2012 RT won't start after extended sitting - any ideas?

[GOZFST]

A little background. Due to medical issues, I haven't ridden it for about a year. I have started it to move it around in the shop. The battery was very weak so I replaced the battery, after that it will crank over fine, but not start. The first few times I tried it, it would fire once and then die. I could smell a faint odor of gas. Now it won't fire at all. It's got about 28,000 miles on it. Taking it to the dealer will be a real pain in the butt as it'll be difficult to load into the trailer. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[K80Shooter]

Sounds as if the gas has gone bad, ethanol gas will do that.

If it will not start at all, then you might have to have the injectors removed, cleaned or replaced.

If it will run, then you might get by with running a high mix of Berryman B-12 (put the whole can in the tank) with a fresh tank of gas and get it cleaned up. The more you run it the better it will get.
The old gas will have to be removed 1st.

I just went through the same thing with a friend's Spyder that had sat for a year. It spat and sputtered for a while, but it did finally straighten out on the 2nd tank of gas.

Good luck.

 

[GOZFST]

Thanks, I forgot to mention, the tank was very low and I added 2 gallons of fresh gas before I tried to start it.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Adding fresh fuel may have 'helped reduce' the risk if bad fuel being the issue, but it will probably still help to add some fuel conditioner/injector cleaner to the new gas you've added to the tank, then while holding the throttle fully open, crank the starter for a minute or so to try and get some of that fresh fuel into the lines & injectors, and maybe dissolve any varnish that may have formed &/or at least start to clean up any corrosion in there before you actually try to start the engine - and doing that will be hard on the battery! :lecturef_smilie:

So you said you'd replaced the battery, but did you make sure the replacement battery was set-up and fully charged properly BEFORE you installed it?? Unless YOU did that, even if it was brand new, then it most likely wasn't fully charged before you installed it; and if it was a retail purchased AGM battery, there's a good chance that it never got the necessary 'standing period' before they hit it with their initial charging either, which was also most likely just a very cursory 'fast charge' at best!! All of which means that maybe your 'new battery' just isn't up to the task of starting all the power hungry screens and computers that these Spyders have at the same time as cranking it for long enough to actually get the engine started?? :dontknow:

Have you checked your battery since you've had all this 'no start' stuff going on? If not, you should; and it might pay to put it on a proper 'slow charge' for 8+ hours anyway?! Not saying that this battery thing is definitely the issue facing you, but if YOU haven't done any of that ^ since buying that battery, it's extremely unlikely to hurt anything; and working that in with all that fresh fuel, fuel condition/injector cleaner, and the WOT cranking stuff, it juuuust might get your Spyder going again?!

Go on, Try it! What've you got to lose?? :thumbup:

 

[GOZFST]

Adding fresh fuel may have 'helped reduce' the risk if bad fuel being the issue, but it will probably still help to add some fuel conditioner/injector cleaner to the new gas you've added to the tank, then while holding the throttle fully open, crank the starter for a minute or so to try and get some of that fresh fuel into the lines & injectors, and maybe dissolve any varnish that may have formed &/or at least start to clean up any corrosion in there before you actually try to start the engine - and doing that will be hard on the battery! :lecturef_smilie:

So you said you'd replaced the battery, but did you make sure the replacement battery was set-up and fully charged properly BEFORE you installed it?? Unless YOU did that, even if it was brand new, then it most likely wasn't fully charged before you installed it; and if it was a retail purchased AGM battery, there's a good chance that it never got the necessary 'standing period' before they hit it with their initial charging either, which was also most likely just a very cursory 'fast charge' at best!! All of which means that maybe your 'new battery' just isn't up to the task of starting all the power hungry screens and computers that these Spyders have at the same time as cranking it for long enough to actually get the engine started?? :dontknow:

Have you checked your battery since you've had all this 'no start' stuff going on? If not, you should; and it might pay to put it on a proper 'slow charge' for 8+ hours anyway?! Not saying that this battery thing is definitely the issue facing you, but if YOU haven't done any of that ^ since buying that battery, it's extremely unlikely to hurt anything; and working that in with all that fresh fuel, fuel condition/injector cleaner, and the WOT cranking stuff, it juuuust might get your Spyder going again?!

Go on, Try it! What've you got to lose?? :thumbup:

Thanks for your thoughts, being in the parts industry for many years and selling thousands of batteries i learned early on to charge them before I installed them. It's sitting on a battery tender since installed.

 

[Mikey]

It will take some time to get the fuel conditioner to the carbs so keep on trying. Fuel filter will and should be in your near future also. And keep the battery charge up there if it starts rolling over slow stop and let it catch up! I would not roll the throttle let the bike take what it wants! If there was an easy way to get the carbs, I would just give it a sniff of fresh fuel you her to see if it will pop. But just a sniff, not a shot!!! Good luck you can get it.