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2013 Ninja 300 won't turn over

9K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Ki300 
#1 · (Edited)
https://youtu.be/ejde2otkHs8 that's the video of it. Left it out in the sun for half a day yesterday before parking in the garage and this morning it wouldn't turn over. Not sure if it's a good idea that I kind of force it to start like that.
I checked ignition fuse and it looks good. I'm checking online and people are saying to clean carburetor. Is this the case here?

#1: https://youtu.be/Aam3M9UJfic Proper Start based on Manual.
#2: https://youtu.be/qL2IzXMxe3M Improper Start based on MSF.
 
#2 ·
Have you done anything to the bike recently? Normally it's always ones fault, somehow. Guess how I know.

Problems like that are always a pain in the ass and hard to troubleshoot since there are so many variables. Like always, work your way from easy to hard even if it seems unlikely. If I was in your place I'd

1. Charge battery - See if it's fixed
2. Check battery connections, especially connection to ground - See if it's fixed
3. Check/clean air filter - See if it's fixed
4. The 2013 Ninja 300 isn't carburated, is it? I thought only the 250 had carburetors. I'm going to asume your bike is indeed fuel injected so the fuel filter is non serviceable. If it actually is carburated, check to see if the fuel filter is serviceable, and if so, check it or replace it. If it isn't, then leave it be.
5. Fill the tank with new gas - See if it's fixed
6. Check the spark plugs. Make sure they spark when grounded while starting the bike. Check the fouling and spark plug cap to verify their condition. If your in doubt, replace them. - See if it's fixed
7. Check ALL the fuses and electrical connections. Remove all fairings to do so if they aren't off by now.

Honestly, by now hopefully it will have fixed the issue, either because of something evident or not. If not, well by then you'll probably have better info to diagnose the issue with all the prior tests and work, or at least ruled things off.
 
#4 ·
Haha yeah, won't be looking for one for sure :D


Have you done anything to the bike recently? Normally it's always ones fault, somehow. Guess how I know.
Here is a list of things I've done since I got the bike:
After riding the bike home for about 30 miles the very next day I cleaned off the coolant that got spilled by the first owner, I'm the third owner, from the engine and around the tube edges. I rinsed the bike, replaced oil and oil filter. I wanted to replace air filter but no one was selling one on Sunday :( bastards, Kawasaki was closed that day too. So I washed the air filter instead and let it dry out naturally before placing it back in. This happened at 5280 miles. Rode the bike to work, about 60 miles total for there and back. Rode around town to keep practicing my riding skills, then my air filter and chain cleaning arrived. At 5330 miles, I installed K&N Air filter per instructions and cleaned and waxed the chain. Only used water at the start of the process to clean off dirt gunk off of chains. Met a couple random dudes on bigger bikes and rode through curvy roads this Sunday, March 26th. Haven't ridden the bike since then. On Tuesday it was Sunny outside so I pulled the bike out to take some pictures next to my car, started the bike a couple times for very brief few seconds, may be 30 seconds if that, no issues at startup, press the ignition and it starts within 2 seconds. Let the bike sit outside in the Sun for about 3 hours, put the bike back in into garage without starting it. Next morning, about to head to work, try to start a bike and nothing. I didn't try to hold it for as long as I held in the video because it already felt really weird out of ordinary and I didn't really feel like burning my spark plugs yet.

So that sums it up, tried to work on it yesterday but was getting dark and I have to work in the mornings.

Someone on reddit suggested that the fuel pump is going bad and to find out if that's the issue, their exact words: "One thing you can do to test this is open the fuel cap while the bike is running. If you get a slight boost in idle speed the second you crack the seal on the gas cap, you can pretty well bet that it's the pump."

I'll try to test that today after work if I get home before it gets dark, would really like to ride it this Friday.
 
#5 ·
https://youtu.be/ejde2otkHs8 that's the video of it. Left it out in the sun for half a day yesterday before parking in the garage and this morning it wouldn't turn over. Not sure if it's a good idea that I kind of force it to start like that.
I checked ignition fuse and it looks good. I'm checking online and people are saying to clean carburetor. Is this the case here?
Battery seems strong. Seems like an idling issue. Check your throttle body sync, air filter, and plugs. How's the oil level with bike straight up and down.
 
#6 ·
So the bike is relatively new? I didn't really get an idea of how long you've had it time wise or mile wise.

