Trouble starting

Any help or guidance on this would be appreciated. I bought an 82 xj550 last week. It ran fine the day I bought it and a couple days after. When I started it up Thursday after an oil change and the engine turned over fine but then instantly died (like what happens when you forget to choke it). Even when I choke it the engine still wont turn over. The engine cranks but only with the starter. After awhile of stater my battery died so I hooked it up to a portable power supply but it still just chugs. I checked my spark plugs and they were bad so I replaced them. I can get a spark on 2,3,4 but not on 1.
Could that be preventing it from running? Any advice helps.

 

if you hve the factory fuse block replace it now.
check the connectors leading to the tci and clean them

the choke setting should be called a choke, all it does it dump extra fuel intot he cylinders.

have you cleaned the carbs?

 

If your not getting spark on 1 you need to check your coil, wire, and plug cap. A lot of times the end of the wire is bad and needs to be trimmed and re threaded into the cap, or the resistor in the cap goes bad and the cap needs to be replaced. Are you getting fuel to the cylinders?

 

It should still run with only 3 getting spark if everything else is in order. I've had my 550 running on only two cylinders when my carbs were dirty and two weren't getting fuel to idle-Although you could easily tell it was down to two as it was galloping and sounded bad. On three you could hardly tell it was down one at idle.

When you say your plugs were 'bad', in what way? You should make sure your battery is fully charged before trying to start it, and try maverickbr77's advice and trim your dead plugs wire back about 1/8" and reinsert it into the cap while twisting. Pop off your side cover and take a look at your air filter and intake box to make sure it's clean. Plugs right and gapped?

 

Also check inside the plug cap and ensure the resistor core is not loose. There are screwdriver slots on either side of where the top of the plug goes; gently check and be sure the core is tight.

There is a threaded spike inside the plug cap that screws into the center of the wire; don't over-tighten after doing the "lop 1/4" off" thing.

How much oil did you put in it doing the oil change?

 

Carbs were cleaned a few months ago. Previous owner had them synced as well (or so he said.)
The old plugs were turning black and were starting to have some carbon build up on them. Couldn't get a spark out of them. I can definitely smell fuel in the cylinders.
I put a little over two quarts of new oil in after draining it.

 

I did a little work on the bike this morning and now it fires up and runs fine... but only if I bump start it.

 

Safety circuit. Sidestand switch, neutral switch, sidestand relay, safety relay.

Start with the sidestand switch.

Could also be the connections on the solenoid; or the solenoid itself. Or the connections to the starter, or the starter itself.

Need better info to help you track it down.

 

The starter was turning, is it still? Battery is likely culprit if it will still spin the starter but not fire-not enough voltage left over to fire the coils. When you bump start it there is no drain by the starter motor.