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1981 XJ Maxim 550 Electrical Question

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Ricksta, Jan 5, 2010.

  1. Ricksta

    Ricksta New Member

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    Hey All,
    So I am still trying to get my 550 Maxim going. Since it hasn't started I have replaced the alternator brushes, cleaned and sealed all of the connections, replaced the starter button with one from Radio Shack and replaced the battery. Now, not only doesn't it start, but every time I turn the key to the on position it immediately blows the 20 amp fuse. I am planning on going thruogh the 7 step process to check my starting system, but first I have to get it to stop blowing the ignition system fuse. I think the problem is being caused because I had to replace the thick wire that goes from the battery positive terminal to the starter solenoid. Unfortunately my Clyner manual doesn't even have the solenoid on the wiring diagram. There was another wire that was connected to the thick wire mentioned above. It went to a fairly big single wire connector that was also in bad shape. So I ran a new wire from the middle of the heavy battery + to solenoid wire that I had replaced and then I just hard wired them together insted of using a new connector. I am thinking that I should run that wire either directly from the battery + terminal or directly from the starter solenoid to get it to stop blowing the 20 amp fuse. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as there is a window of rideable weather here in Los Alamos NM at 7,000 ft. Thanks, Ricksta
     
  2. markie

    markie Member

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    [​IMG]

    Number 6 is the solenoid, 7 the starter motor, 5 the battery and 4 the main fuse. This may not be your exact bike but should help if you think you crossed a wire somewhere.
     
  3. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    When you re-wire anything, ... and energize the Circuit only to blow a Main Fuse ...

    Undo what you did to cause the Fuse to blow immediately.
    That Fuse is protecting the Wiring Harness from a Dead Short.

    Dead Shorts are potentially a FIRE Hazard.
    A Dead Short will cook a Wiring Harness and ruin anything Electronic if High-Amps reach sensitive i/C panels.

    Go back to Square One and insure you haven't crossed wires to something.
    Find that Short and eliminate it.

    Trace the Circuits using a 9 Volt (Smoke Detector) Battery.
    The 9 Volt Battery will allow you to trace the currents path without High-Amps to fry anything.
     
  4. Ricksta

    Ricksta New Member

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    Thanks for the info Rickomatic,
    Unfortunately I did several things before I tried to start the bike. #1 I found that my front brake switch, at the brake lever, was falling apart so I rebuilt the rubber part holding it together using JB weld. Does JB weld conduct electricity, thereby causing a short between 2 exposed wire ends encased in it? Would a short here cause the main fuse to blow? #2 The same thing was happening to my rear brake switch, I didn't use JB weld here but I think I may have lost track of which wire was the yellow one and which was the brown one. If these wires are hooked up opposite of what they should be. I.E. yellow to brown, brown to yellow at the connectors, could this cause the main fuse to blow? #3 When I replaced the stock starter button with a Radio Shack unit I noticed that the black wire that lead out of the housing went straight to a connector, but there was no black wire coming off of the other side of it, so I just bypassed the connector and extended that black wire to an existing ground located at the bolt that secures the coil to the frame on that side. Could this have been a mistake and be causing the main fuse to blow?I would appreciate any input as I really do not even want to try to start it again until a few of the XJ gurus, including you, enlighten me! Thanks for your help!
     
  5. markie

    markie Member

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    I don't know what JB weld is, but unless it has metal in it it won't conduct electricity.

    If you have access to an ohm meter - or a friend with one, I would study closely the electrical diagram and make some tests. Easy for me to say, I know!

    If the fault occurs when you switch on the key, it seems likely one of the switched circuits has the fault. Look at the diagram and it shows a brown wire to the three other fuses. Remove all 4 fuses and measure between both terminals of the fuses and the chassis of the bike. You are looking for a low value of resistance, say 5 ohms or less, to indicate a dead short to earth.

    Identify which circuit this is on (Headlight, ignition, etc - what ever the fuse board says).

    If the short apears on all 3 fuses, then there is a short between the live feed from the ignition switch to the fuse box.

    Re reading your post and looking at the wiring diagram there is a brown wire from the ignition switch to the voltage regulator and alternator (this provides excitation to the alternator). If the wire insulation was stripped/crushed when the alternator cover was refitted, this could give the fault you describe.

    I agree with Rick about going very carefully with high fault currents, a tankfull of gas and sensitive (Expensive TCI ignition and regulators) electronics.
     
  6. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    JBWeld has metal in it and will most definitely conduct.

    The mixed-up brake light switch wires won't cause a problem.

    #3 sounds like you might have done a bad thing.

    You can't just make stuff up here based on what something "looks like."
    You're going to need to approach it methodically and carefully and use the reference materials we provide.

    If you PM me with your email address I can scan the Maxim 550 wiring diagram for you. It IS different from the Euro-market XJ550 and the 550 Seca.
     
  7. Ricksta

    Ricksta New Member

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    Thanks for the input guys,
    I will definetly follow your advice. I will perform the tests mentioned above. But first I think I should, #1 undo what I did to the front brake switch, #2 undo what I did to the ground wire coming from the starter button, even though I followed that black wire from the ground inside the starter button housing to the connector and out the other side, where a black wire did not continue to ground. I figured that I should complete the ground circuit because the Radio Shack button worked differently than the original starter button. I don't understand it completely but a Yamaha mechanic told me that the original button workd on a (negative) basis and the Radio shack unit on a (positive) basis. and #3 from what I have been able to figure out from the wiring diagrams, I should disconnect the wire that I attached to the middle of the big wire going from the battery + terminal to the starter solenoid and just attach that wire (white) directly to the battery + terminal. It looks like this wire goes directly to the 20 amp fuse from the battery positive terminal. Big, If you could scan that Maxim wiring diagram for me my e-mail address is: talk2rich69@yahoo.com Any and all input is greatly appreciated. I WANT TO RIDE! (3 months broken down 1981 550 Maxim). Yuo guys are the best! Sincerely; Ricksta
     

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