Lower temp == Won't start

I use my bike for transportation to and from work throughout the year (or I am going to try anyhow). When the temp is below (say) 45 degrees when I try to start her in the morning, she will not start. The starter is turning over the engine, and occasionally I can hear it sputter, but most the time it will not start for me. I have even bought some starter fluid and sprayed it into the air intake in the hopes that will help her start. Again, it will sputter some, but I can never get her to start.

However, if I just push her out of my driveway and then push start her down this hill our house is on (and its not that big a hill), she will push start EVERYTIME without hesitation. Suggestions on what is causing this to happen?

My battery is fully charged, and I have even swapped it out with another battery just to make sure. I have cleaned the plugs, and I swear I can smell gas as though I have flooded the engine trying to start it, but I don't touch the throttle when trying to start her.

Its an '82 Maxim 550 with approx 37k miles on it.

 

Didn't someone just ask this recently? Anyway, I can start mine easily down below 30 degrees. To start in cold weather you need a good hot spark and slightly rich mixture. Just because you can smell gas doesn't mean it's getting into the engine. Your starting jets are probably clogged or might be too small if you have changed to a lower restriction air filter. Make sure they are clear, they are the ones down in the bottom of the float bowl. Also check the spark with a spark tester from the auto store. If it's really weak you probably need higher output coils such as the ones from Dyna or Accel. Also you could have corroded connectors or a bad fuse holder causing a voltage drop to the coils. If you still have the original old fuse holder replace it with one using newer blade type fuses.

 

Best suggestion - and one that I resisted because mine push started every time too - get a great battery and your pushing days are over. The temperature drop affects battery output enough that it hasn't the juice to fire the plugs yet it rolls the engine over fine, so it is a very mis-leading thing. My new gel battery fires my bike up at -6C (22F) no problem, though it takes a few rips when it's that cold. Mine is a daily driver, too and still making the trek to work.

 

Bingo! The push starting is the clue. Your starter takes amps, plugs require volts. When your starter pulls it's amps it pulls the battery voltage down. There isn't enough voltage left to fire the plugs. The question is why.

When it's cold your battery looses performance.

Either:

1) There are too many losses in the system (damaged wiring, corroded connectors etc.)

or

2) Batteries (both of them) are marginal.

Go over the electrical system. If everything is in good shape it's time for a new battery.

 

Got a suggestion for a good battery for winter riding? I don't recall their being a CCA rating on this battery when I bought it like I am used to with a car.

 

"It's the Carbs, Rick. It's always the Carbs."

When a COLD Bike won't start-up ... something is not right with the Starter Jet and Enrichment Circuit.

Generally, it's limited to the Metering Ports at the bottom of the Fuel Bowls clogged and not providing Fuel Supply ...

Or, ...

The slender Siphon Tubes not having ALL their tiny orifices open to allow sufficient extra Fuel to be drawn-up to the Enrichment Valves.

The Siphon Tubes have a lower END Opening and Opposing Ports about half-way up the Tube.

The Easiest way to Clean the Siphon Tube and Flush foreign matter out is to use a Rubber Ear Syringe ... shoot it full of Carb Cleaner and insert the Tube right into the Nozzle End of the Syringe and bottom the Nozzle of the Syringe on the Carb Body.

Use a Squeeze and release to Purge the Tube like using a plunger to unclog a clogged toilet.

Finish by purging the Syringe and refilling it with clean Carb Cleaner.
One-way Flush the Siphon Tube upp through an Open or removed Enrichment Valve.

Probe the Siphon Tube Openings with the smallest Tool on a set of Carb Cleaning Tools.

 

Not carbs this time.

 

I bet a "Snicker's" Bar that the Carbs do have something to do with it!

Riding it downhill and Opening the Throttles to get enough gas to make it go ... makes me think the "Low-end" and "Start" need a looking at.

 

I'm betting on the "weak spark" side of the house. Have you tried jumping it to your car battery to eliminate the voltage draw-down you're seeing with the bike battery alone? If it fires right up, start cleaning electrical connections and/or replacing the battery.

