Bike wont start

[tole]

i have a 04 fz6 and this is what is happening -

When i turn on the switch and press the starter, i hear a clicking/cuttering sound and bike doesnt start .
I tried the push start on the downhill by putting on a first/second gear in a mometum and still it doesnt fire up.
I think the battery is good because i can see the headlight etc and normally it would push start even if the battery is down.

It was idle for 1 and half month of dec/jan. It was outside but covered.

I am just not able to guess what the problem could be... i tried chaning one spark plug but i think spark plugs are good....

Expert advice would be really appreciated...

thanks in advance
tole

 

[segue00]

It's the battery! Bike won't start if the battery doesn't have ample charge to run the starter, ecu and fuel pump during initial start-up.

Can't push start it if the battery is too low on charge.

 

[Dennis in NH]

Seen this a few times here (including myself).

Ensure you have a well charged battery and then press the starter and while you're doing that, give it a good amount of throttle.

In my case, this worked. My theory was that the engine was flooded -- it happened when I started the bike for about 5 seconds and shut it off.

When it starts you will see lots of smoke; it's ok, just let it run.

Good luck and let us know how it goes,

Dennis

ps. EDIT: oops I'm sorry, I didn't realize you said "clicking" -- clicking sounds like low battery charge or dead battery. In my case it was a good starting sound but not turning over.

 

[BAMF]

The clicking means that the battery doesnt have enough charge to start the bike. Even if the headlight is on and it may have say, 10.8V, thats still not enough to start the bike.

The reason it may not be able to be jump started is because your using too low of a gear. 3rd or 4th gear would work much better for you.

Also, a motorcycles charging system is quite a bit different than a cage. Ergo, EVERYTHING, including the power to fire the spark plugs, is run off the battery and the battery is constantly recharged through the stator. A cage's battery is just there to run the lights and accesories and the alternator runs the rest. So if you do get it started and it wont stay running after that you may have a charging problem.

I hope this helped!

 

[BAMF]

Seen this a few times here (including myself).

Ensure you have a well charged battery and then press the starter and while you're doing that, give it a good amount of throttle.

In my case, this worked. My theory was that the engine was flooded -- it happened when I started the bike for about 5 seconds and shut it off.

When it starts you will see lots of smoke; it's ok, just let it run.

Good luck and let us know how it goes,

Dennis

ps. EDIT: oops I'm sorry, I didn't realize you said "clicking" -- clicking sounds like low battery charge or dead battery. In my case it was a good starting sound but not turning over.

The FZ6 is fuel injected so its impossible to "flood" it. Now there could be condensation build up in the airbox/throttle bodies and exhaust that could cause a rough/hesitant start as the crap is working its way through. Sounds like you got it though.

 

[tole]

hey thanks BAMF,segue00 and dennis for immediate replies.

Ok so tomorrow morning first thing is i will try jump start on 3rd or 4th gear. The reason why i thought it wasnt the battery becasue few months ago in summer i left the power on and battery got discharged i guess. At that time i did not even hearing the clicking sound. I tried jump starting and it started immediately.... then i kept bike running for an hour and battery got charged again.

So my question is, if it doesnt get charged on 3rd/4th gear, how do i charge the battery?? i guess you get charger right? i will offcourse search ont he forum for older posts..

again thanks for your help.. really appreciate it.
-sujit

 

[RJ2112]

Sujit....

If you do not know how old the battery in that bike is, the odds are good it needs to be replaced. 6 years is a long time for motorcycle batteries.

The clicking noises you hear, is the starter solenoid trying to engage the starter.... there's not enough juice to actually make the electric motor spin the engine.

The headlights on the FZ6 should not come on until the bike is running. There are relays to prevent that, so the extra juice sucked up by the headlights does not prevent the bike from starting. As has been said, the fuel injection/fuel pump, ignition, and ECU are all pretty 'thirsty'.... but the starter motor is a much bigger consumer of juice.

Bump stating the bike only works if there is enough juice in the battery to meet the needs of the ECU, FI, and ignition..... your legs and the back wheel of the bike replace the juice needed by the starter. If the battery is too low to support the FI, nothing is going to happen when you push the bike.

Winter time it's harder for the motor to start, because the engine oil is thicker than in the summer. Takes more juice when there is more resistance to movement.

You need to get the battery charged up. Just letting the bike run in neutral at idle is not enough to charge the battery. The motor will need to spin above 1500 RPM to ensure some juice can go to the battery, especially so if it's completely discharged.

30 minutes of running is not enough to ensure a fully charged battery, from that state.

 

[tole]

RJ2112,

thanks for the reply. I think i am getting the point.

i know that the battery is 6 years old and never been replaced. i will replace the battery if it is not too costly. any pointers as where should ig et it from?
I tried bump starting in onlyonce and tomorrow i will just try once again.

but can you please tell me if it can be jump started? i have insurance coverage for emergency road assistance and i can get it jump started if i correctly know how to do it. Is it same as car'sjum start?

appreciate the reply.
sujit

 

[RJ2112]

RJ2112,

thanks for the reply. I think i am getting the point.

i know that the battery is 6 years old and never been replaced. i will replace the battery if it is not too costly. any pointers as where should ig et it from?
I tried bump starting in onlyonce and tomorrow i will just try once again.

but can you please tell me if it can be jump started? i have insurance coverage for emergency road assistance and i can get it jump started if i correctly know how to do it. Is it same as car'sjum start?

appreciate the reply.
sujit

The process is the same to jump start a bike.... the concern is with how much more current a car can produce than a bike. DO NOT USE A RUNNING CAR TO JUMP START A MOTORCYCLE.

The car battery has more than enough current to start the bike..... with the car OFF, you have limited the available current to levels that will not destroy stuff in your bike's electrical system.

