Troubleshooting/FAQ

[andyb]

In an effort to make a single, unified place to answer the questions that many new FJ owners have (and questions that older FJ owners can't remember the answer to!), we're going to start a modern/updated FAQ type of thread.  Another thread has been started for modifications.

For starters, if you see something that you've got problems with, or additional information that could be added, send me a PM and let me know.  

This thread is for the care and feeding of a happy FJ, but not related to modifications at all.

Where to get parts or parts diagrams?
What references are available on the FJ?
Starting issues
Suspension issues
Clutch problems
Gas cap makes whistling, meowing noises
Oil Leak atop the valve cover
Clutch slave leaks
Belly pan has a broken bolt at the left rear
Brakes weak
Too much vibration
Electrical Problems
Poor running
Tuneup information (carb specs, plugs, shims, etc)
Second gear jumps out of gear under load
Oil leak but can't find source
Rust in the gas tank
Repainting, color codes

[andyb]

Sources for OEM parts:

Randy @ RPM
What happened to Mike K?
Ed Thiele for Amsoil products
Woody's Performance
Zanotti's
CheapCycleParts.com
Ebay
The UK FJ catalogue Membership is required, for a fee.

You can also look here, here, or post here.

Don't know what parts you need?  Then you need to look it up on one of these places:

Yamaha's offical parts catalog
MRCycle's parts catalog (copy of Yamaha's fiche)
Bellflower's parts catalog (copy of Yamaha's fiche)
BikeBandit's parts catalog (copy of Yam...)

Oh, and if you're trying to use parts from a junkyard, there is a fische that includes reverse application lookups in a lovely, easy to use way here.

[andyb]

For reference while working on the FJ, absolutely nothing beats the Genuine Yamaha Service Manual (GYSM), but they're expensive a bit.  Because of copyright issues we can't post them here, but it's possible that some members may have a copy available online that you could use as a preview before purchasing one.  The manual for the 84 is complete, then you get the supplements to cover changes between the years

The FJ1100L/LC manual part number is LIT-11616-04-08
The FJ1200S/SC supplement is LIT-11616-05-00
The FJ1200W/WC supplement is LIT-11616-06-94
The FJ1200B/BC supplement is LIT-11616-07-80
The FJ1200AD/ADC supplement is LIT-11616-07-98
The FJ1100/1200 (L-D) manual is LIT-11616-FJ-01

You can also use the Clymer manual or the Haynes version.

Additionally, you can always ask around online at various sites. 


Here's another place to find information on the FJ.  Be slightly wary of using information from a single source without doublechecking it against another source if you can.  For example, the 90 in my garage has drilled brakes, not slotted ones, which some places say.

[andyb]

Won't start?

Motors need 3 things to run.  Spark, fuel (/air mix), and compression.  Each section lists possibilities in order of likelihood.


So, check for all three.  Start with the easy one, electrical.

Turn the key on.  Does the headlight, taillight, and dash light up?
-Some lights on, some lights off:  You've got power, but some burned bulbs, a blown fuse, or faulty wiring someplace.
-No lights on:  You've got either a dead battery, a bad ignition switch, or a major wiring fault (no ground from battery, for example).
-All lights on:  Battery may be weak, but it's working somewhat.

Further, you should hear the fuel pump click a few times, if your model has one.  More on that in a bit.

Put the sidestand switch in the up position, and put the bike into neutral.  There's a switch on the sidestand which prevents the bike from running with it down and in gear.  Also there's a switch on the clutch lever, which bypasses this if it's pulled in.  Set the killswitch to the RUN position.  Press starter button, and you get?
-Nothing at all:  Your starter button is not functioning, or you have a short someplace.
-Both red lamps on the dash come on, headlight may go out, but no sound:  Battery is too weak, starter solenoid is crapped out, or there's faulty wiring (a high resistance point someplace, like a loose/corroded ground connection).
-Click or clicking noises from the bike, dash lights in red:  Weak battery, possible starter solenoid, possible starter broken, possible bad wiring.
-Turns over and then stops hard:  Big problem in the motor or trans.  Something expensive probably broke.
-Turns over and over but won't catch:  Well, at least that much worked.  Don't sit on the starter button for more than 10s or so, you'll overheat it, needlessly wear things (you don't have much oil pressure during this time), and you'll drain the battery.

Ok, so it's cranking but that's all.  The last thing to check is to pull a plug, the two outside plugs are easiest to access (#1 and #4).  Pull one out and see what it looks like.  If it's filthy, odds are they all are.  Replace them.  If it's oily, pull them all and compare them.. one being oily means a problem on that cylinder, all of them can mean that the motor is sucking oil from the breather or there's worn rings or valve seals.  A damaged/smashed plug is a sign of expensive problems within the motor.  Four smashed plugs means you should start crying now.  Plugs that have had metal apparently burned away is a sign of incredible detonation at some point, so be prepared to troubleshoot some running issues.

