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695 Monster stalling out after running a few minutes

6K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  ronski 
#1 ·
Hi all,
hate to ask this, but I'm having a problem with my 2007 695.
I got a fresh battery and fresh tank of gas.
When cold, it starts fine and idles fine.
I take it out for a ride, but it stalls out after 1/2 mile or so.

I can restart it, it's a bit rough, sometimes need to give it throttle, but it doesn't stay running. It will stall out after ~30-45 seconds

Anyone got any ideas what might be wrong?

Someone mentioned to open up the gas cap, and then try starting it that way. (I'm not so sure if thats safe to do)


thanks
Ken
 
#2 ·
Hi Ken,

no need to open gas cap all the way, just pop it to ensure no vapour lock in tank, make sure no fuel leaks out, it shouldn't.

Could be water or dirt in fuel tank, or blocked fuel filter. water and sediment settle when stationary, go for a ride and it mixes and gets sucked into filter.

A place to start anyway, when was the filter changed last?

If all clean and good, it's on to electrics
 
#3 ·
Thanks Ronski

The gas tank has been emptied and dried before gas was put in.
I have not changed the filter tough.

But it's weird that the engine seems fine when starting from cold (after sitting overnight). But after ~10mins or so it starts to act up.

If the filter is clogged, it should be bad regardless of temps, right?

Regards
Ken
 
#4 ·
I can't say for sure if it's the filter. Usually a bad filter causes misfire when accelerating, but like the tank, fuel and dirt settle overnight so it sometimes starts ok then restricts flow when driving. Filters are cheap to replace, next, I would check fuel pump and hoses, I have had a hose in the tank split, started ok, then died after a 30 seconds or so.
Can you hear the pump priming for a few seconds when turning key on? Have a listen cold and when it dies. a split hose will give a gurgling noise, but not if the tank is full as it's all submerged.
really, it's a matter of troubleshooting.

I would first check pump, hoses and filter. Next, it may be cutting out because it's getting hot, a bad coil or sensor maybe, usually though it won't start again because it's still hot. It starts again when hot but roughly, which is why I suggest fuel issues first. Then the electrical testing.

Hopefully others will add ideas etc.
 
#5 ·
Hi, Ducatis...beautiful motorcycles..worst electronics ever. I'm willing to bet it's the harness to your fuel pump. I happened on my multi and I'm sure it will on my monster. There's a round plug that goes through the fuel pump flange that houses the wiring in an epoxy. They weren't soldered very well and they lose connectivity. Sometimes it will be fine, then just shut off, then start again. Eventually it won't at all. ca-cycleworks makes a replacement or you can dig into it and re-solder and hope for the best. I'm not certain it's the problem but it certainly sounds like it.
http://ca-cycleworks.com/fwires.html
 
#6 ·
Good advice provided I think! A dried/cracked hose can kill the vacuum and you run out of gas. When starting again the fuel pump does it's job but again it can lose gas quickly. So check all those hoses and plugs and look for wet spots / leaking fuel. Similarly, listen for the vacuum "whoosh" when popping the gas cap. The breather or other hoses can block quite easily and then gas is again blocked in your system. Try a little ride with the cap ajar and best with just a little in the tank.

Good luck!
 
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#7 ·
Hi guys,
I got some more info. I finally had some time to test the bike again.

Once again it started fine when cold from sitting for a week, started like it was brand new.
Take it on the road and sure enough once it's warmed up, like ~6 min. The bikes starts to act up.

Luckily today I was able to restart it after it stalled. (would stall out every 2 minutes)
but it was a bit lumpy in the revs.
Also it the RPM would occasionally surge
So I would be riding along at 35mph and the rpm would surge 1-2,000 higher. It was a bit scary.

Some of the local guys I ride with thought it might:
1) vacuum leak (as Ned673 said)
2) Check the boots and the seals on the throttle bodies
3) TPS - someone suggest it be reset (thought did not elaborate on how to do it)
4) Temp sensor
5) one nearby bike mechanic thought it could be the ECU, but he did not want to work on my bike as he does not have the diagnostic tools for a Ducati
 
#8 ·
Some of the local guys I ride with thought it might:
1) vacuum leak (as Ned673 said)
2) Check the boots and the seals on the throttle bodies
3) TPS - someone suggest it be reset (thought did not elaborate on how to do it)
4) Temp sensor
5) one nearby bike mechanic thought it could be the ECU, but he did not want to work on my bike as he does not have the diagnostic tools for a Ducati
A quick way to check the vacuum leak is to use some "smoke" around the engine and see if its getting sucked in anywhere other then the intake.

Use an multimeter on the temp sensor to see what the resistance is, that could be the issue, as it seems to happen when the bike is at operating temp.

TPS can be reset with Melcodiag program (need to get the cables and download the program) or need a Ducati "tool" owner to reset it.

I am leaning toward a bad TPS or vacuum leak as your getting a surging in power, which is telling the ECU to inject more fuel due to incorrect throttle input (ie sensor malfunction) or vacuum leak as its letting more air in then the engine surges or even shuts off.
 
#9 ·
on a side thought.
Since the problem only happens when warm it's during the close loop operation of the ECU.

If I disconnect the O2 sensor, it should force the ECU into open loop, right?

At this point I don't care about good fuel mileage, I just want to get it running and get the bike home
 
#10 ·
Good options from TjHunter there. You should be able to go a bit further with your diagnosis before spending with the mechanic. Did you try with the gas cap ajar?

