Suzuki Bandit 400 wont start please help

[Guest]

Hello, i recently bought a Suzuki Bandit 400 to fix up. I found out it needed a new starter motor and changed it as the last one was broken inside and the bike had just been clicking when i tried to start it. After that, although the starter motor turned it wouldn't start, and so i topped the petrol up to the top (just in case) and changed the fuel knob to PRI, it then started strangely but wouldn't run properly, also it had trouble when in the ON position and every time i tried to ride it it cut out, the next day it took a long time to get it to start and would only rumble in a low tone. Since then it hasn't run at all, i have tried all of the spark plugs and they all spark, and various other things with no success. I have added a video on youtube in case this helps? Thanks for reading and i'll be very greatfull for any feedback

Video:

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Thanks

Dan

[Guest]

hiya, welcome to the forum, fresh plugs and use the choke...

also when you fit the plugs, rest one on the engine block (metal to metal) and check for a spark., if you have a spark, fit into the engine and try starting her up, as said, use the choke, on 3/4's and then adjust once running as she'll rev like crazy... leave running for a while so the engine gets warmed up.

also pop into newbies and say hello, and add your location to your profile, if your nearby I might bring the spanners out..

[Pete]

Agree with everything Frankie's said. Also thought - the battery could be running low if the new starter isn't turning the engine over. It can make that clicking/drilling noise if it's not getting enough power...but if you've managed to get it going it may not be that!

[Guest]

Agree with everything Frankie's said. Also thought - the battery could be running low if the new starter isn't turning the engine over. It can make that clicking/drilling noise if it's not getting enough power...but if you've managed to get it going it may not be that!

listen to youtube linky, pete, battery sounds fine...

[Guest]

You may find twisting the throttle while starting helps. Sometimes i have to do that, but its talking a little while to start i leave it for about 10 secs and try again, seems to do the trick!

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for replying, i tried them against the engine and i get blue sparks on all of them, i also bought two more (they only had two in the shop) and replace a couple just in case but still no luck. They are black and wet when i take them out tho, could they still be bad? Also wouldn't it still fire if two were good? I have tried various mixtures of choke and/ or throttle while starting and none seem to make the slightest difference (i have been trying every day for a week now) and the battery seems good, i have had to charge it a couple of times now untill full but considering the amount of times i have tried to turn the bike over it seems brand new. Anyway any other thoughts or comments very welcome

[Guest]

like any of these???

[Guest]

i guess they are fuel foiled, but would that cause them not to fire?

cheers

[Guest]

does a wet match strike.... the electric travels through the wet fuel as it is a conductor, rather than jumping the gap created by a spark plug.

looks like you are flooding them, leave the plugs out to let the fuel in the cylinders evaporate, cleans the plugs, holding them in a flame will burn off the residue, wipe and then replace and retry, but dont apply any throttle, just choke...

Edited February 10, 2010 by Anonymous

[Anthony]

it wont start on two cylinders, my bandit didnt, if you are getting sparks to all, and there is fuel to all cylinders, then tbh there isn't too much wrong at the engine, try what WF said but don't give it any throttle, you might be choking it up. it should work as all signs say its getting what it needs :S

edit: WF beat ,me too it

[Guest]

This sounds very promising thanks, the thing is i had the throttle open alot while trying to bump start and may have flooded it. Since then i have probably worsened the problem by continuing to try starting it and also after i cleaned the carbs i had to re-attach the throttle cable and i probably had it open for about ten minutes because it was so fidly i will go and take the spark plugs out to leave it to dry. How long do you recomend leaving them to dry? i mean will a couple of hours be ok or over night?

Thanks again

Dan

[Guest]

My wife had a Bandit 400, and it was often a pig to start as it didn't get used much. The soundtrack to your video is depressingly familiar!

Lots of choke and no throttle seemed to be the way to get it to go. Once the engine fired up it would be lumpy for a minute or two, during which time it just needed to be left alone - opening the throttle would cause it to stall. After a while the engine would speed up, and then it was OK to start closing the choke.

It was never a reliable machine, though - a raft of electrical gremlins, plus at least one fuel system blockage, meant we were both glad to see the back of it when it was traded in.

(It's not the same bike btw... hers was silver!)

[Guest]

and just have the fuel tap in the (ON) postion, not prime, (PRI),

[Guest]

Thanks, feels reassuring that someone else has had these problems i took the sparks out a couple of hours ago, do you reckon it'll have dried up by now WF?

[Guest]

put them back in, once you have cleaned up the plugs...

[Guest]

Still the same i will leave it over night with them out and see if that helps tomorrow but it seemed not to have made a difference.

Thanks

[Anthony]

you have fuel going through?

you have a clean spark?

[Guest]

As far as i can tell. The plugs get wet and they all spark well when against the outside of the engine, are there other ways i can check these things?

Thanks

[Guest]

As far as i can tell. The plugs get wet and they all spark well when against the outside of the engine, are there other ways i can check these things?

Thanks

whats the general condition of the bike and mileage?

also do the plugs smell of fuel?

and is the oil dark, but like it should be, or soapy....

hoping that you don't have water ingress into the cylinders hence no sparking, and wet plugs. as the B4 is Water Cooled instead of oil cooled

[Guest]

It's generally good, ok chain and i topped up the oil recently, it doesn't look too battered around and doesn't look to have been down the road but maybe dropped a couple of times. There is 28000 on the clock but this is in KM.

The plugs do smell of petrol and no soapy stuff just dark oil.

[Guest]

It's generally good, ok chain and i topped up the oil recently, it doesn't look too battered around and doesn't look to have been down the road but maybe dropped a couple of times. There is 28000 on the clock but this is in KM.

The plugs do smell of petrol and no soapy stuff just dark oil.

all i can suggest is a new set (all 4) of plugs, and see how that goes, my B6 had problems in winter, but a fresh set of plugs and she fired straight off the button..

it sounds like you are making sparks, and have fuel to the cylinders, so a cleaner spark might be all she needs...

[Guest]

Ok thanks, i'll see how she goes tomorow, then try all new plugs if i can get hold of some

[Guest]

I just tried starting her again with no luck, but i reckon your right about it beeing flooded and after studying the manual i realised the needle valves are required to be tightened and then unscrewed 1 1/2 turns, when i cleaned them they had been unscrewed 3 turnes and so i returned them to this once cleaned none the wiser. I just went and returned them to the book spec and have left them off to try and dry the engine out, when i took them off the 4 holes the carbs are sloted into had petrol pooled as far as i could see into the engine...

I'll keep you updated

Dan

[Guest]

definately flooded then, also check the airbox, as it may have pooled into there also...

could be the float/needle valves need looking at.. the floats are rising too high and flooding the bowls..

http://www.cmsnl.com/suzuki-gsf400_model13523/

 

 

Number 32 in the picture

[Guest]

Just a quick update, sorry i havn't been on for a while. I said before the needle valves needed adjusting but it was actually the pilot screws, sorry but when i did adjust them to 1 1/2 no fuel was getting thruogh at all so i'm thinging the carbs are supposed to be set up like this. But my uncle got it to fire a couple of times by spraying some carb cleaner in the air box, as it is very flamable so we think the carbs arent letting the right amount of petrol through and he's taken them to clean out thoroughly at work.

Cheers

Dan