another Newb owner!! 79 special

[vernk]

Hello all! First post introduction... and then a story
just got this girl last month for $600. Was sure to get her running just before striking a deal. All she needed was a squirt of starter fluid and she fired and ran. Right side carb was leaking so shut her down quick and I pinched off the deal. Clean title w/ 40k on the clock.

Well, got her home. Ordered floats from MikesXS, installed set height and reinstalled the carbs. Well...now its a no start. Not even a sputter, and starter fluid doesn't do anything this time. opened up the points and saw small sparks when cranking. there's oil on the lower points and wires. i cleaned the area and points, sanded and set them, now no spark at all but still not sputter or run.

Just got the points/condenser kit from local yamaha and installed. Question...the two packets of goop just go on the cam? all of it? also MikesXS has a right and left points listed...is there a difference between the two? they looked the same to me.

ok Set gap at .012 then set my meter on it. couldn't get it to open circuit when moving the points assembly. just grounded out the whole time. getting 12v across both ends of both points measuring from +end battery to points. tried setting static timing for right and the meter doesnt show a break in the contact anywhere in the timing adjustment. changed gap to .016 and still the same.

coils ohm out well, changed one just to see if difference...nopes.

put it together just to see if i could get anything to happen...now the starter switch isn't working. only neutral light now on guages...somehow something got shorted or is it the points? looks like a universal points set but im guessing not oem even though from yamaha dealer.

opened up the headlight assy and theres a few cut wires in there, but just headlight and signals. everything else checks out but i'll chase a few. I'll get around to fixing them. the fuse box needs some work and i'll replace the glass fuses for now, until i upgrade the box entirely to inline as a few have mentioned here.

my head scratching goes to the points. i used the reference here:

http://www.650central.com/fsetting_pointstype_ignition_on.htm

but i guess im not understanding it.

now that im thinking, my feeler guages are new and had oil on them...that might have closed the circuit right?


well, too long of a first post? i got some work ahead of me....man i just wanna ride.

vern

 

[jd750ace]

Go over the WHOLE bike and check all of the grounds, electrical connections and switches. Check the fuse box for corrosion and broken terminals. Make sure you have a fully charged, load tested or brand new battery. This system don't like a weak battery, but if you don't go through the grounds and switches and eliminate resistance, you won't have a good battery for long.
Measure voltage at the main fuse. Should be the same value as measuring across the battery terminals. Turn on the ignition and measure voltage at the ignition fuse. .2 volts or more indicates you need to clean the contacts in the ignition switch and the run/stop switch at a bare minimum to reduce that resistance.

 

[5twins]

Yes, you could have contaminated the points surfaces with oil from your new feeler gauge. It doesn't take much. Get some electrical contact cleaner and clean the points faces. Clean the feeler gauge blade with it too before using it on them.

 

[vernk]

Thanks everyone. I need to get wire, heat shrink, and some other things and ill be getting to work later this week. The battery I have is old...came with the bike but holds a nice charge. I've had a battery tender Jr on it since arrival. The water levels are a bit low in two cells. I thought of just buying new to knock that out of the equation.

 

[nj1639]

Ah, the Greater Northeast!
Welcome aboard............those old style batteries are sometimes better than the new AGM's. If it works keep it, just top off with distilled wooder......

 

[XSLeo]

The XS650 points are the same left and right. The sets Mike's sells as left and right are for the XS250, XS360 and XS400.
Leo

 

[vernk]

first i've heard of that NJ, good to know. i'll resuscitate her if i can!

thanks xsL i was wondering that. does the goop just go on the cam? there's two packets with the points kit and it seems like a lot.

5twins is it sufficient to just wipe them clean with maybe alchohol or must i get electrical cleaner?

jd numbers like that help alot with diagnostics. thanks! i wish this thing had obdII so i could just pop in my reader!

 

[jd750ace]

The battery that came with the bike is seldom ideal. If I were you, I'd get another one so you know you are good. I got a new, dry Yuasa and loaded and charged that thing correctly. Makes a big difference in the life of the battery. Also, I'll take an AGM any day over a flooded cell. A PROPERLY activated AGM will last 6-7 years on a good charging system with the occasional desulfation/deep charge from a tender. I got 7 years out of my original AGM on my SV650 and 5 years out of my original AGM on my Road Star.

 

[vernk]

so....AGM or water? i got a dry battery from walmart for my vf700f and that was great once loaded. i plan on bobbing this thing once she's running nice. so a small form battery would be ideal...im guessing.

 

[jd750ace]

I purchased an AGM from Wal Mart last month for my SV. They are manufactured by GS Yuasa. Service them up correctly and follow the directions and they are a good battery.

 

[XSLeo]

The goop is a lube for the rubbing block on the points. You put it on the side of the rubbing block. You want the lube on the side if the block so that as the cam turns it pick up the lube and spreads it between the rubbing block and cam.
As the rubbing block wears more lube is exposed for the cam to pick up.
Leo

 

[vernk]

how about this battery?

really what is the smallest form battery i can get away with.

goop...hmmm, i see. i'll get it on there. thanks xsleo

 

[vernk]

Side note, not an xs650...this is my old bike

Went from:

to:

still rough but was a fun ride. but alas, she is gone and i just wanna ride...

 

[DozerDan]

For what its worth, the bike I just got had a 3 year old battery (give or take), even when hooked to the charger it had nothing. I bit the bullet and shelled out $80 for a dry cell from a batteries plus and she turned over like it was her job.

I have been around cars my whole life, and its few and far between that you have a DEAD DEAD bat, but it happens. I was getting myself all worried about electronics and the works, turns out she just wanted some new juice.

Might be worth the $ vs the time just to be sure.

 

[vernk]

think you're right. i proved that to myself w/ a 89 ford ranger's battery issue. might hit walmart on way home...

 

[DozerDan]

my logic is well at least you can now rule one thing out as a known good.

My old Jeep kicked my ass for months with a bad ground wire. I had changed so many things I refused to believe it to be simple. Bad call. Now I start at the very beginning every time. ICE require 3 things (yea yea yea) air fuel spark. What makes up those gets more complex but by ruling them out you are on your way.

 

[5twins]

Alcohol may work for cleaning the points. Get a plain white business card or 3 x 5 index card and cut 1/4" wide strips from it. Saturate them with the cleaner and drag them through the points faces (like a feeler gauge) to clean them. You may need to hold the points open slightly so the card strip pulls through without tearing.

 

[vernk]

Tonight it will be done!

 

[XSLeo]

On batteries you can use a very physically small battery, just remember that it needs to be of adequate electrical size. For a bike using the E-start you need a battery about the same electrically as the stock battery. Around 14 amp/hours and of about 200 cca's.
For a kick only the battery can be much smaller. Some use batteries as small as .8 amp/hours.
Leo

 

[vernk]

I definitely want a kicker, but would like the e-start backup option. I bought an AGM from walmart some time ago. But I just got around to putting it in today. So i bought one that's backwards. Oh well, I'll make it work. Gonna get new cables...longer. And i finally got around to doing some splicing of wires. I got into the headlight cluster. fixed all the open circuits there. Rear end is done...the lights. And, i got inline ato fuse holders for the fuse block replacement. I've just tied them in since i ran out of solder while finishing the front and rear light wiring. AND....i forgot to buy fuses. minor details. I figure that i'll be moving my progress over to another section since this is no longer an intro thread Thanks all for your input and help
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