79 kz650c dead starter

I could use some help with a 79 KZ650c I bought from my landlord last fall. I spent the winter cleaning it inside and out. I pulled it out of the basement this spring, and reassembled it and am trying to get it started. Starter button does nothing, full load on battery, and fuses are good. Won't kick start either but I am not as concerned about that because it wasn't running when I bought it ($200.00). No pics yet sorry.

Question: Where do I start to diagnose?

Does anything work, lights, horn etc. Are you pulling in the clutch lever when you are trying to start it? Is the kill switch on? Does the solenoid for the starter make any click when you try to start it? Make sure it is in neutral and try bypassing the solenoid by jumping across it with a jumper cable.
More infor would help.
Les

Thanks for the quick response. That is one reason I joined this site, the members seem very knowledgable. Anyways, yes I had all the electrics working, although now no headlight. Yes clutch in and in nuetral. No, nothing from the solo-thingy, no clicking, no buzz, nothing. Killswitch set to run. Key set to ignition.

By jumping across take the starter out and rig some jumpers from the solenoid to the starter? Will I know these connection points when I see them?

To jump the solenoid just use a jumper cable to connect the battery wire and the starter wire on the solenoid to see if the starter works. using one side of a set of auto jumper cable will do for this test just use either both red or both black ends. If it works you know the starter is at least working and it is time to start checking all your connections and wiring in the starter system. I always start at the item that isn't working and work my back to the battery or ground connection, it just seems easier for me to find a problem that way. Check that all the connections on the solenoid are clean and tight. Use a test light on the battery stud on the solenoid not the wire to be sure there is power there the wires may be making a good connect to themselves but not to the stud. I'm trying to follow the schematic in my Klymer's manual for your bike but it leaves a lot to be desired. All the wires from the different switches in the bars converge in the headlite bucket so pull the headlite and check for corrosion on all the plugs there. You will be testing the kill switch, the starter button and the clutch switch. If you have trouble with any of this let me know and I will go into it deeper.
Les

Post edited by: The Milkman, at: 2007/05/04 20:53

Post edited by: The Milkman, at: 2007/05/04 20:56

i also ran into corroded contacts in the start button before....
it has been sitting awhile.
spiders and mice get everywhere.

are the wires routed through the handlebars ?

Post edited by: kawsakiman, at: 2007/05/04 21:51

Post edited by: kawsakiman, at: 2007/05/04 21:53

Hey Milkman,
Can you by pass the kill switch and the clutch lever in the headlight casing or is there a better way to do this? I just bought a 1975 zi900 and there are problems with the electrics,when i pull the clutch the head light gets brighter but the starter motor will still not crank.Where is this clutch switch?
iT LOOKS LIKE ALOT OF US NEED HELP SO IF YOU HAVE THE TIME THANKS IN ADVANCE.....
1975 Z1900
1980 KZ750
1975 CB360
1994 FXDL 1340
mike

Excellant advise. Had no power to the solenoid, so I began tracing all the connections, and found a major break under the hood. All patched up and the starter cranks. Success.

Now no spark. I suspect bad coils. I have power to the points. Any easy test to see if they need replacing, also I am running on points, so I need 5 ohm coils, right? Where do I find these?

I did some reading on this site and found the test for OHMs on the coils, and references to modifying the cricuit, which I hope to do once the old girl is up and running. I think I am doing the test wrong because I get no reading what so ever. Multimeter set to KOhms, key set to ignition, kill switch set to run, neg touching post, pos touching green wire or black wire, or plug wire end without the cap. no reading.

Help. Are the coils dead? Not getting current?

A couple things to start with. If anyone has been following this thread and saw your last post about the starter they may not come back and see the points one. You should probably start a new thread on it. Also, go into you profile and put you bikes year and model in your sig line. A lot of us put our location there too.
If you are getting power to the points, you are at least getting some primary power (battery voltage) through them. If you have a test light test for voltage at the coils as you turn the crank using the 17MM nut on the crank, don't us the 13MM bolt on the very end of the crank. As you turn the crank the light should flicker or meter should go from having voltage to not as the points open and close. This test is just easier with the light.
Good luck.

Oh, if your light doesn't flicker or the meter doesn't move your points aren't making good contact. Clean them up with a file or replace them and the condenser and set the gap correctly following the manual instructions. As you are doing this test take the plug wire off #4 cylinder and pull the plug or use a spare, connect the wire to it and lay the plug on the engine and see if the plug sparks as you are turning it, when the set of points on the left open you should get a spark.

Post edited by: The Milkman, at: 2007/05/08 09:13

Testing the resistance on the coils should be done with no power on, and the coil wires disconnected.
You check the resistance both sides, primary (the two wires that recieve the 12 volt power from the red/yellow wires) and secondary (the spark plug wires them selves). Not sure of the reading off hand. Also depends on model of bike.

You could check that your getting close to 12 volts on the two power feed wires to the coils (red/yellow) when the key and kill switch is on.

Thanks Guys for all the great advice. I wish I knew what I was doing. I tried a couple things and get voltage here but not there. So, I bit the bullet, and went with the throw money at it scenerio, hello Z1E, new coils, Dyna-s, new wires. Should have the parts by this weekend. We will see ... I need to ride.