Any last suggestions?

Well this is where i stand now.

I have an 82 xj maxim i bought off someone that wasn't starting. Replaced the battery, replaced the fuse box with one of atc type boxes, took the carbs off and had my way with them, not a total clean but i'd say at least 90%.

I've now tried to start the bike twice, it cranks and cranks and cranks but no luck, not even a cough.

done this twice now till the battery is at zero and nothing.

Should i be doing this with the tank on prime?

Does anyone have tips on getting this thing to catch?

I'm out of ideas here, i've done just about everything my manual says and things i've found here, i could really use some help to getting my first motorcycle actually running.

Tank has new gas and i also checked the petcock, its now clean and fuel flows in prime setting.

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

 

If you had the bowls off the carbs are empty. Turn the fuel valve to PRI for a minute before you try to start.

Do you have spark? A shot of starting ether in the airbox is a quick way to check that.

 

Sorry, yeah, i forgot to mention we put new plugs in her and we also checked for spark and was getting plenty.

Where do you put the starter fluid???

 

Are you not getting fuel, air, or spark? If you can determine which you're not getting, it will put you on the right road to repair.

 

might try this: pull a couple of spark plugs off, shoot some starting fluid in the cylinders, replace plugs quickly.. if the carbs are in decent shape, it should fire up.

 

Air inlet is under the seat. Near the fuse panel. A squirt of a few seconds should do it.

If it fires (and I bet it will since you have spark) you need to look at fuel/carbs. Again, if you emptied the bowls on the carbs you have nothing to burn. Put the fuel valve on PRI for a minute or so before trying to start.

 

Sorry for the redundant post... (forgot that I had opened the page awhile back and forgot to refresh it )

You can spray the starting fluid in where the airbox opening is. You'll have to lift the tool caddy to see it. (Under the seat.)

 

You say 90% clean of the carbs, the carbs need to be clean 100%.

Bench sync shafts to number 3, mixtures set at 2.75 turns out and float level checked?

All wire connections checked?

Relays checked?

I went over all connections and switches onmy bike most (if not all) needed cleaning and a couple needed replacing.

Old bike = start at A and go through to Z, check everything as it is likely at the end the bike will run sweet as a new one!

 

PUT FUEL ON PRIME AND unscrew ONE OF THE CARB FLOAT BOWN DRAINS. If you have fuel draining and you have spark then you need to check and make sure that you have the spark plugs connected and that you have the correct ignition plugs in.IE you have the pulse firing 1and 4 cylinders instead of 2-3 cylinders. Take the fuel tank off and look at the coils. Where the coils run into the main wiring harness you do have orange going into orange and not orange into brown? I think its that color, going off of the top of my head here. You essentially need three things for the bike to run, Fuel, spark and compression. By checking if the float bowls are full since you stated that the carbs are clean, if the bowls are full then you SHOULD be getting fuel. Check the spark, you should be getting a bright blue spark from ALL 4 spark plugs, If you do and are still not getting the bike to run then switch the leads on the coils. Check to see that the coils have a clean ground, should be the black wire that is connected to the harness going to the ground at the coils.
One last item to be checked is if anyone has replaced any of the valve shims, If for some reason they put the intake cam where the exhaust cam should be then your valve timing will be wayy off. Easy way to check is to pull valve cover off, You wanted to do this anyways since it was leakingright??? Make sure that when your crank pointer is at T then your intake cam should be pointing towards the back of the bike and your exhast cam should be pointing to the front of the bike. essentially like
-O O- . Ohh and the exhast cam has the tach gear on it. You should be able to notice this right away when you pull the cam cover off. Ohh and pay attention to the torque values when retorquing down, these are the easiest to strip out!!! But usually by the previous mechanic and then you are left looking for a 4 mm helicoil kit. HMM anything that I missed, I hope not!! Good luck, I probably have you lost now but at least its something to start off with, LOL at the very least confuse the hell out of you

Hope this helps

Sean

 

is this really a good idea? This isn't going to harm the bike is it?

Not that i care really any more i just want the thing to start.

