Kawasaki Vtwin Not Running Right, Reliably

[JohnBuffaloMN]

On my engine, I just pull the signal cable from a coil. If the engine dies, the other one's the problem.

 

[holligl]

Had a similar issue last spring on the John Deere with the Kawasaki twin. It was the coil. Replaced the bad one and the plugs. Started right up. It was running on one cylinder, no power.

 

[MossRoad]

Yep, coil is also a possibility. I'd check air and fuel issues first. Spray down the carb with carb cleaner while it's running at the lower/malfunctioning RPMS and see if it perks up. As I mentioned, it could just be a sticky governor linkage or loose spring, etc....

Kinda fun but no fun to troubleshoot these kind of things. When you finally do find the problem, it makes you feel pretty good! :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Had a similar issue last spring on the John Deere with the Kawasaki twin. It was the coil. Replaced the bad one and the plugs. Started right up. It was running on one cylinder, no power.

Welcome to TBN! :thumbsup:

 

[holligl]

Yep, coil is also a possibility. I'd check air and fuel issues first. Spray down the carb with carb cleaner while it's running at the lower/malfunctioning RPMS and see if it perks up. As I mentioned, it could just be a sticky governor linkage or loose spring, etc....

Kinda fun but no fun to troubleshoot these kind of things. When you finally do find the problem, it makes you feel pretty good! :thumbsup:

Pretty easy to check spark on both cylinders. I chased fuel issues first, because that is what it seemed to act like, new filter, carb cleaner, etc. Wasted several hours and bucks. Pulled the plugs and the problem was identified quickly.

How good you feel, when you figure it out, is inversely proportional to what it costs to fix...

 

[Gary Fowler]

Pretty easy to check spark on both cylinders. I chased fuel issues first, because that is what it seemed to act like, new filter, carb cleaner, etc. Wasted several hours and bucks. Pulled the plugs and the problem was identified quickly.

How good you feel, when you figure it out, is inversely proportional to what it costs to fix...

How many hours were on your engine when the plugs fouled out?

 

[holligl]

How many hours were on your engine when the plugs fouled out?

It was a bad coil. Verified by swapping the coils. One of the plugs was damaged too, probably from backfiring. I suspect the plugs had several years on them.

 

[edgibson]

There's always the situation that the vent on the fuel tank or cap is plugged

 

[edgibson]

There's always the fact that the vent on the fuel cap is malfunctioning also

 

[kthompson]

I'd bet dollars to donuts that

That use to be one of my Daddy's favorite sayings. He passed 50 years ago...sure miss him. Thank you.