82 XS650 Starts then dies

Thanks, for the info on the oil leak I will look into it.

I will look into the Minton Mod I see there is a lot of information on this forum. I have a long way to do but as you said I can "ride and wrench" which is preferable. I want to get it looking a little nicer and running strong get it registered, inspected and on the road next spring.
 
Update on the bike. Got it running first try this year. I have been working on it and fixed the oil leak under the "cover breaker, 1" I misaligned the camshaft bearing when installing it, a small tap with a rubber mallet and I do not see any more leak. Tried to find a spec or anything in the repair book for alignment but I couldn't find anything. I just matched the side without the leak and used my vernier calipers to make sure they 100% match.

I am still cleaning and adjusting to match the spec of the repair book the best I can. I am in the process of removing the sump filter to see how nasty that is as I haven't removed it yet and based on the previous owners care for the bike probably has never been looked at. I also want to take the clutch plates apart and look at them because the clutch sticks once in a while and I have tried to do all the adjustments I can and test everything I can from this site and youtube and I think it is time to rip the band-aid off and just open up that side of the engine. I also found on my circles in the parking lot that my rear brake no longer functions, so add that to my list.

The good news is I have plenty of time after work to do a bunch of work as there is nothing else I can do. I also picked up one of the motorcycle lifts from Harbor Fright which has already paid for itself with the oil changes and work I have done on other bikes.

Safe riding everyone.
 
If and when you tear the clutch down, and particularly down completely,
Place all the parts and pieces in the order they came off.....washers, spacers, bearings et al - for proper reassembly..........otherwise you'll be starting a thread on why it doesn't work right when you put her back together......5twins and Peanut have both supplied pics for the reassembly if there's a need.
 
because the clutch sticks once in a while and I have tried to do all the adjustments I can and test everything I can from this site and youtube and I think it is time to rip the band-aid off and just open up that side of the engine.
Have you oiled/replaced/rerouted the clutch cable? Clutch perch pivot checked for wear? (hint; it's worn bad).
 
Hey guys thanks for the responses!

If and when you tear the clutch down, and particularly down completely,
Place all the parts and pieces in the order they came off.....washers, spacers, bearings et al - for proper reassembly..........otherwise you'll be starting a thread on why it doesn't work right when you put her back together......5twins and Peanut have both supplied pics for the reassembly if there's a need.

Yeah I have spent too much time looking for bolts. I like to organize and take pictures as I go just in case.

Clutch will probably free up once you get a couple tanks of gas used.

I was thinking the same thing but I also saw a couple forum posts where the clutch plates get too dry or rusty or worn and stick together so I want to take a look to make sure that isn't the case. Also I just did the same thing with another bike that had a similar problem and it seemed to help so I am confident I wont mess anything up in there.

Have you oiled/replaced/rerouted the clutch cable? Clutch perch pivot checked for wear? (hint; it's worn bad).

I oiled the clutch cable last year following a thread on here. Every looks like it is in good placement except the clutch cable is floating right now I know it isn't in the right spot but I was taking so much apart I wanted it free floating and out of the way. It shouldn't be pinched anywhere right now, if that is what you are getting at. I checked the perch pivot I don't see any wear on it and it seems solid. I'll check it all again when I go back to the garage.

But today I was able to pop off the strainer cover and take a look at the strainer filter, I've seen it referred to as a sump filter as well but the repair manual and parts list call it a strainer. The gasket is now shot (surprise) and the filter has a couple good holes in it. I am going to call my local Yamaha dealer that has had several parts I have needed for my xs650 before I just order it from mikexs. The magnets seemed to have a tiny bit of metal filing on it and from other posts it seems to be normal. Everything needs a good cleaning and there was some pretty old oil in the bottom of it gummed up so I am going to clean it all out. I also am going to pick up both side cover gaskets from where ever I can because I assume that the clutch case cover will need a new gasket and the crank case gasket might as well be replaced as well.
 

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Don't buy a filter from Yamaha. They're no longer available and if they did happen to have one, it would be very expensive, like $50 to $60. And as you can see, they tear out. Personally, I just repair them with J.B.Weld .....

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MikesXS sells an aftermarket one but I prefer the originals, even patched ones. I think they're made better. The filter on the lower left above is a MikesXS one. At the first oil change (about 1100 miles), it was torn out and besides that, the magnet fell out too, lol.

