2014 with serious problem

Replace the battery or jump it to a car battery (car off). I had Ducati my die at a stoplight last week. Would not restart. Got it home and the battery read 13.09 at rest but on start dragged to 7 volts. Charger said the battery was good since it would hold 13 with no load. Must have been a bad cell or something.

I also question the compression test since it seems like the bike would spin freely with those numbers. Only other thing I can think of is that your CCT failed and the timing chain jumped.

Oldjeep said:

Only other thing I can think of is that your CCT failed and the timing chain jumped.

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I think that if the chain jumped, he would have noticed that on his 20 minute ride. If the chain is off just by 1 tooth, the bike would run, but noticeably not well. I am with you on a weak battery theory. Either something like a short or an accessory is draining it, or it is tired and ready to be recycled.

If the compression was that low the motor should produce smoke like burning oil...

RossKean said:

My OEM battery (2011) is currently at 12 years and 160,000 km - but an underperforming battery is still a good possibility.
At the very least, I would have it load tested.

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12 years on a battery?! (Insert profanity here), that’s a long time!!

My longest has been 7 years

chazglenn3 said:

My longest has been 7 years

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My longest also just about 7 years - the one that failed in the Ducati was original.

So.... any updates? Curious as to the fix, if any, so that it may help others.

rrr1 said:

If the compression was that low the motor should produce smoke like burning oil...

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Only if the pistons rings aren’t sealing. If the valves aren’t sealing, it won’t smoke. It’s unlikely to be failed rings in all 4 cylinders on a low mileage motor.

Whooshka said:

So.... any updates? Curious as to the fix, if any, so that it may help others.

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OP hasn't logged into the forum since his post over two weeks ago. Hopefully it was resolved without drama.

Fs2 said:

my bike has approximately 8500 miles. i am the second owner and have had no trouble up to this point.
i had trouble recently where the bike when trying to start seemed to labor as though the battery was weak.
i tried to push start it but it did not start. tried again the electric start and it fired up and seemed to run normal. made the 20 minute ride home no problem.
hooked it up to trickle charge over night. next day tried to start and though it turned over the engine it would not start.
after many attempts without starting i delved into troubleshooting and eventually came here to look for help.
without listing all the things i tried i put the bike in the shop (certified Yamaha dealer) last week because of code 44 on display.
the shop called yesterday saying it had a serious problem.

---

- Work performed by dealer -
Description: code 44 LPR 5/24 - Spun engine over and sounds like it does not have compression. - Performed compression test which failed.
Compression test:
1 - 45psi (left most cylinder)
2 - 40psi
3 - 30psi
4 - 35psi -

technician comment:
I don't know if an upper engine cleaning will work but that is the only other thing we can try. If that does not work then customer will need to bring bike somewhere for engine rebuild

---

i searched here for threads regarding code: 44. no mention of upper engine cleaning or engine rebuild.
the bike has low mileage and previous owner recorded about 3000 miles before selling it to me in 2017.

anyone heard of such a problem as this.
thanks to all here for any help.

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So any updates? You got lots of advice but no feedback. Guys like to know what happened as another is going thru the same thing right now.


PM sent. Hopefully an email will revive the OP. He was on 2 weeks ago and this thread is 6 months old.

My 2014 is still running on it’s original battery. I pulled it out this morning with temps right around freezing, and it was turning over a little slow. I do run 15W50 oil in it, so that might be why. Gave it about 4-5 seconds on the starter the first time, then shut it off for a minute. On second attempt it started.

One thing I’ve noticed on this 3rd Gen that never ever happened on my 1st Gen ‘05 is, often when starting cold, I’ll thumb the starter button and hear it fire up, usually on the 3rd compression stroke. But if I release it after the first pop it sometimes dies. It usually fires right up on the second attempt.

I ‘ve taken to holding the starter button down until the bike starts for real, especially when stone cold. That seems to take care of it 99% of the time. My thought process is that, due to the sprag clutch on the starter gear, keeping the starter running after the engine starts is not detrimental.

Today was an exception, it popped once and then nothing four several seconds. But, bike did start, ran fine all day with no problems starting afterwards. Probably my last ride on it this year. I kind of squeezed this one in after putting all of the bikes up for winter.

It was worth it. It was a fine 300 mile ride.

Edit- I almost forgot: this thread’s symptom sounds like it might be fast starter syndrome. It still happens to all FJRs now and then. Go read the thread on it. The fix is to keep going with the throttle held wide open. I seriously doubt the compression is fubar.

I received this PM today.... after almost 2 years. Just wanted to let all who contributed to the thread know. Irks the **** out of me when someone asks for help with a problem then never follows up. No details that are helpful.

