Guzzi V11 Le Mans 2000...Starting issues

[David Sandbrook]

Hi all, a newbie to this forum. A brief run-down of the history here; She has been running nicely (for a bit), but after about an hour she coughs, splutters and dies at idle or at the traffic lights if I am not 'on' the throttle. I have recently replaced all fuel hoses through a Guzzi dealer and added a new lithium battery and she has been starting first push of the button. Last week I took her out and again, after about an hour or about 30km in traffic, she coughed, spluttered and completely died. A battery voltage check on the road side read '0' volts, so I trucked her home, recharged the battery to full and tried again to start her. Now, she has power, but struggles to start...she cuts out quick and has a backfire. There also seems to be a strong gas smell after attempting to start. 

Any help from you wise men out there would be greatly appreciated. 

David 

[audiomick]

1 hour ago, David Sandbrook said:

.... after about an hour... she coughed, spluttered and completely died. A battery voltage check on the road side read '0' volts,

So obviously the first thing to do is make sure the charging system is working. That description is consistent with riding off with a freshly charged battery on a bike that isn't charging. Battery runs flat after a while, and the bike stops running.

 

I'd say there may well be something else happening, as not all of what you describe can be immediately blamed on the charging system, but make sure that is working first. If it isn't, there is not much point in fluffing around looking for other issues until it is sorted.

[Chuck]

Not very wise here.. but a common failure is the voltage regulator from a dodgy ground. This would have let the battery run down. If it was truly 0 volts (!) it may be dead even though you charged it. Battery's

don't like being totally discharged. Once you have replaced the voltage regulator and ran a solid ground from the regulator case to the engine block and most likely replaced the battery..report back.

Oh, and welcome to the best knowledge base on the V11 in the world. Somebody else may have a better idea than me shortly..

Quote

really

Edited 12 hours ago by Chuck

[Pressureangle]

Not much to go on yet, pull your spark plugs and check for fouling. A weak ignition can foul plugs. 

[po18guy]

Had a poor > no start issue. There is a multi-pin connector on the left front of the frame from the regulator/rectifier wiring loom. It is not a sealed connector and is exposed to rain, road spray, soap, etc. Separate it and clean the terminals on both sides using a pipe cleaner soaked in contact cleaner, denatured alcohol or similar. Probe as far into the connectors as you can, then use air or canned "duster" to blow everything out and dry it. Then, probe and swab the contacts using a fresh pipe cleaner with Caig DeoxIt on it, then plug and unplug 2-3 times to ensure good contact. I had no problems since. A check of running voltage with a multimeter will let you know if all is OK. Mine was 14.02V, which is "acceptable." 

[David Sandbrook]

Okay gentlemen, thank you so much for the guidance here. A volt-meter check a few months ago suggested it was charging okay while running; but obviously not. Maybe the battery was already damaged. So, I will start with the charging system and voltage regulator check, with new battery if necessary. At the same time check the plugs and po18guy's multi-pin connector cleaning. There is enough here to keep me going for a while. 

 

Cheers to you all,

David