Side note, after posting, then putting the battery on the charger for a couple hours I came back, put the tank on prime for about 1 min, then hit the starter again with choke full on. The bike actually caught for about 2 seconds and revved really high! I immediately grabbed the throttle to attempt to keep it going and it died on me again

Does this tell anyone anything? The happened without using starter fluid or anything. What should i do if the bike catches again? Turn tank to on or leave on prime? How long should i leave the choke on?

P.S. Thanks so much for the help so far.

 

Sounds like a fuel delivery problem. Have you tried shooting starter fluid in the air box? If it tries to start with every application of starter fluid, then we'll know you've got good spark but no fuel. If not, then you may have good fuel delivery but weak or no spark. Let us know...

 

ok the update is this.

Came home with a can of starter fluid. Primed for about 30 seconds. Choke full on. Sprayed 2 seconds of starter fluid in the air box and the hit the starter. . . Bike screams to life and won't come down from about 7500 rpms!

I play with the throttle a little and the rpms start to waver, then they drop off and the bike dies. I repeat the process again with 2 seconds of stater spray and the same thing happens.

Try choke off now and i can get it started with stater fluid but dies faster.

I tried starting it and keeping it running with some throttle but it won't sit still and eventually dies. Will only start with a burst of starting spray, and will not idle.

I'm guessing this is a fuel problem so I need some next steps.

I am happy however that the bike at least has life, i'm hoping someone here at least has the last piece i'm missing.

 

I need to know how to do those things you ask with pictures. Call me whatever you want but I am just now learning the vocabulary that comes with this motorcycle.

How do you bench sync (idiot style)

How do you set mixtures?

Explain 2.75 turns if you could please. Any pictures are greatly appreciated as I am a pretty big visual learner

 

fuel starvation...

check the fuel lines arent kinked or the fuel filter (you DID put one on didnt you? RICKCOMATIC requires it! ) plugged...

otherwise im thinking the fuel is not getting thru the jets into the venturi of the carbs. time for a reclean...

d

 

I do not have a fuel filter, I did however drain the tank, put in new gas and cleaned the petcock and its filter.

From what i understand the jets are what you are looking at when you take the bottom bowel of the carbs off and are looking at 2 (or 3?) brass vertical tubes. I took these out, soaked them and blew carb cleaner through them. I'm pretty sure they are clear.

I'm really really hoping i don't have to take to carbs off and apart again as that was a real PITA and i don't really have a good area to wrench at.

 

Well, the bike starts! That's a good sign. I'm betting you don't have the tools to sync the carbs in (carb sticks a.k.a. a manometer). You're going to have to take those babies off again so you can at least do a rudimentary setting to get the bike to start. Search the forums for bench synching.

 

Sounds like the very same situation I am in. While I had the carbs out though, I checked the starter motor and found that I needed new brushes.

Unfortunately I then had an insulation problem with the starter and toasted it being impatient. I bought a reconditioned starter and have kept the new brushes for the future.

I'll be kicking her over again this weekend and seeing whether my clean and bench synch of the carbs has helped my bike from its "starting but then dieing" problem. I'll post again then to let you know how well the bench synch helped....

 

Please do i'm eager to correct this problem i'm having. I've made so much progress, to be this close to a working motorcycle and yet so far away is very frustrating.

Maybe if you could also give me the directions you used to bench synch your carbs I'd be very greatful. I'm still learning the terms with this bike.

 

Bylsma, I've written a "How-To" on synching carbs. It can be found here.

 

perfect, this is exactly the kind of explanations i need. I'll be hitting that this weekend and i'll let you know what happens.

Your 3 "how to. . ." posts are excellent, i really appreciate the work you've put into to helping noobish 1st time motorcycle owners like myself.

 

My pleasure. Glad I can help!

 

I'm up and running, but have to run it on PRIME. I'm then getting excess gas coming out the overflow tubes but she is running until I put it back to ON.

I guess I have a leak problem or the vacuum from the petcock isn't working properly, so that is my next challenge. I also need to check the fuel levels.

Unfortunately though, we have the world's leaders here for APEC and everything is on a forced public holiday. Can't get the tubing I need to check the levels....