MIght be locked up! how can i tell..

currently got a xj700 about a week ago and well got done doing the carb rebuild and waiting on my starter to come in. story of the bike is the guy said he had to pull start the bike cuz bendix broke on the started and ran ok.. well i got it and carbs were thrash and well i was thinking and came to realize that i never heard it run and nor know if it turn over.. i tried push starting the sucker from 1st gear through 5th, but it either drag the week or slip the clutch.. thought maybe had high compression, so took the plugs out and well plugs were great shape and tried push starting it again and same thing drag wheel or drag/slip on clutch.. dont know how else to check to see if its locked up.. i am am up for any and all suggestions, if it turns out to be locked up, i will be highly dissapointed. please i need some help on figuring out a solution.. please pm or message me thanks

 

Try removing the side cover where the ignition pickups are. There is a square place on the reluctor wheel to turn the engine with a wrench. Keep the plugs out while trying to turn it.
Look closley at the reluctor wheel there is a arrow to show the direction of engine rotation, don't turn it the wrong way.
It is possible the starter clutch is locked up, try turning the engine with the starter out next.

 

There is no starter on the bike i have ordered one and waiting for it to come in.. ill try going in through the ignition pickup side thanks, will keep you posted.. was gonna try get buddy to pull/drag me to see if helps having my 230 lb body weight to help muscle the bike to turn over.. i think its froze in place due to sitting but wont know just yet.

 

If it is frozen there is a good chance that the rings are stuck. Remove the plugs and put some penatrating oil in the cylinder and let it sit for a few hours. Then work the crank with a wrench back and fourth until you can make several full turns. If you can't turn it with a wrench you may drop the bike if you try to bump start it along with yourself. Be carefull.

 

Lol well mlew thanks, even the most educated men can be dumbfounded, well i unloaded a half a can of PB blaster in the cylinders and let it sit before and wrote my topic, well Good News, it was frozen and i had a buddy pull with my suburban and damn near dropped it several times... no luck she was locked up... i went through the ignition side and worked it.. i swore i was gonna break that lil tab sticking out, but slowly and steady won this race once it got it turning about 1/4 to 1/2 way she came unlocked and so then i just put in 5th and push it around my cul de sac.. now its matter of getting the starter and hooking up compression gauge.. do you what the average compression should be. the range i think is between 100 and 120.. what you think?

 

My 700 X was in the 120 range on all cylinders. Is yours air or water cooled? I think they would be almost the same.

 

its the air cooled.. i just ask, so that if it within that range the bike should run decent enough to fine tune the bugs.. my guess on my situation is i have a lot of Lil work to do but all adds up if look from outside in.. just right now worrying about getting it running so i can ride and stop driving my gasoholic truck. but not gonna rush getting running.. rebuilt the carbs, didnt mess with the pilot's but gave it a deep soak and blew the hell out of the carbs with air, so hopping that it will be sufficient enough to run decent.. dont have the tools nor hands to fumble with small gnats-ass o-rings and washers. but hey if you or someone else like to make some money and do right by the carbs i am willing to ship them out and have them professionally done.. hard for me since i am in the military and constantly running around and jumping up and down on command.

 

I rebuild Hitachis and need mula but I've never rebuilt a set of Mikunis. I'll have to pass unless you are comfortable with your set being the first "experiment". And thank you for your service comrade.

 

With your list of bikes Robert I think you could handle them with no problem. I could help you out ESMITHERS, I have never done Hitachi carbs but to me a carb is a carb weheather they are on a bike or car. I have done many throught my years on all my cars, bikes , lawn equipement and more.

 

Any idea how long the bike sat before you bought it? If the engine's been seized for a long time, the carbs might be the least of your problems.

 

If the engine was siezed from rust developing at the ring contact area, you are going to be in for an overhaul. It may run for a period but it will eventually start smoking due to oil passing the rings. The damage is done. It is only a matter of time. The cylinder walls will have an area where they are pitted and the rings will be pitted or siezed. If you know someone with a borescope, you may be able to go in through the plug holes and look at the cylinder walls. A compression test might be inconclusive as the damage may be localized.

 

+1^^ I agree with JF, you are on borrowed time regardless of the outcome. Best be saving for some new rings and possibly pistons and machine work.

 

well the bike has over 46000 miles and figured that it will need a overhaul down the road. the place where i picked it up from said the guy drove the bike to the shop to get tires placed on, and that it sat for 4 months with no movement at all.. and i had to put oil in the cylinders, so who knows whats underlying problems exist but like i said i expect a complete overhaul in the near future.

 

If the bike was running four months ago (honestly??) you might get lucky, as the pitting and rust would be small, but, considering how hard it was to unlock the motor, this is a gamble.

Next step are compression numbers, and they better look real good. 8O

 

I had the same stuck engine on the Venture I got last year. After some persuation it turned fine. Compression tested good with 120 to 125 per cylinder. After 2000 miles on it since then no signs of smoke or oil burning. Done the same thing on several engines with similar results
I say fix the carbs and run it. Just keep it in your mind it may be a issue in the future.

 

Main differences I saw were that Mikuni parts are a bit easier to find, the float bowl drain screws (at least on my Mikunis) weren't fused to the bowls, and you'll need some sort of tool to press out the float pins:

 

I just used a small punch and a rubber mallet and tapped that sucker out, what is that you are using in the pic, just pliers or something else?

 

Pliers. But I welded a bit of extra metal inside one jaw and ground it flat. On the other jaw I then cut a notch. In the "wide" position they work well to press the pin out. In the narrow position they can then be used to press the pin back in.

 

Very nice tool SQL! Fortunately, I've only ever worked on Hitachi carbs and not ever had a problem. I like your plier idea, should the need arise, how much would you charge for a set?