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YZF600R not starting

HumboldtReign

HumboldtReign

make wheelies
Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Location
Petaluma
Moto(s)
2003 CBR 954RR
Hey all. Co-worker has a YZF600R that he hasn’t ridden much recently and wouldn’t mind getting rid of it. I went over to take a look, but it doesn’t start. 6100 miles on a 2006, so overall in great shape, but it won’t kick.

Maybe a fuel issue? We drained the tank and fuel was yellow. Put fresh 91 in it, but still nothing. I assume it’s a carburetor issue, but I’ve never messed with them so not sure how difficult a job it might be.

Battery and starter sound strong.

Spark plugs?

Any other ideas or advice?
 
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Some old gas in the lines to still process through. Careful not to overheat the Starter. Five seconds at a time and ten attempts. No start, before trying again have a sandwich, soda and watch a movie. At same time put the battery on a charger. Eventually the fresh gas pushes out the stall. Put some Fuel Injector cleaner gas treatment in the tank. Check the Tires and oil the Chain. Other maintenance can be done while the Starter cools.

Assume the Bike was running okay the last time it was ridden.
 
Probably clogged pilot jets. You'll need to pull the carbs to clean them out. It's not terribly difficult. If you can turn a screwdriver, you can do a basic carb clean. There's plenty of videos on Youtube that walk you through carb removal, cleaning and re-install.
 
Do you know there is fuel getting to the carbs?

I believe those YZF600Rs had a fuel pump because much of the tank is below the carbs. Can you hear the fuel pump working when you turn the key to ON? Also, make sure the petcock is in the ON or RESERVE position. Not sure about that year but some of the older YZF600Rs had an electronic switch rather than a traditional valve for the petcock.
 
Carbs are fucked, you won't get it to run worth shit until they're removed and THOROUGHLY cleaned.
 
Out of interest, how do you clean the jets in the carburetor? Push a thin wire through them or will that damage the surface?
 
Tom G said:
Out of interest, how do you clean the jets in the carburetor? Push a thin wire through them or will that damage the surface?
Click to expand...

Main jets this will work fine, since the holes are much larger. Pilots can be tricky, depending on how long they've been sitting. The challenge is getting wire thin enough to fit in the small holes, that maintains its shape enough to not deform when pressure is put on them.

The chem-dip shown might work, depending on how dirty they are. If they haven't sat too long just a soak and spray with compressed air might work. For jets that have sat for 5+ years I've had different levels of success; some clean easy, and others I've given up and just replaced. At end of the day jets are cheap, only a couple bucks each.
 
Unless the wire is close to the ID of the hole, you're going to leave shit in there. Use the blank end of a numbered drill bit.
 
Pull the carbs and clean them. Everything else is a waste of time until that is done.
 
motomania2007 said:
Pull the carbs and clean them. Everything else is a waste of time until that is done.
Click to expand...

Plus 1.

Cleaning clogged pilot jets can be tricky as the orifice is so small. If you don't get them thoroughly cleaned they won't flow the proper amount of fuel. If all 4 are not the same the bike will not idle well. If you are pulling the carbs and they are bad, spend the money and buy new pilots at least.
 
+1
Also clean the passages the pilot jets sit in. Otherwise you may find out you have the same problem. You should see a small stream of liquid in the carb throat when you spray cleaner into the pilot jet hole.

Mad
 
Welcome to the old curmudgeon world.

Do the carb service while sober. Use a clean, white towel to put the pristine parts on for reassembly, work with the parts diagram in front of you, never over-torque those tiny threaded bits.

You'll be just fine.
 
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