FJ1200 Starter Removal

[scottstx]

Hi, Attempted to remove starter from my 87 Fj1200. Haynes book said to remove seat, side covers and tank which I did. Have the 2 bolts that secure the starter out and starter is loose but I can't back out as it hits the frame. Do I need to disassemble more? Thought I would check here first b4 I start removing more parts. Thanks in advance!  Scott

[FJmonkey]

Welcome Scott. It has been some time since I removed my starter. The Clymer's book says to pull the starter toward the left and out of the opening in the upper crank case. Not much help from them. On my '89 it looks like the clutch slave and alternator need to come out as well.

[scottstx]

Removed the alternator and was able to get the starter out. Brushes look fine. Bike starts great when cold but has to sit a good ten minutes after shutting off when hot as the starter will barely spin the engine. Will try the half throttle approach next time. Had an 87 fj years ago and been itching to get another one. Previous owner just had carbs cleaned and new tires put on. Bike runs great and has only 6000 miles. Now I'm tracking down the oil leak. Appears to be the valve cover grommet and am ordering them from rpm. Any other ideas of what to look for if I still have problems starting engine when hot? Thanks!

[FJmonkey]

My '86 was harder to start when hot. Cracking the throttle open about 1/4 did help. A strong battery will help the starter spin better than an OK battery. Make sure the ground wire is free from corrosion at the back of the engine case. A 4 brush starter has also been reported to spin stronger but I have no personal experience with them.

[Mark Olson]

My 86 used to have the same problem .... you need to do the ignition Mod .
thats when you add a relay to the coil power circuit so they get 12v instead of 9 when starting.

I found this . http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=15114.msg152770#msg152770

there is another somewhere in the mod files .. under coil modification ..

Even with a brand new battery mine would start slow until I did this mod.