'82 XJ550 Maxim not starting after winter

Exactly as the title reads. I know very little about bikes, and I swore I was going to learn how to work on the new bike last summer, but that didn't really happen. It rode well enough last season, then my boyfriend winterized it. Now it's a lovely 60 degree day and the bike clicks and tries to start, but the engine doesn't turn over. Tried the choke at varying levels with no luck. Any steps to try working through to see what's up would be greatly appreciated! Maybe with a bit of detail, total newbie unfortunately.

Thank you in advance!
Victoria

 

Oh I should have also mentioned the battery was brought inside and put on a tender all winter, so I don't think that is the issue.

 

If you did not have a fully charged battery this most likely cause if bike will not turn over. I myself bought a new AMG sealed battery from Batterys Plus for 79$ yesterday. The other thing to check are fuses if orginal glass type and original fuse block this can cause problems. Another item is the solenoid you may try to jumper accross it, or make sure kill switch is set to run position . This is just random thoughts on what to check. When bike was winterized did you put stabil in the tank?

 

Make sure your battery connection are good and tight and also thatt the earth (black wire) is connected to clean shiny metal on the frame. Could be as simple as that. Do you have voltmeter or multimeter to check battery?

 

For clarification's sake; by the "engine does not turn over" do you mean that it will not spin, or that it will not go vroom-vroom (no disrespect meant, I use that technical term regularly)?

Did you put the petcock on prime in order to fill the float bowls?

 

No worries about disrespecting me, the simpler the language the better! haha. It's definitely not going vroom-vroom, but I'm not sure if it's even spinning. It's clicking, the oil light flickers like usual, and it kind of sounds like in movies when someone tries to start a beat up car and it just goes "ree reeee", but that's it, nothing more... How's that for technical!.. I've always left the petcock in the "on" position, facing downward. Should I turn it to prime? And for how long would I do that? Thanks!

 

Battery was fully charged when I started trying. I'm including a pictures of the fuses (I think?), the previous owner said he replaced them, but maybe you can tell me if they look like a problem. Not sure what you mean by jumping across the solenoid, kill switch is in the run position though. "Winterized" for us meant seafoam in the tank, pulling the battery inside and putting it on a tender. I think that's about it.

 

I think my boyfriend has a meter of some sort, I'll ask him about it when he gets home. Attaching a picture of the black wire connection, the metal is definitely not clean or shiny. Any advice for what to clean it with?

 

Oh dear....might be that the starter clutch has gone south.
Before we go there we must do further diagnosis.

I agreee that cleaning the starter wiring connections should be done first. Clean with a baking soda/ water soultion and a green scrubby pad (or wire brush). Then reassemble it using dielectric grease (or vasoline) to help prevent future corrosion.

Has the starter motor ever been serviced? The motor brushes wear and eventually can't carry all of the magic pixies that it needs to spin quickly.

Tell us what fully charged means. Do you have a voltmeter so you can measure the batery voltage at the battery terminals?

 

Ok big problem seafoam is NOT winterized the crap fuel we have will break down Stabil will help prevent fuel from going stale. Agree with kmoe put fuel petcock to pri to fill bowls. See if it will start, but I've torn carbs apart with stale fuel the jets and bowls had a lovely shade of green ... hope you wont have to pull carbs..good luck

 

buy yourself a can of "instant start"

 

Stupid question time . . . .

Why are there two wires coming off your negative battery post?

P.S. Winter isn't over - maybe you bike is still in hibernation mode.
P.S.S. When is the last time valve clearances were checked?

 

Battery tender lead.

 

Okay, thanks for all the help so far everyone. Here's where I'm at: I cleaned the ground wire from the battery. Got a multimeter. Battery charged is at 12.6V, when the ignition is on and set to run it drops to 11.6V, and when trying to start it drops to 10.1V.

Next we drained the carbs (picture attached), primed them, and tried to start again. This time it started to sputter and rolled over enough for the headlights to come on, but that was it.

No idea if the starter motor has ever been serviced. I've only owned it a year. Planning on having a vintage bike shop do the valve clearances this spring. And will definitely use Stabil for the fuel instead of Seafoam next time!

Gonna get a can of Instant Start.. Any other thoughts?

 

Get a new battery. That one is done. Resting voltage should be 12.8 Volts at a minimum, and it shouldn't drop below 12 volts with the ignition turned on.


YOU should take care of the valve clearances.

AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT with Pics

AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT Part 2: The Tool vs. ZipTie -w/pics

Wire Valve Tool

 

Got it, will get a new battery. I drained the carbs again and got it to run, albeit it's running poorly. Even when warmed up it dies as soon as you give it throttle. I'm pretty certain it could use a good tune up all around, which is why I'm thinking of bringing it in. I worked through some things last year and did a lot of reading about doing the valve clearances, but I only have so much time. I'd like to balance learning how to wrench on bikes with also having a ridable bike.

P.s. Will this work for my 550?
https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/motorcycle/yamaha/xj750-maxim/750cc/1982/cyla14ahlbsxta

 

I think that's a 14. You need a 121N12A-4A-1. Iirc

 

Get a sealed battery AMG !!!!!!! May cost a little more but much more reliable than wet cell battery

 

Your gas looks bad. If it was Bourbon it would be looking good!

If you are talking about The Shop in Bayview, Tim and company do know what they are doing and provide good service. However, checking your own valve clearances and correcting them (The Shop does have shims!) is a rudimentary task that should be tackled by yourself. It will build your confidence AND as good of a job as The Shop can do, they are in the business of fixing bikes and pushing them out the door. You have a vested interest in being meticulous with your maintenance . . . . that brings peace of mind AND more confidence. Plus winter isn't done with us yet, you have time.

You can do this!

 

The guys at Batteries Plus were super helpful, I got an AMG, did some maneuvering to make it fit, and the bike started right up. It hasn't run this well since I've owned it! Woo!

That gas had been sitting in the carbs, I didn't know how to drain them. But what came out afterwards was much cleaner.. I am talking about The Shop in Bay View, but I'm convinced, I'm gonna try to do them myself after the short stretch of nice days coming up here.

 

Glad to hear the new battery and draining some of the old gas did the trick. Take your time and keep working on your bike, as the posts above have stated, build great confidence in yourself and what to expect from your bike. Keep on wrenching!

 

If I can adjust valves, you can do it. Use the instructions from this site, gather the tools and materials, and jump in. You will get a great deal of satisfaction from doing your own work, and was scared to death to attempt it! First time took me about 3 hours, after that, easy peasy in about 1/2 the time. It also made a noticeable difference in how it ran, as a few valves were out of spec by the time I did it on my own, rather than at the dealer.

Run Seafoam in the gas tanks, or else Mercury Quickleen. It won't clear plugged passages (that requires carb teardown), but on every roughly running engine I've tried it on (XJ, mower, snowblower) it cleaned it out and got it running smoother. I've used Seafoam for years, and have no noticeable gas/varnish residue buildup on passages. I also have also only run straight gas since it was new, as my dealer warned me away from gas with alcohol the day I drove it off the lot in 1985. It's never had a tank of alcohol/gas mix in it.