About the battery, it certainly does sound good, but with frequent testing and/or time it might not be halfway through diagnosing. As a norm I simply charge it first and test voltage. Alot of times simply having the intention to charge it makes you notice loose cables that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

About the fuel pump test, sure, it's a possibility. I'd say unlikely, but it's possible. They aren't that expensive used, so while normally I'd say to put it among the last things to test, if everything else fails I'd certainly try it. First I'd see what the shop manual says about fuel pump diagnostics and testing, and just simply verify connections. Regarding the fuel cap test, I doubt that would make a huge difference that makes it obvious to you it's defective. The PSI FI work with is so high that the light vacuum that a closed lid makes is probably insignificant in anything but the most extreme cases.

Do you have access to the ninja 300 shop manual? If you don't, nows the time to download it. It even walks you through the official process of what to do in a case like this.

If it were my bike, I was relatively convinced it wasn't due to any previous work on the bike, I'd probably be testing ignition coils and replacing sparkplugs as the first things I'd do. Simply because it's probable, easy and cheap. After that test the fuel intake.

In these cases it's always good to remember that a running bike needs three things - air, fuel, and a spark to ignite them. Whatever your issue is, it has to do with one of those three variables. Modern electronics certainly muck it up, but always keep those things in mind.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Sounds like there isn't enough fuel delivery.

Check to make sure the tank is venting properly by running it with the gas cap off. If you're fuel cannister is clogged it will cause this to happen and you'll have to replace it or delete it altogether.

Check to make sure it's running on both cylinders by seeing if one of the headers stays cooler than the other while the bike is idling.

I don't see how that fuel pump test would work, but I've never tried it.
 
#10 · (Edited)
In the video he uploaded you can see it dies a few seconds after starting, with the kill switch untouched.

Definitely agree it seems fuel delivery related. Might wanna test that theory if you have a can of instant-start spray laying around, but don't abuse it. Perhaps "choke" related since it dies after starting (I know FI doesn't have a "real" choke, but it does have an equivalent)? I'd still verify the easier stuff to see if that fixes it, but if not I wouldn't mind replacing the fuel pump assembly for 24$ before wasting time and money looking into the throttle bodies.

No Power Commander you might not be aware of from previous owners, right?
 
#12 · (Edited)
Last video, it's not even firing, something wrong there for sure. It should not matter when you move the kill switch to the run position, as long as it is in the run position when you hit the starter button. If it's making a difference, then something wrong there too. The lack of noise is normal if the run switch is off when the key is turned, my Yamaha acts the same way and runs fine. The problem is not the way you are starting the bike.

No PCV, and no aftermarket quick shifter? Got any rodent chewed up wiring? Check airbox for foreign blockage?
 
#14 ·
I've come back guys with a solution, at least my bike isn't dying anymore on start.
There still might be a problem with fuel being too rich as when the bike isn't warmed all the way, giving some throttle will go down to rpm that nearly kills the bike.

Anyway, the issue was that the idle control was way too loose. I wasn't sure why it did nothing when I was turning it several times in either direction. My friend came over and he noticed the same thing and screwed it all the way in and put it to the max, it was revving at 4k, then we slowly lowered it to 1300.

It doesn't matter if you turn the key first or not after riding it, but it's a good idea to set stop switch to run position and then turn the key, my bike then preps the engine for the fuel, otherwise you don't hear the little fan or whatever preps the engine going below the tank.

The 300s also don't come with the spark plug wrench, only 250s do, which is a bummer, I bought a pair of E3 spark plugs, they are copper and sure they won't last as long as Iridium, but copper still has better conductivity than Iridium.
 
#15 ·
I've come back guys with a solution, at least my bike isn't dying anymore on start.
Great to hear it! Not all that surprised, half the time it's small, benign stuff like that. Makes sense.

The 300s also don't come with the spark plug wrench, only 250s do, which is a bummer, I bought a pair of E3 spark plugs, they are copper and sure they won't last as long as Iridium, but copper still has better conductivity than Iridium.
You sure? I would have sworn mine came with one.

About spark plugs, on vehicles like ours iridium just for the high mileage doesn't make much sense since they aren't high mileage vehicles. Plus, sparkplugs have come along way and they aren't really a maintenance issue any more. I like iridium because it has a finer electrode which means a stronger spark. It won't make your bike measurably faster, but it will ensure a strong, effective spark when conditions are less than ideal, and keeps itself clean better.
 
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