My rebuild post

Hi guys & gals, thought I'd start my post to let you know how I'm getting on. I think I had a pretty good base to start from, the engine turns over (haven't actually started it) but when I wired up a spare ignition all the electrics came to life & on the starter button it was so close to starting, think I needed the correct battery (was using a 125cc bat) and the carbs hadn't been cleaned yet.

I have started stripping the ancillaries (mudguards, lights etc) got the carbs out to be sent off to my mate and his soniclean.

So, here's a few of the before pics:

 

I will post some further pics as work progresses.

 

While you wait for the carbs, get the valve clearances in spec and then do a compression test so you have an idea of what you're dealing with.

The carbs are going to take more than just cleaning; here's a Mikuni like yours broken down: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=31061.html

 

That's great thanks Big, my buddy did say that he'd strip them to clean so I'm hoping he'll go the whole hog. He had a Maxim for 15 years or so. So he's got pretty good knowledge of the carbs himself.

Compression test and new plugs was next on my 'to do' list before the engine comes out. I'm hoping it wont need to be rebuilt, just polished up and painted etc.

 

So I've finally heard back about my carbs, my buddy is having trouble splitting them because, and I quote "bastards before you have f***ed this shit up" apologies for the fruity language, but I assume we're all adults lol.

Basically, he says that almost all of the screws have been rounded off and he didn't want to try anything that may actually harm the carb.

If I can't split them, is there another bike that I maybe able to source the carbs from? I've discovered that parts for Maxim's in the UK are akin to rocking horse poo!

 

Rocking horse poo? Nahh, you wanna try an E-II...... Oh I forgot you can't try one, I'm not selling it lol The rack screws are very tight & also threadlocked, if they're already "dead" shall we say, then grinding a slot in the head if possible and impact driver them out is probably the way to shift 'em... or put flats on the sides and get a spanner on them... Very carefully applied heat could help as well, but I'd want to make sure the carbs were stripped as far as possible & washed out with something non-flammable & non-damaging to rubber first.

Tell him to be careful with the float pin towers too as they snap easily (I believe the pins are tight and only come out one way on Mikunis too)

 

He's not willing to put an impact driver on them, he's going to be binging them back to me sometime this week, doesn't want to be responsible for breaking them. Which is fair since he wasn't charging me for the strip and clean. I'll give that a go once their back and I get my workbench vice set back up.

 

Don't quote me on this as I'm far from sure, but I seem to remember hearing that the FJ600 carbs were similar... Maybe worth looking into as parts/carbs for those should be easier to get over here if they were the same

 

Cool I'll keep an eye out for a chip set. Jut invade

 

The XJ550 Seca carbs are the same. They just have different jets from the XJ550 Maxim. It should be easier to find a set of those over there. If I remember correctly, they are just called the XJ550 without the Seca designation like in the U.S.

 

:? Autocorrect battle lost?

 

Cheers Zombie. Haha true that is pretty good autocorrect fail

 

Ok, got the carbs back this afternoon, I reckon I'll be able to get them apart, the only crews that appear to be rounded off are the float bowl screws so I should be able to get the impact driver on them once they're separated.

Going to give it a go tomorrow once the small person has gone to school so I don't have to content with little, inquisitive fingers as well

Will keep you posted!

 

Ok had a look at the carbs today, some of the screws are more rounded than I thought so I haven't been able to get one stripped. I have managed to take the float bowls off and give them a clean, but I've noticed that the little wire clip from cab #1 is missing, I'm guessing it'll need to be replaced to get it running smooth?

 

Did you get a compression test on the motor?

 

Not yet, having issues funding a new battery & spark plug spanner (different to the ones I got) this close to Christmas, most of my funds have gone into presents & food, will be on the case just after Xmas though. Thought I'd try and do some of the jobs I have the tools for now.

With the carbs, you think they should be stripped & rebuilt with one of the refurb kits I've seen on eBay?

 

Ok, so the new battery & compression tester arrived. Wired up the 125 ignition like last time, put new bat on and got nothing! No lights, no dash lights nothing. I'm thinking that (even with my best efforts) some rain has got into the electrics or maybe a fuse has gone. At this point however, I could feel rain in the air so covered everything as best I could with plastic sheet and covered the bike in hope that if it is water shorting it, hopefully it'll be waterproofed enough to dry out.

Could it be anything else you think?

 

Probably not shorting unless it was totally soaked. You'd at least have dash lights. Is the battery new?

Check the fuses first.

There are wiring diagrams online, try to find one and locate all of the contacts related to the starter and ignition -even take the switch on the handlebar apart- and clean all of the contacts with a wire brush.

Get a multi-meter if you don't have one.

Might be worth a try.

 

Cheers Lac, yeah the battery is a brand new Motobatt so comes fully charged out of the box. It's difficult for me to work on at the minute since I don't have a garage (or shed big enough) to put it on to work in the dry and we're in the midst of some pretty bad wet weather at the minute! Will check the fuses when we get a dry spell lol.

 

Right, think I've found the problem, well at least one of them. One of the fuses has been replaced at some point with a bit of wire coat hanger lol.

The main reason I wanted to get the ignition back was to do a compression test, but my tester doesn't have an 18mm adaptor (stupid odd size spark)

So, I've decided to go ahead with dismantling it ready to prep the body work & frame painted and electrics sorted. I know I'm going about it the wrong way, but I have every reason to believe compression will be fine. Got the bike off a good friend who has assured me it was running perfectly until someone tried to steal and fubar'd the ignition wiring, which is when he parked it up, meant to repair it but never got round to it.