I have a 02 f4i and on sunday morning I started it. It started just fine so I let it run for a few minutes and shut it off because I was going with a buddy to go check out a bike he wanted to buy. I come back a couple of hours later and it wouldn't start. The battery was almost dead so I charged it and after I did that it was cranking over REALLY fast. It wasn't firing hardly at all so immediately I'm thinking spark plugs but the cranking issue has me worried. No compression maybe but if so, what caused it and why did it start a couple of hours earlier. I just figured I would ask before I tear into it. I'm going to tear into it after I get off work because its 45 degrees now and supposed to be nice all weekend and I have to ride! Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

 

do you hear the fuel pump prime?
is it clicking and not truly cranking?
if a battery dies, many times it's not possible to revive it. try starting it again with the charger attached to. do NOT jump from a car though...if you do, do it at your own risk!

 

Yes, I hear the fuel pump and it truely cranks over. I'm thinking immediately the spark plugs are fouled but as far as the cranking issue, that kind of scares me. I'll let ya know what I figure out, if anything.

 

*Update*

Well, it's running again. The plugs were soaked! Even after I put the new ones in. I had to take them back out after cranking for awhile to keep them from fouling out too. I would put them in, crank, pull them out and clean them and so on and so forth. A buddy of mine is a mechanic at the honda place here in town and he said the reason for the cranking was because I washed my cylinder walls basically meaning it flooded the heck out of it for some reason. Reason why it started in the first place I think is because being it's so cold our bikes DUMP gas in and it all doesn't get burned off unless we let it run for a long time or take it out and ride it. See, I just started it and didn't let it run for long enough before I shut it off so there was still a bunch of gas in there. It still runs a little rough but thats because it's still loaded up a little so I'm off to go ride! Peace!