Time to hook it back up...Help?

Okay so there's obviously a bad short somewhere. Gotta find that. And also. Theres no spark when I push the start button but when I switch the kill switch back and forth there's a spark? Would that mean something is wired wrong?

 

it means you need to remove the control and clean the switches with electrical cleaner spray and dielectric grease
also check for loose/broken solder joints in the kill switch.

or you are causing the coils to fire by turning the voltage to them on and off which is how a coil works

 

Okay so I fixed the fuse issue. Now I have a 25 main and 10 for the other 3 including the ignition. But still no spark. Only when I switch the kill switch back and forth. But not when I turn the starter motor. I cleaned the entire switch real good. Took it completely apart and cleaned all the connections and still the same. No spark. Could this mean my cdi box is no good?

 

Refresh my memory. Have you pulled the sidestand switch relay to rule that circuit out as the culprit?

 

try to bypas the kill switch to see if it is not working properly.

clicking power on and off to the coils will make them spark. this is what the tci does.
could be a bad tci.

 

Yes its been pulled since I bought the bike. The PO spliced the wires together.

 

How do I bypass the kill switch? I was also thinking its the tci because it does give me a spark when I switch it back and forth.

 

use a jumper wire (aligator clip style) from output side of ignition fuse and on clip the other end a copper wire solid or paperclip slide it into the red/white wire on the tci connector. this will power up everything after the kill switch.

or unplug the connector to the right control put a jumper across the 2 red/white wires then you will have to jump the solinoid to spin starter.
removing connector will disable starter button

you could just open the controler and look at the contacts it all dissassembles

 

Thanks if I jump it and it sparks that means my tci is bad? I've opened the right control and cleaned all my contacts already. Ive made sure all the wires are okay. My battery was at full charge and still its not sparking. Only when I toggle the switch back and forth. Ill try both methods tomorrow and see if maybe its the button or maybe its the tci. But I'll be working on it tomorrow for sure.

 

no if you jump it then you get spark when trying to start it it means the kill switch is bad.

 

What do you mean put a jumper across the wires? Just splice them together? Or splice a wire from one r/w to the other r/w?

 

Okay so when I jump it I get a spark. So how would you recommend me doing a short term fix? By getting rid of the control? What do you mean wire a jumper between the 2 red wires?

 

Okay tell me if I'm wrong but could I replace the control by connecting the 2 r/w wires and then getting a push button start and wiring the b/w and black to the push button?

 

at controler you can connect the 2 red white wires bypassing the run/kill switch

for starter button there should be a black wire which goes to ground and a blue/white wire which comes from solinoid add a push button switch and it will operate the starter.

I do not advise this route but you can do it or buy another controler.

you might want to add a switch to the redwhite wires to retain run/kill switch function

 

you could push a solid wire into the connector to connect the red/white wires . then just use a screw driver across the solinoid to operate the starter to test

 

Is that a one time spark or are you getting spark when cranking now?

 

It's still only a one time spark. Still no spark when I'm cranking only when I jump the cdi and toggle the kill switch. And its only one spark.

 

The TCI has a built in shutdown in it so that when power is applied via the ignition switch / kill switch a working TCI will sink current on one leg, then after about 3 seconds shut down (a spark will occur) if no signal is received from the pick-up coils. The design is built in to protect the coils from overheating should the key be left on for an extended period of time without the bike running.

So, if the spark occurs a couple of seconds after turning the kill switch to on and leaving it on that would be normal, and would also indicate that at least the output section of the TCI is not blown.

Did you ever do the continuity testing that XJ550H suggested - ignition coils, spark plug caps, pickup coils? That is the basics and great place to start for no spark troubleshooting and only takes about 15 minutes to perform the test as all but the ignition coil secondary can be done at the TCI connectors.

This is also a good read to get an understanding of the ignition system and how it works:

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-ignition-troubleshooting.21932/

 

Hey guys I have been busy with the bike and I've decided to rewire the thing myself. I've got some good diagrams and I've got it almost all hooked up (just waiting for my new brake/tail light to come in the mail) but I'm having a problem. I have power through out the whole bike but... I'm not getting power to the starter motor. I'm getting power to the first screw on the selenoid but when I hit my button I installed I'm not turning over. Any advice?

 

Double check that the starter case has a good gound to the engine, and that the engine ground cable is connected to the negative battery terminal.
Did you rebuild the starter?

 

My grounds are good I've checked a few times. I have a starter switch connected to the2 wires coming out of the selenoid. But when I push the button I get nothing. My headlight works. But no starter.

 

Check continuity at your switch, and, check to make sure your Killswitch is not turned off ......it would not be the first time I saw that-

 

and clean starter button and confirm it is grounded as the starter button completes the path to ground for the solenoid.
control body grounds to handle bars. Did you paint yours?
there is also be a ground from control that runs to the connector. the main connector may have a wire that runs to harness or frame check that and see if is there.

