New Member, New Build, Same Problems

Well, technically I am not a brand new member, I joined a few months ago but have not been able to work on my bike till now. This is my first street motorcycle though I grew up racing dirt bikes. I am so stoked to finally have a shop so I can start working on my bike again even though it is entirely overwhelming! I am trying to read as much on these forums as I can but it almost makes it worse because it is such an information overload. The bike is an 1982 xj650 and what I have done so far is not a whole lot. I bought it not running for 500 bucks and actually got it to start up once but it died quickly and didn't start again. Since then I have removed the gas tank and seat. Next on my list is to check valve clearances then dig into the carb. Any help and guidance will be much appreciated along the way!

 

Speaking of information overload; have you read The Information Overload Hour? (link in my signature)

My best advice is to go through things one system at a time, beginning with valve clearances an a compression check. Then tend to the carbs and petcock, followed by checking for spark. If the engine runs then you can head on to checking the chassis bearings, forks and brakes.

 

I agree with k-moe. And from experience I suggest you take your time and not get impatient. Trust me, taking your time and doing it right the first time is a lot quicker and more rewarding than getting in a hurry and doing it several times--especially the carbs. Get a service manual and if you have reasonable mechanical experience and the tools it is pretty easy. Folks on this forum are eager to help and have a wealth of information and experience. Also, there aren't any dumb questions.

 

Friend had a saying he loved to use.
How do you eat an elephant ...
One bite at a time!

 

k-moe and tabaka45 thank you for the advise and emotional support! I have about 30 xjbikes.com right now and 50 bookmarked! I am very much a perfectionist and would rather do everything right the first time and not have to backtrack later. Also I am not concerned about penny pinching either, this is my baby I want to make it perfect! I can already tell how much knowledge and wisdom that exists in this place and am thankful to all those who share! I will update with pics as I go

 

if you have a factory service manual follow the flow chart to check your ignition circuit.

check the resistance of your pick up coils you do this at the tci connector with it unpluged.
check your coil primary ( you can do this from the tci plug unplugged and/or the connector at the coil) and secondary resistance as well as your spark plug cap resistance.
also check the voltage to the tci and to the coil primarys
if your battery if fully charged you can take a spare spark plug and test for spark on wire at a time WITH PLUG grounded to engine.
it a quick test. and you can do this, along with your compression test and valve clearance check.
if you find you get no spark and your ignition is all in spec you may have to have your tci tested
if you need to you can have your tci tested by having someone with xj650 swap it into their bike.
if you know some one or can ask here to have someone do it for you.
testing systems is just labor and can be done while waiting for carb parts when you start cleaning them
I rember your first post you were moving weren't you?
in for a penny in for a pound
the best tool in your box is this site.

 

one small step in the process today, got the feeler gauges and the bucket retainer tool ordered from xj4ever! It feels like a bigger step than it is I think though just because it was the first order of what Im sure will be many.

xj550h - thanks for the advice on the electrical stuff, thats definitely what I am most nervous about! and yep I ended up moving right after I first posted and didn't have a shop to work in until now

 

Got my order from xj4ever on thursday last week. Fastest shipping ever! I didn't have time to dig in till Sunday afternoon though. It definitely took some trial and error to get the shims out and measured. I almost posted on here a time or two but was too set on trying to figure it out to take the time. Im glad I held off and kept working at it though. It ended up that 3 of the exhaust shims were not numbered so I used the metric feeler gages to measure them and am pretty sure I got it accurate.

If there is anyone on here that has been putting off checking their valve clearances like I was, don't be nervous it really is not bad! The "Airhead Valve Adjustment" article is on point and the bucket tool worked great once I got the hang of it. The tool is definitely worth the money and after doing all 8 valves I now feel like a pro and I could do this again in less than an hour.

*One thing I didn't see written anywhere I want to mention to anybody trying this for the first time about the bucket tool is that right before I tightened the singular allen bolt I pushed the tool in on both sides towards the cam lobe to keep it square and where I wanted it. I found it moves a little on the final tighten I didn't do that. Then it would not hold the bucket down and then I couldn't pop the valve out. Also I used some masking tape to hold up everything directly above the valve cover to make it a little easier.

So now I am trying to determine what else I need to order when I order the shims from xj4ever. The donuts seem to look pretty good? The valve cover gasket is supposed to be rubber isn't it?

