Help?!?!?!!

[TixonPB]

Alrighty. So I bought a 1982 Vision about a month ago. The owner said that all it needed was a starter and everything else on the bike looked good. Most of the stuff that would go wrong had apparently been fixed, so I took it home and ordered a starter. Well I finally got around to the starter yesterday and slapped it in a re-filled the bike with oil and while I was at it, I replaced the solenoid too. Well now the bike pretty much just spins the starter. It seems to engage every once in a while and you can feel puffs of air coming out of the pipes but it does not start. It'll turn maybe 3 times for 3 seconds of trying to start it. What is the problem and how how is it to fix??? Thanks in advance for your help. I'm getting rather frustrated...

-Aaron

[QBS]

Did you order a new OEM starter from Yamaha?

[don_vanecek]

Can you clarify your message alittle, does the new starter spin the engine OK?
Does it spin it only for three seconds then quits?

How long since this Vision was last ran, week, months, years? This information would help us in trying to give you an answer. Almost any machine of any kind can be a problem to get running again after sitting for extended times.

Welcome to ROV, we are glad to help you, where are you from??     

[YellowJacket!]

1.  Make sure the battery is FULLY charged and relatively new.  Make sure the electrolyte is full too.  Visions need a full charge to start.
2.  Twist the throttle 3 times
3.  Set choke to about 1/2
4.  Make sure ignition and start switch are on
5.  Cross fingers
6.  Hit the start button.

If that doesn't work, check your plugs, make sure your carbs are getting gas, you may also want to leave it on prime a few mins.

A "new" starter?  I thought they were pretty much unobtainium.

David

[funkamongus]

not quite unobtainium,, but I got a price on one that I thought must be made from plutonium or Platinum,, heres the quote..

"The 2 brush starter cost 159.95 plus 50.00 core charge plus the shipping cost. If you sent me your starter to rebuild and I had to do a complete rebuild on it then it would cost the same."

I bought a 4 brush starter for my virago for 110 delivered. I wonder if this one makes breakfast in the morning for a week ,or  If it would  "rest its head in my lap... affectionately" ... I mean, there has to be something more here than just a starter...

[TixonPB]

Can you clarify your message alittle, does the new starter spin the engine OK?
Does it spin it only for three seconds then quits?

How long since this Vision was last ran, week, months, years? This information would help us in trying to give you an answer. Almost any machine of any kind can be a problem to get running again after sitting for extended times.

Welcome to ROV, we are glad to help you, where are you from??     

It was apparently run last summer and the starting problem developed over the winter. He said he went to start it in January after not starting it since around November and that the starter would spin but only catch for a couple turns and then just spin. As for the battery, I have a bought a brand new battery and it stays on a trickle charger. I say new but it's rebuilt. I bought it from stockers starters. The bad thing is that I don't think its the starter. The new one is doing the same thing the old one did. I'm mechanically inclined but have never worked on a bike before, so I don't know how to go about changing the spark plugs, but I did order two and have them now. I got them from oldbikebarn.com. As for where I live, I live in Paducah, Kentucky and the yamaha dealership here refuses to work on the bike. Thanks for your help so far though. It's great to finally have people that know stuff about these beautiful bikes.


-Aaron

[Kid Jedi]

Tixion-

I bet you have been lied to. People are pretty jankey about selling stuff now a days.

http://www.xz550.com/starterclutch.html

Here is a complete guide on your starter clutch and an overhaul.

[TixonPB]

I would like to try to change the spark plugs. I had the tank off two weeks ago but couldnt get the wires off the plugs on the rear one and I can't get to the front plug. I also need to get ahold of the haynes manual but I am strapped of cash right now thanks to paying about 200 for that starter. I'm a 20 year old college kid, so im almost always strapped of cash.

[Walt_M.]

Wish you hadn't bought the starter. It probably doesn't have the correct seal and it is probably a starter clutch problem. Now you are down $200 and still have the same problem. Save your efforts on the sparkplugs to inspection and repair of the starter clutch.

[Kid Jedi]

If it makes you feel any better trixon I am in the same boat :)

[TixonPB]

I plan on doing to clutch overhaul i guess next week. Since I have the spark plugs in hand anyways, how would I go about changing them? Do I need a special tool to get the wires off because mine seem to be stuck....

[Kid Jedi]

nope. just be be careful and they should pull straight up. be sure to gr4ip the boot, and not the wire and pull em srtaight up. they take a little work. you need an 18mm deep socket to unscrew the plugs.

