It LIVES!

It started! Thanks to the XJ Gods it started!

I had to give it a few tries but after the third try it started right up.

NOW

It idles reallly rough. I have to give it just a teeny tiny amount of gas to keep it going, just barely taking the play out of the throttle. If I choke it, it dies. That makes no sense to me.

After trying to adjust the idle mixture. It died on me. I went to restart and the starter made a god awful, kind of whining noise and now I push the button and nothing.

I checked all the wires to the starter and the fuses.

Do I need a starter?

 

P.S The noise was sounded almost like a fan that stuck and won't rotate.....that's the best description I can come up with.

 

I'd say the battery is the first thing to check. Does it just make that jammed humming sound, or does it also fall back to rattling/clicking of the starter solenoid. If it starts rattling after a few seconds it's probably a weak battery.

Another thing to check is where that humming is coming from. If it's from the starter itself, then I'd be concerned that something's jammed (starter or engine). If it seems jammed, you could try putting the bike in gear and push-starting it, or pushing it to see whether then engine will turn a bit. Or you could try turning the crank end under the timing cover (left end cover).

If the humming is coming from the starter solenoid, though (next to the battery), you may just have a bad solenoid, or worn starter brushes.

 

it isn't humming or clicking... it's doing nothing.

It's a brand new battery that was charged for 15 hours before i put it in.

It made a noise and now i have lights, just sits there when i hit the starter button.

 

I'm sure you checked the kill switch and its in neutral, with side stand up. . Just my thoughts.

 

yeah that's the first thing I checked was to make sure I was still in neutral, then checked the battery terminals, then fuses, then wires....

 

Well it sounds like a bad connection somewhere then.

 

OK, other things to check:

1. Short the two large terminals of the starter solenoid with a screwdriver or some such. If it cranks, the starter is OK. If it doesn't, the starter's the problem.

2. If 1 is OK, try jumpering the blue/white wire terminal of the solenoid to ground. If it cranks, then the solenoid is OK. If not, then the solenoid is bad.

3. If 2 is OK then the problem is somewhere in your safety circuits (kill switch, neutral switch, sidestand switch or relay, ignition switch, or the starter interlock relay).

 

Quick troubleshooting tip: Unplug the safety relay temporarily that will eliminate all of the sidestand/nuetral/clutch switch stuff as possibilities and allow you to find the actual problem. If THAT "fixes" it you know you have a safety circuit issue in which case good luck.

 

Ok. Jumped the starter and it starts WOOHOO

Jumped the blue/white wire and I got a click click click.... So I'm guessing the sarter solenoid is the problem.

Also after cleaning up the starter button assembly on the bar I got the click click click too. So I'm thinking I had two issues going on along with everything else.

Can I pick one of these up at Advance or do I have to hit up Chacal?

 

Len has the right part for that.

 

LOL he has the right part for everything! But I'm a instant gratification kinda gal, I don't like waiting unless I have too

 

There are a few people here who have reported good luck with lawnmower starter solenoids. Not sure whether you get those at Sears, or Lowes, or need to go to a lawnmower repair shop, though.