Bajaj Discover 125T Fails To Start in Morning

[bhvm]

Dear Friends,
I have Bajaj 125T which has run 45k Kms.
The vehicle is used for local city travel.

Many times the vehicle fails to start in morning. Some times you have to kick a lot, at times you have to push start. At times one needs to open spark plugs and re-fit.

The vehicle was recently Serviced at ASS, and engineer has recommend to Open the engine and get complete restoration done. I am not confident at their decision and would like your expert opinion on this.


I had faced a similar issue on my Activa which was solved simply by cleaning some air valve. However I had to spend a lot of time and money before simple problem came to my mind, Which has made me loose trust in ASS decisions.

 

[abhi9044]

Re: Bajaj Discover 125T Fails to start in Morning.

Is your bike equipped with capacitor discharge ignition? It helps in earlier starting of cold engines. My Maestro is equipped with CDI and starts at it's first attempt. Even my father's splendor starts in 1 kick even after being parked for more than 1 week in nothern winters.
Secondly, it could be a problem with starter motor. A thread on Team bhp shows how to repair your starter motor(the motor shown is of pulsar150) Are you using your bike everyday or you use after long intervals of time? Also how many years old is your bike?

 

[bhvm]

Hello ABHI,
I am not sure about CDI,
I am trying to figure out the same-
Bajaj Discover 125s: How To Tell Them Apart - Comparison By Overdrive

The Problem started about a month ago so its not dependent on CDI or by design. The Bike is about 3 years old with 45k Kms on ODO. The problem is not related to morning. Even after bike is parked in Sun in Noon, it fails to start at times. Starter appears fine and even kicking has no effect.

Today as well, the bike is not starting up.

 

[abhi9044]

Hey bhvm,
When did you got your engine oil changed last time? Old engine oil,excess engine oil or less than adequate engine oil may also cause such starting problems. Or maybe there might be a problem with your carburateur,fuel line or spark plug. Get these parts cleaned and replaced(which need to be) and the problem should be vanished. One thing that affects your starts is also the quality of the fuel used. Try refuelling from some different fuel pump.

 

[bhvm]

Hello Again,
The oil was changed 20 days ago. Infact, I had a complete Servicing at ASS including Oil/Filters change, Air cleaner change, Carb setting and laptop setting (I think its ECU setting). The servicing did solve startup problems for 10~15 days. The problem has now resurfaced.

I shall try changing Fuel station bro. I am also thinking to change Spark plugs as a precaution.

 

[generalmax]

Change the spark plugs and once clean the tank.Do not open the engine.Ask for cleaning of carburettor too.How much mileage you are getting?Is there any significant drop?

 

[whitehorse]

check if the battery is at the end of its life...

 

[bhvm]

Hello again,
Yesterday evening I took the vehicle to other guy. The tried kick starting many times.
Then he opened Spark plugs, Polished them clean.
He then Poured a cap full of Oil in the place where spark plugs go, and fixed everything back.

The bike started in 1 kick! Lots of white smoke and smell, which settled in a few min.

The bike worked normally till I reached home. Alas, The bike fails to start again today. I have'nt checked the mileage recently. and Yes, the battery is in excellent condition. I will again today visit a reputed mechanic and report back.

Guys can anyone explained why bike starts only when oil is poured in?

 

[generalmax]

Oil at the spark plug hole? May be the valves were getting cleaned. It again clogs up while riding. There is a term called de-carbonization .I don't know,may be that is what you are supposed to do.Have you changed the spark plug recently? If not change the spark plug and see.

 

[bhvm]

Yes, He removed Spark plugs and Put some oil in the hole, The re-fixed spark plugs.

Anyways, I got the vehicle inspected by a famous Mechaninc in the town. Compression is not good according to him, He said that the head needs to be opened. The valves will be polished or even replaced. The cost of valves is 300, Total expense shall be 1000. Upon checking Odometer (45k) He said Bajaj valves last only about 50k Kms .

 

[bhvm]

Got a good readout regarding Bike compression problems-
Restoring a scooter

General scooter maintenance/restoration tips

It appears that if Pouring oil in spark plug holes raises compression, its not the valves but the piston itself. Experts please advise.