Can you flood a fuel injected bike

Then, pull the dipstick and give it the same sniff test. If you get a strong smell here, you probably have enough raw gasoline in the oil pan to damage the engine if it does start. Now, let the engine sit a few minutes and check the exact oil level.

Another risk is igniting any excess fuel that may have found its way into the oil pan. You may wonder how any spark up high in a cylinder can ignite fuel down low in the oil pan, but when a flooded engine is turning over, gasoline fumes can move higher where an errant spark will set things off. This almost always results in a damaged oil pan. All fuel-injected engines will shut off their injectors when cranking at full throttle, but ensure the pedal is all the way to the floor and not caught up on some thick floor mats.

Sign up to receive Driving. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Driving. I guess I'm wondering if Guzzi FI has anything like a "clear flood mode"? Also, I think I tried to start it once or twice, couldn't start it, so turned the ignition key to OFF position. Is that a mistake--should I leave it in the ON position? Should fire up with no throttle just by hitting the button. Check your plug caps. There was a run of early bikes with crappy caps.

If they are loose or wobbly on the plugs get rid of 'em. There are suitable angled NGK caps that I can't remember the number of offhand but in a pinch you can fit SB05E's which are straight but will squeeze in under the covers. Why should they make a flood control if that is not a normal situation. Just see if sparks fire. If you have guzzidiag you could see if there are errors.

That said, you're going to continue delivering fuel while doing that. If you have the time, the best way to "clear" it would be to just let it sit for minutes.

Happy Puppet do? Quote from: Kev m on April 25, , AM. Steve T. Quote from: stevet on April 25, , AM. You shouldn't need to apply any throttle to start a FI bike.

If it doesn't fire I would look for other causes as Pete suggest. Has it been sitting? Is the gas good? Also if the bores have been washed clean it could be low on compression as a result.

When you pull the plugs you can put a teaspoon of motor oil in each cylinder and turn it over a few times, using the crank bolt on the front of the engine to reseal the rings. With carbs you could just hold the slides wide open to let in more air when flooded, you wouldn't get more gas until it started and developed intake vacuum. With FI you let in more air but also pump in w. New plugs and caps cant hurt and don't cost much.

Hope it's that simple, good luck. Worse case you could lift the tank and unplug the pump, then crank it over. Since the FI system blindly tries to put in the correct amount of fuel, I would think that about the only way to flood it would be to block the intake somehow. Scientist have discovered that people will believe anything, if you first say "Scientists have discovered If you feel the need to prevent the injectors from firing while the engine cranks, simply pull the wire bale and unplug the electrical connector at each one.

No trigger power stops them, yessir, in any language. Go ahead -- ask me how I know. We pulled the plugs repeatedly for at least ten minutes. Pete , what seemed to solve the problem was disconnecting the evap cannister and replacing the plugs that had been gasoline fouled a couple of times already.

Now , I know that the evap system is supposed to be trouble free , but this is twice now that I have known a 1TB V7 that had an issue with it. Any ideas? I should have been more clear in my original post. I realize that in theory an FI bike should just fire right up with no throttle manipulation or other monkey business. But I had an issue of some sort, most likely fouled spark plugs. But I suspect the gas was marginal too, as another rider was complaining about fueling. On subsequent cranking attempts, it didn't sound like it was even close to firing.

We pulled plugs, and they are covered in gasoline, which I'm sure hampered ability to spark. That's what got me to thinking maybe the FI system is "dumb" and just keeps pumping gas into the non-sparking cylinders as you keep cranking unsuccessfully. And if it's dumb, whether there is a work-around or technique to use when starting a flooded FI bike. Oh yeah.

When we installed the brand new plugs, it still would not start. The new ones would get massively gas fouled as well. We finally got it started with new plugs by cranking it with the throttle wide open. My theory on that is holding throttle open at least opened the butterfly valve in the throttle body and introduced some much needed AIR into a system that had plenty too much gas.

Or possibly cranking with WOT equals a "clear flooding mode" that Guzzi didn't bother to mention in the owner's manual. A couple of notes: RK - gives great advice. Yes, you can also unplug the injectors or the fuel pump if you wanted too and crank the bike to help clear fuel if something like that happens. We all know it happens, but a lot of people wonder how a motorcycle engine floods in the first place.

A motorcycle engine gets flooded when the fuel is running into the cylinder correctly but there is no spark to ignite the fuel. There literally is no room left for the air to get in to create the appropriate combination needed to create the combustion. The ignition coil as well as the spark plug wires could also be a likely culprit.

Similarly, if the spark plug wires are worn or cracked, the current could arc to the frame which prevents the spark plugs from getting a spark at all. There are a few specific symptoms that can easily indicate that a flooded engine is your problem. The second biggest sign of a flooded engine is a sudden smell of gas. The third sign to look for is any fuel dripping or spraying out of the exhaust pipe. There are a few things you can do if you want more visual evidence that your engine is flooding.

Never ground the spark plug wire on the motorcycle tank. Once the spark plug is grounded with it still connected to the spark plug wire, go ahead and hit the starter button with your fingers away from the spark. You can try this on all of your spark plugs. There are a few steps you can take in caring for your motorcycle that will prevent your engine from flooding in the future.

The main reason a motorcycle engine floods is because of malfunctioning spark plugs. Spark plug maintenance is key in keeping up with the health of your motorcycle engine. People often buy a spark plug from the auto store and place it in the spark plug hole and call it good. When you buy a spark plug, you must set the appropriate spark plug gap at the end of it.