Help needed

[AndyR]

Hadnt started the bike for nearly 2 years due to health so I decided to flush the tank and replace with fresh fuel, reconnected everything but not getting any life from the engine as if fuel not reaching the injectors, is there something I should have done that I havent, all new territory for me as never had fuel injection before so any advise would be welcomed to get my machine back on the road

[seth]

Remover the fuel pump
Check tiles getting to it (gravity feed from the rear of the tank)
Then check clean the teabag filter .
Then clean the high pressure filter with a can of carb cleaner .
The check the pump is working you'll hear it spinning .
Check the pressure relief valve it still in place on the top of the high pressure filter
Guess if all that's ok your next looking at the injectors and they are getting fuel .
Check each part in order and you'll find the problem .
If you have someone near to you try swopping thanks just to see things are working that way
Good luck

[gsxbarmy]

First the silly things like I assume you haven't got the kill switch off. Been done before!

OK, moving onto things to check
If you take the plugs out after trying to start - are they wet? If not, its possible you may have trapped the breather pipe when replacing the tank, thus creating a vacuum.

Have you tried starting it with your spare key?

Battery all good???

Other - take off the clutch switch wires and bridge across the terminals with a paper clip. Could well be you have a gummy clutch switch which would allow everything to happen, but the bike won't fire up. If this works, then you'll need a new clutch switch (about £12-15 last time I looked)

For a better diagnosis though we need more info:
- what model 14
- is it spinning over ok
- do the dials sweep when you switch the ignition on
- any error messages showing on the dials after trying to start
- can you hear the pump start when you switch the ignition on?

What exactly is happening, what do you see and hear?

[Endless]

Thanks Seth and Barmy. Thought I'd scribble in here instead of starting a new post. Mines been parked in a shed for a few years too, waiting until I move back out of the desert and to a place that was more more suitable and wasn't so hard on it. I'm also having issues starting mine, my checklist is similar to what you guys have written. First battery needed replacing (Motobatt, as that worked well previously, was cheaper than a Yuasa and has more CCA's. Then found clutch switch was faulty. Sprayed a bunch of contact cleaner through and that seemed to help. I need to order another, but haven't managed to find one yet. Mick Hone costs $30 and I think $25 for postage. Suzuki dealer isn't returning messages. Meanwhile, it's idling nicely but hesitates and runs rough and cuts out if given some throttle. Will start on filters next, I'm wondering if the injectors need cleaning and throttle body has never been balanced, so will look into that too. Nice to be back in here, very happy it still exists! 

[gsxbarmy]

Thanks Seth and Barmy. Thought I'd scribble in here instead of starting a new post. Mines been parked in a shed for a few years too, waiting until I move back out of the desert and to a place that was more more suitable and wasn't so hard on it. I'm also having issues starting mine, my checklist is similar to what you guys have written. First battery needed replacing (Motobatt, as that worked well previously, was cheaper than a Yuasa and has more CCA's. Then found clutch switch was faulty. Sprayed a bunch of contact cleaner through and that seemed to help. I need to order another, but haven't managed to find one yet. Mick Hone costs $30 and I think $25 for postage. Suzuki dealer isn't returning messages. Meanwhile, it's idling nicely but hesitates and runs rough and cuts out if given some throttle. Will start on filters next, I'm wondering if the injectors need cleaning and throttle body has never been balanced, so will look into that too. Nice to be back in here, very happy it still exists! 

It could be that even though you've cleaned the clutch switch, that when you try to rev it, its just too much. To check if it is your clutch switch still giving problems, so just try bridging the connection there with a paper clip or similar to see if it makes any difference - if it does, then the clutch switch could still be your main issue (whilst you can ride with the clutch switch bridged as a get you home measure, I wouldn't leave it like that as with it bridged the ECU runs a slightly modified map for start up).

Other things you can check, in fact worthwhile doing anyway if the bike has been standing. Worthwhile having the fuel pump out the tank and cleaning the teabag filter, that could well be clogged up (and do the pressure regulator clip mod as well whilst you are at it) see both these links
https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=6232.0
https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=6231.0
https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=270.0
https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=1610.0

Another thing you may check is the battery earth wire. Many owners have found that adding an additional wire to the earth helps with starting
https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=4828.0

If after all that its still not right, then having the injectors cleaned is probably a good move (it may well be anyway). But the main thing is to get it running when you give it some throttle, after that its a question of refinement (things like checking TPS etc)

[Hooli]

One thing to add to Barmy's list, check/replace the vacuum pipes. Including the one to the pairs valve if still fitted.

[Endless]

Finally found a couple of hours to start pulling things apart. Managed to prize the pump and mount apart, and found a cackful of dirt and rust sitting there. Thanks for the links Barmy, very helpful. Must be rust in the tank. Tomorrow I'll add an external filter, blow through the filter, wire up the regulator, put back together and order some teabags. I've no way of testing the pump where I have the bike so hopefully that's a non issue.

[black14]

You can test that the pump actually operates by putting it in a container of petrol and hooking up a standard 9v battery. Won't allow you to test the flow rate/pressure but will at least prove that the pump is functioning. And help you clean the HP filter as you can run it backwards too. 

[Hooli]

Or just plug it into the bike assembled into the swirl pot so the connectors fit & put in a jar of petrol, it'll squirt out the metal connection pointed downwards if it's all built up as it'd go in the tank.

[Endless]

I realised there was a portable drill hiding in the brothers shed so just used the battery out of that. Pumped beautifully. I cannot believe how much crud I removed from the bowl, pump, filter and tank. Have added the external filter, will need better location in the future as the only one I could get my hands on that day was a little big. In any case, this has solved it, purrs (and growls) as she should now. Have put on a new front rubber and passed blue slip. Now for insurance, rego and we're back in business. For the random NSW person, best CTP I've found is through Monaland (with Allianz.) $427.

[grog]

Good job Mate. 👍