basic questions

hey, i bought a 83 maxim 650 from my gramps last year and now that its starting to get nice outside id like to start riding it. BUT it wont start lol. the lights turn on and blinkers and horn work but when i push the start button i hear a rapid loud clicking from the..... starter solenoid? (the round thing right behind the batterie) i put my voltmeter on it and it was only reading 10.8v. And the oil level light turns red.
so this is what i did so far,
Put the battery on trickle charge
drained the oil,

now, what kind of oil do i use and how much, also where is the oil filter. lol
this is my first bike and it did run very well last fall.

also the bikes electrical system is in pretty crudy shape...but its a work in progress.

thanks!

 

Step 1, get yourself a repair manual. My Haynes book has helped me out quite a bit.

Oil filter is inside a cylinder sticking out the front/lower part of the engine. Look in between your pipe headers. Should have a bolt head (bypass bolt system) to remove in order to pull the cylinder and replace the filter inside. Standard motorcycle engine oil (no "friction modifiers") should work just fine, I run 20w50 myself.

Few other things to check before you start riding. Rear brake shoes, old tires, fuse box, clean carbs...just keep reading here for a bit, LOTS of good info to be had.

 

i do have the manual on order. how do i know when the oil level is full? i see the sight gage but there is no dipstick or fill oil to here line lol.

thanks.

 

When the bike is on the center stand you should get a round bubble at the top of the glass. If you just ran the bike, give it a few minutes to drip down. Also, by the fill port should be a number stamped into the case giving the oil capacity, but most of us seem to put just a bit extra in. If you're changing the filter (which you should) at the same time, it'll take about 3,000cc extra oil.

Also, this is a shaft drive, so you have gear oil in the gearbox beside the rear wheel. 80w90 Hypoid oil is what you put in, the "level" is the bottom of the fill port when the bike is on the center stand.

 

+1 on "other things to check before you start riding. Rear brake shoes, old tires, fuse box, clean carbs..."

Before doing the oil and oil filter change, make sure you have new o-rings for the filter housing and the bypass/bolt, and a fresh 'squash washer' for the drain plug. And install the new filter correctly: with bolt inserted in the filter housing -- spring, washer, filter.

Tighten the bolt only enough to compress the housing o-ring against the sump surface. Make sure the mating surfaces are clean, and you won't have to worry about oil leaks.

Avoid over-filling the system, since too much oil can stress the oil seals

You may need to use penetrating oil on the rear gear oil filler bolt

 

will seca 650 carbs work on my xj 650 maxim?

 

Yes - - they're even jetted a hair richer for added performance.

 

He meant 300cc. (Extra.) The little number cast into the clutch case right by the filler is your oil capacity, I believe yours says "2500CM3" which means 2500cc's. Add 300cc or so to keep the oil light happy, and you're at around 2800cc total.

Then follow the advice about having a slight "bubble" at the top of the oil level window when the bike is on the centerstand and has been OFF for at least 10 minutes.

 

Do you know where I can get o rings in the US? I need one for the filter housing and the bypass/bolt. It doesn't seem like local shops will have them :?

 

Try the locals first, but if they don't have the parts you need, you can probably order 'em on line
Or possibly flea-bay
Someone else here may have another suggestion for finding these common parts. I think Yamaha used the same oil-filter setup on a number of bikes, for many years, so the parts shouldn't be too hard to come by.

 

FRAM CH6003 oil filters COME WITH both o-rings; and are widely available. Advance Auto and Murray's/O'Reilly commonly stock them.

 

O'Reilly's, I love O'Reilly's . I go to the one in Port Huron MI when ever I'm in Sarnia. The parts are so much cheaper then here in Ontario. OH, sorry... I was just getting nostalgic here. Yes O'Reilly's and The Golden Corral AHHHHH :lol: .
Ya the gaskets come with the Fram filters...even in Canada. It really irks me when I see them listed for sale on flea bay, ahhhhhhhh :twisted: .

 

Yeah, I ended up getting a K & N filter off their site and it didn't come with an o-ring :x I'll check with my local O'Reillys and see if they have an o-ring for me. Thanks

 

When I said O'Reilly's stocks them I meant FRAM CH6003's not the o-rings separately. (Although they might.)

 

Yeah, I called my local one and they have a section of o-rings so I can just bring my old o-ring in and see if I can find it. If not then maybe I'll look for that fram oil filter since it comes with the o-ring already and it'll probably be easier than trying to find the o-ring on it's own :roll: Thanks for the info

 

In regards to the filter replacment. I have the correct order....bolt, spring, filter. But I wasn't paying attention when I took the filter off...there is an indent on one side, and the other side pokes out a little. Which way does the filter go back in the case? I'm assume you put the side that pokes out in first so that before you put the case back on, you see the side that indents and that's indent side is what sits against the bike.

Right???

 

After cleaning everything:

New washer on the bolt
Bolt into the housing
SPRING onto the bolt (I forgot the spring the first time I did an oil change, and believe me, oil runs out quite steadily)
Filter onto the bolt, inside the housing, with the indent side against the spring.
Re-install housing.
The spring pushes the flat side of the filter against the block.
REMEMBER- only torque to 11ft-lbs

 

son of a.....

i had a 50/50 chance and guessed wrong... i put the indent against the block....

welp, good thing i have some oil left over..

 

thats what happens when you have the patience of a 5 year old and can't wait for your haynes manual to get here OR for a reply on a forum...


but thank you tskaz

 

Lucky part for you is that you can take the filter housing off, correct the mistake, and put the housing back on, without losing too much of the oil. Just pull the housing back off without opening the drain plug.