Starter Roulette

Okay, this started out as a minor issue, but now it's driving me CRAZY to the point I don't even want to take the bike out of the garage.

Here's the deal - all conditions being equal, my starter button seems to have about a 1-in-4 chance of actually starting the bike.
- Pressing it will ALWAYS turn on the oil light
- Only SOMETIMES will it actually turn over
- When it DOES turn over, it starts like a dream - no hesitation, no slow turning
- When it DOESN'T turn over, most of the time it won't no matter how many times I turn the bike off and on, or flip the kill switch back and forth
- Sometimes it'll start and get me where I need to go, but when I need to go BACK, it won't start
- Sometimes it won't start, so I'll bump-start it, and it'll get me where I need to go, but when I need to go back, it starts FINE

The thing that's driving me crazy is, no amount of fiddling with the wiring harness or fuses (PO put in inlines when he tore the airbox out; I need to put in a new fuse box, but haven't yet) makes any difference. Yet sometimes doing NOTHING other than letting the bike sit fixes it.

I'm convinced it's electrical, and I have a feeling it's either the switch, or the relay under the seat, but before I start tearing things apart, I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions.

Oh, and when it won't start? It bump-starts fine, every damn time. Engine, fuel system, everything else works like a top. It's just the damn starter button that's being intermittent.

Thanks in advance

 

Shannon,
I had the very same issue. Turned out to be the solenoid under the seat, behind the side cover, next to the battery. Mine sits in a rubber sleeve. This is on a 750 Max but I expect yours is similar. Easy test is, next time it won't start, tap the solenoid with a screwdriver handle or something similar. if jarring the unit makes it turn over, that's your problem. Solution? New one or, the way I did it. I took it apart (you have to unsolder one delicate wire), cleaned it and polished the piston inside. I've never had another problem. Not hard to do at all. Hope that is it.

 

Thanks, Cole - I'll give that a try tonight. It's without a doubt the most irritating issue I've had with this bike. Nothing like pulling up to a gas pump, filling up, and then having to run-start your bike across the slab to get it going again.

 

Or the button itself; or the connections to the solenoid. Yes it could be the solenoid but it could also be something less expensive and more of a pain, like dirty or corroded connections or a bad ground.

My '81 is doing this, but not as badly; in my case I have it down to the button but I'm not taking it apart until I track down a replacement switch cluster or it fails altogether. (Mine's been glued back together by the PO and I'm afraid of what will happen upon disassembly.)

 

My 82 XJ550 Maxim also does this. When it's been sitting for any length of time it cranks immediately every time. If it happens to die after startup when I push the starter button nothing happens for 2 - 3 seconds then cranks right up. Sometimes oil light comes on, sometimes not.
I probably need to clean the start button and replace the solenoid but of course, since it always works eventually, this particular repair never gets to the top of the list.

 

Given that your oil light comes on, your switch is not the bad actor here. My money is on your solenoid. Either pull it apart and clean it up or replace it. You should be golden after that.

 

Seems like the solenoid is indeed the culprit! I went out to the bike after work today and it did the tired old oil-light-only start. So I took the side cover off, pulled the solenoid from its little cradle, gave the end of it a hard whack with my keychain, tried again, and WHAMMO! Started in a heartbeat.

I'm going to pull the solenoid and clean it as soon as I can, and hopefully that'll take care of things. Until then, at least I know I can beat it into submission when it misbehaves.

As always, thanks for all your help, guys - XJBikes is the best!

 

i vote for replacing it, its probably the original from 1982. i agree that it wouldnt be the button. before you do replace it, use a test light or volt meter to be sure you have proper power and ground on the signal side, as well as the heavy guage hot wire.

 

Had this exact problem, replacing the solenoid solved it pronto. They're cheap from chacal also, and it only takes a couple of days to get it once they receive payment...

 

The same problem with mine was the starter button. Took it apart and cleaned the contacts with very fine sandpaper and put a small piece of rubber behind the contacts (they`re like points, ya remember them?) coz they were flexing in their mount, which meant the starter button was not applying the right pressure easily, as well as the points being dirty. Aso lightly greased the pivoting area, now it works like it should. WARNING if you do this be very careful not to lose the TINY ball and spring that the button pivots on and you will have to juggle to get them back in.

 

Bushy - the button seems to be working fine; the oil light comes on every time I push it, so in my case it does seem to be the solenoid. For which I'm glad - this isn't the first time that I've heard how many fiddly bits are easy to lose when messing with the starter button!