Been Sitting For 5-10 years; Starts, But Dies

[Feskerlars]

Hello.

Seems this might be the place to start;

I have a Buell X1 Lightning 2000 mod. with 7500 miles on it.
I bought it a couple of years ago and when i first got it i took it for some rides to work etc. but it didnt run very well. Under 3-3500 rpm it would run ok, but when i got over 3500 rpm it was almost like it went to limp mode. This was during the time i was building our house and garage, so i just kept it under 3500 rpm and thought i was going to fix it when the garage was finished. But in the autumn the bike fell over while standing on its sidestand. This was late autumn, in northern Norway, so, winter was coming. I put the bike on a trailer and stored it for the winter. When the spring came i took the bike out, but now i cant ride it. It starts, but dies. If i try to rev it, it might go a little, spits, bangs, and then dies. This is while its on a motorcycle stand. There's no chance i got to ride it. That said; the bike had been sitting for 5-10 years. I drained fueltank and added new fuel. The old fuel was brownish, with some kind of gue, almost muddy. I also took the fuel pump out, but i have no idea if its ok or not, but the fuel filter on the pump was brown, and there is some stains on the pump and the pressureregulator. I have changed the fuel filter thats under the fuel tank. Also new plug wires and sparkplugs.
With EcmSpy i have checked inlet air temp ok, engine temp ok, TPS ok, CPS ok. Also i done the diagnostic function all ok.
I had fault code 13, oxygen sensor, briefly.
One sparkplug was a little white while the other was maybe a bit wet. Only one O2 sensor on this.


Any ideas where to start?

Have tried to follow ground cables to check for good connection. I have not tried new battery, because it turns the engine with ease, but maybe im fooling myself and maybe i just should try a new battery?
Also, nearest Harley shop is 2.5-3 hours away, so i want to troubleshoot a little more by myself before sending it away to them. But again, they have little knowledge to Buell, so they reccon its a change components until it works way to fix it.

Hope to get some help, or maybe be guided to someone who can help me.

Thanks.

[TonyGall]

might be worth doing a compression test on the cylinders just to rule out the engine. at least you will know the motor is ok.

[Toejam503]

Howdy and Welcome to the Forum, from North Dakota!

I'd say, if your fuel tank was "muddy", then your injector system is full of "mud" too. You'll probably need to clean every part of the fuel system, thoroughly.

[Flame__]

Originally Posted by Toejam503

Howdy and Welcome to the Forum, from North Dakota!

I'd say, if your fuel tank was "muddy", then your injector system is full of "mud" too. You'll probably need to clean every part of the fuel system, thoroughly.

I agree with this dude!

[Feskerlars]

Today i have opened the fuel filter on the fuel pump and checked inside the fuel pump, everything there looked very good. Also took out fuel injectors and they at least looked clean. Took endoscope camera and inspected were the injectors should be, and all the way to the valves, also there everything looked very clean.
Checked inside sylinders with endoscope and also there it looked good. Rear sylinder had some unburnt fuel in it.
Tomorrow i think i will try to change the O2 sensor, i think i have a new one. Tried to change it today but god damn ass i need to make a custom spanner or else i need to dismantle the exhaust. Also tried to charge the battery today with a "clever" battery charger, but it refused to charge it and came up with error code "Check battery condition", so i need a new battery. But THEN! I will hook it up with EcmSpy and check for fault codes.
Does anybody know what resetting the AFV should be good for? Read somewhere on the interweb that after changing O2 sensor i need to reset TPS and AFV, and thats okay, i can do that with EcmSpy, but i like to know why i am doing what i am doing.
Anyways, in the end of this day, i'd say the injectors look clean, and inlet also looks clean. And everything all the way to the valves looks clean.

Hoping it's a minor issue causing these problems.

[Feskerlars]

For those who cares, just an update. (I hate it when someone starts a tread, and suddenly disappears with no conclusion.)
Bought new battery and changed O2 sensor. But i also had to put up my kids trampoline, so, thats what i got time for today. Still, 30+ of age, and still manage to do a front flip.
Tomorrow, maaaaybe, i will put in the new battery, read fault codes, reset TPS etc. etc. and on saturday or sunday hopefully try to get it started. Updates will come.

[Flame__]

Hope you get to ride it soon

[Feskerlars]

Put the bike together last night, filled up with new gas and tried to start. It turns but wouldn't start. Had other things to do so i let it be for a while, but tried one more time before i went to bed. It started, but it's not idling. I can't get it to idle if i give it a little revs either, it just dies out. Check engine lamp is blinking, but when i try to read fault codes there are no one. Had to go to work today, but will take my time in the garage when i get home.

[sprink]

Sounds like you are getting somewhere! Not sure about the AFV, but reset TPS is a very common instruction for Buell. Good luck, I loved my X1 !

[Feskerlars]

Fully charged battery, primed fuel pump a few times, and the bike starts and idles. But now it's not building oil pressure, as soon as i saw the oil lamp still on i killed it off. Low oil level, but not much oil spill under the bike, it's been on the same place for a long time, but definitely not much oil left. 3 hours to nearest H-D dealer, so might be a few days until i get new oil. Also noticed a lower voltage drop when ignition is turned on. 12,4V until i turn ignition on, then it drops to 11,4V. Not sure what the voltage was when it was idling, but the EcmSpy froze when i stopped the bike, and there it said 11,4V or 11,8V, i cant remember. What should charing voltage be on the Buell X1? On my car it's closer to 14V when it's running. Maybe nothing, but worth mentioning.