engine cutting out in rainy conditions

[jharrison]

I did try to search the forum for info before i posted this and didn't find anything regarding wet weather riding conditions.

I went on a 3 day ride this weekend with 7 other guys on various makes of motorcycle. 3 FJR's, 3 harley's, 1 BMW and 1 Honda ST1300.

The second day of the ride was non-stop rain all day long. About 4 hours into the ride all 3 FJR's strarted having problems. Engine sputtering and cutting out like it was running out of gas. If we kept them at higher RPM while riding they seemed to be ok, but as soon as we stopped to take a break and turned the engine off, they didn't want to start again. They would start for about 5 seconds and then die, and then wouldn't start at all unless we held the throttle wide open and then hit the starter.

I did read about problems people were having at high altitude, but i have been at higher altitude than i was at this weekend without any problems.

It seemed to have something to do with water getting into something.

Has anyone else had this experience while riding in the rain? I'd like to know what the fix is, I'd hate to be held back from riding because of a little rain.

 

[kaitsdad]

I did try to search the forum for info before i posted this and didn't find anything regarding wet weather riding conditions.
I went on a 3 day ride this weekend with 7 other guys on various makes of motorcycle. 3 FJR's, 3 harley's, 1 BMW and 1 Honda ST1300.

The second day of the ride was non-stop rain all day long. About 4 hours into the ride all 3 FJR's strarted having problems. Engine sputtering and cutting out like it was running out of gas. If we kept them at higher RPM while riding they seemed to be ok, but as soon as we stopped to take a break and turned the engine off, they didn't want to start again. They would start for about 5 seconds and then die, and then wouldn't start at all unless we held the throttle wide open and then hit the starter.

I did read about problems people were having at high altitude, but i have been at higher altitude than i was at this weekend without any problems.

It seemed to have something to do with water getting into something.

Has anyone else had this experience while riding in the rain? I'd like to know what the fix is, I'd hate to be held back from riding because of a little rain.

As it affected all three FJR's, the only commonality is the fuel. Did the three of you fill up at the same location?

Personally, I've ridden tens of thousands through heavy rain - and have never had a rain related problem. Cept' for the Stitch Crotch.

 

[jharrison]

We thought about fuel, but all 8 of us fueled up at the same place and none of the other bikes had this problem.

 

[Silent]

I'd have to lean twards kaitsdads explanation of bad gas. However I did have a Ninja that would drop a cylinder when it rained. Real annoying. Turned out to be a broken wire to the coil that was making intermitant contact. I can't see that happening to 3 bikes at the same time tho.

 

[monk69]

You said you all filled at the same station,but according to the list of bikes you rode with it seems to me they run on hightest,and you three on reg.

+1

 

[kaitsdad]

You said you all filled at the same station,but according to the list of bikes you rode with it seems to me they run on hightest,and you three on reg. +1

Yep. Points to fuel.

jharrison, does the problem still present itself, or have you refilled since then?

 

[DailyCommuter]

I found that one of the plugs going into the rectifier on my 07 was waterlogged. I doubt all 3 of the feejers had it at the same time. Its kinds exposed to the water as it is located in front of the rear tire below where your ECU is located. Worth a look....

 

[jharrison]

We all used the high octain fuel, once we got out of the rain for a while, all the FJR's started running fine again.

 

[SkooterG]

We all used the high octain fuel,

Well, see that' your problem right there. You're only supposed to use 87 octane!

I too have ridden thousands of miles in the rain with NEVER an issue. Nor have I EVER seen anybody else report anything like this in all the years on the forum.

It was the gas dude. Rain might have had something to do with the bad gas, but if 3 FJRs all had the problem that none else do, well, what was the common denominator? Gas.

 

[Silent]

I had bad gas once... Damn Mexican burritos...

I've had crappy gas that was so bad that it forced me to drain the tank and pull the carb rack to clean them (On the Ninja of course, the FJR is fuel injected)

 

[03HiYoSilver]

jh,

You may want to check out your Connectors:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...st&p=268059

These can cause some very strange and intermittent problems.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

My 03 acted up on a very wet ride up to Americade. Definately got some water into the ignition system somehow, it misfired, ran rough and threw a check engine light. Eventually it cleared up and as things dried out, the bike ran perfectly.

 

[jharrison]

Thanks Afast03nNJ for the info. At least i know now that we weren't the only ones that have had this problem. I've riden in the rain before without problems, but this was more than a little rain, it was pouring so hard at times that you couldn't hardly see the bike that was 30 feet in front of you.

We thought at first that we got some bad gas, but why didn't all the bikes run rough, only the FJR's? And after we parked for a while, ate dinner, let things dry out, they ran fine again.

 

[v65]

I've riden in the rain before without problems, but this was more than a little rain, it was pouring so hard at times that you couldn't hardly see the bike that was 30 feet in front of you.

I have ridden through some hard rain, including an hour and a half in this little doozy (I never get tired of posting this):

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE QUAD CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

SOUTHEASTERN DES MOINES COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST IOWA...

