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Starter clicking, not turning over.

12K views 27 replies 6 participants last post by  crowley1027 
#1 · (Edited)
I need some suggestions. Bike won't turn over after reassembly. Checklist:

- Battery voltage at 12.5v while bike is off. Didn't check with key on, but the battery is only 2 years old, so it should be good.
- Good grounds: battery to frame, harness to frame, engine to frame.
- Starter solenoid is wired right. Hooked to the positive terminal, with white/red wire connected, and 2pin plug in.
- Starter rebuilt a couple years ago, was fine when I took engine out of frame.
- All fuses are good.

When I turn the key very slowly, from off to on, there is one tick, then additional ticks rapidly together. Sounds like it's from the junction box.

When I pull the clutch in and try to start, the solenoid clicks. Once. Holding the start button in won't make it click more. Once per push. Click, click, frickin' click.

The neutral position wire isn't connected, on the back lower side of the engine. There is also a lime green wire coming from the harness, front left corner of battery box, with a female bullet connector. Was the neutral wire separate? I'll go check the parts diagram and see if I can figure that out.

I haven't bridged the terminals on the solenoid and tried to start it. Nor have I gone battery to starter directly.

Ideas?

Think the safety wire bypass is worth a shot?


Here's a video. It was raining, so the dull raindrops in the background should be noted.
You can hear the first click from the key, then the cluster of clicks, as I turn the key on and off twice, I think. Then you hear the click of the solenoid.
 
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#2 ·
That cluster-clicking is super weird. It seems to me like something is either shorted or cross-wired. Doing a bypass might work, but switching wires around when there's a problem might lead to bigger problems. I'd start by trying to determine which solenoid is triggering. when you turn the key to 'on'. Remove the Yellow/Green wire from JB pin 12 (10 pin connector) to remove the starter circuit relay's path to ground. If the clicking persists, remove the Yellow/Red from JB pin 13 (10 pin connector) to remove the headlight circuit relay's path to ground. That will at least narrow down what non-wire components are involved and we can try to back-trace from there.

The disconnected neutral shouldn't cause this symptom, but would force you to have the clutch lever pulled in in order to start the bike if the kickstand is down. I can't find any green wire that isn't related to the neutral switch.
 
#3 ·
I need some suggestions. Bike won't turn over after reassembly. Checklist:

- Battery voltage at 12.5v while bike is off. Didn't check with key on, but the battery is only 2 years old, so it should be good.

- Good grounds: battery to frame, harness to frame, engine to frame.

- Starter solenoid is wired right. Hooked to the positive terminal, with white/red wire connected, and 2pin plug in.
- Starter rebuilt a couple years ago, was fine when I took engine out of frame.
- All fuses are good.

When I turn the key very slowly, from off to on, there is one tick, then additional ticks rapidly together. Sounds like it's from the junction box.

When I pull the clutch in and try to start, the solenoid clicks. Once. Holding the start button in won't make it click more. Once per push. Click, click, frickin' click.

The neutral position wire isn't connected, on the back lower side of the engine. There is also a lime green wire coming from the harness, front left corner of battery box, with a female bullet connector. Was the neutral wire separate? I'll go check the parts diagram and see if I can figure that out.

I haven't bridged the terminals on the solenoid and tried to start it. Nor have I gone battery to starter directly.

Ideas?

Think the safety wire bypass is worth a shot?


Here's a video. It was raining, so the dull raindrops in the background should be noted.
You can hear the first click from the key, then the cluster of clicks, as I turn the key on and off twice, I think. Then you hear the click of the solenoid.
12.5v without any load on it? That battery is basically dead. It ought to be at least 14v open load. If you turn the key on, it should be at least 13.2v ( i.e. with various lights on, depending )

The only thing that sucks on juice without the key is the fan. A click is a relay ( i presume ). And so... why is one of your relays turning on with only turning the key? Check the fan relay...

If that shorted, then no wonder your battery is dead.

Just my guess without any meter probes long enough to reach you.

Oh and P.S. Check for a frayed wire under your ignition key switch.
 
#4 · (Edited)
12.5v without any load on it? That battery is basically dead. It ought to be at least 14v open load. If you turn the key on, it should be at least 13.2v ( i.e. with various lights on, depending )
That's not correct., 14v is charging volts. 12.5v is slightly low, but not dead. 2.1v per cell X 6 = 12.6v

Might check the back of the ign. switch and make sure no wires have broken loose. Someone had that problem in the past two weeks.

The single click does sound like the starter solenoid, but you might touch it while hitting the button to be sure.

If the solenoid is working, I would try a jumper cable sending full amps to the starter cable to see if the starter works.

Going to need to try mine and see if that single click is normal when the key is first turned on.
 
#12 ·
Performed the two-wire mod. No change.

Ticking was coming from the coil mod relay (rear coil hooked up to a relay). I disconnected the relay and put the wire back to the rear coil. No change.

Is it possible I need a new solenoid?

Going to bypass the solenoid now.
 
#18 ·
I used a wrench to bridge the two terminals on the solenoid, and tried to start the engine. I got clicks again.
Thinking bad connection at the solenoid terminal going to starter, but could be loose at the starter I guess. Especially true on either if you jumped from battery directly to starter.
 
#23 ·
So, on the starter cable, I put on a new ring terminal. The hole was too big, but I figured I'll put washers on either side and sandwich it.

Well, the "washers" I put on it were the red plastic washers already on the starter.

So, the ring wasn't touching the threads, and wasn't touching metal washers.

I took the nut off the starter and hung the ring connector on the threads of the starter and it turned.

Sometimes its the dumbest stuff........
 
#24 ·
#27 ·
Horray @ closure
 
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