A new battery can be purchased from a number of sources -- there are quite a few threads on this forum that list sites and such. Search for 'replacement battery' and you should be able to find something you can use. Go with an AGM (abosorbtive glass mat) type, rather than a regular lead acid battery.

The battery is fairly easy to get to; and it's not too tough of a job to replace it. When you do, it's a very good idea to add a harness to the terminals for a battery charger. That way, whenever you are in doubt in the future, you don't have to take anything off the bike to access the battery.

Check out the electrical contacts, as well.... if anything looks corroded, that would also affect how easily current flows in that circuit. The rust makes resistance, which makes heat, and doesn't do squat for charging the battery.

 

[BAMF]

Sujit....

The headlights on the FZ6 should not come on until the bike is running. There are relays to prevent that, so the extra juice sucked up by the headlights does not prevent the bike from starting.


Actually the headlights come on when you turn the key to "on"..for all bikes, at least here in the U.S. When you thumb the starter button though thats when the relays kick in and turn the headlight off whilst trying to start. So your half right...unless you meant what I just stated and then I wrote that for nothing lol....

 

[BAMF]

hey thanks BAMF,segue00 and dennis for immediate replies.

Ok so tomorrow morning first thing is i will try jump start on 3rd or 4th gear. The reason why i thought it wasnt the battery becasue few months ago in summer i left the power on and battery got discharged i guess. At that time i did not even hearing the clicking sound. I tried jump starting and it started immediately.... then i kept bike running for an hour and battery got charged again.

So my question is, if it doesnt get charged on 3rd/4th gear, how do i charge the battery?? i guess you get charger right? i will offcourse search ont he forum for older posts..

again thanks for your help.. really appreciate it.
-sujit

I think I got my "jump starting" and "bump starting" terms mixed up....you should BUMP start in 3rd or 4th gear but you can JUMP start in neutral....also, do what RJ2112 said and if you get it started, actually ride the bike to charge the battery not just let it sit...the stator barely turns out enough juice to keep the bike running at idle..much less charge the battery.....and also, as RJ2112 said, jump start with the car off.

Best of luck to you

 

[RJ2112]

The headlights do not come on, until the bike is running. Unless you use the 'kill' switch after starting the bike..... then, they will remain on with the ignition in the 'on' position.

 

[tole]

i tried bump starting 3-4 times and finally it started on 2nd gear.... i kept it running for half an hour and then as advised in the forum i rode it with high rpm in the lower gears... after a first ride still it didnt start with the starter.. but then again after a second long ride, it is now starting with the starter... no need to bump start it again i hope.... the bttery is charged i think..

First I was about to replace all my spark plugs and then I was about to replace my battery.. but i think i saved my time and money with the help of this forum and all your expert advices..

thanks again
sujit

 

[BeamRider]

Just my 5 cents, but I think you still need to replace the battery.
Usually modern vehicle batteries don't live more than 5 years, then they start to behave just yours and degrading with time.
Hope I'm wrong, but keep it closely monitored!

 

[tole]

hey beamrider, so are you saying that such instances ( not is use for 2 months) cause the batteries permanent damage? or you are just saying that after 5 years batteries wont last long... but i have seen batteries last for 10 year ..not my personal experience though..
but i think it is recommanded to keep the battery charged all the time, at least once in a week. i am just being lazy to do it.

One last question to experts - Will the battery get charged if i just keep running my bike in idle? and not drive it? or it has to be in a high rpm?

 

[urbanj]

These batteries have very little reserve capacity and hate to be deep cycled.

Just replace the battery or take it out first and properly charge it. Then load test it.

If you have access to a volt meter hook it up to the battery and check what the voltage is when cranking. I guarantee it falls flat on its face. It shouldn't drop below 9.6v.

The charging system on both a bike or a car is not made to actually charge a dead battery. It's made to maintain the systems voltage and provide the needed amperage. Oh and no your bike will not charge the battery just idling.

 

[nimzotech]

New Battery and back on the road.

It's 99.99% a bad battery. My bike made the same clicking sounds. I was able to jump start it, but once I turned it off it would not start again. I paid about $150 for a new battery and replaced it last night. It was a cool experience as I had to pour the electrolytes in to the battery's cells. Anyway it was fun working on the bike. Feels good beating traffic again :rockon:

 

[RJ2112]

hey beamrider, so are you saying that such instances ( not is use for 2 months) cause the batteries permanent damage? or you are just saying that after 5 years batteries wont last long... but i have seen batteries last for 10 year ..not my personal experience though..
but i think it is recommanded to keep the battery charged all the time, at least once in a week. i am just being lazy to do it.

One last question to experts - Will the battery get charged if i just keep running my bike in idle? and not drive it? or it has to be in a high rpm?

The battery on these bikes is always discharging, to a very small degree. The juice needed for the digital display that never turns off is always taken from the battery. It takes more than a couple of months to draw the battery down to the point where it won't start the bike. Less, in the dead of winter, because of the thicker oil, etc. Maybe two months, then.... but that's not enough to do permanent damage.

Batteries die, due to vibration, and recharging. The sealed batteries last longer than 'open' standard lead-acid batteries, because less contamination is added to the battery. The lead and zinc plates swap electrons, using the electrolyte to transfer the energy. No matter how 'good' the battery, sometimes a chemical compound bonds to the plate, and the recharge is not strong enough to pop that molecule back off on the next charging cycle. The plates' effective surface area become smaller and smaller every time this happens. Eventually, there's not enough left to provide the discharge we need any more.

Overcharging a battery kills them, because the electrolyte breaks down, and bonds to the plates. That's what 'sulphating' the plates is all about. It's another compound that won't let the transfer of electrons occur. Hydrogen gas is produced as well....... that's quite explosive......... Use the right charger, and only use it as designed.