My UK spec 2000 'Busa, which I've had from new, developed a misfire. It wasn't far from needing a service, so a few weeks ago I took it to my local bike dealer. When I dropped the bike off I mentioned the misfire to the owner, who I know well. At least I thought I knew him well.
After the service the dealer owner said they'd found nothing obvious and sold me a can of fuel additive to try. While I was settling the bill he picked up the 'phone and called the technician who did the service, asked a few questions, told me the throttle sync was OK, and said "further investigation required". He gave me a service record sheet with lots of things like "check spark plugs" with the checkboxes all ticked.
So I thought they'd checked the spark plugs.
Silly me.
Last night I decided to take a look myself. When I got the air box off I found a part rattling around on top of the engine cover which is underneath the air box. Now the dealer who had the bike at the time that part was dropped in there is in Perpignan, in France. I know that because I noticed that the part was missing, and wondered where it could have gone, the last time I picked up my Busa from that dealer. Unfortunately for my local dealer, that was in August 2008.
So until yesterday, not even the air box has been taken off that bike, never mind the ignition coils and the spark plugs, for the last six years. It was bloomin' obvious to me when I took the coils off that they hadn't been disturbed in years because of all the cr@p around the boots, but without that tell-tale little part I wouldn't have been able to nail it down to much better than the nearest decade. With that completely fortuitous and incredibly helpful little part I know the month and the year.
In addition to finding that the local dealer could not possibly have removed spark plugs from that engine at the service that I've just paid for, I found obvious signs of insulation breakdown on the coil on cylinder one. I should have thought that one of the first things you'd look for if a customer complains about a misfire is the condition of the coils, but since they didn't even bother with the condition of the spark plugs I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that they didn't mention coils. When the bike is on the side stand cylinder one will get most water thrown over it as that's the way the engine cover will be sloping, so I'm guessing that it's hot and most probably salty water mixed with high voltage electricity that's damaged that insulator. My research seems to indicate that this is a common problem in the UK. Bikes in the UK see a lot of salty water in the winter.
Of course I looked for more trouble, and I found it. I found that mice had eaten some of the foam pieces on the air box, there was a load of grit blocking the front air box drain (the one with a little stub of pipe with a flattened end -- mice had chewed that too), I found that the right hand clamp for the throttle body air intakes was loose and I found that there was a hose clip MISSING from one of the fuel pipes from the tank. Well strictly speaking I didn't find that last one, actually, it found me. It found me by falling off the tank while I was removing the air box, and as the tank was full at the time I came close to dying when half a gallon of fuel poured all over me, the wiring, the engine and some very hot exhaust pipes before I managed to stop it coming out of both the tank AND the hose at the same time. It took about an hour to get that pipe back on without letting another gallon of fuel out of the tank (and all over me) and by then I was so angry that I started taking photographs. I'm surprised I didn't go up in flames just from the language. I don't know how to post them here and I don't think they'll add much to the story, but it's just so you know that they're there in case nobody believes all this.
Anyway I think I need another coil, and after this I'll be damned if I'll by one from the local dealer.
Any ideas where I can get one cheaper than the eighty-odd quid I've seen from my few quick Internet searches?
Oh - and the next dealer who services my bike is going to know that there are secret marks and tell-tales all over the bike so I know what he's done and what he's not done.
After the service the dealer owner said they'd found nothing obvious and sold me a can of fuel additive to try. While I was settling the bill he picked up the 'phone and called the technician who did the service, asked a few questions, told me the throttle sync was OK, and said "further investigation required". He gave me a service record sheet with lots of things like "check spark plugs" with the checkboxes all ticked.
So I thought they'd checked the spark plugs.
Silly me.
Last night I decided to take a look myself. When I got the air box off I found a part rattling around on top of the engine cover which is underneath the air box. Now the dealer who had the bike at the time that part was dropped in there is in Perpignan, in France. I know that because I noticed that the part was missing, and wondered where it could have gone, the last time I picked up my Busa from that dealer. Unfortunately for my local dealer, that was in August 2008.
So until yesterday, not even the air box has been taken off that bike, never mind the ignition coils and the spark plugs, for the last six years. It was bloomin' obvious to me when I took the coils off that they hadn't been disturbed in years because of all the cr@p around the boots, but without that tell-tale little part I wouldn't have been able to nail it down to much better than the nearest decade. With that completely fortuitous and incredibly helpful little part I know the month and the year.
In addition to finding that the local dealer could not possibly have removed spark plugs from that engine at the service that I've just paid for, I found obvious signs of insulation breakdown on the coil on cylinder one. I should have thought that one of the first things you'd look for if a customer complains about a misfire is the condition of the coils, but since they didn't even bother with the condition of the spark plugs I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that they didn't mention coils. When the bike is on the side stand cylinder one will get most water thrown over it as that's the way the engine cover will be sloping, so I'm guessing that it's hot and most probably salty water mixed with high voltage electricity that's damaged that insulator. My research seems to indicate that this is a common problem in the UK. Bikes in the UK see a lot of salty water in the winter.
Of course I looked for more trouble, and I found it. I found that mice had eaten some of the foam pieces on the air box, there was a load of grit blocking the front air box drain (the one with a little stub of pipe with a flattened end -- mice had chewed that too), I found that the right hand clamp for the throttle body air intakes was loose and I found that there was a hose clip MISSING from one of the fuel pipes from the tank. Well strictly speaking I didn't find that last one, actually, it found me. It found me by falling off the tank while I was removing the air box, and as the tank was full at the time I came close to dying when half a gallon of fuel poured all over me, the wiring, the engine and some very hot exhaust pipes before I managed to stop it coming out of both the tank AND the hose at the same time. It took about an hour to get that pipe back on without letting another gallon of fuel out of the tank (and all over me) and by then I was so angry that I started taking photographs. I'm surprised I didn't go up in flames just from the language. I don't know how to post them here and I don't think they'll add much to the story, but it's just so you know that they're there in case nobody believes all this.
Anyway I think I need another coil, and after this I'll be damned if I'll by one from the local dealer.
Any ideas where I can get one cheaper than the eighty-odd quid I've seen from my few quick Internet searches?
Oh - and the next dealer who services my bike is going to know that there are secret marks and tell-tales all over the bike so I know what he's done and what he's not done.
