VFR Guru help needed ASAP.....I'm about to give up hope

Discussion in '3rd & 4th Generation 1990-1997' started by LayinLow, Jun 21, 2014.

  1. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

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    :grumpy:

    So I have some sort of major Gremlin wreaking havoc on my VFR. I have a 94 VFR customized into a streetfighter that is my pride and joy. It's almost the exact bike I want to have except recently there's been issues.

    All maintenance has been performed by me since I bought it. Its had:

    VFRness installed
    Aftermarket Rectifier with cooling fan
    Oil and filter changes every 3-4k
    Carbs cleaned (twice now)
    New clutch and plates
    Valve check done a few thousand miles ago...everything was spec
    New battery
    New water pump
    etc etc etc...ive really taken care of this thing.

    I recently installed a new side mounted ignition because my old ignition switch failed. Everything under the airbox where all my wiring is, is done professionally with butt end splicers and heat shrink ..nothing ghetto.

    :numbness:So....all was well until the past couple months...every once in awhile i'd be riding it and id take off from a stoplight and get some temporary hesitation. This would happen occasionally until it graduated into sometimes id have hesitation while accelerating hard. So naturally I thought.....fuel filter....flush tank.....clean air filter etc. I had done all of this except fuel filter before mind you...when I first bought the bike. BUT I did it again....removed tank...flushed tank.....new fuel filter....cleaned tank filter off.......cleaned airbox.

    So I do all this and test ride it...it rides ok for say 5 miles, then shit starts going downhill.....it gets to where its feeling like its firing on 1/2 the cylinders. At one point i swear it was firing on only 1 as i limp this thing back home. So i examine the fuel pump. I fed it direct current off the battery and it works great. I test it with the fuel pump relay intact and it also works...but it seems to work at say 1/2 speed. I test all 4 plugs out of the engine...they all create sparks!. I end up ordering a new fuel pump relay AND a jet kit since I'm going to have the carbs out one more time to completely clean them and i'd been meaning to install a kit and remove the snorkel to match my exhaust. Jet kit goes in smoothly, new Iridium plugs go in smoothly...new fuel filter relay goes in.....carbs cleaned...new oil, new filter. All put together again today and i get it started...still sounds like at least 1 cylinder is down :grumpy: I'm losing hope folks...I've never had a gremlin this persistent yet and its breaking my will! Is it possible to have bad ignition coils that still create a spark? I have no idea where to go with this.
     
  2. NormK

    NormK New Member

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    Coils spring to mind as a possible
     
  3. zoom-zoom

    zoom-zoom Member

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    When the R/R on my 97 started going south it would run fine then when I shut it off and restarted it would be dead. The day it cooked itself it would run fine then start to sputter like it was mis-firing. Did this a lot on the 200 km ride home. I would stop, push start it, then ride about 20-30 km's and it would start sputtering again. I had to keep the engine revving about 5000 rpm or it died almost immediately. Once I replaced the r/r it ran fine for another 40,000 km's until I sold it. Since you said you have replaced the R/R, it may be the stator is the issue.

    Checking the whole charging system and ground points might be a good idea and I agree with NormK, it could be a bad coil. As example the stator can still produce voltage even if the windings are starting to fail. Sometimes the voltage doesn't drop until the stator heats up. One of the coils may be producing a spark but just not a strong enough spark??
     
  4. nearfreezing

    nearfreezing New Member

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    ECU. Buy used.
     
  5. auggius

    auggius New Member

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    You said the fuel pump works but did you test to see if it put out the minimum volume of fuel over a set time? Maybe try running without the fuel pump and use gravity feed only and see how that goes. Some people run their VFR without the fuel pump. Or maybe you have a plugged vent line somewhere. Or maybe a plugged air intake.
     
  6. CandyRedRC46

    CandyRedRC46 Member

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    Ecu on a 1994? Lol
    I would go through every connection in the harness and look for sign of a bad connection, heat/dirt/corrosion. Mines a 2007 and I've had to cut out and direct solder at least three or four connection already to keep this bike running.


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  7. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

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    Well the whole carb assembly was removed so If there was a clogged line I probably would have come across it already. I dont think its the rectifier as Ive had that issue before and the symptoms were different. I suppose I could try running the bike then individually unhooking the coils to see if any of them have no effect when unhooked. And try the gravity fed fuel line. Ugh....this issue blows.
     
  8. auggius

    auggius New Member

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    It could be your gas tank that is not venting properly, not just your carbs, that is causing the problem.
     
