SRX Super-Sleuth-Guru Needed

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BarrySRX

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I have posted a few times about a hardstarting SRX and tried all the tricks with no luck. I'm hoping if I overview the recent history and troubleshooting I've done that something might ring a bell with somebody who's had similar problems. Any help is good help, so..here we go..

1. Rebuilt engine after blowout (new refurbed low end, 1 new jug, 1 new head, 3 new pistons, rings, bearings etc., all with new seals) and finished last summer, ran no problem after rebuild, but was never able to determine the root cause of the engine blowing.

I bring it to the dealer to do a once over and ensure i havent missed anything, he adjusted the powervalves, and the oil line because it was running very smoky- tells me i'm good to go. I'm pumped.

2. Discovered a coolant leak when it was on the trailer where rock struck the underbody where the heat exchanger is (this is pre-rebuild), plugged it with High temp RTV- no more leak, everything is good. this was likely the cause of the engine blowing a year earlier-happy i found it.

3. It snows and I try to fire it up and i get nothing. easily over 100 pulls without the smell of gas that would indicate a flooded carb.

4. Following weekend i tried two tricks. First is the pull the starter without the plugs installed to move fuel to the line, replace the plugs, and try to start her. tried this 3 times with no result, and no smell of gas. Second was to put a few drops of premix in the jugs, plug them up and pull- the engine did fire (exactly 3 times each time i tried) but would not sustain an idle- tried this at least 5 times. I also tried to circumvent the TORS by simply removing the connectors and plugging the terminals into themselves, still nothing. since the cylinders did fire, i'm assuming i am getting spark, and the plugs/wires/ignition switch are all ok. Will the cylinders fire if the ignition switch is bad?

5. next step was to check the carbs- they were removed-cleaned-measured-inspected (including floats), and readjusted just for good measure and no blockages or bad adjustments were found per the shop manual. They were also full of gas when they were removed, so its safe to say the carbs were at least getting fuel.

6. Next i though that maybe the fuel in the carbs had been there for a while, and maybe the fuel pump was not working, so i cycled the cylinders ( pulled the starter) a few times without the carbs attached to check the pulse line to the fuel pump. By the third pull, all three fuel lines were pumping what appeared to be premix to the carb input lines. all seems good.

So the pump is supplying fuel , carbs are adjusted properly as far as i can tell, i have spark, and still no ignition (yes the ignition key is in the "start/on" position).

7. the last thing i think is the fuel is bad, which is possible because i put about 2 gallons in with oil after the rebuild in July, so i siphon as much out as i can, and replace with a gallon of fresh fuel, replace the carbs, pull another 50-60 times. with no results. I'm planning on bringing it to the shop this weekend to find out why she won't start, because i'm at a loss, we are halfway through the winter and i've spent most of my time in the garage (which i usually dont mind), but i'm about to give up.

Bad Fuel? Bad Mix? Bad Spark? I have no idea

So that's the lay of the land.. Thanks in advance for anyone who has been through this before and has any good advice
 
question: when you have the sp. plugs out, and place them in the boots, then lay the metal housing of sp. plug against the headbolts...pull it over..Is the spark nice and bright blue?

and also to ask, sorry it seems dumb but you are aware the choke has 2 posistions right?? and the lever needs to be pulled far enough it almost goes backward on the dash? the choke should be fully applied when trying to start it cold.

check these 2 things and report back, will know where to go from there.
 
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I would put a new fuel filter on it (in the gas tank) and put at least 3 gallons in it.(91 octane with no ethanol)
 
mrviper700 said:
question: when you have the sp. plugs out, and place them in the boots, then lay the metal housing of sp. plug against the headbolts...pull it over..Is the spark nice and bright blue?

and also to ask, sorry it seems dumb but you are aware the choke has 2 posistions right?? and the lever needs to be pulled far enough it almost goes backward on the dash? the choke should be fully applied when trying to start it cold.

check these 2 things and report back, will know where to go from there.
Click to expand...

No problem, I did have the choke in the third position (fully open) when monkeying around with this. the choke line is also adjusted correctly so that the carb plungers are fully seated when the choke is off, and almost immediately engage when the choke is moved to half choke. I've found that leaving the choke full open typically floods it , independent of whether the engine pops, so i usually only pull 2-3x at full choke, then i move to half until the engine starts. i will check the plugs ASAP and get back to you, i actually thought of this but i was hesitant to give it a shot because there was so much fluid everywhere after taking off the carbs, that i didn't want to start a fire in the garage. I'll check this out this weekend if this nor'easter doesn't cancel my trip
 
thefindian said:
I would put a new fuel filter on it (in the gas tank) and put at least 3 gallons in it.(91 octane with no ethanol)
Click to expand...

Good advice, Looks like a have a few things on the to-do list. Thanks
 
My initial thoughts:

-sounds like choke not functioning...leave it in full on position after putting fuel in cylinders a couple times...you may have to repeat this 3 times or so
-ensure at least 1/2 tank fuel
-were top hat filters cleaned under needle + seats...I remove mine
-could you possibly have reed valve issues...cracked, stuck closed, ect
-check for solid spark...try new plug caps
-was the keyway installed correctly on flywheel?...is flywheel rusted?

JM.02c
 
You said a few drops of gas in each cylinder?
I add atleast a tablespoon per cylinder.
My srx fires and stays running the first try after having the carbs off, but my buddies Polaris makes us do it a dozen times each fall.
 
