Water in fuel

[jcmem8]

Hi all,
I have a problem that I hope one of you may be able to help me with.
I have had my 88 Vmax for 6 months and I have noticed that after heavy rain she runs like "crap". It only happens after heavy rain, I thought at first it could be the fuel station I go to so I tried another place but still happening. I ride it to work everyday and unfortunatly there is no undercover parking. The bike starts running better after a few dry days and is back to normal after a week.
Where could the water be getting in????

Thanks for reading and hope you can help:ummm:
Jared

 

[KJShover]

Are you sure it's water in the fuel tank and not getting wet anywhere else.
It sounds more like its getting to your electrics.

There was a few folks a while back who had similar issues after washing thier bikes.

http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=12694&highlight=runs+wash

 

[jcmem8]

Hmmm....no I'm not sure. When it happens the bike idles rough, it putters and farts at low speed but when the revs pick up you can't notice any problem.
Does that sound like water in fuel or else where?

 

[KJShover]

It sounds more like the water is getting in to your electrics. Check your spark plug boots for moisture. There are drain holes on the head to get rid of the water, but sometimes they get plugged or just don't drain off the water fast enough.

When water gets in the plug boots it will sputter and such then when it finally evaporates it will be fine again.

 

[MaxMidnight]

Try running it in the dark (but NOT in a closed garage!) and look for any pyrotechnics around the HT system.

Have also heard of water getting into the ignition unit connectors.

 

[alorio1]

If it is water in the fuel, drain each carb in a bowl to see if water is evident. If no water is evident then you have issues with plug bases not draining out the weep holes causing the spark to run to the moisture. If you are parking the bike outside for some reason , you should atleast cover it with a tarp or something.

 

[SpecOps13]

I just found that the drain was blocked on the #2 cylinder of my 89. I used a Q-Tip to poke through the hole and clear it then I ran a leaf blower around all the plugs to be sure there was no dirt or other crap in any of them.

 

[98Redlne]

You might also want to check in and around your coils.

If the coils are cracked getting water into them will degrade the performance (less spark) at lower RPM. When you get the revs up, you get enough extra juice to get a decent spark.

MaxMidnight has it right. When the bike is wet, try running at night. If the issue is spark related, you should see the spark jumping from wherever to ground.

A cheap bike cover may not be a bad investment either. It will keep the rain off the bike when it is parked at work.

 

[Lew L]

:biglaugh:Motorcycle cover.:biglaugh:

 

[SpecOps13]

Great Idea 98Redlne and Lew L....:clapping:

Corrected to give acknowledgement to 98Redline
who was the first to suggest this...

 

[85vmax]

Its the plug wires.....if they are aftermarket and not waterproof.
Left me stranded a couple times.
Carry a can of WD......next time you have the prob spray the caps and lines.
should clear it up, but you should get good wires.

 

[98Redlne]

Great Idea Lew L....:clapping:

Hey! I said it first :tantrum:


:rofl_200:

 

[zippo6]

LMFAO!
Overheard at the car wash:
"So George, what are you up to today?"
"Oh, gonna fire up my leaf blower to fine tune my Vmax"
:clapping::rofl_200::biglaugh::eusa_dance:unk:

I just found that the drain was blocked on the #2 cylinder of my 89. I used a Q-Tip to poke through the hole and clear it then I ran a leaf blower around all the plugs to be sure there was no dirt or other crap in any of them.

 

[jcmem8]

Ahhh.... I actually heard this small clicking sound when I was pulling up to my garage last night I bet it was spark going from a lead to ground, I will check in the dark tonight, and I will clean out those drain holes(I was wondering why water was coming out of those holes when I first got the bike)
Cheers fella's:eusa_dance:

 

[RaWarrior]

Could be, when I've noticed arcing it's never "big" enough to really make a noise, or at least not loud enough to hear over an idling engine.

Dark area, put on gloves(you're a ground....), and wiggle the wires around. Try to "provoke" it by pushing the wire very near the head. If it arcs over, new wires. Or better yet, ditch the wires/caps entirely and install coil-on-plugs (COPs). You can do the conversion for about the same price as a new set of wires.

 

[jcmem8]

Ok thanks heaps for the tips, also where do I get coil-on-plugs (COPs)?
Jared

 

[jcmem8]

Re: Water in fuel ?

You might also want to check in and around your coils.

If the coils are cracked getting water into them will degrade the performance (less spark) at lower RPM. When you get the revs up, you get enough extra juice to get a decent spark.

MaxMidnight has it right. When the bike is wet, try running at night. If the issue is spark related, you should see the spark jumping from wherever to ground.

A cheap bike cover may not be a bad investment either. It will keep the rain off the bike when it is parked at work.

I just had a look at the coils and your right they are cracked, the two under the seat are and I can see a small crack in one of the front coils but its hard to see them both.
I put Silastic on the cracked coils under the seat but cant get to the front ones easily. How big a job is it to remove the front coils?:confused2:
Cheers, Jared

 

[SpecOps13]

98Redline: Hey! I said it first.
Sorry Bro, I corrected my original
post to reflect and give credit where
it was due.:biglaugh:

 

[[email protected]]

Re: Water in fuel ?

How big a job is it to remove the front coils?:confused2:
Cheers, Jared

Its not difficult but it takes some time because a lot of things need to come out.

Go to this section of the forum.
http://www.vmaxforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=29

Check out the series of stickies title Installing COPs inc removing stock coils. I think part 3 or part 4 focuses on removing the front coils.

 

[jcmem8]

98Redline: Hey! I said it first.
Sorry Bro, I corrected my original
post to reflect and give credit where
it was due.:biglaugh:

Lol :rofl_200: ok ok you were right. thanks mate