Why wont my SC start? - Ducati.ms

adamld83 · Feb 3rd, 2012, 4:14 pm

So its 58 and sunny today in Ohio which is unbelievable and Ive been looking forward to ride all week. And now all of a sudden my sport wont even fire up and when it does it runs like shit. So here is the symptoms...Im hoping some of you guys have some ideas and can help me out.

First off I usually keep the bike on a trickle charger. Sometimes she can be a bit finicky when trying to get her to turn over but this is usually when I forgot to leave the charger on.

I did get caught in some rain on the way home from work the other night...not sure it matters who knows.

Today I got nothing when I first tried...nothing. After some persuasion and rolling it around in first gear it did fire up. I had to crank the throttle a bit which I hate to do. It sounds like complete shit. Almost like its running on one cylinder, when I blap the throttle, nothing...sounds like a wet fart.

Also, I had it running for a some time and then try to roll on first and it dies. Try to start it up and the starting mechanism just keeps thumping with no result.

Its not so much the hard to crank part that scares me as much as the way it runs when it does fire up.

These symptoms seem inconsistent and indicative of a range of problems.....battery, VR, or worse?????? The VR looks fine, no burnt wires and its not hot.
Factor in the rain and the fact it ran fine 2 days ago and Im getting PO'D.

Thanks dudes.

LondonDutch · Feb 3rd, 2012, 4:52 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamld83

So its 58 and sunny today in Ohio which is unbelievable and Ive been looking forward to ride all week. And now all of a sudden my sport wont even fire up and when it does it runs like shit. So here is the symptoms...Im hoping some of you guys have some ideas and can help me out.

First off I usually keep the bike on a trickle charger. Sometimes she can be a bit finicky when trying to get her to turn over but this is usually when I forgot to leave the charger on.

I did get caught in some rain on the way home from work the other night...not sure it matters who knows.

Today I got nothing when I first tried...nothing. After some persuasion and rolling it around in first gear it did fire up. I had to crank the throttle a bit which I hate to do. It sounds like complete shit. Almost like its running on one cylinder, when I blap the throttle, nothing...sounds like a wet fart.

Also, I had it running for a some time and then try to roll on first and it dies. Try to start it up and the starting mechanism just keeps thumping with no result.

Its not so much the hard to crank part that scares me as much as the way it runs when it does fire up.

These symptoms seem inconsistent and indicative of a range of problems.....battery, VR, or worse?????? The VR looks fine, no burnt wires and its not hot.
Factor in the rain and the fact it ran fine 2 days ago and Im getting PO'D.

Thanks dudes.

hard to guess why a bike won't run via the internet, when there are so many possibilities, but if she has a fully-charged battery, all the connections are good, and a tank full of fuel, next steps are to check all the plug connections under the seat (my fuel pump came unplugged once)... So, next move to, plugs (check the gap, check they're not coked up) & HT leads, then the R/R, water ingress into electrical junctions, ...then it gets more complicated...

At the end of the day, unless it's something simple and obvious, its gonna end up back in a workshop.

Best of luck dude,

LiveStrong72 · Feb 3rd, 2012, 5:44 pm

I had the same thing happen after I got rain in the TPS. It threw everything off and started dumping fuel into the cylinders. Sounded like it was running on one cylinder. Wound up not being able to get it to start at all. Good luck.

NExE · Feb 4th, 2012, 7:16 pm

1st Guess: Water from rain got past the gas cap, you now have H2O settled in the bottom of your tank.
A: Empty gas tank. Fill w/fresh.

2nd Less Possible Guess: Water managed to get into your airbox.
A: Empty gas tank. Lift-up and check the filter/airbox.

3rd: Find the thread about the TPS reset and try that.

adamld83 · Feb 4th, 2012, 8:03 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiveStrong72

I had the same thing happen after I got rain in the TPS. It threw everything off and started dumping fuel into the cylinders. Sounded like it was running on one cylinder. Wound up not being able to get it to start at all. Good luck.

Thanks for the response. What did you end up having to do to get it working? Where is the TPS even located? Our symtpoms sound exactly the same.

adamld83 · Feb 4th, 2012, 8:08 pm

Thanks guys. I have more ideas than I did yesterday.

Checked the plugs yesterday, Dutch they look good. Will look into the other stuff.

Funny, was checking it today and as it was trying to crank I could see smoke pulsing out of the exhaust as it was trying to turn over. Could this be indicative of bad combustion? If so it could very well be h20 in the tank.

Just had my gas cap powder coated too, maybe I messed up a seal or something.

Thanks again dudes......shit.

**egrafx2006** · Feb 4th, 2012, 9:32 pm

Maybe the fuel line issue?

LiveStrong72 · Feb 4th, 2012, 10:33 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamld83

Thanks for the response. What did you end up having to do to get it working? Where is the TPS even located? Our symtpoms sound exactly the same.

TPS had to be replaced. Thankfully it was covered under warranty as it wasn't a cheap part. As the others have said, check the fuel line. Several threads on how to check for that. I've been bitten by that bug too. The joys of owning a duc. Sometimes I feel like I have an MG in the garage

Riderjeff · Feb 5th, 2012, 8:45 am

I don't remember who or when, but several forum members have had serious-appearing runability issues that were ultimately found to be caused be water entering electrical connectors. IIRC, the primary culprit is located up behind the headlight. (Temp. sensor?) Take a bit of time, perhaps remove your headlight for easier access, and check all the connectors up there. Use some water-displacement spray and make sure no random moisture is f**cking with your electronics.

Given that you were riding in the rain last time out, it seems like a logical place to start. And it'll only cost you some time and spray material.

Remember Occam's Razor!

Wait, it's coming back, I think Toby (Air Cooled Nut) had this problem...?

bpreynolds · Feb 7th, 2012, 5:34 pm

Dude, not saying you didn't need the TPS replaced, but this rain/water issue has been mentioned a lot on this forum and has happened to me now twice. Both times nothing worked except waiting for the dry out. On both occasions mine did exactly the same thing you're describing, bike wouldn't start for even a couple days afterward. Some guys here on the board suggested I take the seat off and just let everything under there dry out really well. Shazam, worked both times. Yeah, it sounded like a total sick puppy when it first started back up but after a nice long ride, wound up back being the bike I know so well. I've driven mine through the harshest rain with no problem; however, on both occasions when this happened I had left the bike out in the gushing rain with no cover on it. Afterwards, I could see where moisture from the soaked seat had drained underneath and into everything there. Dunno if that had anything at all to do with it, but both times my bike wouldn't start back up until I pulled the seat and let the whole area dry.