"I brought the bike to a local dealership and they put some type of solution in the upper cylinder head to desolve any carbon build up.
The service manager recommended I use Sea foam on a regular basis to keep injectors clean and help with potential 'bad gasoline'.
Also, less short trips to and from town, ie: highway speeds to let the engine open up more.
Compression test on each cylinder did not show any adverse condition.
I still find it hard to believe carbon build up was the main issue.
Granted, I have not put any significant mileage on it over the last 8 years, at least not as much as I expected.
I own 2 bikes so neither gets any more time than the other.
I need to take a long trip on this bike which is the reason I purchased it.
I recently changed the battery on both bikes, I just need to ride more often."

^^^
Safe bet it wasn't carbon buildup as the root cause. Equally safe bet that they didn't add any magic solution to "dissolve" carbon.
Seafoam, as a fuel additive works best at separating the buyer from cash in the wallet - placebo effect more than anything (IMHO). It MIGHT help keep injectors a bit cleaner, especially if the bike isn't run much. The isopropanol does act as a co-solvent that may help absorb separated water from "wet" gasoline. My guess is that it was flooded along with (possibly) a weak battery. MOST unlikely that the original compression testing was right, especially at just 8500 miles! (Unless, of course, the engine was FUBAR and that doesn't spontaneously fix itself.)

To the OP, the best thing you can do with that bike is to ride it. If your shop gives you advice or diagnosis that doesn't sound right, post up here - but ONLY if you are going to follow-up after people bother to take the thought, time and effort to help you.

Note: If you are planning a long trip, get all of the basic maintenance stuff done first. Treat this bike properly and 100,000 miles is just middle age.

I received this PM today...... after almost 2 years.

Thanks for the update ! All I know about these FJRs is ...

Ride more ... worry less.
They really like a strong battery.
Don't take your bike to a dealer in Mississippi for service. ... YMMV ... 2014s ROCK!

RossKean said:

Seafoam, as a fuel additive works best at separating the buyer from cash in the wallet - placebo effect more than anything (IMHO).

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Actually, as a fuel system cleaner fuel additive, Seafoam is surprisingly effective at dissolving spooge and varnish. It won't (at least in my experience) penetrate a completely plugged carburetor passage or jet, but it's great for restoring restricted passages. I like to mix a strong solution of about 8 parts gasoline to 1 part Seafoam and run the engine on that at a fast idle for 10 minutes, then leave it sit overnight. Dilute the mix to 50:1 in the morning and run the engine again for a while (eg: take the bike for a ride) before completing any adjustments to the carb(s).

This is not a seat-of-the-pants subjective evaluation. I have compared before and after on several occasions using a Gunson's ColorTune plug to visually evaluate the mixture as well as an exhaust gas analyzer to quantify results.

For over 20 years I have hosted the annual "Northern Ontario Carb Clinic" for the XJ Owner's Group. Early on we discovered that we might tune a poorly running machine into life, only to get reports the bike started running worse a few days later. After a few times we tweaked to the fact the Seafoam added to the fuel system after the tune-up cleaned things up so the bike now ran rich and needed to be re-tuned.

I now advise owners to run the Seafoam for a few days prior to the carb adjustments.

I have also used a similar ratio mix as the medium when cleaning fuel injectors. It can improve the spray pattern in a dirty injector, although nothing can help a worn-out injector (or carburettor for that matter).

As for it's efficacy as an engine cleaner, I have no evidence one way or the other. It may be as effective as "Ring-Free" and similar products, but I have no evidence they disolve carbon either. It may be of use disolving oil sludge build-up but there are cheaper ways to effectively deal with that issue.

Just my 2¢

torch said:

Actually, as a fuel system cleaner fuel additive, Seafoam is surprisingly effective at dissolving spooge and varnish. It won't (at least in my experience) penetrate a completely plugged carburetor passage or jet, but it's great for restoring restricted passages. I like to mix a strong solution of about 8 parts gasoline to 1 part Seafoam and run the engine on that at a fast idle for 10 minutes, then leave it sit overnight. Dilute the mix to 50:1 in the morning and run the engine again for a while (eg: take the bike for a ride) before completing any adjustments to the carb(s).

This is not a seat-of-the-pants subjective evaluation. I have compared before and after on several occasions using a Gunson's ColorTune plug to visually evaluate the mixture as well as an exhaust gas analyzer to quantify results.

For over 20 years I have hosted the annual "Northern Ontario Carb Clinic" for the XJ Owner's Group. Early on we discovered that we might tune a poorly running machine into life, only to get reports the bike started running worse a few days later. After a few times we tweaked to the fact the Seafoam added to the fuel system after the tune-up cleaned things up so the bike now ran rich and needed to be re-tuned.

