Loss of power and lots of sparks out of my exhaust. What did I break?

[bogieboy]

Originally Posted by ChopperCharles

No, no electrical work. I had never removed the tank before this. I always hear the fuel pump cycle.

Latest update:

Bike wouldn't start this morning. I loosened the side panels and slid the tank back, then propped it up vertically to check for kinked lines. No kinks. I pushed on all the connectors, and everything was properly seated. I tapped on the fuel filter. I sat the tank back down, turned the ignition on, and it started immediately.

So, I'm thinking this is a fueling issue. Either the injector or the fuel pump... but I'm leaning towards the fuel pump. I've read that the sock can deteriorate when a bike sits for a long time with the same fuel in it, and then it gets sucked into the pump and clogs it up. And this bike did sit a lot before I bought it from you. I'm betting that sloshing the fuel around and upending the tank is what allowed the bike to start. I'm going to get a siphon pump to drain the fuel out and then remove the tank and inspect the fuel pump to see if the sock is present and accounted for.

I'm not sure how a fueling issue can cause my catalyst to burn out, but if the whole problem is a faulty fuel pump I will be THRILLED. Easy and cheap to fix.

Charles.

I already answered the question of how fueling can burn thru your cat...lean burn causes increased exhaust gas temps, overheats the catalyst material and melts it.

[ChopperCharles]

How restrictive should the fuel filter be? Should I be able to blow through it easily? Or should it be Somewhat difficult?

Charles

[franque]

It should flow fuel pretty easy, air is a different story, especially if it is a paper element, and it is wet. If in doubt, replace it. Is the pump pumping fuel?

[ChopperCharles]

The pump does always make the pumping noise and obviously sometimes it flows fuel. I’m not sure if it’s making the noise but not pumping sometimes, or if that is even possible. It could also be an intermittently firing fuel injector, an intermittently clogged filter, or maybe electrical connection to injector.

Filter appears to be cellulose inside.

Charles.

[rd1959]

Have you tried running a diagnostic test to see if any codes pop up (turn the key on, off, on, off, on) ?

[ChopperCharles]

I haven’t. I’ll do that in a hot minute, but I’m thinking I am closer to finding the problem.

What’s the trick to releasing the electrical connector on the fuel injector?

Charles.

[rd1959]

Originally Posted by ChopperCharles

I haven’t. I’ll do that in a hot minute, but I’m thinking I am closer to finding the problem.

What’s the trick to releasing the electrical connector on the fuel injector?

Charles.

I don't know.

[ChopperCharles]

Guys, I believe I solved the mystery!!

The bike sat a lot. I saw junk in the fuel filter. I blew it out in the direction of flow, and small chunks of varnish came out.



There are still more chunks visible in the filter and I can reach in with a pick and manipulate them but can’t get them to come out.

Note that these chunks came out of the fuel injector side of the filter.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

Update. That’s not varnish. It’s glue. I cut the filter apart just to see the internals, and the glue that held it all together crumbled into a mess. So... we may want to consider finding an aftermarket filter, if the OEM is going to come apart like this.

Charles.

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by ChopperCharles

Update. That’s not varnish. It’s glue. I cut the filter apart just to see the internals, and the glue that held it all together crumbled into a mess. So... we may want to consider finding an aftermarket filter, if the OEM is going to come apart like this.

Charles.

You appear to be the victim of ethanol gas. Filter media, as well as transmission clutch friction media, are glued with water based glue. This normally isn't a problem in an petroleum based environment, such as an engine or gas tank. The problems start when your vehicle gets flooded and water gets into the transmission, contacting the friction plates or, in the case of a fuel filter, the bike sits for an extended period and the ethanol in the gas absorbs water which ends up in the filter, compromising the water based adhesive. You will find similar, if not identical construction in other filters, so I don't know that switching to compatible different brand of filter would prevent a water exposure failure. It would be nice to have another option, though, that could be sourced locally when needed instead of having to get it from CSC.

[ChopperCharles]

The stock filter is also extremely restrictive. The end cap of the filter is almost an interference fit with the outer casing, vastly restricting fuel flow. That’s why it was so difficult to blow through. I’d post pictures but the forum is broken. Pics on advrider thread if you want to see.

Charles.

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by ChopperCharles

The stock filter is also extremely restrictive. The end cap of the filter is almost an interference fit with the outer casing, vastly restricting fuel flow. That’s why it was so difficult to blow through. I’d post pictures but the forum is broken. Pics on advrider thread if you want to see.

Charles.

I'm thinking that perhaps the water in the fuel caused the filter media to swell up and expand the metal end cap enough to choke off your fuel flow at high RPM's, leaning out your fuel mixture and melting your catalyst honeycomb; alternatively you may have just got a poorly manufactured filter. It would be an interesting comparison to cut open a brand new, unused filter and contrast the internal condition to your used one, checking the fit of the metal end cap and its diameter versus your bad one, as well exposing it to some water and see how the adhesive behaves.

[rd1959]

Hmmm, that filter could have been defective from the beginning and I never pushed it hard enough to cause any problems. I just rode the bike to work and back, a total of 15 miles.

[ChopperCharles]

Yeah I put 1300 miles on in two weeks. I ride a LOT.

I ordered a new filter and also some fittings so I can bypass the filter if need be. I’ve got a trip planned thanksgiving week and I need the bike to be fixed before this Friday.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

At any rate Russel, I don’t blame you at all. We’re good. This kind of stuff just happens. Fortunately it looks like it’s turning out to be a ten dollar fix.

Charles.