Next, while wearing semi-heavy gloves that are DRY (or rubber, or using a non-conductive tool), hold the plug's ground strap (the bent bit that pokes out from the metal where the threads are), hold that against something metal, like the engine (has to be a shiny metal area, not painted/powdercoated... in a pinch, the top of the head nuts will work, they're shaped like little hexagonal helmets and will be right next to the plug), and crank the motor over.  You should see a spark, thus the clever name "spark plugs".  Please note, it's entirely possible to kill yourself doing this.  If everything decided to work, the air is going to pump fuel-enriched air at your face and you're holding an ignition source.  You can also get a rather nasty shock, which will make your hair fall out, stop your heart, give you a hell of a jolt, cause impotence, and the women will laugh at you.  You've been warned, be careful doing this.  A safer way is to grab another plug and use it for this test, leaving the original one in the head so you don't blow an explosive mixture at your face while holding an ignition source.  Meh, I'm still alive*.

-No spark at the plug:  You sure you checked the killswitch, right?  Then take a look into the coils themselves, and the wiring to them, including their mounting as they are grounded through it.  Your CDI may have crapped out, but be damned sure about it before you start spending money, as they're pricy and usually non-returnable...worse, if there's something wrong that causes them to fry, you may fry your new one in short order if the problem isn't fixed first.
-Wimpy orange spark at the plug:  battery may be a bit weak, but should have worked.
-Intermittent blue spark:  Good.  Carry on.

At this point you can pretty much rule out the ignition side of things.  It's possible that the timing plate is somehow worn in a ridiculous way and the timing is off by about thirty feet, but it's not likely.  Also poltergeists could be possessing your bike: consider selling it and getting a a priest to ensure you're not also possessed.  Making snide comments that your wife is possessed in her hearing may cause a bloodier (but no less deadlier) episode than described above.

The next thing to look for is fuel.  

Stand on the bike, open the gas cap, and wiggle the bike side to side.

-Silence:  Fill the gas tank.  Preferrably with nice, fresh gasoline.
-Sloshing noises:  Is that gas good?  Gas that's been sitting a few months becomes crap.  If it's old, drain it and fill your lawnmower with it, and get some nice fresh gas.
-Wet lap:  Don't wiggle so hard.  The tank was full.  

Ok, so is the gas getting to the motor?  Turn the key on, turn the killswitch on, and listen.  On a bike with a fuel pump, it'll click rapidly for about 5 seconds.  Turn the key off, then turn it back on.  It'll click some more, but if you keep doing this, it will slow down and eventually stop clicking.  That means the carbs are full and the float needles are stopping it from moving more gas into the carbs.

Next, pull the tank off.  If you can get enough access to pull either the #1 or #4 carb bowls, now's the time, but it's rough to get in there well enough to get to the screws that hold them in.  They're the D shaped piece at the very bottom of each carb.  They've got screws in them that you should be able to unscrew and dump fuel all over your motor and floor with, but the truth is if you haven't had those screws out in this decade, they're not coming out without a lot of effort, swear words, heat from a torch, fire when you find out there was gas in there and you had a torch in your hand, trips to the hospital, and eventual humiliation when the doc finds out that you are impotent.  Just skip them.

If you can't get the bowls off or the drain screws open, you need to pull the carbs off.  It's not as hard as it looks, though it's intimidating.  Open the plastic thing on the throttle cables and disconnect them there, as it's easier than doing it at the carbs (don't drop the damned screws down an open spark plug hole either.  Trust me on this.).  If you've got an airbox, some suggest pulling the top bolts that support the subframe and dropping it out of the way.  Others suggest using a hacksaw to remove the airbox and getting pod filters.  Once the carbs are out, stuff a clean rag down each intake rubber (the four holes you pulled the carbs out from), or use painter's tape to just cover them over (which I recommend, as you won't leave the damned rags in there and feel like a jerk later. Trust me.).

Please note:  Treat your carbs with care.  It's possible to screw up your float heights if you flip them over roughly.

Pull the float bowls off and see if you've got fuel in each carb.  

