Engine faliure while operating '09 TXC 250

New member in Australia riding '09TXC250.
I have been experiencing a very frustrating intermittent fault.
My bike starts well and idles perfectly.
Sometimes while riding, I get a slight fluctuation in power before the engine shuts down completely and when this happens the engine will not start for at least 30 minutes, sometimes a litle bit more.
No matter how much I try...IT WONT START and/or run. I have pushed this bike so many times to get back to car or home, as I said "VERY FRUSTRATING" My local Husky dealer has been fantastic. They have inspected the enitire fuel system and recently pulled all electric components: Coil/stator/cdi to be sent to an engineering group and tested all elec components on a jig at temperature to make sure resistance was established and iliminated from causing the problem. Report came back from the engineering group with a clean bill of health - no problems. All elec items placed back on bike and while riding same issue occured. Husky dealer has also replaced plug, plug cap, and engine stop button, they have checked all wiring for short indicators, although last night, I found a faulty wire connected to the tail light (now repaired). Couldn't possibly be the tail light wiring causing my problems....????? Haven't riden it since for lack of time.

We keep saying it must be something SIMPLE. But it's still occuring after making the trip to the dealer about 8 times so far.

More frustrating is I feel i cant trust the bike to take me where I want to go.

Some rides, the bike will be faultless and others it will fail, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

Does this sound familiar to you..?

Does any-one have any ideas..?

I have always felt it is a RESISTANCE problem. (ie) something heats up under load and craps itself to the point that it cant operate anymore. Then resets itself in time, possibly when it cools down.

Would really appreciate any ideas...Thanks heaps.

How about the fuel tank not venting ? It can cause the exact problem you have.

Thanks rancher...yep I already tried that....it was one of the 1st this the Husky dealer checked as well.

I will go out on a limb and say you have a faulty fuel pump. My 09 was getting intermittent sluggish problems then sometimes fart and backfire. I came close to not having enough power to pull me up the driveway.

The TXC is a carb bike so no fuel pump.

Thanks Rancher...columbia510 had a great idea but the mechanics at my husky dealer have gone thru the fuel situation very thoroughly. Flushed the tank, bled all the lines, removed/broken down/rebult the carby twice looking for leaks or obstructions. They have added an in-line fuel filter, Replaced the fuel cap, checked the tank tap.,

The last time it happened, I was on a fire trail in Kinglake Victoria and the bike did the usual at about the 11km mark. It coughed a bit and very soon after slowed and engine totally failed. As usual I imediately pulled the clutch in and nursed it to a safe stop. (It's hairy, sometimes because I never know when it will happen)

I layed the bike down a noticed fuel from the breather beneath the bike. I then stood the bike back up on the kick stand and removed the fuel hose running to the carby....good flow...so fuel problem is doubtfull im thinking..!

We let the bike rest for about 30 minutes. Tried to start it a few times, but nothing firing.

More time and whammo ignition/spark/run. The dam thing ran for another 60 kms of hard yacka without missing a beat.

My feeling is that something is either shorting (unlikely) or there is some sort of resitance build up (possibly under heat) which trips the electrics and shuts down the engine. Given that after some time it regains ignition/spark etc it seems to reset itself...although lately once it happens the 1st time it continues many times over and over. I have some video of this which I will try to post ?!?

I love my Husky...but when it plays up like this I want to start all over with a new one but my mind tells me it must be something simple. NEED HELP..!

Thanks everyone

I finally worked out how to add video's. (Well I hope this works)

This video was taken outside my place on the road after the bike failed on bush track not far away. I had to push it home from the bush track...(again) but I was confident it would fail again, and so wanted to demonstrate this.

After pushing it home again I waited longer than 30 minutes but the bike never started. I must have tried about 12 times and almost flattened the battery in my attempts. Kick start was of no use either. Just felt like no spark.

Have you pulled the plug and actually verified that it is not getting spark when this happens?

If it were on one of the fi bikes it sounds alot like a temperature sensor but not sure how a faulty temp sensor could affect the fueling on the carb.

The thing you need to check when the bike dies is the spark. This will tell you if you are chasing electrical or fuel.

Yep thanks rancher1. I totally agree. I took it out for a spin yest' and it failled again. I carry a spare plug in my kit. so popped off the plug cap and stuck the other plug in. checking for spark while cranking. Im sure I saw spark (all be it weak) however the battery was dead after all the trouble ive had that was the last straw yesterday. Walked it home again Dam it...!
Not giving up I bought a battery charger and will try again tomorrow. Is it the CDI that controls the spark..? My gut says this is the little item causing all the problems.

What does this "power fluctuation" feel like? Is it abrupt (full power to no power in a fraction of a second) or gradual?

It sounds like your bike had spark when you checked, but it doesn't sound like the test was complete, because the battery died. So, you have to do that test again. Next time it dies, check for spark. If it has spark (sounds like it did?) try spraying some starting fluid into the intake and then try to start it again.

Do you have any friends/mates with the same/similar bike? I'd just swap over one part at a time to try to track the problem down; coil, CDI, and carb are the first things I would try. If these don't help, you can try the stator or you need to check the entire harness very carefully, might want to remove it from the bike.

If your dealer has had the bike 8 times and this hasn't been fixed, you probably should consider finding a better mechanic...

Jumped back on the bike and belted up and down my street until the neighbours complained. I loaded the bike up in revs, clicking thru all gears up and down. No problems at all. Not even a hint of hesitation. So no chance to check for spark yet. I will keep trying from time to time.

When the bike is running good, like the post above, stop, take the plug out, lay it on the head, bring along a paper towel or toilet tissue cardboard roller, use that to push the plug against the head, and also to provide shade for viewing the plug when turning it over. Learn to recognize the size and color of the spark when the bike is running good and do the same test when the bike dies. See if the spark is less blue, less big, less brilliant.

I am thinking you have a wire rubbed bare and it is intermittently shorting out, has happened to me many times now.

Thanks so much for all the posts. Today I checked for spark as per the guidelines from OlderHuskyRider...thanks mate. I also checked all wiring and harnessing. The wiring looks as new with all insulation intact and in good condition. I ran the bike and tugged at different wires to listen for a stutter from the engine, but nothing. Attached is my video of the "Spark Test" and a photo of a component with an exposed post. I'm not sure if this connection is normal. Could some-one check, or advise from experience...? I'm View attachment 41592 View attachment 41592 very time poor at the moment to organise a ride, however will make an effort soon.

View: https://vimeo.com/96392288


Spark check video.

That looks like your getting good spark.

I don't know how much that test is going to help. The bike was running fine when you did this test, so it's going to have good spark. I guess it will help you to know what to expect for a good spark, to compare against next time you have an issue in the field.

Yes, and now when it does crap out in the field, he should pull the plug and check the spark with the plug that is in the bike at the time of the failure.