Help & Advice needed

[lazos valk]

 I was riding south on Blue Ridge  Parkway today and lost power twice. Heavy rain both times and high elevation. The  bike sounded like is running with less cylinders. First tank of gas this morning the bike run fine 200+ miles in dry conditions without a problem. Second tank only made 170 miles.Bad gas or problem with spark plugs  or something else?
Thanks
Lazos.

[bscrive]

It was the elevation.  When my cousin and I went to Mount Washington in 2010, his 2008 Goldwing did the same thing driving up the road to the summit.  It was fine after we came back down.

[Bill Havins]

I have the service manual in my hands.  In the troubleshooting section of the ignition system it lists water in the spark plug cap(s) as a possible cause of ignition difficulties.  There are very few other difficulties listed (not surprising - it is a GL1800).

Okay, you can not ignore the fact that this occurred when you were/had been riding in rain.  And, each of the three coils on the bike feeds two of the cylinders.  So, if one of the two spark plug caps from a coil gets water in it it will "leak down" the secondary voltage and cause both spark plugs to misfire/fail to fire leading to poor performance and reduced gas mileage.

When you have a chance, pull the spark plug caps (one at a time) and dry their internals.  Don't use WD-40 - it is actually an insulator.  If you can get your hands on contact cleaner that won't attack the rubber boots of the caps that would work very well.  The goal is to dry out each spark plug cap.

I bet that will get you running well.

Other questions:  Have you modified the air filter/air filter housing?  Some modifications will lead to water being sucked into the intake when riding in rain.  That's a real bummer.  The only "fix" is to wait until the roads dry and then return things to stock when you get home.

There is the possibility that the coil caps have gotten wet.  Chase the spark plug wires back to the coils and clean the caps one-at-a-time.  Don't take/have more than one off at a time - if you get them confused you'll have to figure out which one goes where and that ain't pretty (but I think it is hard to confuse them).

Hope this helps.  And good luck!

Bill

[lazos valk]

I have the service manual in my hands.  In the troubleshooting section of the ignition system it lists water in the spark plug cap(s) as a possible cause of ignition difficulties.  There are very few other difficulties listed (not surprising - it is a GL1800).

Okay, you can not ignore the fact that this occurred when you were/had been riding in rain.  And, each of the three coils on the bike feeds two of the cylinders.  So, if one of the two spark plug caps from a coil gets water in it it will "leak down" the secondary voltage and cause both spark plugs to misfire/fail to fire leading to poor performance and reduced gas mileage.

When you have a chance, pull the spark plug caps (one at a time) and dry their internals.  Don't use WD-40 - it is actually an insulator.  If you can get your hands on contact cleaner that won't attack the rubber boots of the caps that would work very well.  The goal is to dry out each spark plug cap.

I bet that will get you running well.

Other questions:  Have you modified the air filter/air filter housing?  Some modifications will lead to water being sucked into the intake when riding in rain.  That's a real bummer.  The only "fix" is to wait until the roads dry and then return things to stock when you get home.

There is the possibility that the coil caps have gotten wet.  Chase the spark plug wires back to the coils and clean the caps one-at-a-time.  Don't take/have more than one off at a time - if you get them confused you'll have to figure out which one goes where and that ain't pretty (but I think it is hard to confuse them).

Hope this helps.  And good luck!

Bill

Thanks Bill.
I going to try that tomorrow, I just restart the bike and it runs like crap.4th the July tomorrow and 1000 miles from home it's frustrating. I hope I can fix this.
Lazos.

[Bill Havins]

The Blueridge doesn't get higher than 6,000 feet, does it?  Last fall in New Mexico we were constantly over 5280 and the Valkyrie ran super (average 42 MPG).  The Appalachians are nothing like the Rockies.  I think Lazos has a "water" problem.  I could be wrong.

Bill

[Hot Rod]

Been on the parkway many ,many times on my single cylinder KLR 650. No power loss or elevation related problems . Highest point nearby is Mt Mitchell at 6,684 feet no problem there . My money is on the water or .......a bad tank of fuel !

[lazos valk]

Each time I checked the gps it was at 5800+ feet. First time I stopped in a vista for 20 minutes, no rain at that time. Restart the bike and it was running fine. Second time heavy rain for about 30 minutes .I rode  18 miles slowly  to Maggie Valley  so I can get to my hotel. I own the bike for one year and i never
ride in that much rain before.

[st2sam]

BAD GAS.

Drain bad gas, replace with good gas, from different station if possible.

