Replaced Guages, Bike Won't Start

Hello everyone,

I just replaced my stock guage cluster on my 81 XJ650 H with a Mikesxs mini speedo and tach. Original Speedo is toast.

After wiring it up, all lights work but the bike won't start. When you put the key in and in the on position headlights turn on and speedo and tach back lights come on. Put it in neutral, neutral light comes on. Turn the starter switch to 'RUN' and the oil light comes on? Never did that before... Press the starter button, nothing happens! Won't even turn over! Checked fuses, all fine. Bike was running fine before I switched the gauges.

Please help! I hate wiring diagrams and don't know where to start.

 

Is your side stand out? It has a sensor that won't let you start the bike with it out.

Did you unplug anything else begind the headlight?

 

No, the side stand is up. Nothing else unplugged.

 

Oil light stays on with key in on position and start switch in run position. The oil light before change would only come on when starting bike, just for a moment and then would turn off.

 

The Bike should be able to be started with the Side-stand DOWN if the Bike is in NEUTRAL.

Inspect the connections inside the Headlight Bucket and see if everything you might have unplugged doing the Gauges got plugged back in.

"Jump" the LOAD Terminals on the Solenoid (the two Posts with the Hex Nuts), ... and see if she runs.
If it does you need to troubleshoot Wiring and Switches.

If you have a STOCK Fuse Panel, ... begin the troubleshooting process there.

 

One connection is unplugged and has been since I got the bike. It has a green connector and the wires appear to go to the clutch lever box on the left side handlebars. I had reconnected that connector once when initially inspecting the bike and it would pop the ignition fuse. It has run and started fine with that connector disconnected for a year.

Everything else is connected as it was with the exception of the speedometer back light. The back light wires also had a third wire going to what the Haynes says is a reed switch for canceling the turn signals. My new speedo doesn't appear to support that function, so I cancelled it out by cutting it and taping it off.

I tried the bike with the connections like that and no luck. So I tried instead splicing the headlight backlight wires to the tach backlight and disconnecting that connector. Lights work just fine like that, but it gives the same result with the oil light staying lit and no power to the starter button.

 

Oh, sorry I didn't answer. I replaced the stock fuse box with blade style a while back.

 

Jumped the solenoid, and she fires up.

 

Interesting to note...

Oil light only is on when all of these are true:

1. Key is in and switched to "ON"
2. Starter switch is set to "RUN"
3. Bike is in Neutral (N light on)

 

The Oil Light comes-on when the Ignition Switch is turned-on to show that the Bulb is functioning.

Goes out when the Bike starts.

 

Right, but now it is on and stays on if the bike is running in neutral after jumping the solenoid to start the bike...as there is no power to the start button.

The three conditions I listed above are what is going on with my bike right now, not normal operation.

 

My FZ750 Genesis that I had for my first bike used to do exactly what you describe with the oil light. Went out as soon as bike was started and put into any gear other then neutral, and came back on when you put it back in neutral. It doesn't sound like something to worry about personally.

I have a quick question about the stand and sensor switch and not starting, etc. On all my bikes, you can start the bike, in neutral, or in gear with the clutch in, while on the center stand, but you can let the clutch out and take it up in first, shift to 2, 3rd, fourth... etc while on the kickstand as if you were driving down the highway. Do center stand not have the same sensor as the side stand?

 

How is the tacho driven? Electric or mechanical?

 

81 XJ 650 H has no stand switch. Just a clutch switch.

Chacal: it's a mechanical tach.

 

Well, it then comes down to either a wire that somewhere has become disconnected, a defective/missing safety switch relay, a bad neutral switch, or a diode block gone bad (or not hooked up). Try reading thru this:

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27543.html

and see if you can find something amiss.

Good luck, it's a pian to in the exhaust pipe to troubleshoot issues like this....

 

I disconnected the diode block and the oil light turned off, but still wouldn't start. The clutch switch has never been connected.

Could a bad diode result in the starter button getting no power?

 

The starter button doesn't really provide power, it complete the ground circuit from the starter solenoid (relay) and thus allows the solenoid to be energized (activated) and pas current to the starter motor. The button, when pressed in, grounds the circuit to the control switch housing, and the control switch housing is grounded via a black wire to the main harness and is also grounded to the handlebars via physical contact with the bar.

 

So according to the wiring diagram, the diode is connected to the oil light ground, the starter button, the AC generator, the Rectifier, and a relay.

The oil light also appears to connect to the neutral safety switch relay (or starting circuit cut-off relay according to my manual), as does the clutch switch, neutral light and switch, and the solenoid (or starter switch).

If the oil light will not come on if the key is on, the kill switch is on "RUN", and the bike is in gear. It comes on once the bike is put into neutral. So my thinking is there is a bad ground somewhere?

 

You're using a wiring diagram.

You need a circuit diagram. They're not one and the same.

The diode block contains more than one diode; and they're parts of different circuits. They're only physically located in the same assembly.

Also your bike may not have a sidestand relay, some don't, but it has (had anyway) a sidestand switch. Which has to be bypassed (jumpered) not simply removed, to prevent from "deploying" the safety circuit.

Have you tried unplugging the safety cutout relay as a troubleshooting step?

 

To test the safety cutout relay you simply unplug it? Wouldn't you need to connect the two red/white leads to complete the circuit? It looks like one of the red/white leads from the cutout relay plugs into the solenoid, while the other goes from the cutout relay to the ignition coil, ignitor unit, kill switch, and oil light.

Also, I know at times it can be inaccurate, but the manual says that models XJ650 G, H, and LH do not have a side stand switch or a relay.

 

Ok, just got done doing some testing.

Pulled safety cutout relay. No dice.
Tested safety cutout relay, it has continuity.
Tested blue/white lead from solenoid to start button. It also has continuity.
Disconnected Starter motor from solenoid, and connected test leads to the two hex posts on the solenoids while key on, kill switch in "RUN", neutral, and pressed the start button. No continuity.

So this must mean the starter relay portion of the solenoid is bad? Never done this before, so if I'm incorrect please let me know.

 

Also, the starter button properly grounds when pressed.

 

The Solenoid could be the problem.
Wouldn't be the first time.

Remove the High-Amp Leads from the Solenoid.
Ignition-OFF
Attach your Multi-meter to the two Posts. (Ohms X 1)
Turn Ign-ON
Set Kill Switch to RUN -- Bike in NEUTRAL.
Press STARTT Switch.
You should "hear" and "feel" the Solenoid close each time the Start Button is pressed.
Meter should swing-over to Zero each time the Button is pressed.

 

It turns out my safety cut-off relay is under my gas tank. Yet there is a relay on the left side under the TCI unit?!

Tested with out safety cut-off relay, no start. Connected the two red/white wires off the safety cut-off relay pigtails and tried it, and the bike starts! Replacing the relay.

The relay that is under the TCI, is it supposed to be there? Looks like the lights go to it.