1982 XJ 550 Starter solenoid clicking wont start

Well I should start off by saying hello to everyone. I just bought a 1982 xj550 from a yardsale for $275. The lady said all it needed was a fuel filter, fuel line, and battery. It was an easy purchase. I am actually a college kid thats into subaru impreza's and i am on subaru forums like crazy. Wanted a bike for the summer. Anywho...

First I pulled off the carbs and my mechanic take them apart and clean them and what not. Then I bought a fuel line, fuel filter, battery, and fuel petcock.

The bike started first within a few cranks. However, the bike had an extremely high idle. After some tinkering the idle started to come down then the bike died and then would turn over and not start.

That was yesterday and today i am running into different issues. The bike wont turn over but the solenoid will click over and over. The neutral light dims and occasionally the starter solenoid will not click at all.

I have searched and hit on most of what is suggested in the forums. Loose connections, battery issues, etc. I cant figure it out.

I do not have a wiring diagram of the bike which might help.

Please chime in with your thoughts...

Regards,

Korey

 

Just something easy to do that worked for me was pull the headlight with key off and all, disconnect and reconnect all of the connectors to maybe break through some corrosion(sp).

First jump the leads on the solenoid with a fat bladed screwdriver for a second to see if your starter is actually gone.make sure its in neutral so you dont have a runaway bike. If it does pull the leads and everything off of the solenoid, remove it, and clean the terminals, bolts, and wire ends with a wire brush or sandpaper.Simillar to what you would do to a car that has an issue with a corroded battery terminal.

But FIRST!!!!! pull the rear wheel and check for delamination of the pads and check tire dates. As well as dates for the front brake line dates and such. Im sure rick or someone will chime in with links for all of that. Fix it right and wear all the gear you got everytime you ride or you may not ride again.

Almost forgot to add try taking off the left cover, Removing the plugs, and turn the motor over by hand with a wrench. If it doesent turn your issues may be more than a solenoid or relay. Alsso check the sidestand/ clutch relay assuming you have one(not too keen on the 550s)

 

Charge the battery with a motorcycle battery charger. Did you bench sync the carbs? A common misconception on these is that if the starter will turn the engine over the battery is charged but in reality the starter can spin the engine but there is not enough juice left to fire the coils. When working on the bike pull the fuse to the headlight.

 

Here are schematics for the 550. Page 1 is the Maxim, page 2 &3 are the Seca

http://s974.photobucket.com/home/Not_Mother/index

Check the fusebox as well as the items from the others. The tabs get brittle and lose tension causing high resistance and low currents in the circuits.

 

Now that you've begun to "fiddle with" the carbs, you're going to have to do this right or it will never run right.

In order:

VALVE CLEARANCES IN SPEC.
Carbs clean and pass the "clunk" test, do a forum search.
Float levels verified using fuel and clear tubing VERY IMPORTANT.
Carbs bench sync'ed.
--back on the bike--
Running vacuum sync with YICS blocked.
Final mixture tweaking.

This is basically a summary of the "high points" of what is involved in a proper carb service procedure on one of these bikes. ALL OF THESE things need to be done, IN ORDER, or you will continue to have problems.

But, as mentioned above: Back up a second. This is a quarter-century old bike and certain things HAVE TO BE attended to before you start riding around on it and get hurt. It's an old motorcycle, not an old car.

BRAKES: REAR SHOES DELAMINATE. Happens a lot; it can suddenly lock your rear wheel, at any speed. READ: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

The front brake lines had a recommended lifespan of 4 years; original lines need to be replaced before one POPS on you. All of the rubber parts in the front brake system need to be replaced: Caliper seals, master cylinder seals, lines, etc. Gotta do it, your life could depend on it.

TIRES: These bikes have tubeless tires. Anything over 6 years old is dangerous; check your date codes on the sidewalls. If there aren't any, the tires are REALLY old and need to go, regardless of apparent remaining tread life.

I don't mean to sound discouraging, but regardless of how decent of a shape the bike appears to be in, you have some work to do to get it SAFE and reliable if you really plan to ride it. It can be done, but it does take time and work and a few bucks to properly "recommission" an old bike.

Start with a service manual.

Read the first six or so threads linked in here under "Cool Hand Luke" http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27544.html

Your starting issue is a classic sign of a weak battery; it's very possible you'll need to attend to the alternator brushes. That'll be covered in the manual.

 

Thank you guys very much. I understand and appreciate your concern for safety. I will address all of those issues before taking this bike to the streets.

As for the current issue with it not turning over. I have charged and recharged the battery. I have checked the grounds that i can see and unconnected wires on starter, solenoid, grounds, battery and I have cleaned them. Also I taken a screw driver and tried to jump the solenoid but that gives one spark and then absolutely nothing (actually shuts the neutral light off and what not).

I am still going to try some of the stuff mentioned above, but was just curious if you guys had any thoughts. Ohh and keep in mind this bike did run at first. and seemed to run very well.

Thanks,

Korey

 

From your last post it sounds like either the battery or starter are the problem. The lights going out are an indication of a high current draw dropping the voltage down. These batteries have very low cranking amp capabilities and die quickly. It is possible that you purchased a battery with a defect, but I would try to run the starter with a different battery. Disconnect your battery and remove the cable from the starter (to prevent any spikes to your system) and then apply voltage to the starter directly using another battery. If the starter turns over, its the battery or cabling to the starter. If not, look for a rebuilder or kit to overhaul yours. You can also remove the starter and run it off the bike. If it turns for 15 seconds without getting hot, its an indication that its OK. If it heats up, there is a problem. Do not run the starter for longer than 15 seconds as you may cause damage. The motor is not designed to run under a "no load" condition.