Electrical power loss

Hi all,
Again, thanks in advance. This site rules.

I'm having two problems with my XJ 750.

1 - Electrical.

It was recently re-wired using a harness from a 650 Maxim. I switched the gauge cluster, added a fuse box (the guy I bought it from had it hard wired :roll: ).

- Everything works for a while but then when I drive it the bike loses electrical power. After about ten minutes I stop and the battery is pretty much dead.
- When I push the breaks the lights on the cluster dim slightly.

2 - There's a bird in my engine.

Haha. It chirps like a million chicks just hatched near the fourth cylinder. The problem is less noticeable when the bike is in motion.

 

first the chirp sounds like a bad gasket on your intake boot.
is it lean on any of the cylinders? try a propane torch around the boot and see it changes the idle.

as for the electrical, your bike will dim the lights when you hit the brakes, that is normal.
however, after 10 minutes the thing is dead,
it sounds like either the fusebox is shorting out, you have a bad ground at the engine, or you have corroded connections at the starter/battery. also, it could be bad brushes.
the brushes on the alternator would be a good place to start.
if you charge it and leave it sitting, does the battery drain then?

 

I have to add that a similar "shorting out" problem would occur with my bike. I checked the cabled to the battery and one was almost completely corroded and cracked. I changed it and the problem went away.

It may be a cheap fix.

 

Check the Alternator Brushes.
The Bike runs on an Alternator.
The Alternator has Carbon Brushes. They wear down.

When the do ... you get the symptoms you are having.

The Bike runs and dies.
When the Battery recovers the Bike starts and goes dead again.
Check the Alt. Brushes.

 

Thanks all. Does anyone know if the alternator brushes are the same on a 650 Maxim and a 750 Seca?

 

Most likely.

 

Yep, it fit and yes it was the brushes. Thanks all. Seems to be charging fine now.

New problem:

When the bike is in first gear the starter only clicks.

When the bike is in neutral the starter won't work at all.

I've started it a handful of times with a positive charge directly onto the starter via jumper cables.

Again, this 750 Seca was re-wired using a Maxim 650 harness and controls.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Aaron.

 

Battery not putting-out AMPS
Not Volts!
Amps.
2 Smoke Detector Batteries are 18 Volts.
You need 12 Volt
10~12 Amps.

Starter don't spin.
ALSO Brushes related.
Carbon dust fouling the Commutator.
Clean.

Cleaning the Starter.

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=4 ... uzzle.html

 

Sorry, I should have been more clear. If I hook the bike's battery directly to the starter with jumper cables it works fine.

The brushes are now replaced. It is charging fine.

Confusing is why the starter wants to kick over when the bike is in gear, yet when it is in neutral it doesn't want to.

 

Safety Relay replaced with Generic Relay.

Remove Relay in the place where Safety Relay belongs.
Relay MUST be a SAFETY Relay.
A Generic POWER Relay will not substitute for a SAFETY Relay.

They L@@K ... Identical!
They ARE --> Totally Different!

A Generic Power Relay used as a substitute for a Safety Relay causes
the Bike to act as if it is possessed.