Starting Issue

Had a problem with my XJ700 starting, bike has 2400 miles, stored for a long time by previous owner....starter worked great when I bought it...Abou 1 month later had intermittent starts and got to a point where I had to roll it off to start.

Turned switch and got clicks but no start.....took off starter to clean up innerds, hooked up to a battery charger and worked fine....put back on bike and no start.....re-checked all electricals......everything was good to go....except no start.......grounds where all good

Found that, after all was said and done, all the complex stuff was gone through first.......had a weak ground to the starter....the ground for the starter is the body contacting the engine....which is only 2 points....see above posting diagram, where item 20 bolt hole flats touch the engine.

I took a fine file and re-surfaced the aluminum on the flat places on the engine and starter and replaced the starter.....now it starts every time...

There was a fine, non-conducting oxide layer preventing good electrical contact for a good ground preventing a complete circuit...

Check this out first on your 20+ year bike before you go through a lot of work like I did

 

hmmm... wonder if that is what the problem is. The bolt labeled 20 (well one of them as there are two) is the one that is sheared off. (The bolt is held in place by two or three threads if that.)

maybe i will try to drill that one out this weekend and see if that will help

on a side note, since guessing it was the starter working improperly i did a little experimenting

with the battery fully charged, rather than jump start it in the morning... i just kept trying to start it in place. it starts eventually




EDIT: Realization about the bolt that is sheared off (20). I just realized I am going to have to drill out the one under the seat first, and yank the starter before I can drill out bolt 20 since it sheared down near the threads

*head smack to face*

 

Mine was very clean but the ground contact is a very good point. But as long as you pull the starer you might as well clean it - very easy to do.

 

oh heck yea... i will definitely clean it when i get the dang thing off

the starter is beginning to get worse... or maybe i am just noticing it more but when you crank the engine the starter grinds... makes me almost certain that this is a starter issue

now if only i could get that effer off!

 

I wanted to officially thank Pete (TIMEtoRIDE) for helping me with my starter issue.

While one of the bolts holding the starter on is still frozen and the starter still needs work... Pete helped me come up with a creative solution.

My bike is rigged beyond belief from an electrical standpoint. The bike was taken from a junk yard and rebuilt by a mechanic. The bike had no gages and no headlight when he started.

Apparently when he installed an aftermarket headlight, he had to bypass the switch that turns the headlight off when you hit the starter button.

Pete helped me realize that because the headlight was draining all the power, there was little left for the spark plugs to fire the bike up.

So we went down to the auto parks store and rigged a switch up to the headlight so that I could manually turn it off prior to starting the bike.

Works like a charm... thanks again Pete!!!

Found a cheap tool bag to cover it up after getting back to Polk County Saturday so now the switch is nice and covered up from the elements too.

 

Hi guys I was reading all of the post hoping to see my issue. Not to be. I have two xj 750r's that both do the same thing. I have to stab the starter button many times to get current to the starter. On one I took the button apart and clean it and lubed it. (Note) these buttons do not stick or are they stiff to push in. It just seems that the connection is not happening. With both bikes approximately the same age is this a common problem. Can any one tell me from the starter button how is the circuit made to the starter. After current is made the starter functions properly. Bob

 

sherman204: bad solenoid? Trace the big wire/piece of metal from the battery to the round thing about 2.5" diameter. Using a voltmeter see if you get 12+v on BOTH bolts when the starter ISN'T turning. 12+v on both = solenoid is good, 12+v on one(when pressing start button) = solenoid is bad

 

sherman204: I was also having the 'won't engage issue'. I started my troubleshooting from the other end though. Your starter solenoid is right next to the battery. It's got two wires that will trace back to the starter button. Check for corrosion in the wires, and make sure you have continuity in the small wires connected to the solenoid. I had resistance in one of my wires. I unsoldered, trimmed, and re-soldered, and now the starter spins on 8 of 10 start tries. I'm going to clean up the switch today. Hopefully that will get the other 2 tries cleaned up.

 

Could also be the solenoid itself. Mine would work say 8 of 10 times. I replaced it and the problem was gone. I opened the old one (note an easy task) and cleaned it up. It works fine now too.

 

Thanks to all of you. It sound like the first part to be checked is the solenoid.
I'm currently getting ready to paint the honda bobber so this next week will be devoted to first spending time with my Bride of 31 years to celebrate our anniversary then getting some paint on the bobber. So the following week will be devoted to curing the starting problem on the seca.
On an unrelated issue any one out there know what effects the turn signal speed. It seems that I installed some after market bulb type signals on this bike. They work fine as long as the RPM is above 2000 below this they don't perform.. any ideas why. Bob

 

turn signal bulbs should be 27 w.

 

If your turn signals are not working below 2k rpm check your battery. Below about that point you are running off the battery. Make sure the fluids are full and it is fully charged.

May not be related but that is an interesting problem. Could be part of your starting problem too.

 

I have a similar problem with my signals on one of my 750's. The left ones won't blink under 2000 rpm and the right ones work fine. I think it might be the wrong bulbs. So what is the correct bulb the signals are supposed to have in them?

 

Given the years of your bikes I would think they all use 1156's

Newer bikes with the turns being running lights would use 1157s like the brakes.

Like wiz said they are 27W bulbs.