Just broke down on highway

Not sure what happened but bike shut off and won't start,stuck on highway 15north by mile marker 39,1/2 mile from Wesley dr rossmoyne Rd.... Any help would be great!!!!

 

Check the kickstand switch. It may be dirty and tripped when you hit a bump. You can work the plunger by hand to make sure that it's fully extended. Or pull the relay (blue dot next to the connector, either under the left sidecover, or under the tank depending on model).

 

Just tried that and still no start.... Talked to Hogfiddles on the phone and we ran through some checks and thinking it might be something internal....

 

Well no luck as of yet but luckily thecrazygnat is coming to give me a ride to get my jeep so I can get a trailer to haul the bike in somewhere....

 

Hopefully it's something dumb, and dead simple to fix.

 

Kudos to thecrazygnat for stepping up to help out another brother , k - moe and hogfiddles also.

 

We definitely have some great guys on here! Kmoe and Hogfiddles are always one of the first to reply and always willing to help out, Hogfiddles and the crazygnat both took time out of there day to try and assist me with this issue! Thecrazygnat even went so far as to follow me to get a trailer and back and load the bike and unload it at the shop for now! I'll message him in a bit and have him give his statement on what he witnessed with my bike.....other than not starting we were also able to roll it in gear without the clutch.....heard some odd tic tic tic noises when we tried to pop start it too! The joys of being an xj owner...lmao!

 

Roll in gear without the clutch?! Is it a 550?

When you get time, add the model of your XJ to your signature.

 

It's 650 seca

 

OK, so, this was kind of like the blind leading the blind since I am a mechanical newbie, but we did try a few things:
- We tried starter fluid since the crank did seem to be turning over when the start button was pressed - no dice, no change in sound/engine catching
- We fiddled with the side stand switch a little - no change
- We tried to pop start it - once again, nothing. The bike hardly made any sound going down the hill (trying to hear if it was at least trying to catch.
- We removed the side cover and turned the crank by hand - I did notice that it was much easier to turn than mine, even with the plugs still in.
- We took the spark plugs out to make sure they were all getting spark - all of them had spark.
- We were able to roll the bike back and forth while in gear with relative ease, getting easier with each progressive gear.

Smeagol mentioned that he was rolling down the highway at around 55 (respecting posted speed limits, of course) when he heard a slight grinding, not unlike when you grind you gears, but without as much tactile feedback, and had to coast to the side of the road (giving it more throttle didn't have any effect).

My, pet theory, as completely uninformed as it might be, is that there is something wrong with the cam chain; whether it snapped or jumped the teeth. You are all welcome to chime in and provide more qualified diagnoses.

I certify that this is all true to the best of my knowledge, smeagol can jump in and correct me if I am wrong.

 

Roflmfao! I love the way you posted that! Haha yes all is true! Nothing we did seem to make a difference and the only other thing that I noticed was I did have a bit of difficulty getting it in and out of neutral a couple of times but gnat didn't seem to have any trouble with this....on the bright side it went on the trailer like a dream!!

 

Drop the oil and pull the clutch cover.

 

First step: If there is any question about the cam chain. You risk hitting the valves with the pistons. Make sure it is correct before turning the engine over again.

~Ghost

 

Might be a smidge too late for that one......think we tried starting it a dozen or so.....trying different things....

 

I'll rephrase that. Before doing a compression test. Make sure the valves are not hitting the pistons!

When you coasted to the side of the road. Did it feel like the engine was dragging the bike down, or was it a smooth even roll?
~Ghost

 

I just have a gut feeling that the clutch basket broke. Honestly I hope that I'm not wrong, because the other things I'm thinking of are a pain to fix.

 

Other clues , have you had anything apart lately??

 

Clutch basket would not keep the bike from starting.
Cam chain would give a noticable banging while coasting down, and trying to start.

