Author Topic: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!  (Read 3753 times)

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Offline Spiderbath

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1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« on: July 08, 2014, 06:39:03 PM »
I have a 1978 honda cb550 frame with a 1976 cb550 engine. The wiring harness I put on is also from a 1976 honda cb550. I bought a brand new battery that's good. I tested it on an old 1979 honda cb750 that I bought as a part bike. I put the starter controls from the 79 honda on the cb550 and from all the wiring diagrams I've looked at I think I have it connected right. When I turn the key the tail light comes on, but when I press the start button nothing happens at all. I tested the solenoid and starter motor, both are good. All fuses look good, I put on a new regulator/rectifier. I'm not sure what to do. I feel like I've tried every wiring combination and I still get nothing at all! If someone could help me out, I would be forever grateful!

Offline goldarrow

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2014, 08:17:11 PM »
Open up right hand control and check there?
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Offline calj737

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2014, 08:31:03 PM »
Goldarrow is pointing out that the Stop/arun switch may well be in need of cleaning and maintenance. They get corrosion and poor contact surfaces inside. Unscrew the halves, and clean up the contacts well.

You also need a multi-meter and begin to identify if/where/when you have 12v.

1  Reading from the battery?
2. 12v to starter
3. Tried kick starting?
4. Does jumping the starter (screwdriver across poles of solenoid) turn the solenoid?

Some these steps and answers will identify where the interruption is occurring.
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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Offline Spiderbath

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2014, 11:07:25 PM »
I've opened up the right control and everything looks good, no corrosion. I have a multi-meter and I've checked the battery, it reads 12v. I haven't read from the starter yet, I'll do that tomorrow.

The problem with the kick start is that my points plate needs to be replaced, the points are both stuck in the closed position. I'm just trying to make sure I have the hand control hooked up right, then I'll go from there. I plan on getting a dyna s ignition very soon.

Also, I know the solenoid turns, I've checked it numerous times.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll mess with it tomorrow and see what happens.

Offline Spiderbath

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2014, 11:14:59 PM »
Here's what I'm working with, btw...

Offline Spiderbath

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2014, 02:16:21 PM »
I just checked the battery, 12.10v. Then jump started the solenoid and it turned over. So, I'm guessing I need to mess around with control wiring a little more?

Offline Tews19

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2014, 02:45:44 PM »
The wire harness looks like a lot of loose wires. Connect the blue/red with the blue/red. Make sure they all the wires are connected to their matching wire.... Also you have a 550F harness..
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Offline calj737

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2014, 02:58:39 PM »
@Tews - isn't the blue/red the oil pressure indicator line?

Spider - here's a link to the color wiring diagram.

From your start switch, there's a green/red that goes to the clutch/neutral switch, and there's a red/yellow that leads to the starter safety motor. The red/yellow basically leads towards your starter solenoid.

You need to verify those 2 wires listed above, are getting to where they go, and have good, clean connections. There's not much we can do remotely until you determine with a meter, not "looks good" by eye, to verify things.

Antique electrical harnesses require time and effort to clean, repair, and make new. Buckle in, reference huge diagram, and post up what you've tested and the results you got.

By the way, your battery should be reading over 13.1v. 12.1v is low. Charge it up.
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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Offline Tews19

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2014, 03:03:25 PM »
I believe you are correct Cal. Those are the only colors I could really make out that aren't connected. I think I see a solid black and a black /white wire not connected to anything as well.
1969 Honda CB750... Basket case
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Offline calj737

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #9 on: July 09, 2014, 03:17:52 PM »
Spidey- time for a little "tough love"...

I actually just looked at the pics you posted. I see tons wrong here. First, your fuses are correct. 2 are the wrong length. That's gotta be fixed properly.

The wiring harness is an absolute mess of improperly connected wires, dirty connectors, and poor state of affairs. Tews is correct, you appear to have mixed some colored connections, and those have to be right.

