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1981 xj650 starter just rebuilt still not starting.

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by 2wheeltimmy, Jul 25, 2012.

  1. 2wheeltimmy

    2wheeltimmy New Member

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    Hey guys, back again with more problems on my beloved maxim... Just some preliminary info first. I bought the bike about a month ago, its been sitting since 2005. Cleaned the carbs, new filter new airbox boots. Just had the starter rebuilt, starter clutch gear looks fine. Ok, so when i push the starter button most of the time the starter just spins, sometimes it starts to crank then releases and just spins. I believe its the starter clutch thats faulty, now would the oil being 7 years old have an affect on that? Or am i looking at a new start clutch setup. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
     
  2. Orange-n-Black

    Orange-n-Black Well-Known Member

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    7 years old? Change the oil and make sure it's motorcycle oil for motorcycles with wet clutches. That might help the starter clutch problem, it will definitely help the motor.
     
  3. 2wheeltimmy

    2wheeltimmy New Member

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    Ok I haven't run it yet so the engine is fine, is castrol 4t 20w50 ok for this bike?
     
  4. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Ideal for that bike.
     
  5. 2wheeltimmy

    2wheeltimmy New Member

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    Ok cool. I'll change the oil in about a hour and the if that help the starting issue.
     
  6. 2wheeltimmy

    2wheeltimmy New Member

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    So I changed the oil and and put new plugs in it and now it runs!! 8O barely though... it idles at 4600 rpm and only revs to a max of 6000 rpm. So something still isnt right but at least it runs now. :)
     
  7. rhys

    rhys Member

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    Time to do the valve adjustment. Obviously, idling that high is not good, which means time to look at various things that affect the mix, which means valves, vacuum leaks, cleaning and adjusting the carbs over and over and over...

    Recommended for the valve adjustment are a good set of feeler guages (chacal sells a nice metric set), one of those telescoping magents (looks like an antenna with a magnet on the end), the valve shim bucket holder tool, 19mm wrench, 5mm T-handle hex wrench, 5mm allen wrench (for the middle bolts on the valve cover), a very small flat head screwdriver to pry out the shims, and lots and lots of patience. Oh, and an assistant who can write down your measurements and the values of the old shims for each valve - and get them right - while you work is quite handy.

    You will also need some sort of carb sync tool if you don't have one already. You can fake it with a long tube with some motor oil in it, but that's prone to various failures. You should also get (or make) a YICS blanking tool. Search on here for details on that.

    You're going to have to get the carbs back off and look at them carefully. Make sure the jets in them are correct, either for a stock bike or for whatever modifications have been made. Sounds like you have a stock intake. Aftermarket exhaust? If the jets are all correct, bench sync them (you can almost eyeball this, in my opinion), set all the mix screws to 2.75 turns out, and begin tuning. Again, check for vacuum leaks after re-mounting the carbs.

    One last thing: Before doing all that, make sure your "choke" and/or throttle aren't sticking open. Those things can also make the bike race. Did somebody turn the idle screw way up? Back that sucker out until it's just barely touching the throttle assembly (essentially, zero) until you get the rest of it figured out. Enrichment (choke) plungers should all rise and fall smoothly with the motion of the lever on the handlebars. Same for the throttle. If there's any sticking, fix it. Could be the cable (needs lube), could be the way the cable is routed (binding), could be carbs are gunky (cleaning, parts replacement). But you can check a lot of those things without taking the carbs off, so it's worth a check. ;)

    Good luck!
     
  8. 2wheeltimmy

    2wheeltimmy New Member

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    Ok just an update here, i set the idle and it runs decent now, I'm not sure what the proper idle is supposed to be but that works. And I figured out that my cracked intake boots are sucking in A LOT of air :x so I guess I need those before I can get it dialed in. Thanks rhys for the tips. Depending on how much new intake boots cost I still might get it ready this season. I'll keep you guys posted.
     
  9. KrS14

    KrS14 Active Member

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    It's kinda pricey I think for a set of 4.. check with Chacal and he can give you current pricing.
     

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