-They're dry:  Just how old is that fuel filter of yours?  Start troubleshooting all of the plumbing between the gas tank and the carbs, including the fuel pump.  One very common issue would be that you have a kinked fuel line, so inspect the one you have (from the tank down) and make sure that it isn't showing signs of kinkage (no, not little furry handcuffs, but creases and wear marks...maybe you're getting a little kinky like that in your old age too...).
-Some are wet, some aren't:  You had floats stuck in the up position, crap covering the little screens that clip onto the needle seats, or poltergeists.
-All are wet, and it smells like a bakery:  Your ex wife put sugar in your gas tank.  Maybe cinnamon too.  Maybe she was hoping for your bike to shoot pastry out the pipes.
-All are wet and you make a mess and now reek of gasoline:  Well, so far so good.  Don't light yourself on fire. If the insides look clean (no brown or green crap stuck like glue to all internal surfaces), you can skip the next step.

Gosh, the carbs are off.  It's time to turn to some slow old guy who uses harley tires for advice on cleaning them.

So now your carbs are all pristine!  Isn't that nice?  Slap the whole affair back together and try again.

Still nothing?  You should at least be getting pops, cracks, and general farting from the motor now when you crank it over, even if it won't catch and light off completely.  Time to get serious.  For this, you're going to need some specialized tools:  A compression tester.

-Compression is low on all four, relatively evenly:  Cam timing jumps to mind first (valve lash as well).  Get a manual and check it, all the while praying you don't have bent valves.  You may also have a very high mileage motor, time for a top-end rebuild to get new rings in it, and a boatload of wear items.
-Compression is mixed and inconsistent numbers between cylinders:  You have a "bad hole" (yeah... don't go there).  You may have a bad headgasket, a piston with a hole in it or pinched rings, or... any of a number of things.  Pull the motor down and start digging for answers.
-Compression is good and consistent across all four:  The bike should start.  Either you can start looking into spiritual guidance for the demons possessing it from a priest or a mechanic, or you can periodically kick it in the garage as you walk by, trying it despondently every so often until you find that the kill switch was off and feel like a jerk.




*Note:  my hair has fallen out, but I'm not impotent.  The women laugh anyhow.  This may or may not be related to testing for spark on my motorcycles.

[andyb]

Suspension problems

The OEM FJ suspension does okay for a mid 80's machine, and makes a good sport-tourer.  Unfortunately, it's likely worn out significantly after 20 years or more have passed!

Normally, you start by fixing the obvious problems, such as:

Leaking fork seals, which aren't hard to replace with the right tools.**
Putting the proper amount of fork oil in (84-90 = 424mL; 91+ = 446mL)
Grease the linkages for the shock
Adjust the suspension
Check tire pressure
Replace worn tires

Many choose to modify their FJ rather than fix the stock bits, but that's not a story for this thread.


**If you're using a Clymer manual and doing the forks seals, install them upside-down compared to how the book says (the book has a known mistake there).

[andyb]

For clutch issues, a couple good starting points would be this thread.  The FJ has a less than strong clutch from the factory, so modding it is a very routine thing.  It may be possible for someone with few mods or who rides at high elevation to get away with putting it back to stock, perhaps using an aftermarket diaphram spring.

Do not use anything but OEM fiber/steels.

A clutch that won't disengage is usually a problem at the slave cylinder, which is notorious for leaking on the FJ.

[andyb]

A noisy gas cap?

Usually happens after the bike is run a while and parked.  Isn't a problem unless it annoys you.  If it does, open the cap, stick a rag firmly in the opening, and take it apart.  There's a spring-loaded ball in there (which is why you want that rag to keep it out of the tank), but it's very straightforward to take apart.  Remove one or both of the rubber bits in it, and reassemble.  A little lubricant (engine oil or WD-40 or the like) will make opening the cap a bit easier, while you've got it all apart.

Oh, and here's how to do it.

[andyb]

Leaking oil around the bolts that appear to be rubber mounted atop the valve cover?

Read this.

The part number you'll want should be 2GH-1111G-00-00, and there are 8 total.

[andyb]

Clutch Slave leaking? 

It's on the left of the motor, held by 3 bolts, and helps to retain a cover over the countershaft sprocket.

Rebuild instructions.

[andyb]

Belly pan has a broken bolt at the left rear?

Odds are the clutch slave dripped on it over time and ate the plastic away.  Read one post up.

As far as finding a replacement, you'll need to either 1) spend a fortune, 2) watch the used market, or 3) use aftermarket and have it painted.

[andyb]

Weak brakes?

Start by shining a flashlight where the pad meets the rotor, and look hard at it.  You're looking to see that the pads have some meat left on them, some have a wear indicator.  If the brakes worked the way you wanted them to in the past, and the pads still have meat on them, proceed to step two.

Next step is to bleed the brakes and see if that helps.  If this doesn't return them to a good feeling, it's possible that your pads got glazed, and could be fixed by replacement.

If your brakes never felt all that secure, it's probably time to look at modification(s).  FJ brakes were good at the time, but are underwhelming these days by comparison.