EAST CENTRAL LEE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST IOWA...

NORTHEASTERN HANCOCK COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

HENDERSON COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

MCDONOUGH COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

SOUTHERN WARREN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT.

* AT 741 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A

LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN

EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY ALONG A

LINE EXTENDING FROM GLADSTONE TO DALLAS CITY...OR ALONG A LINE

EXTENDING FROM OQUAWKA TO 11 MILES SOUTH OF BURLINGTON...AND MOVING

SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...

BIGGSVILLE...TERRE HAUTE...STRONGHURST AND DISCO AROUND 750 PM

CDT...

KIRKWOOD AND LA HARPE AROUND 755 PM CDT...

RARITAN AROUND 800 PM CDT...

BLANDINSVILLE AROUND 805 PM CDT...

TENNESSEE AND COLMAR AROUND 810 PM CDT...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. MOVE IMMEDIATELY INDOORS AND STAY AWAY

FROM WINDOWS.

No problems. If weather was the culprit, there is something wrong with all three of your bikes, it should not be a problem.

 

[jharrison]

Well, I really do hope it was bad fuel and not the weather that caused the problem. It was just strange that out of 8 bikes it only affected 3.

 

[FJRScorpion]

j,

I've had the exact symptoms you described on my 'naked' in-line 4 bike. I could not ride the bike in any substantial rain and found myself walking home from work more than once. :angry: I tried duplicating the condition with a garden hose and buckets of water with no luck. :huh: So after exhaustively working on anything related and unsuccessfully searching for answers from local bike mechanics over many seasons, I theorized that the persistant and invasive moisture from "riding through the rain" must somehow be causing the high voltage for the spark to leak (track) to earth ground (at the engine head in my case). Since the coils were very expensive and supposedly hermetically integrated with the plug wire, I tried replacing the OEM spark plug's connector boots with aftermarket ones first. That was the solution, the problem never returned! I figured that over the years a slightly different physical configuration of new spark plugs or simply boot shrinkage, could have been the culprit.

Alternatively, I've seen aerosol spray cans for coating high voltage plug wires at the automotive store and I've heard that WD-40 can even displace water and may work in a pinch, repeated use may dry out and eventually crack the insulation though, causing worse trouble later. Caution: Do not spray on the wires while the engine is running and wait for the carrier medium to dissipate. Also, be concerned about any reaction there may be with the surrounding plastic if you do try this.

Good luck with your wet weather riding, as for me I'm a 'fair' weather biker only. :dirol:

 

[jestal]

You might also check the fuel tank vent hose that goes from the cap area and hangs down under the bike.

I have seen a couple of cases in the past (non-FJR's) where the tank vent hose would suck up water riding in the rain and effectively block the tank vent causing the machines to act like they were running out of gas....only because they were as the tank could no longer vent and created a vacuum in the tank as it emptied.

Those were carbed, gravity feed systems back then so I wouldn't think the FJR would be as susceptable to this problem with a high pressure electric pump in the tank.......but.....it seems like some have had problems with tank venting when the orange oring seal at the cap deteriorated blocking the vent and causing some driveability issues.

Just a thought.

 

[Wolfhound]

Did all 3 of you have the updated ECU put in ?

 

[Geezer]

j,
I've had the exact symptoms you described on my 'naked' in-line 4 bike. I could not ride the bike in any substantial rain and found myself walking home from work more than once. :angry: I tried duplicating the condition with a garden hose and buckets of water with no luck. :huh: So after exhaustively working on anything related and unsuccessfully searching for answers from local bike mechanics over many seasons, I theorized that the persistant and invasive moisture from "riding through the rain" must somehow be causing the high voltage for the spark to leak (track) to earth ground (at the engine head in my case). Since the coils were very expensive and supposedly hermetically integrated with the plug wire, I tried replacing the OEM spark plug's connector boots with aftermarket ones first. That was the solution, the problem never returned! I figured that over the years a slightly different physical configuration of new spark plugs or simply boot shrinkage, could have been the culprit.

Alternatively, I've seen aerosol spray cans for coating high voltage plug wires at the automotive store and I've heard that WD-40 can even displace water and may work in a pinch, repeated use may dry out and eventually crack the insulation though, causing worse trouble later. Caution: Do not spray on the wires while the engine is running and wait for the carrier medium to dissipate. Also, be concerned about any reaction there may be with the surrounding plastic if you do try this.

Good luck with your wet weather riding, as for me I'm a 'fair' weather biker only. :dirol:

Probably not going to help with a bike as new as the FJR, but I have used WD40 many times to get an engine running that had old spark plug wires that got wet from long periods of rain. It is temporary but it works.

Something I did on the 25 year old plug wires on my old Yamaha Midnight Maxim is to apply a nice coat of high temp silicon to the plug wires all the way from the coils to the plug boots. I did that four or five years ago and I haven't had a problem running that naked bike in the wet ever since. Before that it would cut out whenever it got rained on.