I got the spark plug wet! If you use the accelerator pump too much, you will get into big trouble.

I got the spark plug wet! If you use the accelerator pump too much, you will get into big trouble.

This is a story about wetting a spark plug.
I'm not sure if wetting is the right word to use in English.
It's an expression for when the spark plug becomes wet due to overuse of the accelerator pump.
In Japanese, it's called "kaburu."

When we say the spark plug is wet, we mean when the engine is having a hard time starting and gasoline is sprayed onto the spark plug to make it wet. The same applies if there is oil on it.
It also includes things like carbon sticking to it.
In short, it's a symptom where the spark plug becomes wet or has foreign matter on it, making it difficult to ignite.
When describing the condition of an engine as being wet, it can also mean a state where the fuel is too rich and the engine is sluggish and doesn't rev up.
In a 4-stroke engine, basically nothing other than gasoline sticking to it is possible,
so it also includes an expression that is used to describe the engine condition of old 2-stroke motorcycles.
My blog post this time is about when I sprayed too much gasoline onto the spark plug.
I'll write the result first.
I turned the throttle a lot when the engine wouldn't start.
Gasoline was supplied from the accelerator pump many times.
Now let's go into more detail.
Let's get started!

Why did you wet the spark plugs?

In the case of FCR, the cause of the wet spark plug is the accelerator pump.
It is the thing that is discharged when you turn the throttle.
If you turn the accelerator pump repeatedly without the engine starting, excessive fuel will be discharged.
This is a basic, or rather, obvious, thing.
Don't turn the accelerator pump too much in a short period of time.
So why was the accelerator pump turned so much in a short period of time without starting the engine?

Because I was adjusting the throttle wire.
I could have done various things, such as removing the carburetor before adjusting it,
turning off the accelerator pump,
or waiting for the gasoline to evaporate periodically,
but I was careless...
Human-caused problems arise from preconceptions, blind spots, oversights, and negligence.
I can't tell which of these was the case, perhaps because I was tired, but
I was adjusting the throttle wire without removing the carburetor,
so it seems that I sprayed so much gasoline that it was unacceptable.
On top of that, a few bad conditions overlapped...

The engine is hard to start in winter

The main causes of the problem were that the work was done in winter and the engine was not warmed up at least slightly. Other reasons include a decrease in battery performance.
It depends on the work being done, but in winter, warm up the engine first to make it easier to start.

What to do if your spark plug gets wet

You can dry the spark plug or heat it over a fire.
Since it is a hot part, a little heat will not cause any problems.
There are cases where the engine does not start properly even after doing this.
I don't know if this is true, but it is said that spark plugs that have been wet even once will deteriorate.
I wonder if it is enough to just dry the gasoline.
Does the spark plug deteriorate when voltage is applied while it is wet?
Does it deteriorate due to other factors?
In my opinion, spark plugs that have been wet even once definitely deteriorate when looking at the starting ability of the engine.

I also tried replacing them with normal spark plugs, but the engine would not start even with normal spark plugs.
I was a little impatient, so it was not good, and it may have been because I was working under cold skies when it was starting to snow a little.

Is it easier to revive it using normal spark plugs?

The technique involves heating the spark plug to revive it,
and after trying both iridium and normal spark plugs, it was the normal spark plugs that allowed the engine to be restarted.
It's hard to conclude from this alone that iridium spark plugs are difficult to revive if they get wet,
but the result was that the normal spark plugs won.
I've also heard from motorcycle shops that iridium spark plugs are difficult to revive if they have been wet even once.
You should operate your motorcycle under the assumption that you will never get the spark plugs wet.

Is it difficult to start an FCR in winter?

Commuter and work motorcycles such as Cubs and scooters can start even in sub-freezing temperatures.
It has a standard carburetor.
Is the FCR a carburetor that is not good at starting?
Or is it a characteristic of the motorcycle? Or is my tuning poor?
Even with regular tuning, the engine can feel a bit tough to start. Add the low temperatures of winter to the mix and it becomes a double whammy that is not very good. In the first place, the accelerator pump is not a choke. Basically, FCRs do not come with a choke, but there are models that come with a choke. The reason there is no choke is because it is a racing model. In winter, gasoline does not vaporize easily when the temperature is low.
The engine becomes harder to start.

I got the spark plug wet! If you use the accelerator pump too much, you will get into big trouble.【summary】

The second half of the article turned to an explanation of the spark plug.
The original cause was a human error when working on the throttle area without dealing with the accelerator pump. I learned that it is best to work quickly and not cut corners.
When working on the throttle area on a motorcycle equipped with an FCR,
please be sure to take care when dealing with the accelerator pump.
See you again!

CBX1000 Photo Gallery

I haven't had the chance to take photos of just spark plugs, so I'll be posting a selection of photos from past posts, mainly of the engine area.