~Ghost

 

I definitely did not notice any banging out anything when attempting to start the bike. It sounded normal other than the lack of any sputtering or anything indicating it was going to try to start. Which reminds me, we also tried with the petcock in different positions and with the gas cap open. There was fuel in the fuel line (he has a clear fuel filter installed)

 

It did feel like a slight drag but at the same time I was on a slight uphill grade so I couldn't accurately say.... Now when we pushed it down hill to try to pop start it I didn't feel any resistance.....

 

No haven't had anything apart yet, I have it at a bike shop for now due to now place to work on it and not allowed to work on vehicles in our lot unless it's minor things and nothing involving fluids....I'm going to call them now and explain everything that's going on and what was tried....me and gnat ran through a number of different scenarios on what it could be and one of the number on things that shot it down every time is that it wont start....not a pop,spit, or sputter.....

 

Sounds a lot like a primary chain/guide or cam chain failure
Pull the oil pan. Looking for big chunks of hard black material. Check for loose chain.
Pull the valve cover to check the cam chain. You should not be able to lift the chain off the sprockets.
Pull the clutch cover. The basket should not spin in gear

And just for confirmation. This is an 82 XJ650 Seca non-turbo?
~Ghost

 

Correct it's a non-turbo....I'll have to pass that on.....it really sucks not being able to do my own work here....

 

I'm bummed that I didn't think about it until later, but we didn't check to see if there was suction if we removed a spark plug and hit the starter. That would have given us a better indicator if it was the alternator chain. I don't think I have ever seen a complete failure of that chain on this site before and, coupled with the sound when engaging the starter, I feel fairly confident that it isn't the culprit. Though, once again, I am not a mechanic and I do not play one on TV.

 

Find a place that you can work on it. It will save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run.

~Ghost

 

You should have heard the little burst of the compression stroke when you checked for spark.

~Ghost

 

Hold on! Spark on all 4 plugs would eliminate the primary chain. Unless it was while turning by hand.
This points heavily to the cam chain.
~Ghost

 

Yeah, that would have been a good time to pay attention, huh? I wasn't specifically looking for it at that time, so I can't say for sure, but I don't remember hearing it. We were on the side of a highway though, so maybe I missed it. It does seem like the compression is low, just based on turning the crank manually. It was very easy, and when it reached the end of travel for a particular stroke, it almost seem to just drop into the next position, if that makes sense.

 

Righto! we checked for spark using the starter, not by hand.

 

Unfortunately the "closest" place I have to work on the bike is about an hour past where the bike shop is,and with my jeep what it would cost me to run there to work on it and back would end up costing me more money just in gas....and this guy at the bike shop does good work and he doesn't try to wrack the bill up either.

I don't remember hearing anything while testing spark but wasn't specifically paying attention to sounds,more focused on checking spark....

 

I highly suspect that the cam chain jumped off the sprockets!
Unfortunately this means piston to valve contact was very likely.

~Ghost

 

Valve cover off first!
I bet you find either the chain off the sprockets, or a sprocket off the cam.
Use a bore scope through the spark plug holes to check piston tops.

~ Ghost

 

That's pretty much what the guy from the shop said too! He said from listening to it start and hearing everything that gnat and I checked he said that he sure it's something to do with the cam chain and he also said that that could explain it rolling in gear cause of their being no compression.....he said he is going take the cover off and look inside and call me back with what he finds.....

 

The cams would have stopped with several valves open a slight bit. This would release compression into the exhaust and intake. Hence the rolling in gear.
Which eliminates the clutch basket as suspect.

Keep us posted!

~Ghost

 

Will do! Things are looking a bit more hopeful,for now at least!

 

For reference. Hoping that it does not go this far.
The pistons/rods/cams are the same as the 80-83 650 Maxim.
The cylinders/head show only the 82 650 seca, But I believe the black paint is the only difference from 80-81 non-YICS 650 Maxim.