2. Discovered a coolant leak when it was on the trailer where rock struck the underbody where the heat exchanger is (this is pre-rebuild), plugged it with High temp RTV- no more leak, everything is good. this was likely the cause of the engine blowing a year earlier-happy i found it.
Click to expand...

this has nothing to do with your starting issues, but I'd be looking for a more permanent fix sooner than later or you could be rebuilding again.
 
I've found that leaving the choke full open typically floods it , independent of whether the engine pops, so i usually only pull 2-3x at full choke, then i move to half until the engine starts.
Click to expand...

this doesnt sound right. I've always been able to leave on full choke until it fires on all my 700 triple yamahas without flooding. (cold of course)
 
staggs65 said:
this doesnt sound right. I've always been able to leave on full choke until it fires on all my 700 triple yamahas without flooding. (cold of course)
Click to expand...

X2 I dont move choke to middle or warmimg position until they have ben running for 30 seconds or more depending on temp. If yours floods out prior to even firing theres something not right.
 
to add to your "to do/to check" list. PLUG CAPS. Have read many a thread about weird phantom plagueing problems that mystically were cured by swapping out caps.
 
sideshowBob said:
My initial thoughts:

-sounds like choke not functioning...leave it in full on position after putting fuel in cylinders a couple times...you may have to repeat this 3 times or so
-ensure at least 1/2 tank fuel
-were top hat filters cleaned under needle + seats...I remove mine
-could you possibly have reed valve issues...cracked, stuck closed, ect
-check for solid spark...try new plug caps
-was the keyway installed correctly on flywheel?...is flywheel rusted?

JM.02c
Click to expand...

Could be, i do see that the choke plungers visible on the outside of the carbs are not sticking anfd freely functioning, but maybe there could be something weird going on internally. i;ll make it a point to out some more fuel in the tank as well, seems like a few people suggested this. i did check the reeds and they all appear to be fine. Carbs are CLEAN as a whistle. flywheel is in ok shape too.
Plug caps? looks like only $15 a piece, wow!, this must be the single lest expensive oem part i've ever seen.
 
so it looks like i'll put a little more fuel in the tank, check the plugs and replace if necessary (already ordered them), and give it a go again. i'll add more fuel to cylinders as 95RXL suggested if i need to try that starting method. If this doesn't do it i'll probably bring it to the shop and suggest they prove out the plug caps first.

Thanks for the suggestions, i'll post back if this gets figured out..
 
If it starts with fuel poured into the cylinder your problem is not electrical. Not to say the caps should not be checked as they can still produce spark but hurt performance.

Find out why the fuel is not making it to the cylinder! Work your way from the tank filter out. Check for a pinched fuel supply line, clogged filters, bad fuel pump, pinched pulse line etc.

When the fuel gets there it will start if it starts with fuel in the cylinder!
 
hello Barry, after a dozen or so pulls are the plugs wet like flooded or are they dry like no fuel. I ask this because last week I trailered 200 miles for a ride and could not start but the plugs were wet when I looked, spark was good, so I pulled the engine over without the plugs in and fuel sputtered out the clinders, so I had to tip the sled on its side put a rag over the engine and pulled it over 30 or 40 times with the plugs out, alot of fuel came out of the crank case, then tip her back, put the plugs in and no problems. It could be as simple as fuel in the crank case.
 
Sounds like everyone covered all the ideas.... Just a thought. My old MXZ 670 had a simular issue with not starting well stay running. Had Primer.... Come to find out the vent from the motor had a crack in it. Would not pull fuel consistantly. Also I read that you cleaned the carbs. Did you check to see if carb clean sprayed out all the ports of the carb? Not tring to be smart just a idea.
 
Awhile back someone had a post about hard starting. They said to file down the choke pin (the skinny part below the larger barrel portion that fits into the carb body). I took .040" off mine. It was -9 Friday night and mine sarted in 3 pulls cold. Do a search. Are the floats set right? I'm sure they are but, you know. I use a turkey baster to prime mine when totally dry instead of pulling repeatedly. BLow carb clener through every orifice, then compressed air. Maybe your in tank line is deteriorated from alchol in the fuel? And don't trust the high temp silicone to stay in on hard riding. At least JB Weld (shudder), better yet get it tigged. Can't be too costly verses a new motor. Get yourself a cheap SunPro temp gauge at Autozone, great piece of mind. I thought I'd never stop...

Good Luck, John
 
Due to the snowpoca lypse that hi the NE last weekend, I was only just recently able to give this a go and try some of these tricks, and gladly I finally got it going! I added a little more fuel to the tank with some oil (rebuilt engine) put in three new plugs after verifying the plug caps were ok, and put a good amount of gas in Each cylinder and WamO! Started up and sputtered out after about 10 seconds, pulled it again, with a little throttle and it was good to go! Good pickup on the extra fuel RXL95. I had to adjust the idle screw nice it was idling around 1k rpm. I did notice a intermittent "spurt" sound after i had it running for a while, almost like a seal leak every 10 seconds or so. So I will need to look int that, as well as the clutch engagement was up around 4500rpm, which seems ( and sounds) too high, but I'll check the manual on that. Thanks to everyone who chimed in on this because I was ready to give up on this one. Enjoy the snow!
 
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