If you were going to spend $50 or so, I'd go with one of the better aftermarket replacements like the one from Heiden Tuning or this one from a forum member .....

http://www.xs650.com/threads/alternate-sump-filter-ver-2-0.55865/
 
It is better value to buy a complete kit of gaskets for the XS. It includes everything, even a head gasket plus all those Orings. I have used the Athena set but not sure what is being recommended in the USA. I have seen head gaskets alone go for about half the price of a full engine gasket kit. You will end up using most of the gaskets. If you are going to attack the clutch then get a new kick start oil seal while you are at it. The other engine oil seals are quite easy to replace later without draining the oil. Maybe replace the clutch springs too because they are cheap and the old ones will be so weak they slip at about 4 - 5000 rpm: I used the EBC CSK014 set at £13 in UK). Check the friction plates for thickness and the metal plates for warp. If rusty then you can clean them up or replace.

Best of Luck and Enjoy.
 
So I took everything apart and the side cover gaskets look very nice and they look new-ish. Looks like someone might have been in here before I was. They were not stuck on, no tears and for now are staying on the bike as there were no leaks. As for the sump/strainer gasket it was a mess. I looked all over for my gasket kit (top end) that I bought for this project and couldn't find it. Asked my mother to check the shop cart I left at their house in the basement years ago. What do you know sump/strainer gasket sitting right there. So it is being mailed to me and then I will clean the area up and get the new gasket on, and JB weld the filter like 5twins suggested.

The clutch plates were pretty stuck together and slightly dry so I have them soaking in engine oil over night. I am going to check the spring length and the clutch and friction plate thicknesses to make sure everything is in spec then will be reinstalling it all or ordering new parts.
 
I've had to replace the springs on pretty much every wet clutched Jap bike I've ever owned, they get soft. Sometimes they still measured in spec but were still soft and allowed clutch slip. Aftermarket springs are quite reasonably priced, like $10 to $15 a set, so I just change them.
 
I've had to replace the springs on pretty much every wet clutched Jap bike I've ever owned, they get soft. Sometimes they still measured in spec but were still soft and allowed clutch slip. Aftermarket springs are quite reasonably priced, like $10 to $15 a set, so I just change them.

Paid a bit extra and got them from a local dealership today.
 
Clutch is rebuilt with new springs.
Sump filter repaired with JB weld. Bottom end of engine is free of "gunk" really black oil and sludge on the sump filter cover.
Float levels checked in the carbs.
Fuel line replaced because it was cracking and leaking.

A new problem arose the t-connector for the carbs has fuel seeping out of it. I will have to replace it. I saw replacements on MikesXS unless someone has a better idea. https://www.mikesxs.net/yamaha-xs650-bs34-aluminum-carb-fuel-line-tee-oem-3g1-14988-00-00.html
The rear brake light switch is not working. I have to order a replacement as well they are pretty cheap. https://www.mikesxs.net/yamaha-xs650-stop-switch-rear-oem-353-82530-01-1j7-82530-01.html

It has a slight stutter while running but it was cold out and I didn't let it run long enough to warm up. Once the fuel leak is fixed I'll warm it up and see what is next.
 
You may not need a new "T", maybe yours is just loose. Did you have the carbs apart and split (removed from the brackets that tie them together as a "bank")? When you put them back on the brackets, you need to squeeze them together to get the "T" tight. You want it so it can barely be rotated by hand. Mount the brackets but leave the screws loose, apply the clamp, then tighten the bracket screws .....

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You can actually take the rear brake light switch all apart and clean it out. Maybe that's all it needs.
 
You can actually take the rear brake light switch all apart and clean it out. Maybe that's all it needs.

5twins for the win!

Will try both of your suggestions. I did take apart the carbs so maybe just snugging them up with the clamp as you show will fix it.

The rear brake switch will be taken apart and I will attempt to clean it but I always look at it as worse case I can order a new piece.
 
Yes, it is a bit "fiddly" but all you need to do is unhook the spring from the pin on the front and all the "guts" will then slide out the rear.
 
Yes, it is a bit "fiddly" but all you need to do is unhook the spring from the pin on the front and all the "guts" will then slide out the rear.

Done and done everything is cleaned out nicely and it all works. I need to pull the carbs back out and get a clamp on them to see if that fixed the T problem. Thanks again, feel free to come up anytime and stand over my shoulder while I work!
 
When you pull the carbs out, check the "T" to see if it's loose before you do anything. If it's tight but leaks anyway then it probably needs some "doctoring". The "T" has like a rubber coating on it, and that's all that does the sealing, if pressed in tight. But if that coating is damaged or possibly peeled off in spots, it probably won't seal even if tight. Although I haven't tried it yet, I think what could fix it is to put some shrink tubing on each end. Let it hang off the end some so when you shrink it down, it curls over the end. Originally, it's not so much the sides of the "T" that do the sealing but rather that end. When tight, it's pressed into a tapered "seat" at the bottom of the hole in the side of the carb.
 
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