Another real possibility is the switched 12v circuit. If you are running the stock keyed ignition, you should have 4 wires coming from it: red, black, brown, and brown/white. The brown and Br/Wht are "accessory" power for your indicators and tail light in a "parked" mode. The red is 12v hot, wired to battery. The black is critical. It only has 12v when the key is "on" and ultimately it powers the ignition.

Look at the diagram: bottom of the picture, in the center. Find the horn symbol. Beside it to the right, 3 blue rectangles. Top rectangle is key switch diagram. See black, red, brown, etc.  follow black up, turn right, turn down. It works it's way thru voltage reg and ultimately to starter magnetic switch, then to starter motor. Understand now how important this single wire is?

You need a meter. You need to start identifying where you have 12 volts, and where you don't. This is the only way to track down a short and correct your harness. It won't be fun, it will take some time, but step-by-step, you can do it. There's loads of folks on here that can help you walk thru it. But you need to provide accurate information and no guess work.
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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Offline Tews19

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #10 on: July 09, 2014, 04:04:28 PM »
Cal that is what I was referring to. Lots of wires disconnected.  I think I see a bunch of wires missing male and female bullet connectors.

Take your time. Male sure all wires are connected to matching wires. 
1969 Honda CB750... Basket case
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Offline nevernoluck

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2014, 04:10:36 PM »
Got the opposite problem, bike cranks but won't start

Offline Tews19

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2014, 04:21:20 PM »
NL do you have spark on all 4? Maybe post a video? Timing may be off. Points or electronic ignition?
1969 Honda CB750... Basket case
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Offline Spiderbath

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2014, 05:16:39 PM »
Hey Cal, you said you posted a link, but I didn't see one.

I've been outside messing with it and still nothing. I know the wiring is a mess but it's because the control is from the 79 honda and those are the wires I spliced. I didn't want to start using female/male ends until I knew what went where.

I have a multi-meter but I a newbie with it and don't really understand electrical all that much (even though my father is an electrician). I guess I need to get that battery charged first though. I have a friend that's an engineer who's rebuilt his own bike and he said he'd help me with it when he gets the time. I'll see if he can come by this weekend and help me out. I'll show him all the suggestions you guys gave me and go from there.

I took on a way bigger project than I anticipated and I just keep running into one thing after another, but I've heard that's how it is with older bikes. This was a stripped down cafe racer that was being built back up so I've been trying to find what parts I can here and there. I did manage to rebuild the carburetors about 2 months ago, but I haven't been able to get the bike started in order to start tuning/adjusting those. That'll be my next post after I figure this mess of wires out.

Thanks for the tough love though, I know it's going to take a lot and I just need to stick with it.

Offline calj737

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2014, 06:59:22 PM »
Sorry about that, Spidey

http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/WiringDiagrams/CB550.jpg

You should also consider buying a wiring kit from vintage connections.com. They have the assembled parts and pieces to repair or construct a harness. Armed with the right parts, the right tools, and a little bit of patience, you can actually turn this into a better than newly wired bike. The diagram above shows you the colors, guys here can help you with troubleshooting, all you need is some quality piece/parts, good crimps, and 60/40 resin core solder and a good gun. Voilá!

Your Dad will be wicked impressed too  ;)

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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Offline Spiderbath

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2014, 07:19:59 PM »
Oh that vintage connection site is great!! I went to walmart a while back and picked up a cheap package of connectors, I will be taking that crap back. I have a pair of crimps, solder and a good soldering gun though.
Thanks again, I hope to start diving in a little deeper tomorrow or this weekend. I'll start taking readings and giving more accurate descriptions on what's going on.

Offline calj737

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #16 on: July 09, 2014, 07:22:00 PM »
I'm a bit particular about solder: 60/40 resin core is what you want for this type of work.
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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Offline Spiderbath

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Re: 1976 honda cb550 won't start at all, nothing!
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2014, 07:32:15 PM »
Just looked and that's exactly what I have, was meant to be! :P