Clicking but wont turn over

Taking my 85 XJ700 out for the first time this year. Did a lot of work making sure to properly get it ready to start, including a very thorough cleaning. Cleaned the carbs and bench synced them.

Changed my oil then got my battery charged across the street and it started right on the first try. but had white smoke coming out of the header pipe flanges and the exhaust tips. I shut it right off tightened the flanges and gave it another try.
didn't get smoke this time, so i started to tweak the idle screw to get the carbs in place more or less before I got ready to dynamic sync them. It ran fine for a minute idling as long as I revved it a little every few seconds (something I always have to do.) I let it idle down and stop and it made a sort of "poof" noise that I've never heard.. now it wont turn over.
checked the oil and it was a bit overfilled. I wasn't sure hwo to properly change the oil of a cold bike, so I had drained it and put in the specified amount from the manual of 2.6q. However I drained 1/2-1 full qt to bring it back down to proper levels.

starter is clicking but no dice. I was told my battery was probably bum, so I bought a new one and charged it today. still nothing.

I'm not a mechanic, but I am a 24 year old mechanical engineering student, so I'm not totally inept I just don't know enough about motorcycles and XJ's but I got this bike to be a learning experience for me. That being said I am a broke college student and I don't want to turn this into a repair I can't do/afford. Where should I start in order to diagnose my problem?
I really had a number of things I could think of. corroded wires? bad spark plugs? seized engine? (god i hope its not that) maybe a bad starter, fuse, relay, or a bad solenoid?

any input would be great.

Thanks!


Also, one thing i had noticed that makes me think spark plugs, is that I noticed the previous owner hadn't properly gapped the plugs to .7-/.8 they we're closer to .1 much like if they weren't gapped out of the box. I was hesitant to not gap them myself, but the bike ran fine last summer like that. I boght new plugs but the tip on them is too big for my plug boots so I was forced to leave the old ones in for now

 

Make sure the battery has at least 12.6 v, then cross the starter relay with a screwdriver.
Clean up and tighten the ground wires.

 

Not sure what brand plugs you have (the new ones you wrote about), but for your bike, you'd be looking at NGK's BP8ES. You said that the tips don't fit, therefore you had to leave the old plugs in place. The tip(s) should screw off, leaving the threaded shaft which is much smaller and will fit to into the boots (caps). When I got my new plugs, the tips were really on there TIGHT! Took quite a bit of effort to get them screwed off.

Doesn't sound like new plugs will solve the "big picture" problem, however if you have them, you should put them in. As you start to eliminate problem possibilities, you'll end up finding the root cause. Someone on here will no doubt have the answer...

 

Try taking all the spark plugs out and turning the engine over without them. See if that allows the engine to turn over. If you have fluid (gas, some of that overfilled oil) in a cylinder that will hydrolock the engine and not allow it to turn. Don't be surprised if you get a nasty, messy spray of whatever out the spark plug holes. And if it works you will know the engine isn't locked up, and the starter system works. Quick and easy as well.

 

Did the drained oil smell of gas?

The white smoke, "poof", and erratic behavior all lead me to think that you have one or more stuck float needles, causing a very rich condition, and fuel to run into the crankcase.
The fact that the starter will not turn the engine over supports the idea of one or more cylinders being hydrolocked. DO NOT attempt to start the engine until you have made sure that the floats are shutting off fuel flow, and the fuel levels in the float bowls are correct, and that any fuel in the crankcase has been drained and then refilled with new oil.

 

The oil looked fine coming out, I had gas leaking into the case last year, after rebuilding the petcock and rebuilding the carbs twice thinking that was the problem. Eventually I got an authentic brand new petcock (about 2 weeks ago)

I know fuel level checks are a little involved, but checking the floats is just popping the air filter and making sure none are sticking? or do i need to pull the carbs apart again. I would think the fact that there's no gas in my oil would rule out most carb issues anyways.

 

Oh I had no idea I could take the plug apart like that I had always read just to be very careful with them. The new plugs are actually in my girlfriends car right now so I cant check the box.. but they were NGK BP8ES from what I can recall.
thanks for the tip

 

batt is reading fine. crossed starter like you said, got sparks but nothing else.

 

are you saying to click the starter button with the plugs taken out? I did that and nothing sprayed out. or is there another way I should be trying to turn it manually?

I put the bike in 5th and pushed it, i don't have enough driveway (and live on a busy road) so i cant go for a full push start, but the fact that it moves easy in 5th makes me think nothings locked. please correct me if im wrong

 

Pull the starter and bench test it. The short post on the side is the positive. The case of the starter is ground.
Two common problems are worn brushes, and occasionally the insulator between the post and the starter case cracking and causing a short.

