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Project ninja 300/Grom won't start

8K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  ninjadevin92 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi im new to this forum, me and my cousin are doing a little project on my grom, we put a ninja 300 motor on it and we try to start the motor but dont start, we got fuel and spark sounds like wants to start but it dont. It throws some good flames out where u connect the exhaust, other than that their are alot of plugs in the wire harness that are unplug that we dont know if its missing any important sensor or something, i know the tip over sensor its good couse we have the arrow facing up. Any ideas of what it might be why its not starting?
 

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#4 ·
I’m going to assume the engine ran before the swap? As you know, Plug in as many connectors as you can.

Other than adding an exhaust, like zapth said, (and this may sound stupid) lift the front end in the air about 1-2’ to get the engine more straight up and down like it is in a ninja. Something as simple as The fuel may not be atomizing like it should, could be keeping it from starting. Also, something may not be working properly due to the engine angle, plus oil could be jammed up behind the pistons at that angle and causing a slow crank and/or something else.

That engine is really angled forward. I’m wondering if proper internal lubricaton will even happen if you do get it started.
 
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#5 ·
I’m going to assume the engine ran before the swap? As you know, Plug in as many connectors as you can.

Other than adding an exhaust, like zapth said, (and this may sound stupid) lift the front end in the air about 1-2’ to get the engine more straight up and down like it is in a ninja. Something as simple as The fuel may not be atomizing like it should, could be keeping it from starting. Also,something may not be working properly due to the engine angle, plus oil could be jammed up behind the pistons at that angle and causing a slow crank and/or something else.

That engine is really angled forward. I’m wondering if proper internal lubricaton will even happen if you do get it started.
Well we did another grom but with a cbr300 motor and its got almost the same angle, dont think have nothing to do anyways we try starting it on the flor by itself and wouldnt start either when i got the motor, im going to try now conecting the exhaust to c whats up thnks
 
#11 · (Edited)
Yeah, this is the type of thing that's pretty frustrating to 'diagnose online'. We're just spouting the typical points of suspect in response to incomplete information. My first question would be how do you know it was working beforehand and how long has it been since it was last running normally? It's stressful enough to put together a frankenbike without being sure the donor motor is good. Just because the guy that sold you the engine said it's good (if that's the case) wouldn't be a guarantee in my opinion.

Beyond the obvious suggestions of "plug everything in and make sure everything's in normal condition" (which if you're putting together this bike, you obviously already thought of yourself), if I really thought the engine should be running but it's failing to fully start, I'd douse the intake with 'starter fluid' and crank the engine a few times until I feel like it's no longer productive. That might just be enough to get it running. If not, that way at least you rule out that the lines need purging, the lines are full of bad fuel or it's just having a hard first start. If it completely refuses to start, or refuses to start after the starter fluid is consumed, then you know there's something up. At the least it'll generally provide some more diagnostic info.

After that, like with most things, check the Service Manual. There's pretty much a step-by-step algorithm to follow for situations like these when the engine won't start, and far more comprehensive and detailed than any of us can provide. Just seeing all the potential failure points is often enough to have that 'eureka' moment of what you might've forgetten.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, this is the type of thing that's pretty frustrating to 'diagnose online'. We're just spouting the typical points of suspect in response to incomplete information. My first question would be how to do you know it was working before hand and how long has it been since it was last running normally? It's stressful enough to put together a frankenbike without being sure the donor motor is good. Just because the guy that sold you the engine said it's good (if that's the case) wouldn't be a guarantee in my opinion.

Beyond the obvious suggestions of "plug everything in and make sure everything's in normal condition", if I really thought the engine should be running but it's failing to fully start, I'd douse the intake with 'starter fluid' and crank the engine a few times until I feel like it's no longer productive. That might just be enough to get it running. If not, that way at least you rule out that the lines need purging, the lines are full of bad fuel or it's just having a hard first start. If it completely refuses to start, or refuses to start after the starter fluid is consumed, then you know there's something up. At the least it'll generally provide some more diagnostic info.

After that, like with most things, check the Service Manual. There's pretty much a step-by-step algorithm to follow for situations like these when the engine won't start, and far more comprehensive and detailed than any of us can provide. Just seeing all the potential failure points is often enough to have that 'eureka' moment of what you might've forgetten.
Well i bought the motor from a shop, mecanic told me was good running condition, i spend like 2 weekends trying everything even starting fluid, but for the last wasnt throwing almost any spark, was before thoe, but got tire of fucking with it already and today took it the bike where i bought the motor from for him to started, he can diagnose better than me lets see, we did a cbr 300 grom and that one started way more easy, we didnt have any problem
 
#13 ·
That’s why I offered a little out of the norm advice. It sounds like you have a good grasp on things, so there is just something odd that’s keeping it from running.

I don’t know these well enough to tell you to check some specifics. If it was a Ducati, I’d say to check the imobilizer stuff.
 
#14 ·
A CBR300 into a Grom is still a Honda into a Honda. You're trying to put a Kawasaki engine into Honda framework. That alone is going to introduce a whole lot of possible failure points.

You said everything is plugged in that could be, is it possible, and I'm just throwing this out there, an ECU mapping issue?
 
#15 ·
Grom DOESN'T start, or Grom WON'T start, not Grom don't start........had to say it, it is difficult to look at that thread title everyday.....kind of like you're, your, their, they're, etc..........carry on.
 
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#16 ·
Although to be fair; not all members on this forum are from an English speaking country.

I am [almost] always impressed by the persistence and dedication of non-English speakers to try and communicate for the simple purpose of learning about the Ninja 300 (or any other subject for that matter...).


(By the way, you forgot "it's" and "its". :))
 
#19 ·
Sweet. Kind of odd though. I would think it wouldn’t even turn over with the switch malfunctioning.
 
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#21 ·
Sweeet >:)
 
#22 ·
Hey man I just came across this engine and was wanting to swap my Grom would you be willing to share some pros and cons of this and how well the engine still runs even at that lower angle. You're the only person I can see to find who has does this setup and im intrigued. And since having the engine already sages me tons of money . I'm great with Fab work but the wiring part I'm worried about since Kawasaki going in to Honda .
 
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