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Rrrr WHIZZZ!

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Old_Ironsights, Apr 4, 2015.

  1. Old_Ironsights

    Old_Ironsights Member

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    It's 32 degrees. It will be 65 degrees.

    I want to Ride to work. Choke on... Rrrr WHIZZZ!

    WHIZZZZ!

    Rrrrr, Rrrrr, WHIZZ!

    Rrrrr, Rrrr WRAWK! WHIZZZ!

    OK... What is my bike telling me (Other than "It's FRIGGEN COLD OUT HERE! GO BACK TO BED!!!"?

    (It never does this over 50deg F...)
     
    Old_Ironsights, Apr 4, 2015
    #1
  2. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Sounds like your starter clutch isn't catching. It could be due to the oil being cold and extra sticky, preventing the rollers in the sprague clutch from moving. When you put it away were you still running a summer weight oil?

    It could also be that your battery isn't fully charged, so the starter isn't spinning fast enough for the rollers to catch on the alternator shaft.

    You won't want to hear the third possibility, so I'll hold off until you check out those two things.

    FWIW it's warm here, but some smart fellow forgot to order a few parts. His bike has been mostly apart since January, and he is needing to ride. In fact he is needing to ride so bad that he has been looking on craigslist in the hopes he can pick up a running bike for a few hundered.
     
    k-moe, Apr 4, 2015
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  3. Old_Ironsights

    Old_Ironsights Member

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    Oil is (probably?) summer weight. Battery is New. Doesn't have the problem over 50deg or when the engine is warm...

    everything else you said about disgronificator sprokets is Greek to me...

    I live in the mountains where even in the heat of summer there can be 30 deg mornings and 100 deg afternoons... so I'm not suer what "summer weight" oil means here...
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2015
    Old_Ironsights, Apr 4, 2015
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  4. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    In basic terms a summer weight oil will be thicker in order to provide better lubrication at higher temperatures (there's more to it than that, but viscoscity is the key here). That thickness means that it is also thicker at lower temperatures, which could be keeping your starter clutch from working properly. A fairly easy test of this would be to warm the crankcase with a heat lamp or a block heater to get the oil to flow better. The starter clutch is up topside, just forward of the starter motor, and to the right of the alternator.

    Since you say that you have not had this problem at warmer temperatures I think the starter clutch itself is probably fine, but is gummed up.

    Oh the battery. How new? Did you confirm that it was fully charged when you went to start the bike?
     
    k-moe, Apr 4, 2015
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  5. Old_Ironsights

    Old_Ironsights Member

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    2 weeks new. fully charged yep.
     
    Old_Ironsights, Apr 4, 2015
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  6. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Well then..... Let's hope that it's just sticky from being cold.
     
    k-moe, Apr 4, 2015
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  7. Old_Ironsights

    Old_Ironsights Member

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    Yes, lets. I just dropped almost 5 bills on Len for intake parts... I don't need starter issues.
     
    Old_Ironsights, Apr 4, 2015
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  8. ronha13

    ronha13 Member

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    Cold engine takes more to crank it, and even a new battery has trouble cranking cold engines.
    And the colder it gets the less cranking power your battery has.... even if it is new.
    When I want to start mine in cold weather I either hook up a trickle charger to warm the battery, or take the battery inside to warm it up.
     
    ronha13, Apr 5, 2015
    #8
  9. Old_Ironsights

    Old_Ironsights Member

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    I guess that, to me, the oddest thing is that it will start cranking (the Rrrr part) then just WHIZZZ. Occasionally when you hit the start button it will WHIZZ immediately, but usually cranks first.

    Occasionally it will be cranking then make the WHRONK! - WHIZZ! Noise. But, like I said, it never does any of thse things when the outside temp is over 50 or the engine is warm, so it must be a gummy oil thing...

    Is a gummy starter clutch something I want to deal with?
     
    Old_Ironsights, Apr 5, 2015
    #9

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