idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs .

dannylightning · 08-19-2009, 06:49 PM

so basically when i stop going the bike either acts like its gonna stall out of it does stalls out. if i hit the gas it will rev up and stay that way for a second or two and than idol low and stall again. some times it will reve up really high for a min and want to stall again. it almost sounds like there is a miss or a litle bit of a popping sound coming out of the exhaust.. i changed the spark plug and it seemed to run much better for about 10 min that started the same thing again. i even changed the gasoline but that did not fix the problem.

the thing has been running fine, i just moved and hauled it in a uhaul trailer to ohio, it ran fine the first 2 days i was here, and than started acting up.

i should also add that setting the bike down on the kick stand will usually make it reve up high some times.

Easy Rider · 08-19-2009, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannylightning

i should also add that setting the bike down on the kick stand will usually make it reve up high some times.

That could be a critical piece of information. I think you have..........
Something loose or sticking (or both) in the throttle cables or where they attach to the carb.
or
A loose rubber boot on one side of the carb or the other.
or
A buggered up air filter.
or
Internal carb trouble.

Give the cables and boots a good inspection, including the choke cable and the cable attachments at the carb and check to be sure the idle stop isn't missing or vibrated way out to where it isn't touching anymore.

Then check your air cleaner. In transit, it might have become plugged with oil or gas.

Then search around on here for "on the bike" carb cleaning threads.

Water Warrior 2 · 08-20-2009, 01:09 AM

Obviously the bike didn't like being in a U-haul. I will make the assumption it was tied down with straps. Could the strap ends or the body of the straps have damaged, bent or dislodged something ? Did you have stuff packed on top of the bike ? Was the bike wedged in between stuff that might have done something ?

dannylightning · 08-20-2009, 02:04 AM

well the bike is having a issue with the choke cable, it is hard to move and im thinking it may be sticking. this is my guess as of so far, nothing else seems to be out of place as far as i can tell when i was trying to figure it out earler, i already checked most of what you mentioned, the air filter and all that seem to check out alright, boots around the carb look good and are tight, all other cables look good minus hard to move choke cable, i tried to lube it up a bit and still vary hard to move.

in the u haul there was on strap on each side attached to the handle bars, i cant see how that could have hurt any thing. there was nothing else in there except for a big case full of stuff and that was straped against the wall the bike and case were in the exact same position when i got back as when i left.

dhgeyer · 08-20-2009, 09:24 AM

Brainstorming here. Maybe the trip kicked some crap loose in the gas tank that is now in the carb. If that's the case, liquid carb cleaner probably won't help. The GZ250 doesn't have a fuel filter unless you have installed one. It sounds to me like something not moving freely in the carb. Hard to diagnose over the Internet.

How long did the bike sit while you were getting ready for the move? If it wasn't ridden for a few weeks, it doesn't take long for things to gum up if they were headed that way anyway. If that were the case, the liquid carb cleaner might help.

dannylightning · 08-20-2009, 10:52 AM

actually some one did install a fuel filter, that is one of the things i was thinking of replacing if all else fails, the bike probably had no ride time for about 3 weeks but did get started up for a few min here and there a time or two a week.

dhgeyer · 08-20-2009, 11:35 AM

If the fuel filter is transparent, I'd inspect that as a very first step, and replace it if in any doubt. If I couldn't inspect it, I'd replace it just as a matter of course with those symptoms. I think that should be one of the first things you do, rather than one of the last.

Starting the bike for a few minutes won't really keep the carb from gumming up, at least that never worked for me. I'd lay my hands on some Chevron Techron (auto parts stores) and put in the appropriate amount and run a couple of tankfuls that way.

