Sputtering in the rain

[Busarider007]

Left my bike out in the rain for cpl of hrs, then started and was riding the bike. A cpl of mins later it felt like it was running on 2/3 cylinders, constantly sputtering n shutting down, very embarrassing

Since I was low on gas as well I stopped at a gas station and topped it, felt a bit of sputter and all was good.

Could it be that water got into the tank? is there a possibility water seeping through from the gas cap or is it the coil wires getting wet and not firing? I checked for any codes and didn't get any.

 

[Busarider007]

I noticed that there is a hole which looks like a drain to the left of the gas cap which is routed inside the tank.
Is there a way to check if this is plugged?

 

[jch364]

i cant imagine that any water would have got down in the tank unless there is something really wrong with the cap. Sounds to me like it would likely be more along the lines of your ignition wires. maybe your plug wires have a crack in them allowing moisture in and causing the sputter. thats my first guess

 

[RedBusarider]

felt a bit of sputter and all was good.

Are you saying after adding gas it was OK?

If so, then I would say that there is the possibility that water got in the tank.
Water is heaveir than gas and would sink to the bottom. Then when you filled up it would have deluted the water
to such a low amount that it would then run normal.

So if it had rained really hard for a few hours I think it is possible that a small amount of water got in.

If you run it for a couple of days and everything is fine then Water in the tank is my guess as to what happened.
If the above works out that way check the seals on your gas cap and if you find a drain hole make sure it isn't plugged.
If you can't find anything wrong try to cover the cap the next time you expect rain and see if you have the same problem again.

JMHO.

 

[Busarider007]

I suspect it's the gas cap seal cause if I'm riding in the rain all is good, the problem occurred when it's was on the side stand.
On the other had I noticed moisture around the #1 coil cap.

I remember ppl used to spray around the ignition coils & wires for cars to check for spark leaks, what's the liquid to use and avoid any damage?

 

[Quiksilver]

I had the same symptoms. I put some silicone on the top of the coil and some die electric grease inside the boot cleared it up.

 

[dadofthree]

Sounds like you ran out of fuel to me

 

[1bondoman]

water is heavier than gas, any significant amount wld be on the bottom so that's all the bike wld see causing it not to run at all.

 

[Busarider007]

All the replies above are good possibilities.
Wet coils / wires
Low fuel
Water in the tank from bad gas cap seal

I was thinking of washing the bike and see if can replicate the problem.
Or use a shower cap over the tank,lol