Seized Engine!

[red]

Rscott,

Clarifications, please . . .
1. Does the starter spin now, in the bike?  If yes, skip step #2 entirely.
With the bike in gear on the centerstand, and the ignition turned OFF,
2. With the negative jumper cable connected to chassis ground, touch the positive jumper cable briefly to the solenoid terminal that goes to the starter.  Does the starter spin?
3. Turn the rear wheel one full turn forward, then reverse one full turn.  What happens at the engine?

Turning the rear wheel, in gear, should make the engine crankshaft turn over, both ways.  The starter has nothing to do with that.

[Rscott8111]

Thanks for the response.

The starter will not spin when mounted, it does spin with good torque out of the bike. It activates good with the switch. I have jumped it out of the engine and it jumps fine. Mounted it will Not spin either jumped or by switch. It is trying but can not spin the engine over.

In high gear I can get the engine to turn over rolling the wheel forward. With a wrench on the timing bolt the engine will turn over counter clockwise which coincides with the wheel rolling forward. The wheel will Not roll at all in gear in reverse. The engine will Not turn over by wrench clockwise which coincides with wheel in reverse.

[Rscott8111]

Well, good news and bad news!

I got home tonight after much thought today, and said screw it. I put the wrench back on the timing bolt and got out the dead blow hammer. I gave it 6 good whacks for clockwise and it freed right up!  I got excited and put it all back together. Put some gas in, gave it a whirl. Engine turned right over. Unfortunately I think it's got a busted gear, skipping chain, something. It is clunking each revolution of the starter and jumping from spinning the engine to clunking. It never gets a full revolution before it clunks and skips. I tried pop starting it, and it still clunks. It's not quite the same clunk as the starter but pretty similar.

So looks like I will need to tear it apart to see, unless you gurus have some better ideas! If that is the case, what else should I do while it's in pieces this winter?

Thanks
Rob

[Rscott8111]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_H2HxSU2bdI


Here's a video hopefully the link works.

[balky1]

There's a whole lot you could do since you will be almost totally disassembling the engine. It just depends what you want and how much money you are willing to invest. Firstly, maybe I missed it, but what year is your bike?
Try Googling a bit this forum to get the ideas. Enter in Google what you want and include 'fjowners.com' at the end. Works much better than the forum search bar.
Most important is that you find the source of the problem and fix it. After that modifications come in place along with things you can change while in there (this makes me wander, how many kilometers on the clock does it have?). For example RPM shift detent kit, upgrading clutch, undercutting gears, new stronger shift forks, etc, etc.

[Rscott8111]

I just want a solid stock bike that's reliable. My plan is for this to be my main transport to work next season. It has just over 26,000 miles on it now. Obviously the least amount invested the better. I'm not looking to turn it for profit, I just don't want to dump tons of money into it as it's a second bike at this point.

[aviationfred]

There are a few unknowns on what you are willing to spend on getting the engine into good running condition. Since there is not a determination as to what is exactly wrong with the engine, I have a suggestion.... Contact RPM through the website about the possibility of purchasing a complete used, in running condition engine. Also, RRC, formerly Hank Scott Racing in North Carolina sells used Legends racecar engines. I also know that here in Wichita, KS. There is a FJ1100 engine on Craigslist. Asking price is $400.00. I know nothing else about the engine or the seller.



Fred

[aviationfred]

For around $5000.00, you can get a drop in engine from RRC that will make your Vmax on V boost seem tame.


Fred

[Rscott8111]

Yeah, that would be sweet but WAY out of price range. I need to do second gear in the vmax also so my budgets about nothing at this point. Have you been able to look at the YouTube video I posted of the bike? I'm curious if the link is good. On my side it is, but it defaults to my YouTube account and app.

[Pat Conlon]

Hey Rob, I heard the video....it sounds like a starter clutch problem. You are starting the engine in neutral, correct?

I'll let others chime in.....

[racerrad8]

Pull the oil pan. If the starter chain has broken or the starter drive is damaged there will be hard parts in the oil pan.

Also, pull the plugs again. With a long screwdriver that will fit down into the spark plug hole, see if the piston heights are equal. #1 & 4 should be the same height and #2 & 3 should be the same height. If the heights are different then something catastrophic has occurred.

It might also be worth pulling the valve cover and seeing if the cams turn over when you turn the crank by hand. That would also be the time you check to see if the cam timing is properly timed.

Randy - RPM

[Rscott8111]

Awesome ideas. I will try all that this weekend. I guess I'm the mean time I'll start looking for an engine.

[rlucas]

Hey Rob, I heard the video....it sounds like a starter clutch problem. You are starting the engine in neutral, correct?

I'll let others chime in.....

Rob,

This may (or may not...) be of some help.

I had an '82 Virago that sounded exactly like that. The early 750 Viragos had a problem with the starter gear not fully engaging, resulting in the gear teeth rounding off, and it would catch about 50% of the time. The rest of the time the gear teeth would rattle against each other just like that. If you have the starter off again, examine the teeth for signs of wear. It sounds like it's just not engaging. Never heard of this problem on an FJ, though.

rossi

[Rscott8111]

I ordered a new starter off eBay just to check that before I tear it apart. I'll look at the teeth again when I pull the old one. When I was trying to get the engine unstuck I looked at the teeth I could see which was maybe 1/8th of them. Those all looked brand new. But with the way it was locked up I wouldn't be surprised if there are some screwed up.

[racerrad8]

I ordered a new starter off eBay just to check that before I tear it apart.

You have to be careful of eBay/aftermarket starters. Here is a link of starter returned defective, another one of the same brand new starters off the shelf and the last photos are of the genuine Yamaha starter.

I only sell Yamaha starters now...

Beware of eBay/aftermarket starters

Randy - RPM