[don_vanecek]

Oh boy, that's too bad to have to look into the starter clutch fix right away, read what you can on that, I posted pictures on this that are still good, perhaps someone else can post you that page, I don't know how they do that.  Vision plugs are a bit hard to change without the original tool that came with the bike, perhaps our "ACE" man can advise you on a socket that will work (Lucky). The plug cap should pull off. Well, I guess until you can successfully get it to crank over its hard to know if you have other problems or not.

In some ways it may be a blessing to a broke student a shop would not do anything on the bike as you could end up with a bill for hundreds of dollars, a reason many of us (will myself anyway) have bravely tackled fixing most of the problems these bikes have (and many of these things normally only have to be done once).       

[Tiger]

 :) On the left side engine cover there is an inspection plate...remove this and with the aid of a flash light peer inside...you are now looking into the flywheel. Can you see the thread end of three screws?? They hold the starter clutch in place. These tend to back out (toward the inside of the engine). Left to long the starter clutch will fracture.

I do believe that you will need to remove the left side engine cover and do a starter clutch "fix".

You can do a search and find lots of info' regarding this procedure and the tools required...

                     8).......TIGER....... 8)

[Rick G]

It sounds like the starter clutch needs some attention, we can guide you through removal, prepair and reassembly.   To remove the front spark plug , you may find it easier to loosen up the radiator and pull it forward (you don't need to remove it ) be sure to remove the tank first!!  I use a long flat blade screw driver (15 to 18 inches long) to reach in and slip the tip of the blade under the lower edge of the plug cap and gently pop it up. I also use 2 8 inch extensions to reach down and turn the plug socket on the front one . The rear isn't such a pain.
By the way some 18 mm plug  sockets wont fit  the walls are too thick, I have a couple that are turned down . You can do it on a bench grinder if you have to . I've been told that  Snap on or Proto are thin enough. But mine are cheep ones.

[YellowJacket!]

Paducah!?!?  A lung doctor I worked for for 10 years moved his pulmonary practice to Paducah.  Small town.  He offered to move me up there so I could keep working for him.  :-)

David

[TixonPB]

Thanks for the help everyone. I knew I would probably get help, but I had no idea I would get this much!  :) Anyways, atleast from what I can tell the starter clutch fix isn't all that expensive unless the clutch is fractured. Anyways, first thing tommorrow, i'll get out to the garage and take a looksie inside the case thru that openig. Thanks for the help yet again. BTW, The bike sounded like it was about to start when it was cranking but right when it seemed like it would start, the starter would just start spinning.

[Coil Coyle]

Thanks for the help everyone. I knew I would probably get help, but I had no idea I would get this much!  :) Anyways, atleast from what I can tell the starter clutch fix isn't all that expensive unless the clutch is fractured. Anyways, first thing tommorrow, i'll get out to the garage and take a looksie inside the case thru that openig. Thanks for the help yet again. BTW, The bike sounded like it was about to start when it was cranking but right when it seemed like it would start, the starter would just start spinning.

Howdy, Tixon.

      You need to start asking around for a three arm puller and look up the length of the three metric bolts you need to tension the flywheel with to pull it. Use the crankshaft end bolt with it's washer removed to push against the crankshaft end with the center bolt of the puller.

      You'll also want to borrow a heavy Shop Hammer. There is a debate about weight vs. velocity when hitting the end of the hex bolt of the puller. I advocate a heavy hammer and a deliberate swing; the opposition advocates a smaller hammer swung fast.  :o

Have fun, we'll advise as you go.

$0.02
;)
Coil

[Rick G]

A harmonic balancer puller works fine , I use the biggest hammer I have about 3 lbs , Coil uses a sledge hammer, I didn't have one or I would have used it . The heavier hammer the more the shock on the clutch body . I think that a harmonic sets up when you use a big enough hammer and it will jump right off.
be sure to put a box filled with rags, underneath  the  clutch , to catch the small pieces.

[TixonPB]

I found the tutorial on the starter clutch fix and am going to get the puller tommorrow. If all goes well and I can get it back together again, I'll probably update yall on how it runs  :) :) :) :) :) :) :). What size bolts should i use to re-connect the clutch back to the flywheel? I know they should be slightly longer than stock but can anyone shoot me an actual size? Thanks in advance and for all the help so far.

-Aaron

EDIT: I'm personally not a big fan of a naked bike. I mean, I love the look of this bike but with the ugly headlight, it really needs a fairing. I have two questions. Is the any kind of fairing i can get for an 82? Second, if not, Can I change the single box headlight to one or two round ones?