 

The starter button does complete the path to ground, but the 12V on the other side of the solenoid coil will not be present unless the starter cutoff relay's contacts are closed, which is dependent on the state of the safety control switches and wiring. So, the question might be if you rewired it did you keep the starter cutoff relay?

Connect 12v across R/W and L/W on the solenoid to test it. Step 3 in this link:

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-test-your-starter-circuit.7828/

 

Thanks guys. I got it to turn over. I was missing a wire to my starter switch but now its turning. But I'm not getting any spark. My battery is at 12.8 V. My coild are steady at 2.9Ω and I'm getting power to them. I'm lost on why I'm not getting any spark to them.

 

So I figured out that my CDI box was fried. Kinda feel dumb not to look there but anyways. I ordered a "like new" one off eBay for a reasonable price. Also am getting new coils with it. So I took this weekend to finally do some cosmetic stuff to her. (The electrical stuff has been sucking the energy outta me so its nice to do a bit of the fun stuff while waiting for my parts) I decided to go olive green and black for the main pieces. I picked up a nice shorty rear fender for $20 and the sissy bar for $20 at the motorcycle swap meet today. Which was a steal because I see them online for $150 each. I got the leather seat off Amazon. Also got the 12" mini apes off Amazon. I welded a little 3x7 piece of steel under the springs and plan on putting screws in to keep them in place. Next I'm gonna mount the fender and hopefully by then my CDI and coils will be here. Feelin pretty good seeing as this is my first bike and first project. Its been a long road and ive got a bit more to do but its all coming a long now thanks for all the help guys.

 

tell me about your rear fender how is it mounted ect. I have a 750 that has been cut and it only has the plastic fender which is a little short

 

I havent mounted it yet. I'm still looking for a way to. I was thinking to put 2 screws through it and connect it to the steel plate I welded for the springs on the seat. Or just welding the fender to the back of the bike. I'm not sure. I've been trying to look up a way to do it but all the pictures I see of xj's they're all hard tailed. So I'm still in the research process. But ill keep you updated. (Update my new cdi and reg/rectifier came in. Now I'm just waiting for my coils then I'm gonna see if we have spark.) Starting this bike is going to be a reality soon enough.

 

Shes running you guys!!! Shes finally running. I turned her over for the first time last Saturday. But... She turned over then revved really high. Like red lined high. I saw my idle screw was screwed almost all the way in?? (Thanks PO) but I loosened it. A lot. I haven't had the chance to see if that fixed the problem ill see today. But it's a big step that she can turn over and has spark.

 

yaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!

 

Congrats! Always nice to get a project to actually run, even if badly. Once she runs, you know the end is at least in sight!

 

Thanks guys. You all have been a lot of help. I'm not so sure it would have happened without you're help and a lot of time on YouTube

 

Okay so I decided to put my battery and excess wire inside a old military ammo box and mount it under the seat. My battery level was at 12.00v (I know a little low) but I was just checking to see if it was gonna be okay. But when I went to turn it over the battery drops to 4.17v? Does this mean I have a bad ground somewhere? I'm just not sure. It was turning over fine last week then when I put my battery and other electronics in the box it started dropping way too low.

 

Either a bad battery or a short

 

So I charged my battery fully it was at 12.69 When I hooked it up to the bike. It dropped to 10.00 when I turned it over. But the starter is still really sluggish and when I checked the ignitor box I saw that it shorted and burned one of the connections. Pretty bummed. Found one on eBay for 47 bucks. But still sucks. One step forward 3 steps back I feel like.

 

So my battery was bad. I got a new one today (luckily it was still under warranty.) But... Now my gas is all rusty. I guess I didn't clean the tank well enough. Now this might be a dumb question but I'm gonna ask anyways. I know it wouldnt be good to use the rusty gas. But if I have a new fuel filter what would happen if I used it? I'm just curious. Not planning on it but just thought I'd ask.

 

if you were a skydiver, you wouldn't be able to share a mistake like that with us

you'll be in the left lane on the freeway and the carbs will plug up, the bike will die and a 18 wheeler will get stopped 2 feet from your tail light. then you can push it across three lanes with a load of s*** in your pants

 

Eloquent as ever, Professor Polock!

 

Alrighty so I got the gas tank cleaned up and I've been trying to start it. It acts like it wants to start it'll get the low "wump wump" sound going on then it'll start for about a second then it dies. I am not quite sure what's going on? I checked my spark plugs and they're all a little dark so I know they're getting gas but it just dies. Even with the choke on or off.

 

Sounds like not-enough gas, and/or NOT enough carburetors

 

I"m concerned oveer how you cleaned the rusty tank, and what you did to the tank to prevent further rust from forming. Is sounds like you just left it bare steel after cleaning. You will continue to have rust problems if you don't rustproof the tank, either by lining it, or by pickling it with Phosphoric Acid.

 

I cleaned it with white vinegar and some bolts by shaking it around. Then I used some kreem to line it. It seems to be doing good.

 

I mean it's got gas and what do you mean by not enough carbs?