A handy guide to not rebuilding your slipping starter clutch.

Bought T4 a couple of weeks ago at HD for $14.95, I think.

 

That's where I get mine, 14.99 I think here locally, or Fred Meyer with click list

 

Just wanna say this guide helped.
Bike had been sitting for years before I got it.
Took clutch out and separated each disc, sprayed a ton of carb cleaner into starter clutch area, changed filter, put disc's back in, put clutch case back on. Dumped new Rotella in, put in 1st gear and on center stand and rocked the back tire forward and backward with clutch lever pulled in until the tire spun easy. Hooked up a jumper pack, tried to start it and bam! No slipping...
Now I know at least I need anew battery, the one I had didn't spin the motor that fast

 

thats the nice part about T4 oil is it is low priced.
for the 550 you can get a filter oil change and a second just oil change out of a gallon.
I used to watch for it to be on sale and pick it up then for the next oil change.
I have about 5 gallons now in my shed.


any oil in my area with a motorcycle on the label runs 10$ a quart and up

 

Stopped on the way home to pick up some beverages today on the XJ650J. After stuffing a twelver into my backpack, I got the can full of marbles on the first starter button push. Second try worked fine.

Bike has about 31,500 miles. Running Rotella T4 for at least 3,000 miles of it.

I guess now we start the clock to see how long it takes to go from the first symptoms to the starter clutch being completely hosed.

Any guesses?

 

It will only get worse , I have done two starter clutch replacement, and I'm helping Mr Seca on his xj900 remotely his the starter clutch was cracked . So all the oil changes, snake oil etc would not fix his . Both my engines when it got hot would slip eventually the engine I was using got to the point even cold . The first engine took me two weeks only working an hour or two , the second engine four days but had to wait for four days for parts . Cheers

 

Jetfixer is right. Here's what my starter clutch looked like when I pulled it.

 

I am hoping that the one instance of can full of marbles was an anomaly. But I think we all know that it is probably a matter of time. I wanted to post in order to have a record of the first symptom. Now we wait.

 

That was how mine started out a few times worked normal and went for a long ride stopped to fuel up and went to start bike up and all I got was can full of bolts sound after several tries it finally started . The next day changed the oil tried switching to 20/50 thinking heavier oil might so the trick , seemed to work till I went another long ride and it happened again so I just lived with it as it only happened when engine was real hot but this got worse . Finally did the deed and split case so when I got to stater clutch found one roller was galled and springs seemed to be shorter than the rebuild kit so my theory the springs lost their temper after all theee years and the rollers were not fully engaging . Just my experience...attached are pictures of the starter clutch and case split in two

 

Hi Guys,
How did you determine the issue was the Starter clutch, and not a worn Idler gear n spring.
Even if you replaced the starter clutch, how would that solve the "hot oil" slippage? Should we be replacing Sclutch & Idler Gear( and spring).
I have an 81 Xj750, but have seen vids, where a Virago or Maxim owner either flipped the idler gear around(to expose a fresh toothed side), or another fella says the idler gear return spring is the issue. (he removes it cause centrufigal force sends gear back via the grooves post start.
On each of the 3 bikes above, are there really 3 diff 'engine side' starter gear setups.

Thanks

 

The Virago is very different from the XJ . The starter clutch is internal and uses springs and rollers to lock when cranking . Over time 35 plus years the springs gradually loose their temper of the steel . The starter clutch will slip when hot it happened to me on two different engines , it gradually got worse . Very bad when you would stop for gas and it would slip and sounded like shaking a coffee can ful of hardware , it would finally hit . Worse would be if you killed engine while in traffic . As to your question of a worn idler gear or spring again not the same set up . I had put pictures of the inside of the engine in an earlier post . I used to have an 82 virago 750 know ALL about the starter woes , to bad the XJ is not the same set up but it is not.

 

The idler gear on the XJ series does not wear out.
There is no spring on the XJ series idler gear.

 

I've got an '82 Seca. It's developed the box of rocks issue after I changed the oil. It was starting to happen on and off before, but now it's real bad. Like, 99% slipping bad. I used JASO approved Redline 20w50 during the change. I've tried rolling it back and forth to see if it was sticky clutches. Nothing is working. Am I doomed? Taking the engine apart for this old junker just isn't in the cards for me.

 

I have done two starter clutches , it is actually easy once the engine is out of the frame a couple of hours and a few adult beverages and you can split the case halfs . A wooden palate works great to keep engine off concrete, a good starter clutch repair kit, an oil pan gasket, clutch cover gasket and left side cover gasket, red and blue locktight, tube of Yamabond 4 , a set of star sockets and a set of Allen wrenches sockets , a 30mm socket of clutch bolt . The gaskets can be purchased from xj4ever, the first one I did took me a little over a week taking my time , the second one took me three days as only working a few hours on it at a time. I helped via phone a fellow forum member do his xj900 Seca do his starter clutch , his starter clutch was cracked , he had never wrenched like this before but he did it and bike is running great .

 

Isn't that a synthetic oil? I had never had any slippage of the starter clutch until I tried Amsoil full synthetic motorcycle oil. It was not near as bad as what you describe, so maybe with a marginal starter clutch synthetic really makes it worse. What oil were you running before you tried the Redline?

 

Holy Hannah, that Redline is expensive too!!!

 

I'd even say the xj900 is running better than before!

 

yeah, it's a synthetic. However, it is JASO rated as per the product sheet. Other members have said they've ran synthetic just fine.

 

I'm in Canada. How much did you pay for these parts to do the service? Seems to me like the cost of repair isn't worth it for this old clunker. She's not in the best shape.

 

Yeah, tell me about it... It was the only oil in this weight explicitly listed as JASO rated they had at the store. I'm new to bikes, so I didn't want to risk running a lesser oil and damaging the bike.

 

150$ total this was gaskets a starter clutch repair kit out of the UK ,oil filter , red, blue locktite .

 

I paid around $50 for the actual starter clutch. My bike starts up like it's brand new now. Very pleased with the result.