 

Pulled it, hooked it up. Seems to be spinning really well, though I'm not sure how to know what's "good"

 

If it wants to fllip over if you don't hold on to it then it's working.
Now.... to find the problem that lies somewhere between the starter and the starter solenoid.
Possibilities;
A loose or bad ground wire (there is one on the engine just behing snd below where you pulled the starter).
A loose or bad positive feed wire (the one that was connected to the starter post).
Since you jumped the solenoid and the starter didn't' spin I'd strongly suspect one of the two wires.
If both are carrying current then you have a mechanical issue. The solenoid could still be bad, but the starter shold have spun when you jumped the two large posts on the solenoid even if the solenoid is faulty.

 

the starter did spin when I jumped the solenoid. but the engine wasnt turning over. just the same clicking, whirring noise like it wants to go.

 

Whirring noise?
Did you mention that before and I missed it?
Regardless......
A whirring noise is indicative of a slipping starter clutch. What oil do you currently have in the motorcycle?
I'll rule out another mechanical cause since you say that you can turn the engine over with the rear wheel while in 5th gear (though I would like to have you confirm that the engine spins freely by putting a wrench on the crank (under the left-front engine cover). You could also pull the spark plugs and see if it will spin the engine without compression.

 

I never said "whirring" before I had referred to it as "clicking".. but the more I've listened to it the more it sounds like whirring.
The clutch has always been a little iffy. ever since I got it last spring it's had issues here and there of now actually changing gear when I click up or down, I had always chalked that up to me not letting the shifter reset all the way before trying to click again. I tried to put it in 5th again just now while waiting on a repsonse from you and wasn't able to get out of neutral/first.

Before I open up the crank case on the left side I assume I wanna drain all my oil? on the oil note. I'm in New England so I am running Mobil Super 10w30 was planning to move to 20w40 once it starts to get closer to summer. I believe that's the correct specs for what I read for operating temps on this bike.

One thing on my oil change. I had to do the change when the bike was cold because I didn't want to run the oil that had been sitting all winter. could that have made it so oil wasn't properly distributed?

I'll wait for your reply before I open anything up.

 

Let me be really clear; I'm talking about the starter clutch, not the transmission clutch. The two are not connected. You do not need to pull the clutch cover (yet).

The oil you have in it now is an energy conserving oil, which means that it has friction modifiers, which will cause the starter clutch to slip.
Drain it (if you are careful you can strain it and save it for another engine).
With the starter off spray some carb cleaner through the starter hole toward the front of the engine (this will clean off any residual oil from the starter clutch).
Let her sit so the carb cleaner can drain out.
Refill the crankcase with any JASO-MA rated oil (Choosing Oil for a Wet Clutch Motorcycle).
The starter clutch should now slip less, and should continue to slip less often as the friction modifiers are diluted by the new oil.
Change the oil after about 100 miles
If the starter clutch continues to slip often then you may be looking at rebuilding it.

 

I need to grab a new filter and more carb cleaner, wont be able to get to this until Tuesday, but will certainly be checking back in with results. Should I spray carb cleaner on the crank as well? or do I probably not need to even bother with opening that as its most likely my oil choice that was the issue. I hadn't realized that "fancy" oil would screw up my machine.

I feel as if this is late to be including, the dude before me thought it would be cool to put pods on it. he gave me the original airbox but I havent had the tools to pull an engine off a bike (i also have to do a repair to a crack on the plastic chrome cover then repaint the thing) but from what I read I want to get that box back on there. I want to get it in with taking as little off my bike as possible. you seem to be a guru on these bikes, could you point me to a thread that shows me what I'll need and how to do it?

Also should I be preparing myself to be rebuild my starter clutch since its already slipping? I was reading the oil post you linked me and some of the comments made me think that's in my near future.

 

Slow down. One thing at at time. Do the oil change first. Rebuilding the starter clutch requires splitting the cases; don't go there yet.

Yes the airbox can be put into plae with the engine in the frame. The carbs have to come off, the starter has to come off, and having the battery box out helps. There are a few techniques that go from there involving either heating and "folding" the air box, removing the front engine mount bolts to tip the engine, or using finesse and colorful words.

You won't be able to get much of the carb cleaner on the crankshaft, and it doesn't matter since the starter clutch is not on the crankshaft. The starter clutch rides on the aternator shaft, which is chain driven from the crank. You don't need to flood the thing; you just want to wash away the too-slippery oil to help speed up the process of removing it.

 

sounds like a plan. like i said I probably wont get to it until Tuesday, class all day then going to check out a Virago 750 basket case my buddy wants me to take off his hands for $200.
Thanks for all your input so far.