junununu Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I just picked up a working 77 XS400 and took it for a hell of a ride. Unfortunately, it got pretty hot and i think it warped/shook some screws off. I believe it is the stator cover, its right above the gear shifter. I noticed oil spilling onto the exhaust pipe and steaming, and my foot was also covered in oil. I let it cool down a bit, and now I'm back home, but I don't think i have enough battery for an electric start and the kickstart seems to be not working as well as it did this morning. The oil completely drained, so I put new oil in, and it ran for another hour or so, and then after it started, it would not idle, even with the choke pulled all the way out. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoughMade Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 One idea would be to get a good charge in the battery, then see if it runs. These don't charge well at idle and they need the battery with a decent charge to make spark. You don't say, but were you riding it for that hour you had it running after getting the oil in? Air cooled engines don't like sitting still and running for too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted October 12, 2010 Moderator Share Posted October 12, 2010 oil does piss out if the stator cover is missing when leaned over (don't ask why i know) if you lose oil the bike will get hot as the pressure drops and metal to metal contact starts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junununu Posted October 13, 2010 Author Share Posted October 13, 2010 One idea would be to get a good charge in the battery, then see if it runs. These don't charge well at idle and they need the battery with a decent charge to make spark. You don't say, but were you riding it for that hour you had it running after getting the oil in? Air cooled engines don't like sitting still and running for too long. a fully charged battery works, though sometimes its a bit hard on the start but I'm going to mess with the mixture screws a bit, as I am suffering from the 'high idle'. There was also a small leak in the inline air filter, so i removed that temporarily and am just using a fuel line from the petcock to the carb. after a lot of research, it sounds like the petcock should not release any fuel in the on position, however while changing, it did drip, very slowly, is that a defective petcock? i know the 78s and 79s have the recall issued on them. i also think I somehow burned out the starter clutch, the sensation on the kickstart is similar to this: this itself might be too big a job for me to take on, but does anybody know how to start ruling out some things? i also read that if the cam chain comes off near the stator cover, this might also prevent a kickstart from working. I'm on day 4 with the bike, and when she runs, I'm happy. Every other moment is spent worrying about how to get her running perfect. and one last question i could not find the answer to: the throttle stop screw behind the carb that can be adjusted by hand, which direction does what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted October 13, 2010 Moderator Share Posted October 13, 2010 after a lot of research, it sounds like the petcock should not release any fuel in the on position, however while changing, it did drip, very slowly, is that a defective petcock? i know the 78s and 79s have the recall issued on them. a little drip is nothing to worry about i also think I somehow burned out the starter clutch, the sensation on the kickstart is similar to this: do you mean the clutch by any chance? sounds liek it needs adjusting, take off the clutch cable so nothing is dragging the plates off and try! i also read that if the cam chain comes off near the stator cover, this might also prevent a kickstart from working. no cam chain near the starter, the cam chain sits between the cyls and rotates the camshaft. if you mean the starter motor chain, that has nothing to do with the kickstart and one last question i could not find the answer to: the throttle stop screw behind the carb that can be adjusted by hand, which direction does what? clockwise raise revs, anti lowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OllieB Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 clockwise raise revs, anti lowers Drewpy, maybe he is confused and is really talking about the carb balance screw! junununu, If you mean the phillips head screw between the carbs, leave that alone for now as it is used to balance the carbs. The screw for adjusting idle speed can be reached by hand under the carbs from the right side of the bike. This "screw" has a knob on the end of it that can be turned by hand - at least it does on my '80 XS400. Make adjustments to the idle speed after the bike is thoroughly warmed and you have ridden it for a few miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhat250 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Hi" That clutch looks like its been rebuilt incorrectly, it look open [ presure plate not returned properly] with pushrod disconected [ as you have done] it should be tight together, , strip them plates out, and see if in correct order, and nothing in there that shouldn"t be ,,,, i see when you run finger over plates, theyre moving, they shud be tight, its the same style of clutch on older bikes, if you pull the clutch lever, it disengages the kickstart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junununu Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 I found my high idle problem: the right exhaust wasn't hot. I read somewhere here that meant that only one of the carbs were functioning properly. Now I know what the carb balancing screws are for. I reset the mixture screws, and now she purrs at 1200 with no choke. Starts very easy, though sometimes there is a sliiight hesitation when taking off, but I think that has to do with my timing of releasing the clutch and giving it some gas. For the clutch issue: Hi" That clutch looks like its been rebuilt incorrectly, it look open [ presure plate not returned properly] with pushrod disconected [ as you have done] it should be tight together, , strip them plates out, and see if in correct order, and nothing in there that shouldn"t be ,,,, i see when you run finger over plates, theyre moving, they shud be tight, its the same style of clutch on older bikes, if you pull the clutch lever, it disengages the kickstart. The video I posted wasn't mine, but it feels similar to that. if i pull the clutch lever, the kickstart spins freely. When i kickstart it normally, i can feel that point where it feels like its going to engage. And at most i hear it flip over once. just a very faint tick. I also read it might be the clutch friction disc(hoping) and worst case scenario, the starter clutch?. I want to try adjusting the clutch cable, but which side of the crankcase do I access it from? I see that the cable goes towards the left side, but the kick start is on the right. If i remove that leftside cover to access the clutch cable, am i expecting a single clean removal of the case, or do i need to drain the oil and all considering its sitting right behind it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhat250 Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Here it is," Thread ,, its definatly cluch friction plates, , i had same problem with the H2 , the basket had a ring round outside [ to keep fingers tight] and was rebuilt wrongly,,, And wen kick strarting " slipped " and just enough friction to lightly turn engine, back off adjuster fully. If still problem. Strip down clutch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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