A quick walk-through of common problems

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:50:00 +0000

Over the years I have seen the same couple of questions asked over and over again by just about every new Across owner.

In this post, I will try to cover these common problems and hopefully help get your Across back on the road, running nicely.

The things here are listed in order of complexity/difficulty.

Battery - may appear ok with lights illuminating normally, but “nothing” when pressing the starter. This is because the battery will carry near-normal voltage, but will not hold enough current to power the ignition circuit.

Most Acrosses are now pushing 15 years young, and there’s a good chance the battery has not been changed many times during the bike’s life (if ever).
Since an Across is often ridden by learner riders, the battery gets more use than a non-learner bike (new owners showing off their new bike by starting the engine, stalling frequently while learning clutch control, etc).
Once a lead acid battery is fully discharged, it will not hold charge properly again (unless rebuilt; which is not possible with the Across sealed battery).
A replacement battery should cost between AU$50-AU$150; once replaced you can eliminate the battery from any other problems the bike may have.

Idle Mixture Screws - vibrate loose (rich) over time. The bike will run too rich at idle (~0-3000rpm). It will start from cold with little or no choke, and may “bog down” if left to idle once the engine has warmed up. May also be difficult to re-start after stalling.

The idle mixture screws are 4 flat-head screws on the top of the carburetors.
They control the air/fuel mixture in the low rev range (0-3000rpm) of the carburetor circuit. The effects of these screws at higher revs is negligible compared to the other mixture controls (needle and main jet).
These screws vibrate loose over time and enrich (more fuel) the air/fuel mixture.

Throttle Slide/Piston Holders - hold the throttle piston/slide to the carburetor diaphragm, in-turn hold the throttle needle in the piston. These wear over time with the movement of the piston/slide in the carburetor and allow excessive movement in the throttle needles.

Small white plastic clips inside the carburetors.
Stocked by most Suzuki dealerships as common spare parts; approximately AU$5 each. The Across requires 4 (2 per carburetor, 1 per cylinder).
In an emergency can be “jammed” in place by wrapping the “clip end” with some kind of tape (inert teflon tape is best, but anything will do in an emergency).
MANY Acrosses have these super-glued in place… this is not a good idea as the needles and pistons require some small movement to avoid the needle or main jet being damaged.
When very worn, the entire piston & needle may be “dropped” from the diaphragm; effectively closing all fuel supply to the corresponding cylinder. This will be felt as a sudden loss of power, but the engine will continue to run. Seemingly at “half power”. This can be fixed using the above emergency method. OR…
It is always a good idea to carry some spare throttle slide/piston holders in the boot of your Across. They’re tiny, cheap, and you never know when you (or a friend) will need them.

This post is a work in progress. Planned additions include; bold headings will be links to other posts with detailed information, photos to identify components, section for “dirty” carburetors, section for incorrect float height settings, section for worn high-tension spark plug leads.

Suzuki Across GSX 250 F : Archives for June 2007

A quick walk-through of common problems