help with fixing the starter.

[Lucky]

the oil just drains back into the bottom of the engine, no specific path.

how about letting the oil drain while your waiting for parts, pull the side cover & look in there with a good, bright flashlight? the rod is chromium plated, or at least very shiney, so it should be easy to spot... stick your magnet in the drain hole too

[dj]

Which side cover?  The side cover where the starter clutch is?  If it is, it is already off.  The oil has already been drained.  There hasn't been any oil in it for about 3 weeks now.  Unfortunately I can't get the drain plug out.  The oil drained out when I took the starter motor out. I have tried soaking the plug with pb blaster about 12 times (almost a full can) and using breaker bars, and vice grips but it won't budge!  Other then smacking it to bits with a hammer I am at a loss for getting the plug out.

[Lucky]

oops, misread your post...

to get the plug out (and you will need to unless you never, ever change the oil)  try applying heat.  one of these small pinpoint soldering torches should do it so you don't set the bike on fire.

[dj]

I actually have a small soldering torch to use with doing the copper pipes for the water lines.  Will this work?  It only gets hot enough to melt the solder, very small flame!

[Lucky]

ok, well that may be too small...  you want to get the plug, & only the plug nearly cherry red, then put the breaker bar on it & it should break free with a nice "CRACK" like a lug nut on a car.

[dj]

I'll give it a try with the torch that I have.  The only other option that I have is to some how lift the bike over my forge, but for some reason I don't think that that would work.  ;D

[Night Vision]

sometimes with a sticky bolt.... if you try tightening it slightly and then try loosening it... that'll do the trick

[Night Vision]

one last suggestion... when you do get the rod... see if it would actually fit in the oil return passage.... WITHOUT DROPPING IT IN THERE  >:( >:( >:(

guess what... it would fit very easily in there... you can stick a whole finger in that hole that is conveniently located just below where that rod and gear was...

everyone... pay attention when you pull that left side case.. I'm surprised this hasn't come up more often... I've been fortunate so far.... nok, nok, nok  :o

DJ- I'm not trying to scare ya... but please be careful... Maine is too far for me to go for a parts bike...... jk

[Tiger]

.  Unfortunately I can't get the drain plug out.  The oil drained out when I took the starter motor out. I have tried soaking the plug with pb blaster about 12 times (almost a full can) and using breaker bars, and vice grips but it won't budge!  Other then smacking it to bits with a hammer I am at a loss for getting the plug out.

.....Heat it and use a 19mm socket to remove it.... :) If you bugger it up.... ::) I'll send you another one....BTW the rear drive drain plug's fit and have a magnetic insert..... 8)

                     ;D       TIGER        8)

[dj]

Night Vision - I can assure you that this bike will NOT be a parts bike at any point in its life while I own it!!  I will do everything in my power to resurrect her.

Tiger - thanks for the tip on the size of the wrench.  You just saved me from having to ask what size it was!  ;D  I try not to bugger things up, but anybody who reads this post from the beginning will no what actually happens when I try something new.  :-[

I am going to try to get the drain plug out tonight.  Crossing fingers and knocking on wood!  With the condition the carbs were in I have no idea how many years that drain plug has been in the bike with out being moved.  I still don't know how the bike was running at all when I got it.  There was about 1/4" of sediment in the bottom of the carbs, 1/2 the carb lines were hooked up wrong, the vacuum line for the petcock was capped off and not connected to anything, the petcock itself was shot... and a few other things.

I am hopping that the light that I see at the end of the tunnel is day light and not a really big train coming straight at me!   :o :o :o :o :o

Maybe one of these years I'll actually get her "finished" (I know a V is never finished)!

[dj]

Tiger - I got the part.  I don't know exactly when I got it because my wife didn't check the mail all last week (we have a PO BOX), and the post office is closed before I get home from work.  I am still waiting on the gasket to arrive at the dealer.  It has been a week and a half on a part that will take "a week tops".

All - I finally got the drain plug off.  I have checked down in the oil return and bupkiss, nada, zilch, nothing!  The rod is not in there.  I took the breaker bar with a socket on it and turned the fly wheel really slowly and it turns without hesitation.  So, I got a little braver and turned it faster and still no hesitation.  I then proceded to turn it as fast as I could and still no resistance.  I am confident that the rod isn't in the "crank case" anywhere.  I can also rock the bike from left to right and there is no sounds of anything being in the oil return anywhere as well.

So at this point I am fairly confident that the rod isn't in the engine, but I don't have a clue where it is.  Does anybody know of any good psychics that could help me find it??  ::)

[Night Vision]

how's your stator look? have you pulled the flywheel and starter clutch off the crank? check those balancer nuts too! no sense in going back in that case anytime soon...

[dj]

As far as I can tell everything looks good, but it is the first time that I have looked at those things before.  I plan on taking some pictures of the flywheel and the stator, just to get some second opinions as to whether or not there is anything that needs to be done with them.

[Night Vision]

there are some tests you can do with a multi meter on the stator in the Haynes manual.... the stator I just replaced on my brother's bike really didn't look serious.... but some of the insulation on the top pegs was charred together.

might want to solder the stator connections and move your R&R while you're at it...

getting there........

[dj]

I'll still post the pictures.  I don't think those pesky bolts are backing out, but since I don't know what they should look like I have nothing to compare them too.

Where exactly is the r/r.  Is that the thing that looks like a heat sink on the back side of the battery case?

Probably a "newb" question, but I still haven't turned in my newbee card yet so I guess I might as well use it.  ;D

[dj]

I tried to post some pictures of the bolts on the flywheel and the stator, but the site wouldn't let me!

I kept getting the error "The upload file is full.  Please try a smaller file or contact a system administrator."  The files are all 40kb and I was only trying one picture per post.

Very confusing.

[dj]

Here is an update on the bike.

I finaly have everything back together and it still wont start.  I have a known good battery in it and it wont start.  I am already having to charge the battery back up a little bit because of trying to start the bike.

I have already checked the plugs and they are clean and sparking.

WHAT SHOULD I BE CHECKING?

[Lucky]

refresh my memory:
will it crank? fast? will it start jumped off a car? will it push start? what does the voltage drop to while cranking?  any weird sounds while cranking? does it 'want' to fire?

[dj]

yes it will crank.

pretty fast, the starter was hard to hold onto when I was testing it.

wont jump off of a car, I just got done trying that.

I don't have any body to help me push start it, so I don't know if it will push start.

The voltage drops from 12 volts to about 9.5 volts when cranking.

The only sound when I push the ignition button is a loud whiring sound from the starter/crankcase.

I hasn't even made any noise from the engine like it is trying to fire!

[dj]

Here is another update.

The starter is getting very hot!!  And I mean very hot, can't even hold my hand on it!

There is also smoke coming from the starter when the ignition button is pushed and held even if it is just for 3-4 seconds.  Very nasty smelling smoke.