about ready to park it for the winter...

well the maxim has got me really frustrated as of late, did a bunch of great work on the carbs... or so i thought. been testing everything about my power drain and still coming up empty on that process.

after recently replacing parts in my carbs and resetting all my float levels and cleaning them up again, i tried taking ti to work the other day and it was doing what seemed like the same issues as a few months back where it was dying at stop lights. had to leave the bike in a random parking lot for most of the day. after getting out of work, the bike started (after recharging the battery) and i only got the the next red light and ended up pushing the bike a mile back home.

after all that work i did on the carbs being very meticulous about everything it still seems like nothing really changed. although i could really use the transportation i feel like if i take it apart again by the time i get it all back together the season is going to be over.

i guess im wondering if any one has some suggestions on something that i may have missed or over looked. or if i should jsut park it for the winter and get back to it next year?

Recent doings...
added fuel filter
cleaned carbs
reset float levels
replaced needles
replaced seats and o rings
tested battery (good)
tested rotar (good)
bike charges battery over 3000

 

Your issue sounds like electrical. If it starts back up after charging the battery you need to have a look at the charging system.

 

I would start with your alternator brushes

 

Josh; Did you take the battery somewhere and they said it was fine?

Also, "charges battery over 3000" you should be at full 14.5V output by 2500rpm.

Your valve clearances are in spec, right? This isn't a "starts fine cold, won't start warm" thing?

 

Josh, with as much work you have put into this bike, it would be a shame to walk away from it now. I have followed most of your posts on your rebuild and I think you can rule out problems with the carbs. However the only last fuel related issue would be the petcok not working correctly or something slimy floating around in your tank that gets sucked up over the petcok. Other than that issue, it sounds like it is an electrical problem. You have the fuel, air, and compression taken care of, so now it sounds like it could be charging, timing, coils, or tci. Surely there is enough people on this website to walk you through how to test each item until you find the gremlin. Just keep you head up and take you time. It will be worth it in the end...hope this helps..

 

I feel your pain. Mine ran great until float bowl needle problem surfaced. Pulled carbs, cleaned completly and rebuilt, bought several hundred dollars of specialized tuning equipment.

Now it runs like manure. Winter is here and no more riding so come January will be pulling the carbs again. Hope the Yanaha gods look after you (and me if he has time).

 

if the battery is dead when it dies at the intersection, I would definitely be looking at the charging system.

CN

 

i brought my battery to advance and they said there was no real way to load test it if it wasnt on the bike..... but it was showing the correct ammount of amps and volts.

would the electrical really be the problem with it dying at stop lights? it seems to me like its not getting a good fuel/air ratio; like i was told last time i was having this type of issue. the battery wants to start the bike but it wont fire.

and it started after charging the battery becasue when i parked it and walked to work the battery died over the 6 or so hours it was parked. i was told my brushes looked fine they are well above the 'lines'.

crazy thing is that i didnt even make it a mile from my house before it crapped out. but the other day i rode it all over town and it didnt even shows signs of slowing down. i clearly still have an electrical issue, but was 'solving' it temparalily by unhooking a terminal so it wouldnt die on me at work.

 

Advance lied, take it somewhere else. If they have the proper equipment they can load test it. I take mine to my local wood-floor, piston ashtray on the counter NAPA.

Yes, you could still have carburetor issues. But keep this in mind: when everything is 100%, the bike runs off ONLY the battery below 2500rpm. So if you have battery or battery-circuit related problems, it won't idle; just die as soon as it drops below 2500rpm.

Yes, I said your brushes looked fine; did you pull the brush holder, turn it over, and inspect the little braided lead wires for internal corrosion?

DOES THE CHARGING SYSTEM make 14.5V at 2500rpm? Not at 3K, it should be fully online at 2500 (and usually is at around 2200.)

 

unfortunatly i dont think i have a napa around here i will try one of the other auto places in town. i did not know the bike would run off batter at low rpms. im pretty sure it was doing 14.5 at 2500 but will double check, i jsut through out 3000 as a round about number.=, because i couldnt remember exactly. i guess i will pull the brushes and look for corison.

sorry for typos not on my usualy keyboard.=-


what really boggles my mind is how my bike which i have worked on tirerlessly can give me so much grief, but my car which i practically abandonded still starts and runs every day but has never died on me, although im expecting ti soon....

 

2 Recommendations after reading some of your post. First. consider the battery tender. When my bike is at home and not being ridden its on the battery tender. I have quick connect hooked up so when I arrive at home it takes me all of 30 seconds to hook up. Battery tender cycles on and off and maintains battery at full charge when the bike is not ridden for extended periods of time. Shop around for lowest price, mine is made by Delran and I purchased several years ago, mail order through Chapparel, CA for about $40.00. I learned many years ago that XJ's like fully charged batteries. Not to say its a fix for your power draining issue but it will extend the life of your battery.

Second not sure how much disassembly you did on the gas cap too get to parts that you sanded to improve opening the gas cap but I do know that the small ball bearings in the cap have to go back in the same way they came out. The gas cap also serves as a vent and if its not functioning correctly it could create an airlock, disrupting fuel delivery to the carbs and cause the machine to stall.

 

Just thinking out loud, but have you tried setting the petcock to prime to see if the problem goes away?