These things aren't a cure all, and you might well have some other problem. But, these are easy, and for me they have never failed to cure the kind of problems you describe, so that's where I'd start.

dannylightning · 08-20-2009, 12:44 PM

well i just took out the new spark plug, checked the gap and it might have been just under .027 instead of .028 so i fixed that, tightened the plug just a tad past snug instead of just barley snug, sprayed a little more lube in the choke cable, got some of that barrymens b12 chem tool and stuck a few oz of that in the tank and mixed the gas up the best i could and started it up. the idle was still bad while the bike warmed up and seemed a little strange after it warmed up but not as bad as it was

i took it out and drove it a few miles, at first i started swerving really hard to the left and the right for a while to mix the stuff in the gas tank a little better, shortly after riding i noticed a increase in power and a nicer popping/(thumping sound i guess is what you guys call it)coming out of the muffler pretty quickly. by the time i got back to my house, parked the bike in the garage and left it running for a bit. seems to be running smooth as can be at the moment, hopefully it will continue to do so, the last 2 or 3 days it has been running rough

as far as a fuel filter, i have no idea how to tell if one of those is bad. it is a clear filter, it looks extremely clean but like i said i don't really know how to check one of those, I would imagine you could see a bunch of dirt in there if it was, guess ill try to look up how to tell if they are bad. the bike has about 4.5 k miles in it right now. had just under 2k on it 4 or 5 months ago when i got it.

so I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope the problem is solved.

bonehead · 08-20-2009, 02:06 PM

Undo the filter from the gas lines and try to blow thru it, in the flow direction. If it is hard to blow thru its clogged. (Drain what little gas is in it before doing this)

dannylightning · 08-20-2009, 03:04 PM

thanks guys, problem appears to be solved, ill check out that fuel filter any ways, i had to change my head light bulb too, just did that, what a pain in the butt. the manual is kind of weak on information on that subject, i removed the wrong screws, but in the drawing it looked like you needed to take those ones out and all the springs and every thing that keep the lamp at the correct angle came out, so that turned in to a little bit of a pain in the butt. I think my beam was a little to low in the first place and you could only see a few feet in front of you unless you turned on the brights. with out the brights it was dangerous to ride that thing at night unless you were in a well lit area especially if you were out on curvy country roads. so it was probably best that i did that and figured out how to reposition the beam. when it gets dark ill really dial it in.

over all i think my bike is back up and running in tip top shape again, or so it seems at the moment, thanks again for the suggestions, ill post up in a few days if i seem to have any more problems with it.

08-19-2009, 06:49 PM	#1
dannylightning Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: akron ohio Posts: 893	idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . so basically when i stop going the bike either acts like its gonna stall out of it does stalls out. if i hit the gas it will rev up and stay that way for a second or two and than idol low and stall again. some times it will reve up really high for a min and want to stall again. it almost sounds like there is a miss or a litle bit of a popping sound coming out of the exhaust.. i changed the spark plug and it seemed to run much better for about 10 min that started the same thing again. i even changed the gasoline but that did not fix the problem. the thing has been running fine, i just moved and hauled it in a uhaul trailer to ohio, it ran fine the first 2 days i was here, and than started acting up. i should also add that setting the bike down on the kick stand will usually make it reve up high some times. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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08-20-2009, 01:09 AM	#3
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . Obviously the bike didn't like being in a U-haul. I will make the assumption it was tied down with straps. Could the strap ends or the body of the straps have damaged, bent or dislodged something ? Did you have stuff packed on top of the bike ? Was the bike wedged in between stuff that might have done something ? Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

08-20-2009, 02:04 AM	#4
dannylightning Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: akron ohio Posts: 893	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . well the bike is having a issue with the choke cable, it is hard to move and im thinking it may be sticking. this is my guess as of so far, nothing else seems to be out of place as far as i can tell when i was trying to figure it out earler, i already checked most of what you mentioned, the air filter and all that seem to check out alright, boots around the carb look good and are tight, all other cables look good minus hard to move choke cable, i tried to lube it up a bit and still vary hard to move. in the u haul there was on strap on each side attached to the handle bars, i cant see how that could have hurt any thing. there was nothing else in there except for a big case full of stuff and that was straped against the wall the bike and case were in the exact same position when i got back as when i left.
	0

