QuestionQUESTION: I left my 92 Yamaha Seca-II with 40,000 miles running for about 15 minutes as she hasn't been on in about 2-3 weeks. Went inside the house. Came out, the bike was off, the oil light was on, and it hasn't ran since. It's got plenty of gas and I put even more oil in it. I'm sure there was oil in it when I started her up. Any ideas?
ANSWER: The oil light will normally be lit when the ignition switch is on but the motor isn't running, so it's possible that your bike just stalled and won't run now because of another issue not related to the oil system.
What I need to know is - when you press the start button, does the motor turn over (but not fire up) or does nothing happen at all? This could be something as simple as a dead battery or as serious as a seized motor, so the more details you provide the better I can help you.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for the response!
When I press the start button, the motor does turn over but not fire up. It almost sounds like it's out of gas, but I know the tank is half-full and the fuel petcock is open. Choke pulled out. Had a tune-up at 37K miles. Open to suggestions! Thanks again!
AnswerOk, sounds like it is not an oil related problem, which is a good thing. Now you have to check out the ignition and fuel systems.
There should be spark at the spark plugs, the easiest way to check is to remove the spark plug from its hole and, with the wire still connected to the top, hold the threaded part firmly against the metal on the side of the motor. Crank the engine over and look to see if there's a spark at the electrodes. Make sure you wear rubber or thick leather gloves so you don't get a shock. Check all spark plugs one at a time, replacing each one before checking the next one. If you don't have spark on any or all of them, you'll need to troubleshoot the ignition system.
To check the fuel system, first turn the fuel tap to the "off" position. Then locate the float bowl drain screw, which is usually located at or near the bottom of each carb. There should be a rubber hose on each carb that leads down to the bottom of the frame, make sure you put a container underneath the ends of the hoses to catch the dripping fuel. Then open the drain screws on all carbs and let the fuel drain into the container. Close all drain screws and turn the fuel tap back to the "on" position and see if the bike will start (you may need to crank it over a bit until the carbs are filled with fuel again). Because your bike was sitting for a few weeks, there's a chance that bad fuel had collected in the carbs, the above steps should get rid of it.
