Bike Won't Start

[Yamaharacerx]

Hey guys so i have a 2001 monster 900SIe. Ok here's the story, so the other day i was riding home and about a mile after i got a tank of gas my bike just suddenly died. I'm not sure what happened or why it died. and then came the embarrassing push back to the house. But i have done a little diagnosing of my own and have narrowed it down a little bit. So i have spark across both plugs, i'm not crimping a fuel line, the bike starts and runs fine on starting fluid, so thats not a long term solution. I was thinking it was the kick stand sensor but i unplugged it and by passed it with a little copper wire jammed into both terminals. For sure it is a fuel issue. And of course its the sie so its fuel injected. I took off the bottom two gas lines from the tank and gas just came gussing out, like it should... And at first when i had this issue and i kept trying to restart it the fuel pump would kick on and i could hear it prime but now i can't. So either it is already primed and doesn't need to prime again or its not working. But any ideas would help. Thanks for looking.

[Howie]

If the bike cranks it is not a problem with the starter circuit.  If it starts on starter fluid ignition is good, as is timing and compression.  That leaves fuel.  Since this happened shortly after getting fuel and the pump is working I would suspect the fuel itself.  Drain the tank into a clear container. Allow the fuel to settle and inspect.  Since the tank is empty this is a good time to change the filter and, while you are in there inspect for fuel hoses that may have cracked or fallen off.

[Yamaharacerx]

Ya i guess it could be bad gas, but that seams highly unlikely. I'll drain the tank tomorrow. I wondering though if its the fuel pump or the ecu. My buddy has a 04 supersport 1000 and he had to replace his ecu last year, and come to find out it was a factory recall. Do you know of any such recall for the 900sie.

Also why doesn't the fuel pump prime it self anymore? It did the first day after this happen but it doesn't anymore no madder  how many times i turn the engine over. So either the injectors aren't working or the pump is bad

[Rameses]

Wait, so when you turn the key on you don't hear the fuel pump run for a couple of seconds?

That's the problem.

Either you aren't getting electricity to the pump or the pump's dicked.



edit:

Also why doesn't the fuel pump prime it self anymore? It did the first day after this happen but it doesn't anymore no madder  how many times i turn the engine over.

Okay, I just caught this part...

If the pump was still audible when you couldn't get it to start, and now you can't hear it at all, my guess is that the pump was going bad and even though still running, it wasn't producing enough pressure to work effectively.

...and now it's not working at all.  That's what I'd put my money on.

[Yamaharacerx]

ok ya, that makes a lot of sense. thanks for the reply

[Yamaharacerx]

ok today i pulled out my pump and checked it. It is working fine. so hmmm not sure what it is then. i put a new filter in to so any more ideas

[Popeye the Sailor]

Swap out the gas yet?

[Howie]

To properly test the pump you will need to hook up a pressure gauge in line, probably best left to someone with the proper tools, though if the pump is making enough pressure to return fuel to the tank that should be sufficient for starting the bike.

[Rameses]

To properly test the pump you will need to hook up a pressure gauge in line, probably best left to someone with the proper tools, though if the pump is making enough pressure to return fuel to the tank that should be sufficient for starting the bike.

How do we know it's returning fuel to the tank?

[Howie]

How do we know it's returning fuel to the tank?

Oh (smacking head).  The obvious answer would be to look in the tank while the engine is cranking or running, but I'm not sure you can really see since the return is in the same area as the feed so the will already be motion.  Maybe if you have a known good specimen to compare with, dunno.  The less obvious is disconnect the return hose from the regulator.  You will need to clamp off the hose first or quickly plug it to keep the contents of the fuel tank from emptying out.  Put a hose on the regulator and grab a large vessel to catch the fuel.  Turn the key on.  Do be careful since you are dealing with a flammable.

Better is to get a high pressure gauge you can tee into the fuel line before the regulator.  Normal pressure is around 3 Bar.  A gauge of this type is not cheap and usually a shop tool.

[Rameses]

Do be careful since you are dealing with a flammable.

Heed this warning.

[Teutonics]

How bizarre.... I had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM happen to me on Sunday!  I have the exact same symptoms and have done the same troubleshooting (minus starting fluid...mine will begin to start then immediately die).  The only difference is mine is an '02 900ie.  My unprofessional guess (not taking into account the FI and ECU) is a bad fuel pump.  Please update this thread if you find the issue, and I will do the same!

Makes you wonder if there is some sort of timed failure programmed into the ECU!

[Teutonics]

I just got a suggestion from a Ducati tech which is an easy diagnosis and an easy/cheap fix.  Check the fuel line in the tank (that goes from the pump to the fuel line output out of the tank) for a split.  To diagnose, pull the fuel filler cap and turn the bike on to look for fuel spray/movement.

I figured it was the fuel pump, but this would be way mo' better.  I may be able to check mine tonight, if so I'll post the results!  Keeping my fingers crossed....

[Yamaharacerx]

sweety dude thanks, ya keep me posted. I called the ducati tech today and he said 275 for a new pump. But hey they have one in stock!!!! haha

[Howie]

I mentioned a cracked hose 12 posts up.