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Maxim trouble after rain?

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by wallythewelder, Jul 5, 2012.

  1. wallythewelder

    wallythewelder Member

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    I just wanted to make a post after what I went through with my bike today after rain for the last two days. Riding to work this morning she was sputtering and I couldn't get her over 25, it was embarrassing, and I was a half an hour late for work. Anyway I couldn't find anything on the forum about it. What I did was put just a little bit of HEET in my tank and sprayed some stuff I found called wire dryer in my plug boots, on my plug wires, plugs and coils and let it dry. Now she runs like a champ again. If anybody knows why this could have happened in the first place I'm curious. This may be common knowledge but I didn't know and I've been waiting to actually contribute to the forum so there it is.
     
    wallythewelder, Jul 5, 2012
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  2. mlew

    mlew Well-Known Member

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    Check your coils and plug wires for cracks. Its a common problem, water gets in the cracks and effectivly shorts the spark to ground. Look for cracks in the ignition coil they are easy to see but most of the time the coil has to come out to inspect.
     
    mlew, Jul 5, 2012
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  3. maverickbr77

    maverickbr77 Member

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    sounds like the coils are getting wet check for cracks in the coil cases.
     
    maverickbr77, Jul 5, 2012
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  4. wallythewelder

    wallythewelder Member

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    I didn't see any cracks in the coil cases, but I'll take a closer look. If there are, I just silicone them until I can replace them?
     
    wallythewelder, Jul 5, 2012
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  5. fintip

    fintip Member

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    Yeah, cracks can be caulked from what I've read. Check that before you do it, though--google "coils wet seal site:xjbikes.com" without the "". You can test by taking the tank off and running the bike, and pouring water on the coils--does the performance cut? Then dry it off and do the same thing, but put plastic bags around the coils--does the performance no longer cut? High chance it's water getting into the coils.

    Best 'o luck.
     
    fintip, Jul 6, 2012
    #5
  6. MN-Maxims

    MN-Maxims St. Paul Minnesota

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    If the coils look good run the bike at night and mist the engine with a spray bottle with water in it. Look for the light show around the wires. Old dried out wires and plug caps are junk after 30 years.
     
    MN-Maxims, Jul 6, 2012
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  7. fintip

    fintip Member

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    That's a neat trick.
     
    fintip, Jul 6, 2012
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  8. MiGhost

    MiGhost Well-Known Member

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    I would almost bet that the plug caps will glow pretty good. They are know to loosen over time.

    To correct the problem.
    Remove the plug caps from the wires. They screw onto the ends of the plug wires.
    Trim 1/4" off the wires to remove the old seating material.
    Reattach the plug caps.

    This will give the cap a new bite on the wire, and eliminate a common problem.

    Ghost
     
    MiGhost, Jul 7, 2012
    #8

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