Runaway engine

Paw Paw 271
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10/11/2014 5:12am
Sounds like it had crud in the jets and thus running very lean. The lean condition will cause uncontrolled revs on an running 2 stroke as will an air leak.

Paw Paw
YZ125H1
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10/11/2014 7:04am Edited Date/Time 10/11/2014 7:07am
Sounds like it had crud in the jets and thus running very lean. The lean condition will cause uncontrolled revs on an running 2 stroke as...
Sounds like it had crud in the jets and thus running very lean. The lean condition will cause uncontrolled revs on an running 2 stroke as will an air leak.

Paw Paw
I'm hoping it was just a dirty carb, seems like no matter how well I clean them a small of piece debris always gets in. The motor on bike is about 10 years old so I was also wondering if one of the seals is bad and possibly creating an air leak. You think an air leak would have already destroyed the motor by now right?

Thanks for the help.
10/11/2014 8:49am
YZ125H1 wrote:
I'm hoping it was just a dirty carb, seems like no matter how well I clean them a small of piece debris always gets in. The...
I'm hoping it was just a dirty carb, seems like no matter how well I clean them a small of piece debris always gets in. The motor on bike is about 10 years old so I was also wondering if one of the seals is bad and possibly creating an air leak. You think an air leak would have already destroyed the motor by now right?

Thanks for the help.
Did you drain the fuel tank? Then flush it out and make sure no trash is left in the tank. If that doesn't solve the problem it could be a bad left hand crank seal or even the intake manifold could be weather checked.
YZ125H1
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10/11/2014 9:01am Edited Date/Time 10/11/2014 9:02am
Did you drain the fuel tank? Then flush it out and make sure no trash is left in the tank. If that doesn't solve the problem...
Did you drain the fuel tank? Then flush it out and make sure no trash is left in the tank. If that doesn't solve the problem it could be a bad left hand crank seal or even the intake manifold could be weather checked.
Usually just drain the tank never actually flush it out probably a good idea since there is no fuel filter. I know the seals have to be going bad especially after last winter it was so cold here. The bike is getting a complete tear down and cases split soon and I plan on replacing all the seals. The reeds and air filter are pretty old too.

The Shop

BobPA
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10/11/2014 5:05pm
Crank seals, a runaway is cause by a massive air leak....not from clogged jets.
10/11/2014 5:28pm
YZ125H1 wrote:
Usually just drain the tank never actually flush it out probably a good idea since there is no fuel filter. I know the seals have to...
Usually just drain the tank never actually flush it out probably a good idea since there is no fuel filter. I know the seals have to be going bad especially after last winter it was so cold here. The bike is getting a complete tear down and cases split soon and I plan on replacing all the seals. The reeds and air filter are pretty old too.
Cold in Beverly Hills? LOL
10/11/2014 6:00pm Edited Date/Time 10/11/2014 6:03pm
Remember the old 78 YZ400 I rode. Fired it up one day, and the R's went to the moon. Didn't even sneeze at the kill button.

Quickly put the front wheel against a fence post, ground it up into the highest gear possible, (3rd or 4th) held both brakes, and dumped the clutch. Would have been a good ride had it not stalled. A nice split on the underside of the intake manifold rewarded me with a mild adrenaline rush.

The only other way to kill a run away is to cut the air intake to the engine. Have had several of the older two stroke water craft run away on me as well when I worked at a small shop. Mostly due to crusty carburetors or misadjusted speed screw settings.

You could yank all three plug wires on a triple cylinder, two stroke PWC that was revving to the moon, and it would never miss a beat.

When those shit boxes would roll in for service, it only took one runaway before I learned not to fire one off on the trailer without the airbox cover off and a pile of rags handy to choke the thing off.

On most two stroke motorcycles, a crank seal will leak a bit to maybe create a lean condition, but a lot of times, the seal will be so worn that engine compression is lost, and they are lucky to even run at all.
BobPA
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10/11/2014 10:34pm
Believe it or not hold the throttle wide open and it kills them...
1
MOTODAD422
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Easton, PA US
10/12/2014 12:30pm
Every runaway two stroke that i dealt with was caused by either a bad left side crank seal.{ causing a super lean condition}. or by a lean pilot circuit when idling. The choke worked for me to shut it off,because the extra fuel cooled the ground electrode, which was probably glowing, and igniting the fuel mixture,pulling the spark plug wire off did nothing. The worst one for me was a yamaha It400,while i was in alaska,it was like 15 below, and after i turned off the choke it revved to the moon, I panicked, hit the kill switch,pulled the plug wire and it did nothing,hit the choke and finally shut off.
RiV
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Midvale, UT US
10/13/2014 12:46pm
BobPA wrote:
Believe it or not hold the throttle wide open and it kills them...
^^^this^^^

IF the throttle is not stuck or physically open too far, ignition off, then this works. Active Radical Combustion,
usually called closed throttle runaway is as many have stated here a lean condition. The theory was used
in a controlled sense on Honda's EXP-2 bike, enjoy:

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/honda/honda-exp2-14293.html
Jack_Wagon
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Conyers, GA US
10/15/2014 5:35pm
Had it happen on an almost brand new 99 KX250. Turned out to be an air leak at the center cases.
domoguchi
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10/17/2014 3:14am
Runaway motor is usually caused by a leaking crank seal. It sucks air, and runs in a super lean condition normally causing catastrophic failure...9 times out of 10 this is what the cause is...
YZ125H1
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10/17/2014 6:47am
domoguchi wrote:
Runaway motor is usually caused by a leaking crank seal. It sucks air, and runs in a super lean condition normally causing catastrophic failure...9 times out...
Runaway motor is usually caused by a leaking crank seal. It sucks air, and runs in a super lean condition normally causing catastrophic failure...9 times out of 10 this is what the cause is...
Well then why has it not happened again to my bike? I have rode it about 10 times not once has it runaway when I was warming the motor up. I'm assuming they are more likely to runaway when there is no load on the motor than out on the track.
domoguchi
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10/17/2014 4:58pm Edited Date/Time 10/17/2014 5:00pm
It's a lean condition that makes it happen so base gasket , head gasket , crank seals, dirt in your carb.....any number of things could make it happen but if it went away I would think it's in the carb...dirt in your carb most likely...it's pretty difficult to diagnose a condition over the computer. If I had your bike in front of me I could tell you for certain what caused it...

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