I now advise owners to run the Seafoam for a few days prior to the carb adjustments.

I have also used a similar ratio mix as the medium when cleaning fuel injectors. It can improve the spray pattern in a dirty injector, although nothing can help a worn-out injector (or carburettor for that matter).

As for it's efficacy as an engine cleaner, I have no evidence one way or the other. It may be as effective as "Ring-Free" and similar products, but I have no evidence they disolve carbon either. It may be of use disolving oil sludge build-up but there are cheaper ways to effectively deal with that issue.

Just my 2¢

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Not much actually dissolves carbon although treatment might loosen it so that some of it detaches and burns (or passes out of the cylinder).

Regarding Seafoam, I won't dispute that the naptha may help with dissolving gum and varnish - far more of an issue with the carbureted engine than the FJR, especially if the engine is allowed to sit for an extended period of time. I did mention that it might help with injectors on an underused bike, but I don't think it would do much more than that assuming you are running a modern high quality gasoline with detergents. I used to use it semi-regularly and haven't used it at all in the last half dozen years. Can't say I have noticed a difference or had any fuel-related issues. I buy a bottle of Ring Free once in a very long while and I suspect any effects I think I see are more in my imagination. I don't own a carburetted motorcycle - just the snowblower and lawnmower.

I have used Seafoam on my sister's snowblower and emergency generator as part of my getting both of these restored to working well again. Don't know whether it helped or not as I had the carbs out to clean them anyway. Ran well afterward... I suggested that she might want to continue to use it, especially since neither engine gets run very much and they are quite lax about emptying the tanks and draining the carbs at the end of the season.

RossKean said:

Not much actually dissolves carbon although treatment might loosen it so that some of it detaches and burns (or passes out of the cylinder).

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Yup. Misting water in the intake while running can accomplish the same mechanically. Cheaper too.

RossKean said:

especially if the engine is allowed to sit for an extended period of time. I did mention that it might help with injectors on an underused bike, but I don't think it would do much more than that assuming you are running a modern high quality gasoline with detergents.

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I agree completely. Good quality fresh modern fuel run regularly is the best fuel system cleaner.

RossKean said:

Don't know whether it helped or not as I had the carbs out to clean them anyway. Ran well afterward... I suggested that she might want to continue to use it, especially since neither engine gets run very much and they are quite lax about emptying the tanks and draining the carbs at the end of the season.

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No point in using Seafoam as part of the cleaning process if you are stripping and dipping the carbs anyway. Seafoam as a cleaner is more of a last ditch effort that may obviate the need for a full rebuild. But I think your point is to use it as a stabilizer/preventative after cleaning, as mentioned above?

While I don't add it to regularly used machines, I do add Seafoam to the fuel of infrequently used engines and when winterizing (outboards, back-up genny, classic bikes, chainsaws) or summerizing (snowmobiles) as a fuel stabilizer that helps prevent the formation of varnish in the first place. But I see no value in an engine used regularly.

torch said:

Yup. Misting water in the intake while running can accomplish the same mechanically. Cheaper too.


I agree completely. Good quality fresh modern fuel run regularly is the best fuel system cleaner.



No point in using Seafoam as part of the cleaning process if you are stripping and dipping the carbs anyway. Seafoam as a cleaner is more of a last ditch effort that may obviate the need for a full rebuild. But I think your point is to use it as a stabilizer/preventative after cleaning, as mentioned above?

While I don't add it to regularly used machines, I do add Seafoam to the fuel of infrequently used engines and when winterizing (outboards, back-up genny, classic bikes, chainsaws) or summerizing (snowmobiles) as a fuel stabilizer that helps prevent the formation of varnish in the first place. But I see no value in an engine used regularly.

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I think we are on the same page...
The carb on my sister's snowblower was a mess. Passages, main jet and emulsion tube were gummed. Even the main needle attached to the float was stuck and wouldn't admit gas into the bowl. Dismantle, clean, spray, soak. New sparkplug, oil change and cleaned air filter. Back together, primed and started on first pull. Blower hadn't been used much (3-4 events per year), but it spent its summers with a part tank of gas and full carb. I am not sure if they even changed the oil in the last four or five years. (I recommended that they use Seafoam (or similar) to prevent problems, but I'll probably "summerize" it for them when I visit the next time.)

I have heard of water misting to de-carbonize engines. An old FJRForum inmate (HaulinAshe) even recommended introducing pure Seafoam into the throttle body sync ports until the engine stalled. Don't know if that is something I would try...
https://www.fjrforum.com/threads/seafoaming-your-fjr.156782/page-3#post-1133722