Haven't looked at any of the carb tutorials yet. Are there any tools or parts I am guaranteed to need and should just order with the shims? parts cleaner? I'll do my research tomorrow just curious what you guys think. Thanks for all the help and support!

Here are some pics..

 

.09 is mm correct? and all your valves measured at .09mm? whats the odds of that happening? you measured before checking size?

just a note cylinder 1 is left side of bike as you sit on it. also exhaust is front of engine intake is rear, just pointing this out because your makes me nervious.

intake spec is .11~.15 mm
exhaust is .16 ~.20 mm

all valves are tight. and need thinner shims
decyphering your photo is on your exhaust the circled numbers are what you are going to buy and would be correct
your intake your circled numbers would be incorrect 280 would change to 275 .09 +.05=.14mm 285 would be 280, correct 265 to 260 would be correct
so please clarify what shims you have in ,
you can swap shims you have into where you need them
would like to see this format
intake shim
1 = .09 265
2 =.o9 285
3= .09 280
4 =.09 280

donuts good valve cover just put a really thin line of rtv on it before reinstall
a compression test would be advised , before shim change and after change would be best to see results of shim change. good luck finding 12mm comp tester you will probaly need to buy a full kit but 12 mm are out there online

great job

 

Sounds like you are on the right track.
You have discovered the joys of XJ4ever and the sense of pride and confidence that comes from following one of the many great tutorials that are found here.

Don't start thinking carbs just yet until we are sure valves are okey dokey.

I'm with XJ550H, all measurements being the same seems odd. For the shims that aren't marked a micrometer or at best a caliper would be a prefered measuring method - I am not sure how you can get an accurate / repeatable measurement with feeler gauges.

The gasket does look good (I know nothing about donuts unless they have frosting on them and a side order of bacon); with that said -if it were me - not knowing their age, I would replace the gasket and donuts and save them for a 'just in case/ rainy day' situation. Then again I think I still have 'slightly used' parts from my wife's now long gone XJ jeep in our garage . . . .

 

i missed that ,the way you measured the shims.
what you need to do is get 1 shim of a known value and swap it into the shimbucket of the unknown shim. rotate the motor several times (you can use the starter) and measure your clearance.
so you need a spare shim. you can not leave a bucket empty and rotate the cam.
you will be buying many tools a caliper is about 25$ if you use one measure the edges of the shim not the center you will not get an accurate reading because of the design of the caliper.

 

stumplifter and xj550h thanks for the replies! I saw them this morning but no time to respond before work.

ok so to clear up my shim measuring finagle.. I was super surprised to find all the measured clearances to be .09 and actually spent a lot of time double and triple checking. (maybe somebody adjusted the valve clearances prior to it sitting forever but did it to the wrong specs?) I drew my little diagram upside down also because my work station was at the front of the bike and I never really thought about it. As far as measuring with the feeler gage I think I was able to get an accurate reading by being meticulous and side by side on a flat surface. Regardless if is was accurate it gives me a shim to order and check for reference as I want to keep moving forward.

Intake
1 = .09 265 = 260
2 = .09 285 = 280
3 = .09 280 = 270
4 = .09 280 = 270

Exhuast
1 = .09 260 = 250
2 = .09 260 = 250
3 = .09 265 = 255
4 = .09 250 = 240

Didn't have a chance to look into the compression yet but it is at the top of the list!

 

intake shims for
1 and 2 correct
3 and 4 should be 275 not 270 .09=.05=.14

exhaust
all correct replacment choices
best of luck
such luck to have all valves to the same setting if your compression is all the same you will be able to tune to max HP

 

wow so glad you caught that for me! am must have just been tired or looking at the wrong chart. so glad I am taking the time to record every stupid novice thing that I do.. also I almost left one of the shims out to swap with the unmarked but something in my gut told me not to thankfully.

 

I agree...get new washers and a gasket. Use a allen wrench or a inch pound torque wrench to snug the washers. A calibrated ft pds torque wrench is not as accurate below 15ft pds (you don't want to strip the head).

Gary H.

 

carpenters code- measure twice cut once

i would reuse the current gasket with a thin live of rtv at this time donuts too.
you may be going back in there ,when you are sure it going to be 5k miles you may want to replace the gasket with a new one , if its sealing at 40$ a pop i reuse it