Electrical problem (XJ700)

I have a 1985 maxim xj700, got it a few months ago and it wasn’t running at the time, a deep cleaning and tune up later it ran perfectly, other than the dead battery. I replaced the battery and new plugs the other day only to find out that there was no spark going to any of the plugs. Compression and fuel were tested and are good. Used a miltimeter to test power to nearly everything, and the coils looked good but still no so spark. My best assumption is a bad connection somewhere. Then earlier today while I was working on that issue, the bike just lost all power, absolutely everything. When I turn the key the lights don’t come on, the switches don’t work. I’m at a loss. Anyone have some tips on what to check?

 

Your battery maybe dead , if it is a lead acid battery check fluid level , if it is low only add distilled water to proper level. I you have a battery charger put it on charge over night and then see what happens. Check voltage if it is 10 volts or less . The other item if you still have the glass fuse block check with volt meter if you have continuity through the fuses , if you have upgraded to blade type fuses check to make sure you have not blown a fuse. Note a low battery 10volts might crank over engine but the TCI will not function and this is why no spark. I upgraded to the AMG sealed battery much better and beats the cheapo Wally world batteries . Cheers.

 

battery connection to fuse block disconnected? main fuse. then run/kill switch

 

I just went through and cleaned every connector and plug, checked and double checked to make sure it is all plugged in. The new battery doesn’t have the spot to put water in but is reading 12.5 volts.. there is the glass fuse under the seat still continuity and tried with it disconnected. Also blade fuses under dash are all good.. still no power to lights, horn, kill/start switch. Only way to crank is with a screwdriver to the starter. Anything else I could be missing?

 

Your solenoid is toast, replace very cheap , they get corrosion inside and only way to start is is to jumper . I had problem with mine intermittent no crank , replaced problem taken care of, bought 2 so I have a spare.

 

Ok thank you! I’ll give that a shot.

 

As I recall think I paid less than 10$ for the solenoid.

 

do your tail lights come on with the key?

find and pull your sidestand relay your sidestand switch may be bad stopping starter button from working

you have a relay assembly contains most relay stuff
https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-ultimate-relay-switch-sensor-and-diodes-guide.27543/

did your headlight come on when jumping solenoid?

 

Update: figured it out, after hours of cleaning and replacing I got fed up and started tearing up the main wiring.. feel stupid for not thinking of it before. It was a corroded splice between the main auxiliary wire and the inline fuse wire. . Everything starts perfectly. Now I think I have a safety switch issue. Thank you for the input, I’m still learning about this bike

 

my 85 xj700 is running much better now since I figured out the electrical issue and other little things. Took it out for a ride the past two days and have another issue. The mpg is terrible, full tank and maybe 15-20 miles later I run out of gas on the side of the road. I’m sure there are adjustments I need to make, it has the symptoms of running a little rich/lean.. can anyone tell me how to go about fixing that and any other things I can do to get the mpg where it should be?

 

if you actually had a full tank, then went 20 miles and now have an empty tank, you have a serious fuel leak.
It might have left gas on the ground or it's in the crankcase.
Nobody has that bad of mileage

 

+1^
There has to be fuel leaking someplace. Put the bike on the center stand and start it up. See if you can find the place gas us running out of the bike. Most times it comes out of the air box or it could be coming out of the overflow parts of the carbs. As stated above, no way you are getting that bad of MPG on your bike, the fuel is leaving the bike and not through the normal burning process.

 

So I rode it to the store to get it going and tried to open the throttle up, Boggs out every gear and won’t reach past 50.. There is no fuel leaking anywhere, but the fuel filter is completely full, I can smell gas with the exhaust and it has smoke. So it’s using a lot of fuel for some reason?

 

Remove the oil fill cap. Sniff. You'll find your missing gasoline there.
Don't run the engine any more until you tend to the leaking float needle(s)/ stuck float(s).

How I know:
1. Grossly excessive fuel use, well beyond what a mixture problem would result in.
2. Bogging in every gear, smoke, the smell of raw fuel coming from the exhaust, all indicating an overfull crankcase.
3. No external signs of a fuel leak.

 

You were absolutely right. I pulled the carbs, fixed the floats and set them to the correct height, checked the needles and fixed those. Changed fluids and now it runs even better. Thank you!