left cylinder??

[johnakay]

I was having troubles setting the timing up on the left points etc
so gave up coz I had to much work to catch up(grab rails).

finally got to work on the old girl.
both timings are set dead on with the strobe light.both points set at .04.
plug gap set at .06.. she start before I get more than half way on the kick start,so that's a good sign.
now I'll set the carbs, mix/screw 1.1/4 turn out on both..left plug cap off.set the right cylinder etc ticking over at around 1500 rpm.
came to do the left one ,she will not fire up.
checked for spark at plug (spark on plug ends) used a spanner to turn the engine over and clean up etc that appears to be ok. but she still not having it.
plug wet so that tells me fuel is getting in.
both manuals say bugger all about it etc. so I'm lost here what next?
what I mean by both manuals one is owners, the other is Suzuki service manual (copy)
right cylinder get hot but the left is luke warm so to me the left not firing.
so I'm baffled as to why she will not fire up.

[sportston]

It could show those symptoms if the left carb is over or under fuelling.
If as you say both plugs are sparking, timing is correct and dwell is correct then probably you have a problem caused by something other than ignition. If you have way too much fuel going in it can cause a misfire. If I was you I would check your left carb is clean inside.
Strip it down completely, then blow it out on an airline. Check the condition of the float valve. If it has step worn into the cone then it is worn excessively. If it won't seal it will over-fuel, so replace valve if necessary. After that, rebuild it carefully and set the float level perfectly. If you don't have one fitted, fit an inline fuel filter before you refill the carbs with fuel again (this will make sure you will not get tiny bits of dirt in your carb, clogging up jets and float valves and giving you grief).
Balance the carb slides and make sure they are reaching full throttle simultaneously.
Connect the air filter back up.
Then you will be ready to turn the fuel back on and see if she runs any better.

There is one other fault you can check for first, though I don't think this is your problem. Occasionally a faulty plug or plug cap can give intermittent sparking (looks fine when you test it with the plug removed, but struggles to spark reliably when under pressure). Swap left plug and plug cap with right. If the problem changes cylinder, then you know you have a faulty plug cap and or plug.

[GTandcbr]

Just one thing to add happened to me recently, sticking choke piston over fuelled and overwhelmed spark.

[dorT500]

I was having troubles setting the timing up on the left points etc
so gave up coz I had to much work to catch up(grab rails).

finally got to work on the old girl.
both timings are set dead on with the strobe light.both points set at .04.
plug gap set at .06.. she start before I get more than half way on the kick start,so that's a good sign.
now I'll set the carbs, mix/screw 1.1/4 turn out on both..left plug cap off.set the right cylinder etc ticking over at around 1500 rpm.
came to do the left one ,she will not fire up.
checked for spark at plug (spark on plug ends) used a spanner to turn the engine over and clean up etc that appears to be ok. but she still not having it.
plug wet so that tells me fuel is getting in.
both manuals say bugger all about it etc. so I'm lost here what next?
what I mean by both manuals one is owners, the other is Suzuki service manual (copy)
right cylinder get hot but the left is luke warm so to me the left not firing.
so I'm baffled as to why she will not fire up.

This, http://www.ozebook.com/compendium/suzi/msg/1454.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" among what sportston and GTandcbr wrote and these search result pages https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... +no+firing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" will hopefully get it sorted out.

From past experience, I would at least eliminate the possibility of a battery that is not 100% charged (12.6 volts if flooded type battery (checking voltage and testing with a mini hydrometer) at rest after sitting overnight). Always a good thing to do before starting ANY type of troubleshooting.

Again, is it possible, if the bike has the stock vacuum operated fuel petcock, that it may be be the culprit in this case? The enrichment circuit plunger (choke) not being in good order crossed my mind also.

I have had the same problem a few years ago with the left side not firing right away. Too long ago but I think the fix was replacing a battery that was on it's 'last legs'. More recently the right side cylinder has been slow to kick in but eventually does (as the generator charges the battery up?).....haven't checked the battery good yet. It's time for a new battery again anyway.

Good Luck

[johnakay]

found the problem .fault plug cap.
its one of those rubber type with no suppressor.
bike is running fine now. by god does it vibrate at 3700 rpm onwards.
I never realise how much I've forgotten.lol

[tricky1962]

If the vibration is really bad it might be worth changing the rubber bushes in the engine cases

It made a big difference when I did mine and it is now quite comfortable at 4000rpm

[Craig380]

+1 to what Tricky said. Even worth just checking the engine mounting bolts are torqued up correctly - very few owners ever check them, and they can and do loosen.

[tricky1962]

Ha ha... mine was initially relatively smooth. I then noticed the mounting bolts needed tightening after which it vibrated quite a lot. That was when I changed the bushes

[johnakay]

I'll do all that next winter.engine out oil dam etc.
just want to put a few miles on it 1st.
its been 16 years since my last one so I've a lot to catch up on.
bare in mind I've been riding 4 strokes for this long and all new when I bought them.
my current one is a Tracer 900,FJ9 to you usa folks.
there will be a big difference.
the only way I'll know for sure is if I ride another to compare.
my friend has one ,so at some time we'll swap to compare.
then I'll know for sure.

[sportston]

found the problem .fault plug cap.
its one of those rubber type with no suppressor.

Glad you got there in the end. At least it was a cheap fix.