bad noises :(

So after weeks (months?) of reassembly, testing, etc, my bike was finally back alive and running. Been taking her on short trips around the block here and there, finding small oil leaks, etc. Seem to have all of the leaks either fixed or pinpointed down to small drips (like from the corner of my shifter cover, grrr). Same noise I tore everything apart for is back. Rather loud banging coming from the right side (as i sit on the bike). Nearly completely disappears when I grab a handful of clutch, and goes away as the bike revs up under load. Any ideas?

 

Update, old thread about this:

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=1 ... knock.html

 

Did this thing ever go down on its right side before you got it?

My '83 did, the PO (or his minions) crudely repaired the cover but did nothing about the BENT CLUTCH BASKET.

Recommendation: Pull the clutch cover, and disassemble the clutch (remove plates and springs) not the hub. (If you leave the bike on the sidestand you won't lose any oil.) Put your killswitch in "off" and hit the starter, watch the clutch basket rotate. See if it rotates "true" or "orbits." My bent basket was OBVIOUS doing this. Orbiting like Sputnik.

Spin the hub by hand, look for the same. Make sure it spins true.

Look for wear on the clutch hub and plain plates where they engage the hub; look for the teeth on the plates to be mushroomed or for serious wear grooves in the hub.

Check clutch plain plates for warpage.

Somethin' ain't right in the RH cover and the fact that pulling in the clutch nearly quiets it leads to: the clutch. Something isn't going around happily.

 

Thats what i figured fitz. I haven't spun and watched the basket in a long time, so I'll be doing that shortly. Good tip, thanks a ton.

On a related note, my starter button _still_ doesnt work, and I'm stymied as to why. We got to tracing wires, and i get current at the solenoid when I push the button, on both small wires at the solenoid. But still no engine turn over. But, she turns over and fires right up when I pop a screwdriver across the terminals. Any ideas on that, while I have everyones attention in here? I'll report back shortly on the basket situation.

 

Okay, so the clutch cover is off, spun the motor with the starter. There is a very small, but still noticeable, wobble in the clutch basket. The hub seems fine, as best I can tell. By very small, I mean 1 or 1.5mm of apparent "wobble" in the basket. Could that small of a problem really be making all that racket?

 

Not to hijack the thread, but what's under the YICS cover on the right side of the bike? Just access to the crank bearing?

I pulled that cover so I could shine them better, and it was odd.
Top half inside nice and clean, bottom half white flaked stuff.

As far as this problem, definately sounds like fitz is right on.

 

Absolutely nothing. It's purely cosmetic. There is a plug under there that closes off the end of the crankshaft.

 

is it possible that my clutch plates are out of balance enough to cause a wobble in the basket? I know i need a new clutch but yeah, that just occured to me.

 

Switch, have you inspected/tested your Starting circuit cutoff relay? If it is messed up or missing, your starting circuit will not work. Just to review, are you getting 12V at the solenoid connector on the red/white wire? Ensure that the kickstand is down (or up and the clutch pulled in).

 

You're seeing a wobble with it fully assembled still, plates and all in place?

If so, I guess it's possible. Or the plain plates and/or hub are worn enough to allow the plain plates to be "flung" off center.

Or did you "empty" it first?

It should NOT wobble, it should spin straight and true; my "new" one spun completely true, I cobbled up a "runout pointer" to double-check my visual inspection and there was no wobble.

 

I did not disassemble the clutch last night, I just spun it with everything in it still, as it was cold and kinda dark so I didn't have it in me to dig through my crap toolbox to find the right sockets (bike is back in my own garage finally). I'm going to pull the plates out in a little while here and see whats what that way. I'm also gonna shuffle my friction plates around, since I don't have any cash for a couple weeks to buy new ones.

I did run a voltmeter at the small wires on the solenoid last night, and I don't even get a full volt there. I don't have any of the safety switches hooked up at the moment though, so I think thats the problem there.

 

I guarantee that the lack of relays is your problem amigo!
Do you have the manual on your ride yet? If not, get one. The XJCD is dirt cheap and gives you everything you need and more.
The Safety Interlock System breakout is tops for troubleshooting that system.

 

I do indeed have the XJCDs robert =)

Right now I'm fighting getting my clutch re-adjusted after shuffling the plates, its giving me fits, heh.

 

Did you clean everything up in the course of the "shuffling" process? If not, you may have trouble adjusting it.

How did the teeth on the plain plates look, and had they pounded grooves into the hub?

 

The plain plates actually look pristine. One or two have weird grooves partway around them, in the near dead center of the flat surface, which i don't understand, must have just had a piece of something get wedged in there at some point.

Shuffling the clutch plates did the trick. No more banging coming from the motor, so I know for sure thats what it was now. Now to come up with the cash for a new set of discs... heh.

I also solved my starter button issue. Hooked the clutch switch back up, squeezed her, hit the button, and she roared to life. Gotta love simple fixes! Now if only I can find a screw the right size for the neutral switch.... I seem to have ... misplaced ... mine.