Big red 250 randomly shuts down? any ideas???

[brokenforks]

Iv got the big red 250 and it runs great. Only thnig is after it gets warmed or "hot" it shuts down. it always starts back up after a little break. its not a big deal riding around the house it hardly ever gets that hot i guess, but on longer trips trail riding its a pain in the junk. At first I though it was running out of gas in the carb because i put an after market carb on. I have pretty much ruled this out now. I can see fuel going in the carb and coming out of the tank. so im not sure. was thinking maybe the points?

I also noticed that the top end of the motor starts to tick as it gets warm and ticks loud when its hot. does this mean it needs a valve adjustment? or is it something else?

thanks for your time fellow riders

[Airmapper]

Sounds silly, but stuff like this has happened to me so I'll ask...is the fuel cap vent open?

[brokenforks]

Sounds silly, but stuff like this has happened to me so I'll ask...is the fuel cap vent open?

thanks for the reply, Yes I always make sure the fuelcap vent is open. learned that handy lesson along time ago.

But When I opened the fuel tank the first time today it let loose with a big pressure release........ not sure if thats normal, never really noticed it before, but all the other times she stopped and I checked for the pressure release, there was none. It shut down on me about 6 times over a 4 mile period. it was willing to start back up within a minute or 2 but the longer the brake the longer the next ride.

hmm

[shortline10]

Sounds like the gas cap isn't venting correctly . Ride it around till its starts acting up and then remove the gas cap to see if it clears up .

thanks for the reply, Yes I always make sure the fuelcap vent is open. learned that handy lesson along time ago.

But When I opened the fuel tank the first time today it let loose with a big pressure release........ not sure if thats normal, never really noticed it before, but all the other times she stopped and I checked for the pressure release, there was none. It shut down on me about 6 times over a 4 mile period. it was willing to start back up within a minute or 2 but the longer the brake the longer the next ride.

hmm

[Flyingw]

Yep, I concur with the other guys. The gas cap vent is corroded shut and as the fuel is drawn from the tank and the pressure goes negative, flow stops and actually will pull fuel from the carb. I had that same thing happen to my SX and it was the vent in the cap. Get a new cap and that should go away. Don't buy a used cap as it may be in just as bad a shape as yours. New caps are still available for about 30 bucks from Honda.

[Chopsaw]

I too vote for the cap not venting / or the bowl running dry . Might want to check the fuel screen coming out of the pet cog . You made mention of points in a post above , just FYI , no points on that machine .

Chop

[brokenforks]

ok ill try running without the cap next time it happens and see if that clears it up.

there is no pet cog filter, but there is a fresh inline filter before the carb.

Any ideas with the ticking, it dosnt do it when its a cold engine only after long/hard rides

thank you all for the input I wouldnt have guessed the gas cap it looks pretty clean........ but who knows, since its not to bad maybe it could be cleaned with a spray solvent?

[brokenforks]

just FYI , no points on that machine .

Chop

Good to know lol
thanks

[shortline10]

Run 4 stroke synthetic oil for wet clutch and the ticking should be a little better , a valve adjustment probably wouldn't hurt either .

ok ill try running without the cap next time it happens and see if that clears it up.

there is no pet cog filter, but there is a fresh inline filter before the carb.

Any ideas with the ticking, it dosnt do it when its a cold engine only after long/hard rides

thank you all for the input I wouldnt have guessed the gas cap it looks pretty clean........ but who knows, since its not to bad maybe it could be cleaned with a spray solvent?

[tri again]

do the valve adjust but yes, someone posted a link on how to get those gas caps apart
and fix 'em.
basically, GENTLY pinch the center in a vice and tap the twist cover off.
it was youtube vids a couple weeks ago.

if other heat related snafu, I use a hairdryer to heat componenets one at a time.
cdi, coil etc and see if it won't start when you KNOW it should.