Non-starting 900 Diversion

[andrew]

I have an issue with non-starting on my 900 Diversion. The starter turns fine, but the engine doesn't fire. The rev counter indicates 900rpm intermittently - which I know is a diagnostic indication that there is an ignition problem (which is kind of obvious anyway). After indicating 900rpm several times, it will eventually start. How quickly it decides to go varies. Once running, I have not had the ignition cut out yet, but I haven't used it much since the problem started, as I don't trust it at the moment! Clearly there is something not right in the ignition. I have changed the ignition box, which makes no difference and I have checked all the connectors and wiring as far as possible, including under the tank etc and not found anything amiss. Taken the fuses out, cleaned them and put back in.

Anyone any idea what to check next?

Thanks.

[bev]

Have you checked the battery ? if it's knocking on a bit it might not be able to provide enough current. Seems once the bike is running it's oK so it's only starting you have the problem with. Well worth trying another battery or a jump from another battery and see if the problem goes away.

Where are you Andrew ? it's good to post your rough location. ( I mean roughly where you live not that your location is rough )

[HRHpenfold]

if you mean 9000RPM, then it sounds like a coil is faulty, coil or power to the coil.

[andrew]

I live in North Uist - and it's rough as hell (in the winter).

Thanks for the advice. The battery is fairly new and I have had it on charge and cleaned up all the connections since this problem started. 

I know there's a problem with the regulator on this bike - it's been there since I've had it - three years. When the revs die down the lights go dim, and come back up as the revs increase. Could that be connected?

And yes I mean 9000rpm, sorry. If there was a problem with the coils, would there not be a misfire or something? At the moment, once it's going, it's as smooth as ever.

[GAv]

Not necessarily, I had thought the same before owning an Italian Aprilia VTwin,but according to the AFIforum, when the EFi light came on after I stopped following a fair canter, it will show the EFi warning light, often when a coil is starting to fail, even though it doesn't effect performance.
I stopped again,switched off and the light went out, but having casually mentioned it, the forum amateur experts were determined it was a coil. It did it again, several months later, but stopping etc turned the light back off.
Dunno further as unfortunately I wrote the bike off but haven't had the EFi light on my Mille, same Rotax engine, which unlike the D900 but the same as the Futura has fuel injection.
As the Divvy isn't so computer dependant , to be honest I would be inclined to agree with HRH( but freely admit electrics are not my forte)can you not deploy a tester on the electrics or even disconnect and see what happens?

[andrew]

For the benefit of any others who might have this problem, it appeared to be in the wiring leading from the battery side of the bike to the pick-up coils (mysterious electric thingies buried under the lefthand engine cases). Some of the pins in one of the connector blocks had some corrosion. It was the blue connector on my bike. Cleaning this up throughly appears to have more or less got rid of the problem. On a 1,200 mile trip to the Isle of Man, the rev counter did its 9,000 rpm diagnostic thing maybe three times, but it never failed to start.