wierd ticking, knocking noise

You gotta get a book.

ALL the questions are answered in the Manual.

Buy a YAMAHA Factory Manual specific to your bike.

The Manual pays for itself the 1st Hour you use it.
As an engineer ... you'll be happy to see the schematics and exploded views.

Plus, it has step-by-step ... enumerated operations ... to do all the maintenance and repair items.

Buy a Factory Book and use us to fill-in any blanks or provide short-cuts.

 

You don't want to use the starter, you need to remove the timing cover. In the center of the rotor you will see two flats that allow you to use a wrench to turn the crankshaft of the motor. Turn it in the direction of the arrow for two revolutions, then quickly go back the other way.

You might hear a small click which means that the tensioner has taken up some slack. Do it a couple of times to be sure, and then maybe take it for a ride and do it again.

My bike got much quieter after I did this procedure to "remind" the tensioner that it is automatic.

 

I have ordered the XJ cd....do I still need the manual?

 

the manual helps...but what would also help is to know where exactly the best place to get the manual is.

 

Factory Manual:

Link: http://www.yamahapubs.com/html/itemsear ... del=XJ700N

 

I worked on it a little last night, though I didn't get to compression test it (that's tonights chore). I tried the cam chain adjustment, and that didn't change the sound at all. No loose bolts around the exaust, tried all of them. Noise still sounds like it is coming from the block or valves. Tried revving the engine, and taking a spark plug out, one at a time, to see if there was anything there. On one of them, (if you number them from left to right), number 2 from the left, made the sound less, even not there at times, but it didn't totally go away, either.

So compression testing tonight.

Anybody know of any shops in the Portland, Oregon area that will look at and work on bikes this old? Everywhere I called won't work on them older than 1992. I'm stuck!

 

With nothing on our Bike's that's considered a "Plug-'n-play" part ... more and more places are rejecting doing the work on old bikes.

The New Bike's don't require a whole lot of troubleshooting. They're Solid State. Plug it into a Diagnostic Computer and the Software points to the problem.
The hardest thing a Tech has to do is get-buy all the Plastic Parts to get his hands on the oart that needs replacing.

And, that's what they do. Swao it out for a new one or one that's been Factory reconditioned. Easy money.

When an Old Bike comes-in ... they have to have a good idea what's wrong.
When a couple of things aren't right; that ruins their day.
They'd rather do three or four high-tech Bike's than spend that time on just doing one Work Order.

The Dealership's bacj them up by telling you that they don't work on the Older Bike's anymore.
Losing your business isn't going to slow down the process of them doing multiple Bike's with a computer telling them what to look for!

 

That is a nice commentary, Rick, but doesn't really help in this situation.

 

did you pop the valve cover off yet to inspect the cam lobes and check valve clearances?

 

I'm still engaged in helping you find that noise.

What are your most recent findings?

 

A plug not firing will make a nice knocking sound. Have you checked them? Let the bike idle and pull one plug wire at a time. When you find the one that doesn't make the engine sound any different, then you have found it. Cheap insurance is changing the plugs.

 

Pulled each plug one at a time, didn't get rid of the sound, although it changed the sound a little in one cylinder. Took it to a shop, and they said possible bearing going out, or maybe the cam chain slipper? Whatever that is....

But the couple of other people I talked to said the noise wasn't low enough to be either of those things, and suggested the compression test (which I haven't gotten too, what with sick kids and work), and suggested that the exaust pipes might be the problem. That got me wishful, as this particular guy said that the tubes are double-walled, and sometimes one will break away from the other, making a aweful racket. So I took my rubber mallet to the pipes, but nothing. Bummer.

So, that leads me to a question....When I got it home today, and then went to start back up, it acted like the battery was dead....wouldn't even turn over. Eventually, after a couple combinations of turning the key on/off, and such, it started up. Could the alternator (or whatever bikes have) be going out and cause the noise I am hearing? Or the starter?

 

Since you have already said the noise is rotational and variable with rpm's ... there's a few things you can look for and test for.

Look at the "Tracks" on the Alternator Rotor and see if they look "Out of Round" or the width of the path isn't perfectly round.

Place a bolt into the end of the shaft and see if a Dial Gauge tells a story when the Engine is turned-over without the Plugs in place.

Remove the Cam Bearing Caps ~> One at a time <~ Lay a length of PlastiGuage on the Cam Bearing and replace the Bearing Cap, tightening it to Specs.

Remove the Cap, once again, and take the squeezed-flat strand of PlastiGuage and measure it on the Scale of the Envelope it comes in.

You'll be able to determine if the Bearing is worn by comparing the PlastiGuage's Envelope read-out of the tolerance to the Specs in the Technical Data Section of the Shop Manual.

There are NO half-shells to replace if the Bearings and surfaces are out of Spec. The fix would be a used Cylinder Head that passed the above mentioned test with no other issues at fault.

 

Okay here is my update.

Took me forever to get the right size socket to get the spark plugs out (I'm not a natural grease monkey!) Finally got it, but in the last day or so my starter has gotten finicky. It turns over sometimes, and sometimes just clicks. I checked my battery, and it was fine, cold, 11.92, running, 12.20, turning over, 11.52. I checked the wire that was hooked to the starter, and when I hit the starter button, it has the full juice going to it...but doesn't turn over. I hear a loud click (from the thing under the seat, but no turning over by the starter.
The bike will start, if I get it rolling and pop the clutch, and will stay running till I turn it off.
Can't compression test it if the starter won't work. Do I have a bad starter? Could that be the source of my noise?

-tim

 

I would say your voltage is not fine, it's low. If you rev your engine and get above 2,000 rpm what's your voltage? should be at least 14.2 ~ 14.8 volts.
If you get full voltage to the wire at the starter and the starter won't spin, it suggests that you need to pull the starter and check it over for problems. Could be bearings, brushes, fried windings, broken wire, or just need a good cleaning and lube job. Take a look at this thread....
http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=5357.html
A starter is only used when you push the button, so it won't be a source of noise when the engine is running unless there's a short in the wiring causing the starter to keep running, which would burn it up because it's not designed to run for very long.

 

yeah, sounds like the starter needs to be overhauled with some new brushes. Clean it up real well as it will probably be filled with carbon dust.

 

Measuring battery voltage*:

12.8v = 100% Charge
12.6v = 75% Charge
12.4v = 50% Charge
12.2v = 25% Charge
12.0v = 0% Charge

*This chart is for reference purposes only. Voltage is measured with no external loads present.

 

You have to check-out the starter. If you put 12Volts to it ... is should spin.

If is doesn't ... you need to look at the Brushes situation, for sure.

 

There's no chance it could be this could it?

 

When I start my bike (85 maxim 700) it makes a ticking noise, almost like the noise you hear on a bicycle at low speed when there is a stick in the spokes....kinda a metal on metal tick. any ideas?[/quote]

I had exactly that sound and it got worse..... I have an XJ550 1984.
I suspected there was an exaust leak and the bike needed a tune so I got them to set the valve clearances..... They said there was no exaust leak but the cam chain tentioner had run out of adjustment. I ordered a new cam chain and they fitted it and oh wouldn't you know it they found when they tried to check the exaust bolts one just pulled out....... Fixed that as well and now the sound has gone. Sounded a bit like big end slop.