81 Maxim 550 starting issue

Correct.

I am guessing the "X" is for exhaust and "I" is for intake, and if so, then you will be changing all the exhaust shims and all the intake shims. They're all tight, which shouldn't be a surprise, and why bigfitz stresses you gotta check the shim clearances. Exhaust 3 & 4 are really tight

 

Josh, once you figure what shims you think you need, run it back by us and we'll double-check your numbers.

Yes, they are all tight; but we shall honor XJBikes' Law #2 (no saying "I told you so") and help you get them in spec.

This is why the book says the valve clearances come first.

 

ok so i checked all my numbers again and figured out what shim i need to order, so i can get everything back into spec

Old Shims and measurements
X I
4. .076 .076
3. .076 .102
2. .127 .076
1. .102 .076

4 y260 y275
3 y265 y275
2 y265 y270
1 y265 y280

New replacement shims to be ordered
X I
4 y250 y270
3 y255 y270
2 y275 y265
1 y255 y275

also is there a way to order just the shims i need? or do i gotta buy a kit that has a bunch of shims? im sure i could contact chacal but i like to shop around too

 

Order just the shims you need. Len carries aftermarket shims that run about 1/2 of what Yamaha usually gets.

Or get ahold of HogFiddles and ask him about the "shim pool."

 

Also you're putting a 275 in place of a 265 on "X2" at .127MM; you would need a 260 to get you in spec at .177 (.18)MM.

You don't really need the chart; a one-size smaller shim will increase clearance by .05mm; two sizes will get you .10mm more.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here - but it looks like you can actually move some of the shims that you already have to get 4 of your valves in spec so you only need to order 1 - y250, 2 - y255s, and 1 - y265.

 

Good man. (Fitz doesn't re-use shims, so I didn't do that part.) You did adjust for his mistake on exhaust 2, right? (I'm still not doing it...)

 

Shoot, yeah, I missed that! Good lookin' out, Fitz! So.. you should end up with:

Exhaust:

4: 250 - NEW
3: 255 - NEW
2: 260 - FROM X4
1: 255 - NEW

Intake:

4: 270 - FROM I2
3: 270 - NEW
2: 265 - FROM X1,X2, OR X3
1: 275 - FROM I3 OR I4

NEED TO ORDER: 250, 255, 255, 270

 

thanks guys, got an order in with chacal so its just the waiting game now.

oh and ted the issues the other day was infact the start button, so looks like ill be needing a new one of those as well

 

UGH.. I hate electrical issues. Definitely not my forte'

If you haven't already I would definitely try pulling apart the switch to see what's wrong. Usually they can be fixed just by cleaning up the connections. Do you have a test light to make sure power is getting to the switch?

 

im thinking the switch spring is worn out, there is a small plate on the opposite side of the button and the spring is inbetween, and when i used a screwdriver to push that plate forward a bit it then worked. seems like an easy fix to me... (fingers crossed)

 

XJ4Ever has a "button kit" with a new button, contact and spring.

 

i was wondering how to remove the starter, do i need to remove the plate cover that covers the chain? and is there anything else holding it in / blocking its exit? figured id check it out and see if it needs a rebuild kit or if it is just in good shape over all. couldnt hurt right! the more i fix or replace; the better the bike will be.

 

Yes, you need to remove the forward sprocket cover; then there are just two bolts retaining the starter. (Be sure to disconnect the cable.)

It's a tight fit where the "nose" plugs into the case, it has a very fine o-ring on it. It may take some tug/wiggling to pull it free.

 

ok so i got the sprocket cover off and the starter. the good news is that the starter seems to work fine (using jumper cable test). the bad news is under the cover there was a lifetime worth of dirt/mud/grass/seeds caked up under there! so whats the safest thing to use under there to clean it off? regular water, brake cleaner?

 

ok so i was doing some more fiddling around today while i was putting in the new valve shims, and i was checking out the starter button because that didnt seem to be working the other day, now it seems to work intermittently. so thinking it was the spring; i switch the spring and button with the horn spring and button, but no real change. so im thinking there is a bad connection/wire somewhere. how do i go about figuring out if my wires are good, i have a multimeter i would just need to know what setting it needs to be on and what wires to test and where. pictures would be a big help.

 

You'll need a wiring diagram. There are several posted on here and they are in the manuals. Try a search for '550 AND wiring diagram.'

You can trace a wire many ways. The 'poor man's' method if you don't have access to a wire trace tool (which creates a tone in the wire you can find with a probe) is to hook up a 9v battery, because they have those clip on harnesses with wires extending, to the wire you wish to trace and then you can use the multimeter to check at the other end for 9v coming through-or hook up a test light by grounding one lead and the other lead on the 'test' wire then apply 12v to the far side to see if the light comes on. Visually inspecting the wire on it's path can often find a problem as well. Sometimes the insulation is still intact but the wire inside may have been pinched or stretched beyond continuity. If so the insulation will either be damaged or appear stretched.

I went through every wiring connection and ground when I picked up my '81 550 and cleaned them with emery cloth to expose good metal and gave them a coat of dielectric to keep out corrosion. Most were in good shape but some couldn't have been making good contact. One thing to keep in mind with wires is to take good notes, or be careful not to get things mixed up.

Since no one answered your previous question. You can use water to clean things, but not when it could get in where it doesn't belong-This is especially true of high pressure water. But anytime you do use water come back over that surface with something that won't promote rust or oxidation. Like wax, silicone, a petroleum product, etc. depending on the surface.