  9. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

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    Well I just got done testing all the cylinders. I took out the radiator bolt and started the bike up.......then removed the plug caps from each cylinder one at a time......every time it effected the sound of the idle so I know all cylinders are firing. I also tested the pump by bridging the wiring harness at the relay.....didnt seem to change its behavior any. LOW and behold i start to see tendrils of smoke coming from the front of the bike and my aftermarket blinkers/running lights are really really hot. The bulbs didnt burn out but after i shut the bike off the housings were literally melted in one spot. Im not sure if my testing the fuel relay caused this or if it just happened by itself.....but that suggests rectifier. I have a VFRness installed which is supposed to prevent this from happening....im so baffled by this. I dont make enough money to start replacing parts that arent the problem. Im thinking about making a test craigslist add to see if anyone wants the bike for a reasonable offer. Im going to die a little inside selling it...but i cant own a bike that doesnt run right....not worth it. I bought this thing for its supposed bulletproof reliability.
     
  10. Outboard John

    Outboard John New Member

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    You might go through the complete drill of checking the r/r and stator just to be sure they are in spec. Just because you upgraded the r/r at one time doesn't mean it couldn't fail. The fact that your turn signals got that hot sure seems like it's an electrical issue. Hope you can figure it out before you reach the end of your rope.
    John
     
  11. fredsncoma

    fredsncoma New Member

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    This may sound overly simple, but have you checked your battery ground to the frame. Mine ran like shit once, chased problem all over and the negative lead to the frame was loose.
     
  12. CandyRedRC46

    CandyRedRC46 Member

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    Plus one, if you "upgraded" the rr with some electro sport or ricks or some other non oem Chinese garbage, you could be doing a lot more bad than good to your bike.

    Everybody should have an on board voltage gauge on their bikes so they can see what's really going on.


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  13. svandekieft

    svandekieft New Member

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    I cought some crap for this because I didn't know if it was waterproof but you can get very inexpensive voltmeters. The one I picked up was $5. I made a mount on my dash and now I know what is going on. Get a cheap one, ride in the dry and then you will know.
     
  14. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

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    I will check the battery ground. I think it is a Ricks...or Matts or something like that. I had actually read nothing but good things about these.....you are saying they arent way better than stock? So far I have done everything to my own bike except forks.....everything has gone well....this particular issue is really tweaking me because its got me running in circles and ive spent a little money already and havent solved it.
     
  15. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

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    If my voltage was that high it would be blowing the VFRness fuzes. Thats what its there for. It actually was blowing fuzes when my ignition went capoot a few months ago. Put a new custom ignition in and its been fine since.
     
  16. nearfreezing

    nearfreezing New Member

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  17. nearfreezing

    nearfreezing New Member

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    Any motorcycle you have is going to develop some sort of problem, selling this bike isn't going to make that go away. It sounds like you're on the right track, you'll be able to track it down. Sounds like a $10 multimeter will help you look into the charging system.
     
  18. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

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    Do the ECUs fry on these? And BTW......one of my ground wires WAS lose..lol. But it didnt fix the problem after i tightened it.

    *Also re checked the plugs now that its been around the block a few times, and none of them smell like gas...all look like they are firing. Checked all the feeds into the coils themselves too...none broken or disconnected* Shrug
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2014
  19. LayinLow

    LayinLow New Member

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    Already have one of those two probe digital meters......
     
  20. CandyRedRC46

    CandyRedRC46 Member

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    I have had a vfrness installed since 2010. I have gone through just about every stator/rr combination on my 2007 vfr800 since the originals went out in 2010 at 25,000 miles. The first combo was a ricks stator and moroso rr. It over charged at 17 volts right off the bat. Guess what? The vfrness and and every other fuse on the bike was fine. Fuses only blow when there is a short or a load that is too high. High voltage alone doesn't blow fuses.

    Then I replaced the moroso rr with a compufire rr. This combo was almost perfect, except it would over charge above 10,000 RPMs. (Later I found out that ricks stators can put out as much 50% more voltage than factory oem stators). This combo lasted another 2years and 20,000 miles.

    Then I replaced it with an electrosport rr and stator. This combo again over charged right off the bat at 17 volts at idle. (Guess what? The vfrness fuse or any other fuse for that matter never popped)

    Finally I replaced it with an OEM vfr800 stator and an FH020aa rr (OEM on the brand new Yamaha R1 and a few other bikes). This combo has been absolutely rock stable and spot on since day one. I am almost crossing the 2 year 20,000 mile threshold with this combo. It literally sits at 14.1 volts all day every day no matter the RPMs or load. And the rr stays cool always!


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