Have to sell my bike due to home repair issues

[pbaker27]

I did put new intake boots(rubber tubes between engine and carbs) and do have covers on all of the vacuum lines coming off of the engine. The bike was running, the only thing I did was swap the cct for an acct off of a 04 raptor, put in new spark plugs(same exact NGK models as before) and put a cap on the left front nipple. Now it will not start. I have since put the old cct back on, attempted to use the old plugs, swapped the new plugs back in and still won't start. I'll try taking the cap off of the front nipple and see if that helps, but right now I feel so out of my league with troubleshooting and mechanics in general

[pbaker27]

Sorry if this whole thread sounds like I'm whining, if it does, I apologize I want to ride, and I want to ride this bike. Starting to thinking maybe this winter I'll try taking it completely apart and rebuilding it as I have time/money, which might take a couple years Was hoping to ride it this year though.

I also want to thank everyone for all of the advice, it is greatly appreciated!

[GLoweVA]

Alright, let's try this again.
You swapped out the cam tensioners, so therefore, you had to pull the left cover off to rotate the engine to the 'c' mark.
Now, while you were in there, you might have 'disturbed' the pick up coil wires and you may have no spark, thus no starting.
I guess we need to figure out what you DO have.
For any combustion engine, you need 3 things: Compression/spark/fuel
So, lets walk thru this,
1. let's see if you've got spark:
Pull the plugs out and rest them on the engine head (touching) and try cranking. Do you see spark on all 4?
2. let's see if you've got compresion:
With the plugs out (not connected) crank it again and put your thumb/finger over the plug hole(s). They should all 4 'feel' the same as the PFFT your finger out as the piston compresses.
Obviously this step would be better if you had a compression tester, but not really needed at this step.
3. Fuel: I think we might have beat that dead horse in the previous postings in this thread. (you had it running before and didn't mess with the fuel system at all, so let's assume that it's still working okay)

[GLoweVA]

You have a 79 engine in an 82XJ.
So, I'm wondering about the wiring for the electrical parts.
Specifically, does the 79 vac advance play well with the 82 TCI? or is there a 79 TCI installed on your bike?

[pbaker27]

82 TCI and timing piece under the timing cover. I'll follow the other steps you mentioned, but unfortunately if I can't get to it tonight, I won't be able to do it till Monday night. Picture under the timing cover:

[CaptonZap]

What is the number on the TCI? The black box under the seat. CZ

[pbaker27]

Its the 10m TCI from the XJ.

[pbaker27]

Tried alll 4, plugs, 1 at a time, all 4 plugs have spark, put my finger on each plug hole and had alternating sucking/pushing as I was tying to start it. Took the cover off that one nipple. Still no start. I don't know what to do at this point. bike has 79 engine and carbs, with the 82 gastank/petcocks and it was running before. I even tried switching to reserve to make sure it wasn't low gas and was attempting to start on a full battery charge.

[DGXSER]

After cranking it over for a few minutes, pull a plug or two and see if they are bone dry or wet. That will at least let you know if your getting fuel.

If they are bone dry, then try opening the bowl drain on a carb or two to see if you have fuel in the bowls. In fact, with your 82 carbs, you can put the tube on the drain and see what the fuel level is in the carb bowls. If they look low or dry, then follow the fuel line to find the blockage, filters, Octy valve not operating?

If they are wet, then the timing is off.

[pbaker27]

plugs were pretty dry when i pulled them, and its a 79 carb, not an 82 carb. Also, there is no octy installed, bike was working just fine before I swapped out cct, plugs and put a cap on the one petcock nipple.

[natemoen]

If it is true that the XJ has vacuum petcocks (i don't know if that is true though) the they need go be hooked to a vac source.

[DGXSER]

XJ has the same fuel setup as the Specials from the factory, the OCTY IIRC. So,

I know it was running fine before you did that work. And the chances are something you did resulted in this non-running condition. But, nothing you did would cause a problem we have not already looked into, so we start with the basics and work out from there. It would appear that fuel is lacking, if your plugs are bone dry after cranking for a period of time without firing.

If you have 79 carbs, then, you may want to open a bowl drain or two to see how much fuel is in the bowls. Catch it in a plastic bowl or something so you can compare one to another.

[pbaker27]

I am way beyond my abilities with this bike at the moment, it's just turning into a giant money pit and my wife is really urging me to sell it if possible and use the money towards a turnkey bike.

[DGXSER]

Understand, as I said earlier, its about time and or money, and some mechanical aptitude as well. More of your time, less money spent. Less of your time, more money spent. And lets not forget keeping SWMBO happy in the equation...as any married man knows..."Happy Wife - Happy Life".

There are plenty of folks out there who play Piano much better than I ever will, or who can program these computers to do things that shock and amaze me. Me, I can typically work out how mechanical stuff works, and I enjoy wokring on them almost as much as riding them. If its not your thing, then so be it. For you, it may well be worth spending the extra money on a bike you do not have to work on as much.

[pbaker27]

Normally I am mechanically inclined, but something about the motorcycle that just feels beyond my ability to work on it

But hey, at least she wants me to use the money towards a motorcycle