Hi all. My 2004 XT has been layed up for a while. Battery is trickle charged. When I went to it to give it a run it cranked over but would not start. Checked plug and sparking seemingly ok. No error messages but engine management light comes on during cranking. Any ideas anyone ? Thanks

New Battery time. It may hold a charge but not have enough power/amps to turn the heavy single over.

If it's cranking over, then it won't be the battery.

When you say the engine management light is on when cranking, is it flashing or on steady, and if steady does the temperature warning light also show at the same time?

Is the fuel pump priming when the ignition is turned on? Have you checked the fuses?

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Its possible that the battery has enough power to turn the engine but not fast enough to start it.. are you getting a spark at the plug and if so is it nice n healthy?..ie a nice fat spark that cracks and can jump 2-3 mm?

Is it the original battery?

I have spent hours trying to sort a non starting ccmr30 and ttr 600 only to replace the battery as a last resort and cured the issue.

I have checked the fuses and no its not the original battery, this ones about 5 yrs old but been on a Accumate charger all its life. When cranking the engine management light is steady on not flashing and temperature light is off. Spark is maybe a little weak so it does sound as though battery maybe past its best. It will try to jump it over the weekend and see if that does it.

Does the starter relay click at all?..bit of a crude test BUT try bridging the starter relay terminals with an insulated screwdriver...you have been warned.

Old Skool testing..

The engine management light showing when cranking just signifies that there are old error codes registered in the history. I shouldn't read too much into this. Basically it means that you need to clear the old codes. We can walk you through how to do this later.

If the temperature warning light shows along with the engine management light while cranking it signifies low cranking voltage. As yours is not showing the battery is delivering a sufficient voltage under cranking load as far as the ECU is concerned.

How do you know your spark is weak? Did you test the plug? How old is your spark plug and is the gap OK?

Have you actually tested the battery voltage with a multimeter, both ignition off, ignition on and while cranking? This will give you a pretty definitive answer as to what your battery is like before you go jump-starting it.

Also, you didn't answer the question about whether you can hear the fuel pump priming when you turn the ignition on? Does the plug smell of fuel after cranking and attempts at starting? How old is the fuel? If its been laid up 'a while' the fuel may have gone off. Modern part-ethanol (E5/E10) fuels go bad very quickly turning acidic and corrosive in the tank. How long is 'a while'?

Cranking and a spark is all you need, as far as the ignition is concerned, to get something to happen. Even if its all a bit weak, you should at least register the engine attempting to catch, stumble or do something unless you have a fuel problem (which I suspect may be the case).

Do the following in order:

1. Check the battery voltage(s)
2. Check the spark plug and gap
3. Refresh the fuel if you don't know it's age/origin
4. Check to see if the fuel pump is priming
5. Smell the spark plug after a starting attempt

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Thanks for that. I have checked voltage and OCV is 12.5v. I cannot heard any priming pump when ignition is turned on. Petrol is quite old but has been treated previously with forte petrol additive some time ago, so I think it's probably had it. I will drain and replace and see if that does it. Will check plug as well. Thanks for the info regarding the management light when cranking. I would be interested to know how to clear any faults codes though if you could spare the time please.

you could try spraying something like eazi start directly into airbox and immediatley try to start the bike..

if it catches/starts then you know the batteries ok.

my friend,who bought his bike after i bought mine has just text me to let me know that his fully chrged battery has died,held a charge/tried to turn over the bike for all of 5 seconds before doing sweet fa..

Yuasa �55 at Halfords...

If the pump isn't priming then I think you have found the cause of your non-starting issue.

It's still worth checking the spark plug and ditching the fuel for fresh, but also check the connectors and wiring to and from the pump assembly under the tank including the fuel injection relay's terminals (behind the side panel) and its plug for corrosion. You could also check to see if you are getting 12V at the pump connector for five seconds after the ignition is turned on - This will help determine whether the fault lies with the wiring/fuel pump relay or the pump itself.

You can also test the fuel injection relay operation using the in-built diagnostic mode in the dash (where you can also clear old codes). Here is how you do it:

With ignition OFF (and kill switch set to RUN), press and hold SELECT and RESET and then turn the ignition on at the same time time - Keep the buttons held down for at least 8 seconds until everything in the dash display goes blank and 'DIAG' appears. Release the buttons.

You can now use the select button to toggle between 'CO' and 'DIAG' modes. You will need to select 'DIAG' mode. To confirm the selection press and hold SELECT and RESET together again, this time for 2 seconds. Turn the kill switch to OFF after doing this.

Now you need to select the diagnostic code to check the fuel pump test. Use the RESET button to scroll up the list of diagnostic codes and SELECT to scroll down. You need to find '50' and press SELECT and RESET together to select it.

Now you can check/test the fuel injection relay by turning the kill switch to ON. The relay should switch itself on and off five times. You should be able to hear it if its working. Also the FI warning light on the dash should light up each time the relay operates. If you can't hear it, or the light doesn't operate, then there is and issue with the relay, connector or wiring.

Report back with what you find.

FYI - You can also go to diagnostic code 61 to read the error code history (the codes scroll round in the display automatically every 2 seconds) and then to 62 to erase the history (by switching the kill switch off and on again). Diagnostic code 09 will also read/check the actual battery voltage that the ECU is seeing if you want to double check that too.

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