Electrical starting problems on 81 xj550

So I just recieved my 81' maxim xj550 and the previous owner said that the starting switch was bad, but I thought that was impossible because when you press the start button the oil light comes on, so its making contact. What happens is that I will hold the button in and the the engine will eventually turn over, but sometimes only for a second so I will have to wait a while longer. I recently replaced the fuse box and put all new fuses in. That seemed to help a lot. It now turns over almost right away, but if I let it sit more than a day it does the same thing, but if I put a new 10 amp fuse in it will start right away. It seems to be going through fuses, so does that mean something else is the trouble? A short, bad starting silinoid? Something else? Anyone got any suggestions. Its just driving me crazy. I would love to just jump on my bike and hit the start button and go. :cry:

 

I'd look at refurbing the starter motor.

 

How old is that battery? Try jump starting from a car battery and report back please...

 

did you replace the old fuse box,,,,they kinda suck

 

Jump on and go is not #1 if you just got the bike. You've got a few things to do first, and this website is the right place to help you get it done. So congrats on your new XJ!! You have the same year and cc's as my '81 XJ550. Is yours a maxim or seca?

Blowing fuses is likely because your holding the start button-no turning of the S motor and your current is backing up and overheating your fuse. Battery could be low, wiring could be poorly making contact, or your starter motor is beyond tolerances. My battery needs to be about 90% charged for the bike to like it and start well.

I would start by getting a manual (so you have troubleshooting procedures, specs etc.) and in the mean time clean all your electrical connections, make sure they're contacting, check your voltage. And read about how to make your 31 year old bike safe by using this site.

 

I got the bike from a good friend who got it checked out the year before by a mechanic. He got the carbs cleaned and everything pretty well checked over. I did replace the old fuse box and all fuses. When I press the start button I can feel the ignition fuse getting hot. I will try jumping it. When it does turn over it has no struggle, my friend said he bought a new battery for it last year, but that doesnt mean much. Ive had some batteries last a week and then they die for no good reason. Is there any place to get a service manual for a reasonable price? Ive checked ebay and they are all like $79 last time I checked

 

Service manuals are generally pretty pricey for any older bike or car, but if you search fairly often you might find a deal. I got one for my 1989 Nissan 240SX for $20 including shipping-and it's like 4 inches thick (original in perfect shape). You should be able to find one of the AM books (Clymer, Chilton, Haynes, etc.) for no more than $15. Try ebay or Amazon.

Keep in mind that 'my friend says a mechanic fixed it' might be true, but if I were you I would verify this yourself since your but is the one riding it-at least check over all the safety issues-like brakes-you don't want them failing or worse locking up on you at speed.

I check battery fluids and charge my battery (trickle 2A) about once every 2 months, and it usually needs it. If I'm riding every day +20miles then it doesn't need to be charged, but otherwise it does.

Since it turns over no problem once it's going then your starter is likely fine and it's battery or connection related. If you jump from a car don't have the car running while doing this-and remove the cables after the bike starts.

 

I'm wondering if you have wired the fuse box correctly as there is no reason why the fuse should get hot when you press the starter button.

There are two pathways through the starter motor relay. One is a small signal as the connection is earthed when you press the button. There cannot be a short here because if there were, either the starter would try and spin all the time or the wiring loom would be shorting the whole time (depending on which side of the relay the short-circuit is on). When you operate that circuit it only pulls a small current (unless you have a really weird and unusal fault in the starter relay itself, which is possible, I suppose and easy to check. Either replace it with a borrowed one or use a spanner across the terminals.) - either way when that current flows it allows a big current to flow directly from the battery, through the relay to the starter motor - and nowhere near that fuse.

Yep - check the relay. If that's not it, I'm wondering if there's something random about the fusebox wiring, but I'm struggling to think what that might be.

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... anual.html

 

Thanks for the link to the manual! So heres an update quick. I jumed the soelinoid posts and the bike starts perfect. Turns over great and no hesitation. So it cant be that or the battery. Could it be a grounding issue? Im going to check all the wires between the button and switch. I have to believe its a short somewhere. One question though. is the grounding wire from the starter button supposed to stop at the next connection terminal? Because after that it doesnt go anywhere else.

I will take a look at the brakes. I did notice that they are a little soft. I am currently putting eurobars on it so will I need a shorter brake line? If so should I order a SS one?

Thanks everyone for all your help its really nice to have such an active awsome forum on XJ bikes!!!!

 

If the wire is L/W blue & white, it should go to the diode & the solenoid.

 

the grounding wire that fastens to the switch housing is black and it stops at the end of the switch harness. Is that normal?

 

Is there not a wiring diagram in the manual?

 

after further investigation. the link for the manual does not work I wiring diagram would be super helpful if anyone has one for a 550.

 

Oh that's a bummer! You could PM the guy that set that link up (name - Chapter) or get the XJ CD

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=148.html

Edit - just found this

http://xjdiagrams.thundervalleypower.com/

 

Sounds like the electromagnetic coil within the starter relay/solenoid is toast and that is where the short is. That's the only explanation for the earth wire from it burning out.

Replace the solenoid. Or just use the spanner.

 

so even when I jump the solenoid with a screwdriver and it works it still could be causing the ignition fuse to blow?
If so I will just get a new solenoid cause they are pretty cheap easy fix.

 

Well - you said that it started just fine when you are putting a spanner across the terminals and that the fuse did not get hot.

The ONLY thing that is different is that electricity is not flowing from the circuit, through the solenoid to earth via the starter button. Normally the solenoid itself would stop it passing too much electricity.

There can't be a short before the solenoid as it would be burning out fuses all the time.

There can't be a short after the solenoid, or it would think you were pressing the button all the time.

So, although it's unusual, it seems most likely that there is a short in the solenoid that is reducing its resistance and letting too much current flow through to earth.

As the problem seems to disappear when you use the spanner and there is no current going through the actuator/coil side of the solenoid, that seems to point the finger pretty firmly at the wiring inside the solenoid.

You should be able to get a generic one new off Ebay for £10-15 / $15/20 or less if there's a breaker near you. It doesn't need to be genuine Yamaha.

 

I really wish I could diagnose electrical problems half as well as you could, greg. How can I learn that? I've been immersing myself in electrical topics lately, and I feel like I know a lot more, but still only a cursory grasp.

I don't even really understand all of the componentry in the electrical system. Like what a solenoid really, really does, how it works. Even the transmission makes more sense to me than that, and I haven't read anything about transmissions, just common sense, bicycle knowledge, and chatting with people.

 

ok I think im getting it. Thanks a lot greg for sharing your knowelege with me! I will try and order a new solenoid and see where that gets me. At least its cheap enough. Ill post back as soon as I get the new one and install it. Thanks again to everybody for thier input!

 

Just a quick note to those who helped me and to those who may have a similar problem to mine.

I replaced the solenoid and now it starts perfect!! no hesitation
Thanks a lot for all the advice!!

 

Im having almost the same problem, except it doesn't blow a fuze. I replaced the solenoid twice and it didn't help.

 

Oh, and I'm working on an '83 XJ750 Maxim with 30,000 miles.

 

OK, so now you've dragged up two old threads so you could ask for help with your 750 Max.

Your answer lies in both of the threads you resurrected. Start a new one and I'll jump in with your answer. If the oil light comes on instead of the engine cranking, it has a definite meaning; at least it does on the 550s, which is what this one was originally asking about.