08-20-2009, 09:24 AM	#5
dhgeyer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Merrimack NH USA Posts: 722	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . Brainstorming here. Maybe the trip kicked some crap loose in the gas tank that is now in the carb. If that's the case, liquid carb cleaner probably won't help. The GZ250 doesn't have a fuel filter unless you have installed one. It sounds to me like something not moving freely in the carb. Hard to diagnose over the Internet. How long did the bike sit while you were getting ready for the move? If it wasn't ridden for a few weeks, it doesn't take long for things to gum up if they were headed that way anyway. If that were the case, the liquid carb cleaner might help. __________________ 54 HD Hummer,64 Honda150,66 Ducati250,01 Vulcan500,02 Vulcan1500,83 Nighthawk650,91 K75,95 VLX,04 VLX,01 GS500E,01 Ninja250, 02 Rebel,04 Ninja500,06 Concours,96 R850R Login or Register to Remove Ads
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08-20-2009, 10:52 AM	#6
dannylightning Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: akron ohio Posts: 893	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . actually some one did install a fuel filter, that is one of the things i was thinking of replacing if all else fails, the bike probably had no ride time for about 3 weeks but did get started up for a few min here and there a time or two a week.
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08-20-2009, 11:35 AM	#7
dhgeyer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Merrimack NH USA Posts: 722	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . If the fuel filter is transparent, I'd inspect that as a very first step, and replace it if in any doubt. If I couldn't inspect it, I'd replace it just as a matter of course with those symptoms. I think that should be one of the first things you do, rather than one of the last. Starting the bike for a few minutes won't really keep the carb from gumming up, at least that never worked for me. I'd lay my hands on some Chevron Techron (auto parts stores) and put in the appropriate amount and run a couple of tankfuls that way. These things aren't a cure all, and you might well have some other problem. But, these are easy, and for me they have never failed to cure the kind of problems you describe, so that's where I'd start. __________________ 54 HD Hummer,64 Honda150,66 Ducati250,01 Vulcan500,02 Vulcan1500,83 Nighthawk650,91 K75,95 VLX,04 VLX,01 GS500E,01 Ninja250, 02 Rebel,04 Ninja500,06 Concours,96 R850R
	0

08-20-2009, 12:44 PM	#8
dannylightning Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: akron ohio Posts: 893	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . well i just took out the new spark plug, checked the gap and it might have been just under .027 instead of .028 so i fixed that, tightened the plug just a tad past snug instead of just barley snug, sprayed a little more lube in the choke cable, got some of that barrymens b12 chem tool and stuck a few oz of that in the tank and mixed the gas up the best i could and started it up. the idle was still bad while the bike warmed up and seemed a little strange after it warmed up but not as bad as it was i took it out and drove it a few miles, at first i started swerving really hard to the left and the right for a while to mix the stuff in the gas tank a little better, shortly after riding i noticed a increase in power and a nicer popping/(thumping sound i guess is what you guys call it)coming out of the muffler pretty quickly. by the time i got back to my house, parked the bike in the garage and left it running for a bit. seems to be running smooth as can be at the moment, hopefully it will continue to do so, the last 2 or 3 days it has been running rough as far as a fuel filter, i have no idea how to tell if one of those is bad. it is a clear filter, it looks extremely clean but like i said i don't really know how to check one of those, I would imagine you could see a bunch of dirt in there if it was, guess ill try to look up how to tell if they are bad. the bike has about 4.5 k miles in it right now. had just under 2k on it 4 or 5 months ago when i got it. so I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope the problem is solved.
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08-20-2009, 02:06 PM	#9
bonehead Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: elgin,tx Posts: 907	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . Undo the filter from the gas lines and try to blow thru it, in the flow direction. If it is hard to blow thru its clogged. (Drain what little gas is in it before doing this) __________________ Standing with the PGR until they stand for me.
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08-20-2009, 03:04 PM	#10
dannylightning Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: akron ohio Posts: 893	Re: idol sucks, keeps stalling out, hit the gas and it revs . thanks guys, problem appears to be solved, ill check out that fuel filter any ways, i had to change my head light bulb too, just did that, what a pain in the butt. the manual is kind of weak on information on that subject, i removed the wrong screws, but in the drawing it looked like you needed to take those ones out and all the springs and every thing that keep the lamp at the correct angle came out, so that turned in to a little bit of a pain in the butt. I think my beam was a little to low in the first place and you could only see a few feet in front of you unless you turned on the brights. with out the brights it was dangerous to ride that thing at night unless you were in a well lit area especially if you were out on curvy country roads. so it was probably best that i did that and figured out how to reposition the beam. when it gets dark ill really dial it in. over all i think my bike is back up and running in tip top shape again, or so it seems at the moment, thanks again for the suggestions, ill post up in a few days if i seem to have any more problems with it.
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