Then there is the adventurous/suicidal expensive side. The 900 power train (crank, rods, cylinders, head, cams, etc..) can be made to work on the 650 cases.
That would be a scary street terror!

~Ghost

 

Gnat and I were just talking about which bike might be interchangeable.....good to know! Hahaha! I'm not sure I'm ready to go that route just yet! But I'll definitely keep that in mind!!! So... Performance wise what are we talking? Top speeds, 0-60...etc.

 

Seca cases. So any 750 Seca would be direct bolt in. Any 650/700/750 Maxim would bolt in using the Maxim mounting hardware.
The 900 is hard to come by, and expensive to put together. They do not last long on ebay!

Message coming your way!

~Ghost

 

It sounded like it was losing compression on the phone, but over the cell phone speaker and other noises around me along a roadside, I couldn't hear it the best. I still think internal issues somewhere in there.

 

Any update?

 

Ok so I just got the call from the shop today...... First thing first, is my engine a non interference engine?(please say yes!) Secondly the chain did snap....as well as one of the camshaft sprockets! He wasn't sure with my particular engine how far he would have to disassemble it in order to check to see if the piece of sprocket got shredded by the engine or if it's just resting peacefully at the bottom so he didn't continue any further without consulting me and asking my input on how I'd like to proceed, he even suggested that I take it somewhere to work on what I can to save me labor fees.... If nothing else to check out the damage instead of having him do it all.... So I'm either going to get very lucky and just need to replace chain and a sprocket or looking at over 1000 dollars to fix a whole lot of damage.....which also means my riding season is over till next year as there is no way I can afford that bill right now.....any thoughts or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!!! ( And maybe a few beers to drown my sorrows)

 

Unfortunately, all XJ's are interference.

Copying some info from our conversation here:

Well, at the very least you would need to replace the sprocket and chain, I would probably replace both sprockets since the other one failed, I assume it is in similar condition. My guess would be that the sprocket is at the bottom of the sump, so you would need to remove the exhaust (or at least the collector, to get at that.) Ideally you would remove the head to check for valve damage, but that opens up a while can of worms. You can replace the sprocket and chain, as well as checking the sump without any major work, but if one or more of the valves are toast, you'll need to remove the head, which can be done with the rest of the engine in frame.

I think that, especially if this is going to be done somewhere else, you might as well pull the head because doing all the absolutely required work only to find that you DID bend valves would just set you back even further.

 

And unfortunately I don't know where I could do this work cause I'd need to keep my bike there for and extended period of time....

 

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/mcy/5711971905.html

 

Smeag...... I might have an engine-----I'll call you, too.

Regardless, you can get a replacement engine for a whole lot less than that----

 

define "a whole lot"
that's around the e-bay price without carbs, or the rest of the bike and a hour away
just sayin'

 

That is a good price for a whole bike right now I'm in a real financial hard spot which makes it very hard to make big purchases over 100 dollars....

 

Why do you have it at a shop if you have no $$$?
Those guys/ kids are probably younger than the bike and aren't going to lovingly care/ repair it like you will yourself. Then there's that $75/ hour labor fee . . . .

 

Actually this guy is very good with bikes and has better prices than anyone else near me, the reason I have at I shop is because Im not aloud to do vehicle work in our parking lot(townhouse) ...gnat said I can work on it at his place but he is also I've an hour away from me so just what I'd spend in gas would just about make up for what what I'd be saving from the shop....yes there are younger than my bikes but they are both honest and the owner has been really good with me on the work and prices, if he finds something that's going to cost me a lot of money for me to do he stops work, consults me and tries to give me more options and how to do the work elsewhere for cheaper or myself to avoid service costs....they are truly the rare breed of mechanics that care more about your personal satisfaction than making a buck!

 

Trying to get ahold of a guy near me that that has a 1985 xj650 maxim for sale for 200.....if able to get it gnat and I are planning on parting it out after I get the the engine off...... here's hoping....