Re: Very hard starting today
markjenn said:
Why the bike is occasionally flooding during a normal start when you're doing everything right is the pregnant question. My instinct says that there is some software or sensor glitch that under the right set of conditions momentarily puts the system in a mode where it overfuels dramatically - for example, perhaps under certain conditions the OAT sensor is "off scale" to the ECU. When this happens, it may go into some kind of fail-safe mode which is actually causing the problem - sometimes the testing of these systems misses certain combinations of conditions. Or this may just be my prejudice to think this is software-related - I worked too long in software including a brief stint doing embedded systems on vehicles.
At this point, anything is possible. I have not had this problem on the S10 so far, but have had it a few times on the FJR. Often enough to know that on the FJR, I'm causing it by not allowing a full warm up before shutting it off.
There is a second cause that I have seen repeatable on the FJR, and that is key on, key off repeats with the kill switch in the on position. Mark may be on to something with the software idea, but those multiple key on/key off events, along with multiple fuel pump pressurization events, does seem to cause an over rich condition and hard starting on the FJR. It would seem that we have also seen that on the S10.
Minor data points from me - I left the S10 in the garage for 4 weeks while I was on vacation. No battery tender, a sub-std battery with 190 CCAs installed, (The oem one died and I had to use what I could find while I waited for the warranty process to occur), and a 58F garage, give or take. The bike fired right up w/o issues. Last night I was in Jean, NV and parked the bike outside. This morning it was 25F and the bike fired right up w/o issues.
I always use the kill switch. I always let the gauges do their full sweep, then turn the kill switch to on and wait for the fuel pump to do it's thing, then hit the start button. I never fire the bike up and shut it off w/o letting it fully warm up. I've never washed the bike.
FWIW, I had the right side upper fairing panel off the other day and noticed that there is a major wiring harness connector group that has a rubber cup like cover over the connectors.... but it is open to the uphill & forward side, instead of the opposite. It would appear to be backwards, to my thinking, allowing water to get into the connectors, instead of helping to avoid that. It does have a drain hole at the 'bottom', but I may pull those connectors apart, hit it all with some dielectric grease and re-install the boot in the other direction. If for no other reason, to make myself feel better.