(could also be caused from condensation in tank)

[idcrewdawg]

I rode highway 4 between Jemez Springs and Los Alamos awhile back and had no issues with my bike. Altitude 9000'. I lived at 6900 feet outside Albuquerque at the time. I've also rode in downpours and no problem. So I'd say either bad gas or water in the system like others have mentioned. Altitude is not going to be the issue.

Here's a clip of the ride mentioned for comparison to yours.

https://youtu.be/hMATnFDaTbM

[Robert]

Its not an altitude issue these bikes with their fuel injection,o2 sensors, baro sensor, map sensor and timing have no problem in compensation of any temp or altitude. If there is a problem with compensation it would show on the check engine light, it would also mean that there is something wrong with the bike.

 I would say that there is loose plug wire somewhere. In the front of the bike just above the lower engine timing cover is the black louvered cover. Its the one between the radiator pods held on by 2 bolts and 4 push pins. Behind that are the ignition coils and the wires run from there down to the plugs located under the lower valve covers. These lower cylinder head covers come off, so you can change plugs. If one coil gets wet it can take out 2 cylinders since each coil does provide spark to 2 cylinders. Honda in their manual are very specific on how to run plug wires. If you listen carefully while the bike is running you may be able to hear a small snap that could be the spark jumping that may give you a clue to where to look. I dont think these wires have the resistor pill in the plug wires but use noise suppression wires instead.

A few other things that may help, does the check engine light flash? If you have a problem these bikes they do have a self check diagnostic capabilities. Turn on the ignition and dont start the bike watch the check engine light if it flashes, count the flashes. Note, the flashes will vary in length. First long flashes are 10's the quicker flashes are ones. Record the number and report back here, or look at a wing sight. This will give you the code numbers that the computer says is wrong and we can look those numbers up and cross reference that to actual problems or areas to look.

[lazos valk]

Its not an altitude issue these bikes with their fuel injection,o2 sensors, baro sensor, map sensor and timing have no problem in compensation of any temp or altitude. If there is a problem with compensation it would show on the check engine light, it would also mean that there is something wrong with the bike. I would say that there is loose plug wire somewhere. In the front of the bike just above the lower engine timing cover is the black louvered cover. Its the one between the radiator pods held on by 2 bolts and 4 push pins. Behind that are the ignition coils and the wires run from there down to the plugs located under the lower valve covers. These lower cylinder head covers come off, so you can change plugs, I would try this first. If one coil gets wet it can take out 2 cylinders since each coil does provide spark to 2 cylinders. Honda in their manual are very specific on how to run plug wires. If you listen carefully while the bike is running you may be able to hear a small snap that could be the spark jumping that may give you a clue to where to look. I dont think these wires have the resistor pill in the plug wires but use noise suppression wires instead.

A few other things that may help, does the check engine light flash? If you have a problem these bikes they do have a self check diagnostic capabilities. Turn on the ignition and dont start the bike watch the check engine light if it flashes, count the flashes. Note that they will vary in length. First long flashes are 10's the quicker flashes are ones. Record the number and report back here, or look at a wing sight. This will give you the code numbers that the computer says is wrong and we can translate that to actual areas to look.

Thanks Robert. I just check the wires ,plugs+ coils everything is tight and dry. No engine light ,comes on only once. I'm going to try fuel cleaner next.

[Robert]

I would spray water on the bike especially in the plug and coil area and see if the problem happens again while running. Since you dont have a check engine light on, the computer says its not a electrical problem. This means look to areas that the computer doesn't monitor like fuel pressure, misfire both will eventually show up as a O2 sensor problem.

[Bill Havins]

Lazos, did you get the problem solved?

Bill

[lazos valk]

Lazos, did you get the problem solved?

Bill

Last year I bought the Valkyrie use with 1800 miles and i have now 6800.I don't know what the previous owner did or try to do to this bike.He spliced a wire that connects to a coil pack and tapeted with electrical tape. Water got there and fried one coil pack and the bike was running with two less cylinders. I'm in Asheville and waiting to pick up the bike tomorrow  so I can go up north. Every time I travel long distances it's an Adventure. It's all good .
Lazos.

[Skinhead]

I'm Not sure about the 1800, but if you are losing power in the rain, the first thing I would check on the 1500 is that the drain holes are open in the spark plug wells.  I assume the 1800 is similar to the 1500.  The holes allow water to drain out of the plug wells, if they are plugged, the water accumulates and eventually shorts out the plug.  Once the water dies out everything is fine.  I'm not sure it applies here, just a thought.