 

It's the battery, man, not the carbs. It's a common thing with these bikes. The engine doesn't take much juice to turn over, but it needs a lot of juice to get a good enough spark. If you only have trouble starting in in the real cold, and no problem starting in the warmer temps, that's a pretty good clue. The older you get, the less you like to go out in the cold.

Mine does the same thing. When I need to start it when it's really cold, I hook up my little charger/booster and let it sit about 5 minutes or so. When I hit the button...vroooom! Am I SURE it's the battery? Yup. Am I SURE the battery is weak on my bike? Yup. How do I KNOW? The battery is three years old Why? I'm just curious to see how long it will really last.

Get yourself a good high CCA or cold-weather battery. My understanding is that the new Gel batteries are awesome. That's gonna be the next battery I get if (snicker) this one ever dies.

I love my XJ. It's the most reliable bike I've ever had.

dave

 

I have a 1982 XJ650. I'm running into the same problem w/ the bike, where it doesn't start below 45 degrees or so. I wasn't sure if it was a spark issue, or carbs, or just cold crankcase. I ran carb cleaner throughout the summer and fall; I also just changed the plugs, caps and wires, and I'm getting a proper reading from the coils with my multimeter. I tried push starting, but no dice. What I just did to get it going, however, was warm the crankcase with a space heater for 30 minutes or so. Then it started right up. Any ideas what the problem could be, and be fixed, so I don't have to use the heater?

 

If the Starting Enrichment Circuit is functioning, then what is happening is a battle between you and Mother Nature.

The whole engine is designed to shed head. The Aluminum parts get cold and stay cold until it starts.

This time of year, for us Northern Hemisphere Dwellers, the bike is going to be stubborn to start because the engine is so cold that the Spark fails to ignite the Mixture.

Doing as you do ... with the heater aimed at the Engine is about the only thing that you can do unless the garage is heated.

Both my bikes are at the point where you are right now. Neither of them wants to go because they are chilled to the bone. I'm counting the days until Easter, when the snow melts away and the riding season is on the horizon; again.

 

I'll chip in and say it's the battery...mainly.

On the other side of the world in Melbourne, Australia we don't have snow in winter but it gets down to around 5degC overnight. Press the atarter and the bike cranks over OK but more often than not will have difficulty starting.

On the XJ's there's plenty of juice to crank the engine over but the draw on the battery is such that there is precious little left to give ggod spark at the same time.

However, my winter morning routine is to place it on the charger while I have breakfast and get ready for work. Less than an hour later I hop on the bike, full choke/enrichment, press the starter and my 900 fires right up. A fully charged battery is the key. On these summer mornings there is no problems at all and no charging required.

 

"Another Country heard from ... "

Now that it's Sun-block time down in OZ ... buy the way, Mr. Redcenter, here, owns the distinction of successfully doing the Starter Clutch Short-cut on a 900 Engine.

That makes him the resident info guy to ask when your Starter Clutch begins to slip or fail all-together.

 

I hesitate to wade into the carb side of the conversation, but on the note of the battery, a battery tender isn't a bad idea. I have a "battery tender jr", that has a pigtail that you install on the contacts, and has a small lead that stays with the bike. If I know the temperature's going south of 40 overnight, I'll plug it in, and make sure I've got a full battery charge in the morning.

Motorcycle batteries really aren't designed to have a big CCA (cold cranking amp) number, so cold weather can make starting the bike tough.

 

I am newly dealing with this old problem.
1. I just put in a new DieHard about a week ago, so I am under the impression that the battery is fine, but as it is still having some of the same issues, maybe the last battery was fine also...

2. I just changed the oil about a month ago for the first time after I bought it in August. I put in Valvoline 20w50. It REALLY helped how it was running, but now as it's hitting just around freezing each night, someone pointed out I might want to switch over to 10w40 so that I am not fighting all that sludge in the morning.

3. My next step is to put in some High Performance NGK's when they get here from Santa. These are the basics that I am nailing down, but did Yamaha just assume that when it got cold, or started snowing that we'd have the common-sense to stop? I hope not. I seem to be flying in the face of that train of thought, so I will keep working on it.

Jon

 

I just bought mine(last week 83 650) and the previous owner also said that when its cold(below 5C) it won't start unless he takes a heat gun and points it at the motor for 5-10 mins then no problem....something to look forward too!