talkin' xj550 blues

I got a really touchy xj550. Took apart the carbs, cleaned off the piston and the floats and the thing hanging under the floats. When I put it back together the left 2 carbs weren't working well so I opened it again and the floats were kind of jammed for some reason. Loosened them up and when it gets going it runs evenly.

So I got a new battery, put in an inline fuel filter, cleaned out the starter (brushes were a little less then 1/2 in) and the bike just doesn't like to run. I can jump it off another running bike and it will start up after a while in full choke and run very poorly. The second I take the choke off it dies. I don't have an air filter yet but could it cause this problem? Does this sound like a carb problem?

What about the petcock? Should I clean that out to make sure its getting enough gas? Any instructions on how to do that? Would the inline filter cause a slower flow of gas?


Where can I find some instructions for testing the electrical starter system with a multimeter? After a while of trying to start it I just get rapid clicking. This only happens running off the battery.

I would really like to get this bike running any help would be appreciated.

 

Well if you put in a new battery there should be no charging problems. As for testing it, all ya have to do is put positive to positive and negative to negative and look at the nice digital reading, should read about 14.5v I think.

If you cleaned the carbs I would assume it could not be them causing the problem, but I could be wrong, or you just did not clean them enough. (Taking into account they are syncronized(sp))

I would check the petcock, easy to do, and could be a easy fix. (I have a clear fuel line so I can see my fuel) As for a filter slowing it down, I don't think it would, but who knows?.

 

if it runs on a car battery, but not your bike battery.... then your battery is bad. check the fluid level and charge it up. The clicking is your solenoid engaging, but there isn't enough power to get the starter moving.

 

see your other post for carb info. Like I said over there if it will run with the enrichment on and not without it, you have a fuel jet clogged most likely.

a good carb cleaning is in order.

 

I did this and had about the same results and took me about an hour to realize that i had put the carb floats back in upside down.