need viper help

harveywallbanger

New member
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
10
Age
45
Location
Cable, Wisconsin
my 02 viper will not stay running when it starts it runs great but then it will just shut off like someone hit the key. i checked all the likely spots for wire rub through,carbs cleaned,throttle sensor checked,fresh gas,tried disconnecting kill switch,hand and thumb warmers. couple times it started there was nothing in the dash on and headlights were not working then i hit throttle everything started working then when it came back to idle it shut off again. im beginning to think its the stater. sometimes it shuts off right after it starts other times it will run for a while before it happens.
 

First determine if is fuel or electric related. Many intermittent problems turn out to be electric. If it seems to be electric, get a multimeter and start testing components and connections. Also check for damaged wires (under engine is a common wear spot)
 
If it's running rough right before it dies I would suspect the TORS system and idle setting. Set the idle around 1600 to 1800 then check the free play of your throttle lever along with resetting / verifying your oil pump cable. My thought is if it's idling too low and your throttle free play is not enough, it may be killing the engine when the TORS senses a mismatch. The TORS will retard the timing with a mismatch but if your idle is set low enough it may be enough to kill it. Since you're saying that it cut's out like a light switch it may not be this but I would at least verify these first.

Next you may want to unplug the TPS (throttle position sensor). Only unplug the electrical, don't undo the screws holding it on otherwise you'll have to reset it's position. It should still run fine unplugged. Do this just to make sure that the TPS isn't sending bad info to the CDI. See if the engine dies the same way. Reconnect after the test.

Then after those two easy checks, I would start the process Ding was talking about. I would probably start by checking the output of the magneto first. Last year it seems there was a rash of Magneto problems. Some members were trying aftermarket magnetos that just weren't working right for some reason. Then check the voltage regulator. And if possible replace the CDI with a known good running CDI just to see if it behaves any differently. After those checks you may want to start thinking about checking for rub-throughs by removing the wiring harness and going thought it for rub-throughs. A somewhat painful and time consuming process. I have also heard of people having a rub through on the line that runs to the tail light. That may be a quick and painless check before the harness.

This is just how I would work the problem but there are many more knowledgable people on this site that will chime in.

Best of luck with this and keep us posted on what you've done and the results.
 
so far eliminated tps,tors,tail light wiring,some wiring under the hood.going to call some local yamaha guys to get a good cdi to try and check magneto.thanks for all the info much appreciated. let you know when figure it out.
 
I agree on the stator. Mine burnt 1 leg of the wiring right where it goes in to the windings. Soldered it back together and it's been good for 6,000 miles.
 
Probably stator. I guess that's what I meant to say but it came out....magneto. I think all those problems last year were stators.
 


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