How long have you owned/ridden the bike? Some new owners coming from other brand bikes don't give their twins enough rpm, you really want to use its mid-range. Is it doing this surge when under mild acceleration/load such as 2nd gear 20-60mph? Does it surge only at higher revs?

And the service history? When was your last valve check? Though it does sound more like a problem than a maintenance gap...

Make sure you are doing some searching on this forum. Most of these topics have been discussed in some form here over the last decade. Keep us posted :)
 
#11 ·
Hello Ned
thanks for the reply
unfortunately I initially thought it was low on gas, so I got gas, and topped off the tank. :frown yeah I f#cked up there
So I have not tried opening the gas cap.
I guess I can warm up the bike while it's parked on it's kick stand. It will take longer to heat up, but should eventually show the same symptoms. And then try opening the gas cap
I just need to get to the bike (as it's parked an hour from home at the moment)

I've had the bike for 4 years now. Over the last year it's mostly sat idle, I did have a local scooter shop take it in to change the battery and clean out the gas tank. As the fuel was not fresh. As they had batteries on hand, and cleaning the gas tank should be a no brainier.

So far I've only done street riding since getting the new battery in.
So it's been around ~45MPH max
The surge has happened in 1st and 2nd gears. from 15mph on up
Surge has occurred 3 times in a span of 10 mins

Oddly it did backfire one time on startup after it had stalled.
It's the first time that ever happened
So the ECU is dumping in too much fuel?

Valves were checked over a year ago, But I've put on less then 50 miles since then. Bike has mainly been sitting for the last year.
I've had problems with my knee, so I took a break from riding

Based on my searches with other people having hot stall issues, it seems to be a sensor issue.
 
#12 ·
Beware of multiple guessing, trouble shooting is about identifying 'possible causes' then fixing the simple (cheapest) things first that could cause the issue. One step at a time, then you eliminate that one and narrow it down.

I know it's difficult changing fuel filter after filling the tank, but you did mention later that it felt like it was running out of fuel??

Also new info was, the bike has been sitting for about a year, If you live in cooler wet climate, hey, I am in W.Australia, warm and hot, but cold and wet can give another simple issue when left sitting for a long time.

The spark plugs can get some corrosion build up due to moist air getting in, this leads to plugs 'fouling' or weak spark.
Fouled plugs can ignite the richer mixture when cold, but start misfiring and struggling when hot and the mixture is much leaner.
My old carb monster would foul plugs, started fine, luckily for me the freeway is about 6.mins away, bike would start playing up just as I got there, had to struggle back home coughing and spluttering, change plugs.

If this was my bike, I would do much like you started out.
1. drain old fuel, clean check all hoses and put in new filter. Full tank? get some clear hose and a bucket, drain tank.
2. consider new battery, this you did.
2. put in set of new spark plugs, again, check and clean leads, connections wires to coils etc.

These are the simple inexpensive things first, but get them out of the way, then, as others suggested move on to checking sensors, mostly a simple voltmeter can be used.

I have experienced times when owners 'disappear down the rabbit hole' when trying to fix problems, spending a small fortune and in the end....turned out to be a faulty connection.

A real pain when your bike is an hour away from home, any way to get it back? could be a simple fix or a long drawn out one.
Keep the good info coming guys,
cheers,
 
#13 ·
I’ve had a 2002 S4 for 10 years now and have done 85,000 km. I have had the same issues with the electrical supply to the fuel pump where the cable from the low level sensor broke down where it left the epoxy insulation from the low level sensor. If you hear the pump prime at start up, it’s unlikely to be that though.
I haven’t checked the valve clearances in the last 60,000 km (no-one in Hong Kong seems capable) but that’s never stopped it running.
Most recently I’ve experienced exactly the same symptoms as yours and it turned out to be the crank position sensor. Easy checks for this (there are more complex means) are: crank the engine with the throttle wide open, remove a plug and see if it’s dry. Then, see if you get a spark by cranking the engine with the plug back in the cap and held against a good earth on the engine. If the plug’s not wet with petrol and you’re not getting a spark, there’s a good chance it’s the crank position sensor. They cost around $150USD for a genuine Ducati part; considerably less ($20) for an equivalent alternative (mine’s the same as a Fiat Punto’s. Checks and repair for both can be done at the roadside with a plug spanner and a 5mm Allen wrench. Good luck!
 
#14 ·
Hey all. Thanks to all those that replied.
Someone local was able to recommend me a shop and they were able to fix it.
They had hooked it up their Ducati diagnostic computer and only found the Water Temp sensor needed to be replaced, but that wasn't what caused the stalling.
The mechanic said it was the SPARK PLUGS!! I was like no way, WTF.
He showed them to me, it looked like typical used plugs. But not excessively blackened. I've taken way worse ones out of my car. Crazy.

I was pretty worried that wasn't it, but was able to ride it home yesterday. Covered 5 miles no problem at all. Ran like a top.

Really really surprised the plugs caused this much trouble considering the bike was still starting fine when cold.

Anyways, hope this info helps someone else.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Glad you got it fixed, spark plugs hey, who would have thought.:rolleyes:

Also new info was, the bike has been sitting for about a year, If you live in cooler wet climate, hey, I am in W.Australia, warm and hot, but cold and wet can give another simple issue when left sitting for a long time.

The spark plugs can get some corrosion build up due to moist air getting in, this leads to plugs 'fouling' or weak spark.
Fouled plugs can ignite the richer mixture when cold, but start misfiring and struggling when hot and the mixture is much leaner.
 
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