The starter sounds like a bag of marbles in a tin can.

[mela]

<H1 style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 9.6pt 9.6pt auto">I know that this is a gs forum, but you guys are very knowledgeable and helpful and own more than one type of bike.

Hi,</H1>I just bought a 1982 Yamaha Virago xv920j.

The starter sounds like a bag of marbles in a tin can.

I would like to know the proper way of correcting this noisy starter.

What do you need to fix it?

Where do you get the parts ?

What type of cost is involved?

Does the fix correct the problem permanently?

Is it difficult to do yourself?

I would appreciate any and all information regarding this starter dilemma.

Thanks ,

Mel

Email information : melalice2002@yahoo.com





I know that this is a gs forum, but you guys are very knowledgeable and helpful and own more than one type of bike.

[GScruiser]

Does the starter even engage?? If it dosnt
, a faulty (slipping) starter clutch will sound like a bag of marbles.

[821100gl]

my starter on my bike is acting up. But i got a good starter coming in the mail but mine would crank and start my bike fine but you can hear it hit something. when i had the bike on its kickstand i had no noise when i sit on it and have it standing straight up you can hear a noise once in a while but leaning all the way to the right it makes the noise like crazy.

[argonsagas]

I agree with the suggestion that it sounds more like a starter clutch problem, and that is a bit more difficult than a simple starter replacement.

To do that job you remove the stator cover, then remove the nut that holds the rotor .....STRONGLY recommend you use the proper tool for that....and you will find the starter clutch behind the rotor.

With a little luck the rotor will be in good shape and allow you to just replace the bearings and springs.

Use Loctite blue when reassembling the (cleaned) retaining bolts on the rotor.

[NICK!]

Jeez, I haven't seen a 920 in years. I did a lot of "Vertigo's" back in the day BUT please remember I'm going on 20+ year old memories. Your best bet is to find an old Yamaha dealership that actually has an old Yamaha mechanic still pulling wrenches in the shop. A gray haired service manager would be the next best thing, but it is important to make sure the guy was there in 1982.

The Viragos from these years have more of a "Bendix" style arrangement than the more familiar roller and spring starter clutch that GS's have. Yamaha Viragos went through many, many styles of starter clutch over the years and they didn't really have a trouble free system until the late 80's. I'm sorry to say the one you have is the worst one they ever had. I did a lot of them and they were almost a constant problem. Even when they are working right they often don't engage and make an aweful grinding sound.

First thing, make sure your starter motor screws are tight, have someone hit the starter button while you look at the starter motor and see if the whole starter motor assembly twists when operating. Those LONG screws that hold the starter together had a habit of being a little on the loose side. I also seem to remember there being shims available for under the two screw mounting pad that connects the starter to the motor.

Look at the blow up diagram below, inside your engine has a LOT of moving parts that connect your starter motor to the engine. 1,2,3,5,6,7,8, & 10 , and the starter itself , any or all could need to be replaced to fix this problem. Once you get it fixed, keep up with your valve adjustments and carb sync every 3800 miles to increase the time between failures. One thing is for sure, it will break again.

If your anywhere near New Jersey let me know, maybe I can help you. Better yet, I'll take you to Speer's Yamaha in Clifton, these guys are old school Gods.

[NICK!]

OK, I looked further and I remember better now. The shims were not for the exterior pads of the starter mount. The shims that Yahama had for these starters look like #10 below (thats actually a gasket, not the shims) but go next to the outer planetary housing as that part would spin inside the starter motor assembly. Please tell me your near NJ, I really can't see many folks out there knowing about these. I'm going away for the weekend but I will look in on this thread Sunday night or Monday to see whats up.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I see repair kits for the common Virago starter problem on EBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VIRAGO-STARTER-REPAIR-KIT-BEST-CLIP-SHIM-FIX-2-IDLER_W0QQitemZ160280168209QQihZ006QQcategoryZ35594QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem