I think my TCI died...

A little history... my xj750 (VooDoo) has been having this issue since I got her on the road. Sometimes she start and run just fine, other times she starts right up, I'll get about 1/2 mile down the road and it'll just die like the key was shut off. Turn the key off and try to start and sometimes it will fire right up, but it might take 3 or 4 tries of off/on to get her running. It's not in the safety/kickstand circuit b/c I can play with the kickstand with no results.

Yesterday she was acting up and I could not get get more than 1/4 mile and die. So I parked her and took my other bike to run my errand. Today she refuses to stay running. She'll fire up as long as I am pressing the starter, as soon as I let off the starter, it dies... I'm thinking TCI, question is where can I get mine repaired? I think I remember someone saying forum member Robert could repair them ...I had sent Robert a pm about another issue a while back and got no response, is Robert still frequenting the forum? Ideas on getting this beast running again..??
TIA,
MB

 

Fuse box??
Have you checked the pick-up coils?
Have you tested the side stand saftey relay? The switches can work and the relay be faulty. Test the relay then disconnect the wire(black with white stripe) from the TCI and try again. When a TCI fails it generally just quits for good.

 

Would the pick-up coils have this sporadic effect though. I should mention that until yesterday, after 2-3 stalls, the bike would then run fine for hours on end.

One thing I have noticed, when it is doing it's run/no run/ run, it sounds like it's running a little rough. Like maybe one cylinder is mis-firing occasionally...but not so much that it sounds like it's running on 3 cyls.

Switch tests out just fine. So how do I test the relay...
So when I disconnect the wire from the TCI, what kind of results SHOULD I get?

 

Yes, pickup coils do act like that when they are going bad. Usually the heat from the engine makes it cut off, then as it cools it works again. Best way to tell is to cary a ohm meter and test them next time it fails.

A interminent short in the relay will also cause the same thing.

You can test the relay by putting 12v to the coil terminals and checking the contacts with a meter. They do come apart easily to look inside. Any signs of corrosion inside means its time for a new one.

Disconnecting the wire from the TCI will eliminate all possibilites of the saftey circuit from cutting off the TCI. I have worked on bikes that the relay and switches tested good but a short in the wiring caused it not to work.
If you disconnect the wire and it never acts up again you have narrowed the problem to somewhere in the saftey circuit.

 

From your description, it shouldn't be my coils then, since she acts up only when cold.....once I get her warmed up she's usually fine.
I'll have to try disconnecting the wire from the TCI first, at this point I can't even get it to run...I'll check the relay as well.

 

I would say you are right, the pick-ups are probably going bad but I like to put out all possibilities. You never know.
Eliminating the saftey is the first thing I would do then go from there. We need to narrow down the problem before you start throwing money into it guessing what part might be bad. After all TCIs are expensive.

 

It does not sound like pick up coils. Judging by the symptoms it may be a good idea to get someone with the skills to reflow all the solder joints in the TCI unit.

Is there anyone near you with a unit you can do a quick test with?

 

Not that i know of....

 

what kind of voltage do you have when you get it to go?
check the alternator and battery

 

well, since I can't get it to stay running, that might be a little hard at this point ...

 

jump it with another battery or a charger and see if that helps.

 

Although your symptoms do sound electrical, and I would bet on your coils. I've got to ask: have you checked off all your other maintenance work? Valves adjusted, what were your most recent compression #'s?

 

Be careful, if the coils fail the tci might fail to.

On my last bike the coils failed and in subsequence burnt the tci.
(and I can tell you the tci cost me more then what I gave for the bike).

 

Did you test the switch with a meter, or was this the test?

The easiest way to diagnose a safety circuit issue is to unplug the safety cutoff relay. NOT just the sidestand relay (which not all XJs have, but I think yours does.)

If it will sometimes (or did sometimes) work by turning the ignition switch on/off/on a few times, it could very well be a problem in the ignition switch itself.

Has this bike had its fusebox remediated yet?

 

remediated?!!? it's way to early to use big words like that Fizt!! I could hurt myself..but yes.. I replaced the fusebox and I tested the switch with a multi-tester. I'll take a look at it later today and post the results. thanks guys!

 

I hate electrical..ok... update: and let's just say if I had not put some much blood, sweat, tears time , effort and money into this little pig I would push it in a ditch and walk away....

First off to answer some of the questions, I did a valve adjustment/check when I had the engine out during the rebuiild. To give the long version or her symptoms....(takes deep breath).

