[scott748mono]

Ok,, so this didnt happen to my ducati (tankfully), but this just happend to my 600RR. Wondering if this has ever happend to any of you? (I hope not because very embarrasing) So the other day I got my honda started up during the day just to get it going like any other day. Somehow, I totally forgot about it (I know save the insults, I get it dont ask HOW?) I got sidetracked doing some other things and just left it. I left for work that night and my neighbor told me she shut it off. So, the bike was left running for about 5, 6 hours maybe. I put some gas in it, it started for a little bit and sounded horrible. Now it just turns and turns. It didnt run out of oil or coolant, no signs of leaks or anything. Fuses all good, just wont start. Could I have fried the engine or done something terrible? I spent the whole day taking it apart and pulled the fuel pump off to find this bright pink jelly stuff all over pump and the fuel i just put in was all nasty and dirty from that junk. Pulled on side of the injectors off and is had all the junk in it too. What the heck is this stuff? and Im guessing if you leave your bike running to long does it do something to the fuel, Im thinking and hoping its the injectors fouled up and I didnt break the engine. So, has anyone ever made this completely stupid mistake. HAHA

 

[Jon no h]

Wow. That is a long time! Never happened to me yet, as when I start the bike I'm going for a ride.

I heard some stuff about acids building up if you idle too long, but not 100% sure I heard it corrrectly.

 

[nine16]

I could absolutely see certain bikes overheating and blowing the motor. The radiators on liquid cooled bikes are pretty ineffective at rest or in traffic. Without airflow over the radiator the heat just keeps building. If it gets hot enough, your coolant boils over, which make the motor even hotter. From there it's a very short trip to burned oil and a trashed motor.

The one promising note is that it was running when your neighbor shut it off. I would check to see if the oil smells burnt and replace it anyway. Drain and clean the fuel system. Do the best you can on the injectors and stuff. Replace the coolant or at least make sure the system is topped off and bled. Finally, put your battery on a charger. An idling bike generally doesn't produce enough juice to recharge it and instead slowly drained for 5 hours. If it starts, try to run some injector cleaner thorough the system and quit being a knucklehead.

I have no idea what the jelly stuff in your fuel is.

 

[ericjansen]

.... to find this bright pink jelly stuff all over pump and the fuel i just put in was all nasty and dirty from that junk. Pulled on side of the injectors off and is had all the junk in it too. ...

Right now I am not sure how it can penetrate into the fuel system, but I heard horrible stories of chemical reactions of the cooling liquid. Can there be cooling liquid or foam have entered your fuel system (through air filter??)....

 

[Ottoman]

sounds like there was crud in the bottom of the tank of something..

and u've clogged the fuel system up

if ur feeling brave..

you can try spraying some carb cleaner into the Intakes while someone cranks it

if there is spark and compression.. the engine will fire up..

then u know u have to give ur whole fuel system a work through..

injectors can be sent out to be cleaned... try to clean the tank pump and lines as best as u can.. worst case scenario.. u replace the pump..

but running the pump in a bucket of clean gas might be enough,

or after cleanin the tank best u can
if there's a way to jumper the fuel pump so it runs all the time..
open the end of the fuel lines.. (perferably the inlet not the return)

then pour clean gas in the top.. and let the old crap run into a bucket.. till u see the pump flowing clean..

put it all back together and try again..

 

[ductune]

Was the coolant low? Do a compression test. It's possible it overheated and blew the head gasket or cracked the head allowing coolant into the crankcase. The steam from the coolant would then get drawn into the air box thru the breather explaining the pink stuff. What does the oil look like?

Just reread your post. Was the pink stuff in the air box or just on the fuel pump in the tank?

 

[Lesco]

I wouldn't try to start it ..... you already said it ran after you put some gas in it and it sounded horrible. I would do what Nine16 says and check/change the oil before doing anything else.

 

[Ottoman]

You need to define sounded "horrible"

was it a lumpy idle? and not running right? (what little fuel was left burnt off)

or was it the sound of mechanical failure?

 

[mouse action]

poor bastard.

 

[SquireSCA]

The lesson here is to have very loud pipes, so that you cannot ignore the fact that your bike is outside running.

Loud pipes save... bikes? hehe

Hopefully it is just something clogged and not a blown motor, good luck!

 

[corndog67]

I'd lighten up on the pain meds.