[andyb]

The FJ is a big lump of a mill that can have vibration in a bunch of different ways.

Vibration at a given speed, say 60mph in a few different gears?  Probably an imbalance in the tires/wheel assemblies.

Vibration only under braking will feel like a pulsing through the lever.  Warped brakes are usually the guilty party.

Vibration at a given RPM in different gears?  There's a few things to look for:  Check the carb sync, check the frame for loose bolts and such.  Here's an example to get you started.  Here is a thread with lots of good info, and here is the how-to on motor mounts.

Once all of those are done and known to be good, if the vibes still bother, you can use a set of purpose-built bar ends that have been reviewed very well by members here that have used them.

[andyb]

 Many electrical problems on our FJ's are not from failed components, but from frayed wires or corroded connectors both on the 12v side of the component, and the ground side.

Complements from Rich Baker, here is a great article on measuring voltage drop in your electrical wiring.
Before you start throwing money at new components read this article first:
http://us.fluke.com/fluke/usen/community/fluke+plus/articlecategories/electrical/diagnosevoltdrop.htm

[andyb]

A rough running FJ can be due to a bunch of different reasons.

Start with the basics.

If it's really jerky at a given speed, start by double checking the tension on the chain.

If it's running badly while even just in the garage, and particularly if it's been sitting awhile, frequently the problem is that the carbs have gotten dirty.  However, before tearing it all apart, start by getting new gas for it.  Gas can go bad in the span of a few weeks, and is nearly impossible to troubleshoot.  The next easy thing to look at is the spark plugs, which can cause erratic misfires and such.  Making sure that you've got spark on all of the cylinders is generally a matter of checking a few things; the sparkplugs, the spark wires, the coils, and the battery.  The FJ can have problems from a questionable battery that show up in strange ways.

Air leaks can also cause ugly running problems.  Make sure that the carbs are still actually attached to the rubber boots between them and the head, and ensure those boots aren't cracked, as they're not cheap.

Still no luck?  Then it's time to tear into the carbs and start digging.  Here is the bible for carb cleaning.  Take your time and give yourself a good amount of room to work, in a clean area.  Many of the bits are tiny and easily lost!  

You may find that the thin rubber diaphrams (connected to the slide assembly) have pinholes or worse.  Sometimes these can be repaired, but replacement can be quite expensive.

[andyb]

For a stock machine, here is the information that you may want to refer to:

Sparkplugs are NGK DP8EA-9 or ND X24EP-U9 or equivalent.  The UK models used NGK DPR8EA-9 or ND X24EPR-U9.
Plug gap should be set to 0.8-0.9mm (0.031-0.035in).  here is what NGK says about reading plug condition.

Valve clearance settings (also known as shimming or setting lash) should be:
0.11-0.15mm (0.0043-0.0059in) on the intake
0.16-0.20mm (0.0063-0.0079in) on the exhaust

Shims can be sourced locally from a variety of sources.  Any older motorcycle service shop should have a big box of various types of shims.  Some Honda and other makes use shims that will fit.

Compression testing (cranking compression) should be done with the engine cold.  Pull the sparkplugs all out, and be certain to not drop anything into a plug hole!  With the compression tester stuffed into a spark hole, hold the throttle wide open and crank the motor over while reading the gauge.

Standard 142psi
Maximum 171psi
Minimum 128psi

You're looking for the numbers to all be within 5% of each other or so.  There's a bunch of factors that can change the overall compression, including cam timing (including wear on the camchain, tensioners, and camchain guides), valve clearances, wear on the rings/bores/pistons (blowby, poor sealing), and so on.  If you have one cylinder reading significantly lower than the others, you can try squirting a small amount (~5mL or so) of oil into that cylinder and checking it again. If the number increases, you very probably have a problem with the ring seal in that cylinder.  If it does not change, the issue is more likely in the valvetrain (start by checking the valve clearances).

For stock carb specs:

Main jet
    All US models, 84-87 UK =112.5
    88 and newer UK = 110
Main Air jet
    All models = 45
Needle clip position
    FJ1100 UK= 3rd from the top
     FJ1100 US = not adjustable
    FJ1200 US = not adjustable
    FJ1200 UK = 3rd from the top
Idle mixture screws
    US models = not adjustable, covered by a pressed in plug
    UK 84-87 = 2 turns out
    UK 88+  = 3 turns out
Pilot air jet
    FJ1100 = 160
    FJ1200 = 155
Pilot jet
    US = 37.5
    UK 84-87 = 40
    UK 88+ = 42.5
Float Height
    21.3-24.3mm
Fuel level
    FJ1100 = 2.0-4.0mm
    FJ1200 = 2.5-3.5mm