Looking for some help. The saga starts two years ago:
I was really happy scooting around on my 81 XS400 Special. I rode it for about 6 months... it idled pretty high, but for the most part, it ran just fine. It didn't have an electric starter button, but I rigged one up that worked great.
On a colder day in the fall, I came back, turned the key, and realized that my green neutral light was VERY dim. I tried to turn over the engine, but I couldn't. Luckily, I was able to kick start it after about thirty tries and got it to my garage.
I thought it was just the battery, so I replaced it. It still wouldn't turn over. It sat for about a year, and I finally took it to a shop and he thought it was the missing starter button that was drawing out the charge. He found one and replaced it. He started it up a few times in the shop and it worked great. I drove it home.
I let it sit for a week due to cold weather, and then I tried to start it. It just chugged and didn't turn over. I messed with it yesterday and realized that if I pulled on a cable that was lose (below the seat, connected to some electric wires), it would turn over. I rode around all day yesterday, thinking that if I made this tight, it would turn over.
I tried again this morning, and it turned over once, but not enough to give it the gas it needed to run. I tried again and again to no avail. I put it on a battery tender, and the battery seemed to have drained a bit because it was a red light, illustrating it wasn't charged fully.
The mechanic said he thinks it a faulty battery. He said he checked to rectifier and ruled that out, and all of the cables. I am thinking it could be a couple things: the rectifier, the starter solenoid, or brushes. Any thoughts on where to start? I don't think it is the battery, and I don't want to drain another one.
I was really happy scooting around on my 81 XS400 Special. I rode it for about 6 months... it idled pretty high, but for the most part, it ran just fine. It didn't have an electric starter button, but I rigged one up that worked great.
On a colder day in the fall, I came back, turned the key, and realized that my green neutral light was VERY dim. I tried to turn over the engine, but I couldn't. Luckily, I was able to kick start it after about thirty tries and got it to my garage.
I thought it was just the battery, so I replaced it. It still wouldn't turn over. It sat for about a year, and I finally took it to a shop and he thought it was the missing starter button that was drawing out the charge. He found one and replaced it. He started it up a few times in the shop and it worked great. I drove it home.
I let it sit for a week due to cold weather, and then I tried to start it. It just chugged and didn't turn over. I messed with it yesterday and realized that if I pulled on a cable that was lose (below the seat, connected to some electric wires), it would turn over. I rode around all day yesterday, thinking that if I made this tight, it would turn over.
I tried again this morning, and it turned over once, but not enough to give it the gas it needed to run. I tried again and again to no avail. I put it on a battery tender, and the battery seemed to have drained a bit because it was a red light, illustrating it wasn't charged fully.
The mechanic said he thinks it a faulty battery. He said he checked to rectifier and ruled that out, and all of the cables. I am thinking it could be a couple things: the rectifier, the starter solenoid, or brushes. Any thoughts on where to start? I don't think it is the battery, and I don't want to drain another one.
