starting problem

[honda200xguy]

My x just is a money pit. I start it run it for a good few mins then it cuts out and won't start back up I can kick it a million times it Wont start for another hour or more and then it does the same thing. I've already got some ideas just wondering if anyone knows WHO might have had this problem thanks

[Ghostv2]

Maybe its something simple like fuel related. Ive seen this happen before. Maybe there is a block or something now allowing fuel to flow freely, so your bowl on the carb fills up and it runs for a while like you said then wont start for an hour or so. Thats because you used up the gas in the bowl and it takes time to slowly fill up again. Could even be something so simple as your gas cap not venting. I know its not likely on a 200x but you never know.

[honda200xguy]

checked the tank/carb cleaned both, good fuel delivery. Today i went out. Wont start still from yesterday at 5pm

[yaegerb]

Have you checked your ignition timing and have you ensured that your CDI / pulse generator is still functioning properly? Sounds electrical to me....something getting hot and won't fire back up until completely cool.

[webbch]

Air, fuel and spark right?

I'll admit I had a bear of a time getting my 200s to start recently, and had to run it with the choke halfway on in order to idle, even though spark looked good on the plug and I had done a thorough cleaning on the carb, replacing missing o-rings and such and adjusted per specifications in the manual (stock carb). I finally measured cylinder pressure and was only getting 60-90 psi MAX after about 5 pulls. I put a leakdown tester on it and all the air was going back out the intake. I tried going +/- 30 deg off TDC to see if the timing was off, but it didn't improve the leak. I guess that means I'm not getting enough air and fuel _into_ the engine. So if you're getting spark, it might be worth checking cylinder pressure.

[Ghostv2]

Have you checked your ignition timing and have you ensured that your CDI / pulse generator is still functioning properly? Sounds electrical to me....something getting hot and won't fire back up until completely cool.

Yea but he said it didnt start since yesterday. And he lives in Minnesota so if its outside, it should cool down overnight no problem. Im no expert though, so i dont know.

[honda200xguy]

Yea but he said it didnt start since yesterday. And he lives in Minnesota so if its outside, it should cool down overnight no problem. Im no expert though, so i dont know.

Yes i do live in MN and YES it is cold and snowing today Since i don't have a multimeter i had a friend that told me to warm the CDI up with a blow dryer and see if it would start. I went out there this morning and it wouldn't start. Yes it does die when it gets hot though. And the timing is dead nutz

[Ghostv2]

I feel like i have seen threads identical to this, but im out of ideas. You checked the main stuff as you should, spark, cdi, fuel, air, timing. My only advice from here out would be compression test and leakdown test. Maybe when it warms up something expands, i dont know. Wish i was better at the mechanical aspect of trikes.

[tri again]

do you have spark when it won't start?
I've seen bizarre inconsistencies with the spark plug cap.
IF you have enough wire, nip the last little bit off the plug wire so the plug cap has some fresh wire to screw into.

If you have good spark, then it's either compression or fuel.

If it runs good if and when it does, your compression should be good enough to at least continue doagnosis.
Has tank vent or fuel valve gone funky?

I'd open the float valve drain and see if gas runs out when it won't start IF you have spark.

Pleeease keep us posted. we'll get it.
We always do.

[honda200xguy]

Went out today bought a new spark plug and threw it in. Ran perfect for 4mins, died. So i put it on reserve cause the gas was getting kinda low, boom fired right up. I ran it a bit 4-5 mins (this is the longest its ran since the rebuild) to the point where it was hot. Then shut it off and tried to re-start it. It wouldn't restart. There's plenty of gas in it to start. Pulled the plug and checked if i had spark, and i did. So what can i rule out and where should i go from here? Still wont start

[King Trikester]

how was the old plug, and how did the new plug look when you pulled it out?

[honda200xguy]

how was the old plug, and how did the new plug look when you pulled it out?

old plug was black at the bottom, new had a little bit of black

[webbch]

Check the cylinder pressure like was recommended earlier. In my experience, a fresh plug can overcome marginal cylinder pressure for a short time until it gets a little carbon buildup. If low cylinder pressure, a leakdown test will tell you if it's leaking through the valves or the piston rings. While It's nice to find the smoking gun (but requires a leakdown tester, or some homemade equivalent), to fix either problem, you're likely pulling the motor and the head. Once you pull the head, it's only a very little bit of extra effort to pull the cylinder and inspect it's condition.

[honda200xguy]

condition of the cylinder is good i checked it when it was rebuilt. i will leakdown test but i dont think thats it

[kb0nly]

Check the valves... If you have them set to tight on the lash it will hold them open slightly once its warmed up, then you will have the no start condition when hot.