 

[scott748mono]

Thanks for the replies, Squire you are so right! had it been my duc w/ those termis would have never forgotten about it. I was just telling my brother its because its such a quiet bike with the stock pipes, I really cant hear the thing run (ha,ha). Some other things, the coolant looks fine, the oil fine does not smell burnt, it was a little low but i topped it off with about 1/4 of a quart and filled it right up. Like I said no leaks, smells etc.. I only took the secondary injectors off and cleaned them, so next Im going to take the primarys off clean them, but I will do the spray some gas in the throttle bodies while someone cranks it, I did that to my old mustang once. The sound it made when I first got it going ("horrible") was more like it really starving for gas, it didnt have a knock or pinging sound, just a low grumbly sound. I will try the spray technique, then get the other injectors cleaned out and go from there. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[fretka]

I don't think I would spray fuel into the intake tract because if raw fuel gets to the cat converter people in the next county will hear the boom as the cat explodes, just my 2 cents.

 

[SquireSCA]

I don't think I would spray fuel into the intake tract because if raw fuel gets to the cat converter people in the next county will hear the boom as the cat explodes, just my 2 cents.

Spray a bit of ether, not gas.

 

[Superchkn]

Did the heat of it idling so long just evaporate off a bunch of the solvents in the gas? I wouldn't worry about it too much beyond just cleaning out the fuel system like you've been doing.

Clearly since it was still running when your neighbor turned it off then the battery is probably fine and you would think if it was spewing coolant she would have noticed. Not to mention that a bunch of coolant would have made an obvious mark on the pavement. Besides, you say it is still in there so no problem. I haven't had a ton of bikes, but my liquid cooled bikes have never had a problem idling without overheating even when temperatures climb into the 100s. They may get hot and the fan may run, but I've never had one overheat even sitting in traffic for an extended time.

I'd go ahead and change the oil though, just because bikes tend to run pretty rich at idle and idling that long probably allowed a fair amount to seep past the rings and contaminate your oil.

Beyond that I wouldn't be concerned, though I do second the comment about re-evaluating your use of pain medication.

 

[mouse action]

now Im not a doctor,but I saw one on TV,and I recomend doubling the meds,at least your smiling.

 

[Epoch]

The lesson here is to have very loud pipes, so that you cannot ignore the fact that your bike is outside running.

Loud pipes save... bikes? hehe

VERY true... it may not be a sexy Italian with termis but my ZX6R with the two bros exhaust never lets me forget when it's on (even if I wanted to), no matter where I am in the house. (Yes, even in the... ahem... bathroom)

 

[fetherston]

I'd go ahead and change the oil though, just because bikes tend to run pretty rich at idle and idling that long probably allowed a fair amount to seep past the rings and contaminate your oil.

Check the spark plugs? It's quite possible they fouled out from idling for so long. Sure it may have been running for your neighbor, but I doubt she could tell the difference if it was only running on a couple cylinders.

 

[wdietz186]

Hondas are very well engineered and the cooling systems should have plenty of capacity to shed heat.Plus the cooling fan should cycle on when the coolant reaches about 200F. So it is doubtful you did any engine damage.What may have happened is the fuel tank got really hot and either a component in the fuel reacted or possibly paint inside the tank melted and contaminated the injectors. I would do a thorough cleaning of the tank,lines, and injectors before looking too deeply in the engine.

 

[Andrew]

The bike idling for hours is not great however it shouldn't bother the engine too much on its own. However, the engine has to stay cool during this time.

Bikes like the ST1300 and cars have cooling systems designed for stopped cooling, sports bikes generally don't. My Italians would all overheat within 5 to 10 minutes of starting if left to idle even my triumph Daytona struggles to keep it's cool on all but the coldest of days in heavy traffic. Does your Honda get hot in traffic?

If so, it has probably overheated during it's time outside.

However keeping optimistic, if it won't fire with fresh fuel, change the spark plugs and listen for the fuel pump operating. If it still won't start then look for more serious issues - keep us posted

Andrew...

PS warming a modern engine with modern lubricants pre-ride shouldn'd be necessary unless you live in freezing temperatures, as the engine warms up you can warm-up yourself too. Within 1 minute of starting the lubrication will have reached everywhere so if you wan't to wait, sit on the bike, start the engine then put your helmet and gloves on, ride off and take it easy for the first few kilometres.