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Starting problems!! Starting problems!!
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Yamaha Tech Originally the Yamaha XT600 Tech Forum, due to demand it now includes all Yamaha's technical / mechanical / repair / preparation questions.
Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  #1  
Old 5 Oct 2010
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Starting problems!!
You guys have helped out on a couple of previous problems and I hope you can help me with this one.

When I kick my engine over the engine turns over fine, has a good spark and decompression.

When I turn it over with the electric starter motor the engine turns over at a good speed, but there is no spark and the decompression cable does not click.

I am baffelled! I've had the rotor off to sort out my sticking starter bearing and everything looked fine inside! Any help would be gratefully recieved!

Regards
Simon
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  #2  
Old 5 Oct 2010
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I take it, the bike starts when you use the kick starter ?

Is the decompression done by a cable that runs from the kick start ?

have you checked the battery voltage under load ? ie when using the starter motor. I had a DRZ-400 that would turn over for minutes with the electric leg and never start. hook up a jump start battery, bang she starts in seconds.

The other thing I would check is all your earth points. May not be passing enough current through to get it started...
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  #3  
Old 6 Oct 2010
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Yes the bike starts using the kick starter, the decompression cable is in good order. Im turning the engine over with a jump pack so not to drain my battery. And all my earth points are fine. Ive looked over the whole wiring and its in good shape.

The thing that is confusing me is that when i turn it over with the kick start the rotor turns and i get a spark, but when i turn it over with the electric start i get no spark? Surely if the rotor spins by whichever means it should generate a spark?

Or am i being a total spanner and missing something?

Regards
Simon
Last edited by Inkedkitch; 6 Oct 2010 at 15:55. Reason: wrote the wrong thing!
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  #4  
Old 6 Oct 2010
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I would venture a guess that you either have a faulty connection, or insufficient battery power. remember, that starter takes a considerable amount of power, and electronic ignitions dont like to generate spark without a certain minimum voltage input.

it could well be your battery is toast and the jump pack is not providing sufficient power to both crank the motor AND fire the plug. load test the battery. if DOA replace and fully charge.
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  #5  
Old 6 Oct 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Inkedkitch View Post
When I turn it over with the electric starter motor the engine turns over at a good speed, but there is no spark and the decompression cable does not click.
The decompression cable is a red herring, it only works with the kick start not the electric start.
Good luck with your problem.
Regards, Dave
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Old 7 Oct 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dblunn View Post
The decompression cable is a red herring, it only works with the kick start not the electric start.
Good luck with your problem.
Regards, Dave
Thanks Dave. Sorry I should have written that more clearly. Yes the decomp cable is only active when the kick start is used as the electric leg (starter) is supposed to have enough grunt to start the motor.

As bob said it sounds like a bad connection or battery. Other than unplugging all starting circuit related plugs/earths and cleaning them with either a file/wire brush or contact cleaner I am not sure.

After thought... what about the spark plug condition/gap ?
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  #7  
Old 7 Oct 2010
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Connections
Bad connection at the ignition switch? Bad plug cap or wiring to plug cap? Bad wiring to or from coil?
Last edited by AlexD; 7 Oct 2010 at 13:41. Reason: should have read post properly...
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  #8  
Old 7 Oct 2010
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Thanks for all of your input! It is looking like it is an electrical issue so i will be going over the whole lot at the weekend. I shall post what was wrong with it!

Thanks again guys!
Simon
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Old 8 Oct 2010
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I'm also having a problem like this one...

Inkedkitch seems like we both will have check the wiring huh!?

Well,

My battery is toast! it only holds 0.15volts!

I do have the kickstart and I've been trying to kick it to life but I've almost surely also got an electric issue going on...

One question:
With a battery dead as mine is, kick (non)starting it should it come to life or not?

bike is the 1990 XT600E...

Vando
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  #10  
Old 8 Oct 2010
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if your battery is holding that little charge, it wont do ANYTHING. its not enough to even generate a WEAK spark, although I think the electronic ignition demands a minimum voltage to even make any spark at all.
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  #11  
Old 8 Oct 2010
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You should still be able to push start the bike (at the least) as long as there is not an electrical fault.

Fuel, Spark, Air and Compression. Your four friends.

I think it is only fuel injection that has to have some juice in the battery. Although having said that the modern dirt bikes are coming out with F.I and still with tiny batteries...some even without ????
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