I hate electrical...Sometimes she runs just fine with no issues at all. Start her up and away we go all day long...other times..
Starts up and runs fine with a little bit of a bopity, bopity at idle (kinda sounds like it has a cam..lol) take off and it will run fine for up to a mile (smooth road, no bumps) then it just dies like the key was shut off. Roll to a stop, turn off the key, sometimes put it in neutral, sometimes just downshift to first. Turn key on and try to start, if it doesn't start, repeat key off,on, start. It will take anywhere from 2-6 times of this until it starts. Take off and it an even bet on where it will do it again within a mile or so...if it does, repeat the process, if it doesn't, then it runs fine for as long as I ride, even with stopping and shutting her down (errands and such) and taking off again.

SO, with all that said...I go out in the garage today (after spending upwards of 45min yesterday between charges with the battery charger yesterday) I check the safety circuit and am going to pull the safety relay ,which according to this pic is..


and I find that I had already disconnected it. So I plug it back in, hit the started and she runs like a top!! :evil: don't know whether to be happy or pissed...lol. So to take it one step farther I put the bike in gear, clutch out and tap the starter...AND SHE TRIES TO START! I HATE ELECTRICAL! So..this is the synopsis..yesterday - no safety circuit - no start , today - safety circuit with safety violations - she starts...

So the only common denominator I see here is... well none actually...have I mentioned I hate electrical? I just don't have the patience for it (and actually have a degree in electronics.. go figure..lol)

So as of now I have the non safety functioning safety circuit in place and am going to attempt a ride

One of the reasons I keep coming back to the TCI is that when this first started I opend up the TCI and found this. I was advised and did snip the minijumper...

 

No mystery at all. As I suspected-- that is your sidestand relay. According to Len's guide, the sidestand relay is located as pictured on the rectifier plate; while the CUTOFF relay is located under the tank: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27543.html

Starting/Ignition Cut-Off/Neutral Safety relay:

NOTE: all XJ700 models and XJ750-X models use a consolidated relay assembly (mounted under and to the rear of the fuel tank, on the wishbone frame triple-tube joint) which combines the turn signal flasher, the turn signal canceller relay unit, and the starter circuit cut-off relay.

Location:
- on all XJ550 models: in front of the coil rear mounting bracket.
- on all XJ650 Maxim/Midnight Maxim/RJ Seca models: under the gas tank, in-between the frame tubes, on a welded bracket just behind the flasher self-canceller relay.
- on all XJ650 Turbo models: on the right side of front fairing main support bracket.
- on all XJ700 and XJ750-X models: part of the consolidated relay assembly listed further below.
- on all 1981-83 XJ750 Seca models: under the gas tank, in-between the frame tubes, on a welded bracket just behind the flasher self-canceller relay.
- on all 1981-84 XJ750 Maxim and Midnight Maxim models: under the gas tank, in-between the frame tubes, on a welded bracket just behind the flasher self-canceller relay.
- on all XJ900 models: under the seat, in the "electrical tray".
- on all XJ1100 models: under the fuel tank, behind the right side ignition coil.

Identification:
- on all models except XJ700 or XJ750-X models:
- small metal (original) or plastic (replacement) "cube" relay, inked 4H7-00, 4H7-01, or 12R-01 on the top face.
- has no colored paint mark on the bottom terminal connector block.
- sometimes labeled or described in manuals and diagrams as a "clutch switch unit", a "neutral safety relay", or an "ignition cut-off" relay.
- normally open; has an internal diode.
- plugs into a connector shell which has the following set of wires going to it:

Harness connector wire colors:
- on all XJ550 all models, XJ650 all models, XJ750 all non-X models, and XJ1100 models:
* Red wire with white tracer stripe
* another Red wire with white tracer stripe
* Black wire with yellow tracer stripe
* solid Light blue (sky blue) wire

Try unplugging the safety cutoff relay; unplugging the sidestand relay will cause rather than isolate problems.

 

Mad /B

Just a quick question, Why snip the jumper..?

What is this supposed to do .. and what does it improve?

 

I have no idea why is was there. According to the gurus here, it was not stock and shouldn't be there and I could snip it... so I did.

Ok.. so now the can-o-worms get's bigger. I replaced the flasher relay with an electronic relay when I rewired everything with the LEDs. If the wires weren't needed for the signals, I just left them disconnected...

 

...update.. just got back for a 50 min ride and the dirty rotten @#$%# ran perfect...just like a woman. Just when you've almost had enough, you get that wink and a great ride that makes all the grief worth it.. lol

 

It also looks like you have a bad solder joint on one of your components - the 2 connections above the 5 in-line connections on the photo. Might be causing intermittant issues.