I need some help here...my EFI 680 Rincon will not start anymore. I followed procedures from the manual to get it to clear out the flooded engine and what not, but nothing seems to work. Here's how it started: it was around -25* Celcius and I started it no problem to put it away...but then I gave it a bit of gas and it stalled. And that's when nothing ever ran again. I don't get it, I had started it and gone for a run that morning also in this super-cold weather and everything went fine (cold started like nothing)...and now this.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

 

First, welcome to the forum.

Second, the EFI system on the Rincon doesn't like to start unless the throttle is at idle, and at -25 it will probably need to idle a few minutes before it's ready to run well (as will most anything).

They are also known to be sensitive to a boarderline battery, so if the thing gets started and not run long enough to fully recharge the battery frequently, or sits unused for significant periods of time, a battery tender or other charger may be very helpful.

Also, I've noted that new quads/motorcycles that are started briefly a couple of times will sometimes foul plugs, particularly if this is done in very cold temps... Once the rings get seated, that should go away.

Lastly, what weight oil are you running?

 

Thanks for your help. The battery was doing very well, but I recharged it to full charge just to make sure. I had changed the oil in October/November and I made sure to put in the lower temp oil, recommended for the winter season. All it's doing is backfiring if the starting sequence goes for too long...

Also...just to be safe we put in some gas line anti-freeze, then brought into our shop where it was around +15* C...and still no luck.
Well one thing's different I'm now deaf! lol

 

I'd next try the spark plug then. How many hours are on the machine?

 

Yeah that sounds like the right thing to check...Thanks man. I have another question..I changed the tiny exhaust tip on the Rinny to a slightly bigger tip...would this screw over anything with the engine? Could this be why I'm having problems? It ran fine before I wouldn't see why it would give now. Oh and there's only 42 hours on it.

 

I doubt a tip would change the mixture significantly, but I can't say for sure. If it did have a meaningful effect, I'd expect it would only be at the top end.

There have been threads on various forums about EFI Rincons not wanting to fire up in cold weather where the battery isn't suspected because the thing seems to crank over strong, but jumping it or charging the battery often turns out to be the cure. They are apparently sensitive to loose battery cables (often loose from new) or slightly discharged battery. You might try jumping it, if for no other reason than just to eliminate the simple things first. Then try spark plug...

Also, what oil are you running in it? If you are going to be running around in -25 weather a lot, you might consider somthing lighter than the typical 10w40, say 5w30 or so...

 

Yeah, I had charged up the battery and it was cranking good but just wouldn't fire up...right now I'm running the recommended 5w30 oil, and -25 isn't really too persistent here, it usually stays at around -10.
I got good news today; I went to pick up a new spark plug from Honda and sure enough (like you had said) the service guy was positive it was the plug. They've had many problems with the EFI being started up, stalling and then not being able to fire again in the cold. He said to let them warm for a while before trying to do anything!
So thanks for your help, looks like problem is solved!
See ya in other topics! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

 

Cool. Glad to hear you got it running.

 

Thanks, but just one more thing you can maybe help me out with. I see you have the 3rd headlight for your Rincon (foreman). Any idea where i can get one of those? Are they tough to install?

 

I think it was around $175 worth of Honda Foreman parts, and a few more bucks for a waterproof toggle w/rubber boot, a waterproof fuse holder, some split loom and other assorted supplies.

It took a few hours to do, looking at service manual diagrams and stuff to figure out how everything goes together.

The extra light that turns with the bar, and doesn't get splattered with mud as quickly is nice.

Mainly, though, it changed the lines of the machine. I didn't care for the soccer mom suv styling Honda was apparenlty going for with the sloped front and sloped gauge pod, and the headlight and bumper changed the looks quite a bit.

Anyway, if you go over to rinconriders, there's a sticky thread in the modifications area where a guy explains how he figured out how to do it. On 680's you don't have to worry about cutting the tabs off the bracket and rewelding them, since the lug locations on the 680 meter are reversed from how the 650's were. A member there can sell the parts at a discount, and he already has all the part numbers for every little screw, spring and piece you would need.