1st Post. Questions about 82 XJ550 & 85 XJ550xn Maxim X

First off, glad to of found this site.

My 1982 XJ550 has a nasty raddle from the engine that I'm told is the cam chain. It's beyond adjusting, so I was wondering what I would need to replace.

My 1985 XJ700XN Maxim X I just acquired yesterday, and the fan was working fine on the radiator. Today I was riding and the fan didn't kick on and my bike got into the red. Any suggestions on what could be wrong here?

I just sent out for the manual cd, but was wondering home much information if has on the 85 since I can't seem to find any other service manuals that cover it.

 

First; Welcome to the forum!
Next, who told you the rattle is the cam chain, and why? There are plenty of things you can do to check into this, the first being trying to adjust it. If that doesn't help, pull the cam cover (rocjer box cover, to some) and feel the chain to see if it's loose. You may just need different shims on the buckets if your valve clearance has opened up. Try these things out before jumping to conclusions.

 

I was told by my mechanic that he was 90% certain that the cam chain needed replacing. I have tried to adjust without luck, but I will try your second suggestion. Ty for the advice, I'm still new to working on Motorcycles

 

More than likely either 1)The wire came off of the thermo sensor(which tells the fan when to kick on)
2)The sensor went bad
3)The fan went bad
You can test the fan by jumping it off of the battery,if it turns on then your problem would probably be the sensor. The thermo sensor is located under the gas tank between the frame tubes on the thermostat neck,there's 2 electrical components on the neck,ones the sensor and the other is the switch that runs the coolant gauge. Also make sure all the electrical connections are clean and free of any corrision. Never hurts to put Dielectric Grease in the eletrical connectors. :twisted:

 

Your rattle could also be a loose header pipe. Check your connections at the cylinder head and collector. IF you know someone with a mechanics stethoscope it would be quite valuable for diagnosing this.

 

The XJ700 Maxim X, I've tested the fan and it works fine. But it appears the sensor is not. I'm gonna start looking for a sensor now. thanks for all the help.

 

Welcome...

Yes the XJCD's have plenty of information on your bike

 

Also look for a fuse problem on that fan!?

 

Since I just got this bike and don't have any manual yet, I'm uncertain where the fuses are. I have bipassed the sensor all together for now, till I can find a new/used one to replace it with. Is it possible to fix this one, or would it be easier to just purchase one?

 

I have been able to salvage my thermal sensors on my vehicles simply by using a wire wheel to clean off the mineral deposits. I regularly find folks complaining of running hot and when I pull the sensor, it is typically covered with goo. Pull, clean it and ohm it out.

 

Welcom Tracker,

I would try cleaning as Rob stated, if that does not work there are a number of online retailers to purchase from. I have had good luck buying from Old Bike Barn, Stadium Yamaha & Xtreme Powersports. You can find the fuses under the the indicator light panel on the gage cluster. also this link is a very good resource for Maxim X owners

 

Can't get the link to post, but if you go to this page, you'll see lots of good info.