82 Maxim 400 XS400J Oil Pan

Does anyone know how evolved of a job it is to replace the oil pan on a 1982 Maxim 400 XS400j? Can it be done with the motor still in the bike? Any suggestions on where to find one?

I had to soak my exhaust header flanges in liquid wrench/moovit, and excess of the stuff ran down the engine. I went out this morning and saw a small puddle of oil under the bike, and then after some wiping realized that someone has previously tried to repair a crack with JB Weld. It looks like the lubricants have caused the JB to lift off, so I'm going to take all the old JB off, clean everything up, and then try JB'ing it myself. I just want to prepare for a whole pan replacement if I can't get it to work.

 

Umm, you mean theres a crack in your crankcase?! These cases don't split left and right, they split top and bottom as far as i know (reading service manual it looks that way)

You may have quite an issue if that's the case.

 

Yes I mean crankcase. Ugh.

 

Post up a pic of where the crack is

 

Yes please!!, Pics = good!

I mean you may find someone on here parting out a dead engine possibly. Ebay possibly, I don't mean to discourage you in fixing this but it may be hard to find the bottom case, if that's where it is.

After a quick search:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/82-84-YA ... ccessories

Not a bad price either, bit of work if you don't mind switching everything over.

 

I'll take some pictures tonight. It looks like the previous owner used JB for the past 5 years, so I'm not super concerned

 

Yeah, no separate sump on the "half an XJ."

Let's see the crack in question so we can all postulate.

I'm thinking lots of contact cleaner, maybe some Dremel action and more JB Weld. No real pressure in the sump, it's more or less just a big bucket.

 

Well here is what I'm dealing with:


I was able to take the top JB weld off with my hand, and underneath it is a hairline crack. I'm pretty sure it was leaking from there. So I've drained the oil, and will let it drain overnight. Figured tomorrow I'll break away as much JB weld from around that big blotch, sand everything, brake clean, clean some more, torch it, and then JB Weld.

I'll get some more pictures tomorrow.

 

Ouch, what did he do to get that?

Sounds like a good plan, if you can get another 5 year patch in place.
I would keep a close eye on it though.......
Parts motor would be a nice find......

 

Me thinks he musta hit a boulder or something lol but i agree, a parts motor may be a good investment if the price is right.

 

I think he probably had the highway bars on it and hit it on something, which stressed the crankcase in that area and causes it to crack.

Anyways, it looks like it was only the top patch that was leaking. The bottom one is entirely intact and dry.

 

Those patches bring a whole new meaning to the term "overkill."

If it was ME, simply because I'm such an anal old F* I'd grind the lot of it off and see just what the heck we were fighting with.

Or, a more conservative "Plan B" would be to chip/grind away anything even suspected of being loose or poorly adhered; reshape the rest (just so it doesn't look so..welll..patchy) and re-patch.

Plan "A" or "B" I'd be looking for a parts motor, or a donor bike.

 

Hmmm there's no frame up there to mount highway bars...scary thought..

AND..

+1 to everything bigfitz just posted

Would be a good idea to see what you're dealing with (though it may scare the crap out of you if there's a big chunk missing)

 

Well my new JB is holding the oil out from the crankcase, but unfortunately there is oil coming out of the head. The bike is drivable, but I found a parts donor bike at a local used motorcycle shop. Got the whole thing for $250


It's an 83, and is 100% complete, including the right side cover. The only thing it doesn't have is the key... The motor cranks over fine (put a battery on the starter), but there's some oil marks in the same spot on the head so I'm guessing someone couldn't afford to replace the gaskets. I'm going to slowly move the parts of this bike over to my main one. I'll rebuild the carbs and put them over. I'll then rebuild this motor and swap it in.

 

Good score.... a complete bike no less.
Keep us posted with the rebuild...
If you take the carbs apart to clean them could you post some pics??
I myself am curious as to what they look like on the inside, i want to do mine but i am a visual type person... i like to see pics of the procedure....

 

I'll take a bunch of pics and put them up. I might take them apart tonight I bought a 82 Datsun 720 several years ago to rebuild. When I was taking apart the carb I took pictures of everything. When I was working on it a ball bearing sprung out of the carb and I had no idea where it went. After comparing the pictures I took to the part, I was able to find it. Ever since then I try to document everything remotely involved

 

Gee thanks but don't go rush out just on my account .
With today's technology it's easier then ever to document your work and review if something goes wrong...

 

Good score on the parts bike, I missed a free one last year..... But ran into a guy that had a few that gave me a few missing bits....

 

Well last night I took the carbs apart and cleaned them all up. This morning I swapped it into my bike and it ran almost right away. It idles and accelerates way smoother then my other carbs. One thing to know is to only do one carb at a time. They are jetted different, so don't mix up anything.

Front of carbs:


Rear:


Top:


Inside the top:


Carb puke.


Inside one of them (jet, float, etc)


I basically gave everything a really good clean with carb cleaner. Removed the jets and soaked them in carb cleaner as well.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks alot.... Jetted differently, i don't recall seeing that in the manual...
Great pics .....

 

I was talking to a local repair shop, and they have worked on the XS400 a ton over the years. I asked them about why putting pod filters on these bikes is a bad idea, and they explained the different jetting to me. Basically if you look at the factory air box, the left carb gets a way more direct path to air flow then the right one. So Yamaha jetted each side differently based on the airflow each side sees. If you put pod filters on it then you're totally unbalanced in air/fuel mixture.

They also said it was possible if you rejet the right carb and do a bunch of other work, but not worth it.

 

After reviewing the manual i saw that......

 

Here is a pic of where the bottom of thehighway bars mount... The PO dropped the bike or hit a curb or something...

 

Ouch, ya, I can see that causing the break......
I don't think that was the intended purpose of the holes,

 

yes, it was mounting for the factory crash guard.

 

Yep... Mine still has the "Geniune Yamaha Parts" sticker.

 

Do you have any parts available for sale?I need the chrome engine mounts,the rear grab rail with metal fender and trunk attached and a seat. Maybe more.Let me know how much.

My name is James Ilive in Richmond,BC

 

Sorry, I'm going to be using all my parts. Trying to have 2 running bikes when I'm done.

 

i have parts, but neither of those listed.

 

Hey dw copple,
Would you happen to have the standing handle(small handle located on the left side of seat)and the lock assy for the trunk?How much and shipping if possible to Richmond,BC Canada V6V 3C5.