Slow turn over

[gages]

So I've cleaned the carbs , fresh fuel , checked for spark ( yes ) and used my big truck battery which s fully charged amd powerful but the starter motor sounds awfully slow on turn over , kind of like a flat battery but it's not ....any ideas any one ?

[balky1]

Ahmmmm, starter motor brushes bad, maybe?

[red]

So I've cleaned the carbs , fresh fuel , checked for spark ( yes ) and used my big truck battery which s fully charged amd powerful but the starter motor sounds awfully slow on turn over , kind of like a flat battery but it's not ....any ideas any one ?

Gages,

Connect 12V by small jumper cables to the starter terminals, and see if the starter turns over any better.  If it does, then you have a bike problem.  If it does not, then either the starter is bad, or the engine is (at least) gummed up, if not damaged.  Put the bike in top gear, with the ignition turned off and the battery disconnected, and turn over the rear wheel (either pushing, or on the center-stand) to get some oil flowing.  The Oil Light on the FJ does not read oil pressure, it only tells you if you have enough oil in the crankcase, or not. 

If you have a bike problem, then dirty terminal connections will be the cheapest and most likely possibility.  Track the current flow from the battery to the starter, using a wiring schematic.  You can find a small fine-wire brush (like a toothbrush with wire bristles) in hardware stores, or just use what you can find, to clean up the terminal ends, and the screws.  You want them to be shiny-clean.  Replace any corroded wiring with new and maybe heavier wire, of course.

The starter relay is also a likely suspect. if connections are clean and the starter is healthy.

Keep in touch,

Cheers,
Red

[balky1]

So I've cleaned the carbs , fresh fuel , checked for spark ( yes ) and used my big truck battery which s fully charged amd powerful but the starter motor sounds awfully slow on turn over , kind of like a flat battery but it's not ....any ideas any one ?

Gages,

Connect 12V by small jumper cables to the starter terminals, and see if the starter turns over any better.  If it does, then you have a bike problem.  If it does not, then either the starter is bad, or the engine is (at least) gummed up, if not damaged.  Put the bike in top gear, with the ignition turned off and the battery disconnected, and turn over the rear wheel (either pushing, or on the center-stand) to get some oil flowing.  The Oil Light on the FJ does not read oil pressure, it only tells you if you have enough oil in the crankcase, or not. 

If you have a bike problem, then dirty terminal connections will be the cheapest and most likely possibility.  Track the current flow from the battery to the starter, using a wiring schematic.  You can find a small fine-wire brush (like a toothbrush with wire bristles) in hardware stores, or just use what you can find, to clean up the terminal ends, and the screws.  You want them to be shiny-clean.  Replace any corroded wiring with new and maybe heavier wire, of course.

The starter relay is also a likely suspect. if connections are clean and the starter is healthy.

Keep in touch,

Cheers,
Red

Red, your post reminded me: check the ground wire.

[red]

Red, your post reminded me: check the ground wire.

Balky1,

Okay, if that needs saying, sure.  Every battery cable has two ends.  Check both ends of each cable.        

Cheers,
Red

[Canuck FJ]

I had a similar problem with mine, fix was to remove the starter and simply clean everything up; brushes, bushings etc, worked fine after that.

[FJ_Hooligan]

See if it helps to crack the throttle open slightly while cranking.

[balky1]

Red, your post reminded me: check the ground wire.

Balky1,

Okay, if that needs saying, sure.  Every battery cable has two ends.  Check both ends of each cable.        

Cheers,
Red

Mostly it does. 

I was also surprised how many times the ground wire from battery makes problems on old vehicles. I didn't know it until my grandpa told me to check that first (some problems with an old car), since it is easiest. He was a certified car electrician so I learned some simple tricks and things to look for first. Unfortunately, our interests went separate ways so he didn't learn me a lot about it. He was one of the few men in ex-Yugoslavia who knew how to make new coils in electric motors. I don't know the term for that in English. Had to brag.