As the weather turned cold, started having trouble firing on all cylinders upon startup. Both outside cylinders are affected. Once the bike gets warmed up, the problem goes away. Shut down for a few minutes, then restart and problem is back. I have ordered 4 new plugs, just cant understand why my plugs fail after about one season for me and this is not the first time. Read some guys getting 20K or more before changing plugs.
I have removed plugs, wire brushed, cleaned, but to no avail. IDK, seems strange.

Bad coil? Does the 14 run 2 plugs to a coil or do they have individual coils? I know the older ninja's ran 2 coils with 2 plugs per coil.

My 14 is '08 and 1 plug per cylinder. I think the zx10 uses 2 plugs if not mistaken. Installing new plugs fixed the problem before, so hopefully it will work again. Checked the resistance b/w the tip and bottom and it is same on all the old plugs which I saved. Gonna check the resistance when new plugs arrive.

Check the specs/resistance of each coil and make sure they are all in spec and about the same

My 14 is '08 and 1 plug per cylinder.

Googled 08 zx14 coils and there are 4 so 1 cylinder per coil. Are the 1 and 4 plugs looking different than the 2 and 3. As in richer or leaner on those 2?

Thank you all for the input. I will check the coils. Also checked out the NGK site and they say that for turbo applications, a special plug is needed to handle the extra heat. Have noticed that my bike runs hotter after turbo, so the plugs just get cooked after a few thousand miles. Last year had an issue with overheating while in stop and go traffic, and the overflow tank started to spew coolant like crazy.

So got all 4 new plugs installed. Checked the coil resistance per owners manual and got 1.6 for the primary (1.2 - 1.6) and 10.0 for the secondary (8.5 - 11.5) all within range. Tightened plugs and started the bike. It is running on all cylinders (sprayed water on the header to make sure) but sounds really rough. My AFR reads that it is very rich from idle to around 3500 rpm (shows a 9 when it should be 12.5 or higher) and sounds bad.

When accelerating, the problems disappear and AFR increases to normal. I have my fuel pressure set at 55 psi and the fuel pump sounds like it should after I flushed it out. What else csn I try.

* Last updated by: knovikov on 10/7/2016 @ 5:50 PM *

How about adjusting the fuel table from idle to 3500? That's the 0% and 2% collumn. Chances are you are putting on a lot of miles in that range. I don't normally run my bike over 3500rpm while cruising. If you're rich below 3500, lean it back. 9 is pretty rich compared to what I am seeing with my maps. Might be okay for idle----maybe. But not necessary unless you let the bike idle a lot. If it's running rough at idle that could very well be improper fueling. Could not hurt to edit your map. You could always go back to what was.

Thanks Rook, I have not altered anything other than change plugs and readjusted the fuel pressure regulator. Something must have happened to cause it to run this rich and I want to find the root cause. One possibility is that my one way check valve leading to the mass airflow sensor is possibly stuck or the sensor itself is damaged, making the CPU dump more fuel at lower RPMs..IDK I shall investigate in the morning.

The bike was running great, then started to run on 2 cylinders until got warmed up, and then got worse. Thats when I started to play with spark plugs. BTW the battery has plenty of charge so that can be eliminated.

Also checked out the NGK site and they say that for turbo applications, a special plug is needed to handle the extra heat.

What plugs are you using ? Iridium ?

My AFR reads that it is very rich from idle to around 3500 rpm (shows a 9 when it should be 12.5 or higher) and sounds bad.

Gen 1 idles best around 13.5

I have my fuel pressure set at 55 psi and the fuel pump sounds like it should after I flushed it out. What else csn I try.

43 psi will bring your idle AFR in line.

What else csn I try.

Pull tank off, check Air Box for oil.

Thanks Romans, the plugs are iridium. By adjusting the fuel regulator down, just makes the engine stall. I have noticed oil in the airbox when draining the methanol mixture from the collector reservoir. I read the oil gets pushed into the airbox from the crank case, especially if you overfill oil. I drained my airbox a few days ago, before putting in new plugs, etc. However, I can pull the tank off, just let me know what steps to take.

Thanks Romans, the plugs are iridium. By adjusting the fuel regulator down, just makes the engine stall.

Turbo applications we don't run those. Iridium and platinum plugs are Very very Poor at dissipating heat. To much heat can lead to detonation. They last a long time but No.

If you run your bike at 43 psi your engine should not stall provided your AFR is correct. That also goes for any psi you choose. I use to run 55 psi when using the smaller injectors(330cc)found in 2008 to 2011.

I read the oil gets pushed into the airbox from the crankcase,

Yes, you do have a breather for the crankcase vapor correct ? Burning oil takes oxygen, makes allot of heat Not good.

I drained my airbox a few days ago,

Drained ? Tell me more about this.

Romans, what plugs are you using for the turbo?

To clarify a few things, my injectors are 440cc (blue colored). When draining the airbox, I just open the collector reservoir that is next to the crankscase hose leading to the airbox. Have to do this often because methanol that is not atomized gets pushed up to the airbox. Had a solenoid (normally closed) installed last year that would open when methanol pump would activate. However, it fried, due to excess voltage our batteries produce. It is rated for no more than 12V so I removed it and left with draining reservoir every other ride. Maybe get 1/2 oz .. depending.

When opening up the throttle, the bike would sputter a bit, then surge again. Dont know if it is overloading the injectors or the pump not flowing enough fuel. One thing that I've noticed is that fuel pressure goes up after riding for a while.

* Last updated by: knovikov on 10/9/2016 @ 11:19 AM *

Thanks for all your input. The bike is running like it should after todays ride. So to sum it up, here are some things I think gave me trouble:

1) spark plugs started to go bad (not all, but a few)
2) battery got drained from overcranking (low voltage created further problems for plugs and fuel pump)
3) fuel pump was straining (flushed out with WD40 and acetone)
4) Also adjusted my idle RPM and then my fuel pressure regulator to get a 13.5 AFR.

Those, I think, created problems. I shall be prepared next time.