Cutting out in the wet
 

Hi all

I was on my way home from work the other day in the wet weather, and my xt660z just cut out.
I recently fitted Kevs 02 sensor and fuel mod with air filters but I don't think it has anything to do with those, as I kept my bike running when cleaning and it cut out again when water got near the ignition lead/spark plug, is this a common fault?, is it just a case of getting another ignition lead?, or is there another fix I can do?

Please let me know if you have had a similar problem and have any fixes

Cheers. Jonny boom

This is a fairly common problem on XTs. It is usually the junctions at each end of the HT lead that are the cause of the issue in wet weather.

Nine times out of ten there is no need for a new coil, HT lead or plug cap. Just dry the whole lot out fully (hairdryer is good if you want it done quickly) and cover the connection between lead and coil, and lead and cap with a smear of silicone grease. This will keep the moisture at bay.

you could use a smear of clear silicon sealant too...permanent fix

Silicone sealant tends to lift away over time (you only have to look at what eventually happens to it round the edge of your bathtub). The lifting and peeling will occur even quicker on the HT lead connections because of the heat from the engine, vibrations and the flex in the lead. Once it starts lifting it allows water to get drawn under it by capillary action and, if it does get in there, gets trapped and can make problems worse and everything harder to dry out.

Yep, had exactly the same problem twice at the same time of year at the same spot!

Coming back from the Dragon rally (2nd week in Feb) I was on the M62 climbing up to the highest part from Manchester direction and the bike started to cut out. I could smell fuel so I knew it was electrical. Pulled over and touched the HT lead whilst cranking, got a nice big shock!
Dried the HT and sprayed with a well known water repellant and she started straight away.
It was the slush and spray from lorries as I was stravelling slowly because of the snow, spray and visability. The slush was melting on the rad and then blowing straight onto the HT lead. That was last year and I have done many thousands of miles since then.
Can you believe that exactly the same thing ocurred this year in pretty much the same spot under the same conditions.
I have a can of the spray readily available a all times.:thumbsup[1]:

silicon sealent,gasket goo have worked for me and an option if you havent got grease etc. I have also used red rubber grease,axle grease in the past to seal things. Whatever works!