should be able to hear it release.(provided your fan isn't running) If the fan won't stop for you soon enough, carry your spare key and just shut off the bike and turn on the ignition as if to start, the fan will be off. | ||
| Latrobe |
Thanks all for more input. Iamarchangel what i meant by coil is when diagnosing my symptoms indicated something like coil wire grounding, loose plug, etc. something other than 12 volts disappearing. Maybe a bad choice of wording but I knew what i meant. hehe. Yes Froggy it is a CA bike. It rode today fine. The vent hose goes up before it goes down into the canister. That is where the fuel seemed to build up. I ride the bike 80 miles a day. I fill up every 2 days. So filling it to the top insured i made the 2 round trips. Filled up today. Not as much.  I am thinking this as been my occasional mystery problem. I will post how it goes. Thanks Rich | ||
| Unibear12r |
As Froggy says, Cali bike with fuel in the vent/carbon cannister = runs like crap for a while. It can be bad enough to put you on the side of the road with a trouble code. I learned that in Death Valley on a 115 degree day. But mine would eventually suck up the fuel and run right. Never fill above the bottom lip of the fill neck. And fuel expands more/faster than you think, if you fill to the neck with a hot tank don't take too long getting back on the road... I've done that too.  | ||
| Darthane |
'04 Service manual claims, "Returnless fuel system (excess pressure relieved in tank by Fuel Pressure Regulator Valve." Just to clarify, that is referring to the fuel output pressure to the rail, NOT the internal pressure of the tank. These things seal up well, you can and will create a vacuum that will eventually overcome the pump output if you plug the vent. | ||
| Latrobe |
Welp the week was flawless on the bike. I would have to say this has been my problem. I even enjoyed riding it more this week feeling confident it was not going to break down. It has been quite some time since I felt that way not being able to figure out why it kept running like crap. Even putting a little less fuel in the tank I can still get 160 miles out of it. My range dropped maybe 6 or 7 miles. Thanks for the input from the board. Rich | ||
| Mikemax |
Mine's a CA model Ss and I regularly fill it to the filler hole and never had a problem. Any more full and I don't think you could put the cap back on. I have 25K miles and only had a headlight and the (still always running) fan fail. It is pretty darn reliable. There will be occasional issues on some bikes but I don't think you can make a blanket statement about CA models like that. | ||
| Froggy |
Just got my carbon can today, ordered the bracket I need to put it on. I can't wait to give it a try! | ||
| Bombardier |
Hey Froggy, I thought you were trying to be Carbon Neutral?! | ||
| Froggy |
If I wanted to be carbon neutral I would be riding an electric bike The Buell pollutes more than most SUVs. I got the carbon can for 2 reasons, one to see what the fuss is with the overfilling, and 2, to help get rid of the gas odor when I park in the garage. | ||
| Brumbear |
I am from JERSEY I thrive on POLLUTION aaaarrrrgggggggghhhhhh gimme more bring back 2 strokers and 396 chebby's witt straight exhaust points and dual quads | ||
| Iamarchangel |
I am from JERSEY I thrive on POLLUTION aaaarrrrgggggggghhhhhh gimme more bring back 2 strokers and 396 chebby's witt straight exhaust points and dual quads Preach it, the sooner we get back to heavy horses the better. But you know the rich and the war machine will have the last drop of gas so use it all up quickly now before they mobilize. Want fun, say that at your next environmental argument. (BTW, I fully support a "Green" agenda, but I still carry a grudge for all those "sensitive areas", where I agreed to stop dirt biking. that are now subdivisions or apartment building. My bike had less impact.) |
