Bike wont start / Rapid clicking from rear

Dazjm · Post by **Dazjm** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:03 pm

Okay

Just spent another hour trying to fix this

Gettin me down! only had the bike for about 2 months. First bike experience not going so well. Ahh well, shall keep going. Dont wanna concede just yet!!

Its definitely not the connection from relay to starter, its a new (2nd hand) starter, and the connections now very clean and secure.

When the starter turns, which i cant get it to do now, the starter is fine, not slow, or struggling, and i was able to keep cranking it for a while, before it started to slow. So i stopped and stuck battery on the optimate again.

Checked the earths on the bike. It is solid like 0.1 ohm from earthed bits of the bike to the negative terminal on battery.

What i could really use, is for someone with a ohmmeter to go and check what reading they get through the starter motor terminal bolt on the front, to earth on the bike. Mine is readin 0.1/0.2 ohms, which is practically a short circuit, but maybe thats the way these motors work.

The starter clutch cog turns, so thats not stopping the starter turning. Im really hoping its the starter solenoid is dodgy.

Answers on a postcard plz

VTRbob · Post by **VTRbob** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:36 pm

have you tried jumping the selonoid(scewdriver across the 2 big terminals)if that starts the bike then its the selonoid or the power supply to the selonoid from the start button,or could be the contacts in the start button,trace power up to button then back to selonoid with a tester

if all else fails take down to sandy bloy's

Dazjm · Post by **Dazjm** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:54 pm

Ye, thats my next port of call. If it doesnt work, and all i get is a spark and nothing else, that means my starter motor is supposed to be shagged.

Which would be a pain in the ass, again....

VTRbob · Post by **VTRbob** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:03 pm

take starter of & try it with a battery & jump leads,see if its working ok.

VTRbob · Post by **VTRbob** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:13 pm

or disconnect the power lead of the starter & try a wire or jump lead from battery (positive) to the starter terminal, if that turns it then maybe the power cable has rubbed & is going to earth, you keep trying things & ill keep thinking

Dazjm · Post by **Dazjm** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:06 pm

When testing my original starter motor, i d/c'd the posi cable from the battery, and stuck a jumper cable between the posi terminal, and the bolt terminal sticking out of the starter. I got a spark on the bolt, but the motor didnt turn.... which according to the manual, says the starter is goosed.

Now tmoro i'll do the same with the "new" starter i got, which worked btw, and if it doesnt turn, then surely its fooked.

The new one is giving me the same resistance readings as my old motor , which is worrying.

VTRbob · Post by **VTRbob** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:17 pm

you say you took lead of battery,did you leave it on starter? if that cable is shorting somewhere that would explain the sparks but no turning,try taking both ends of to try it.

storminateacup · Post by **storminateacup** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:54 am

What i could really use, is for someone with a ohmmeter to go and check what reading they get through the starter motor terminal bolt on the front, to earth on the bike. Mine is readin 0.1/0.2 ohms, which is practically a short circuit, but maybe thats the way these motors work.

As in my previous post you should get continuity between the starter motor terminal and earth.

Run the tests on the solenoid.

Dazjm · Post by **Dazjm** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:38 pm

Afternoon!

Cheers storminateacup, urs seems to be reading the same as mine. The motors must be designed like that.

Took the starter motor off, disconnected my batt, stuck a jumper cable between neg terminal and the motor housing, connected a jumper cable to posi terminal of battery, took the other end of that cable, and proceeded to nearly arc weld it to the terminal on the front of the motor. The motor didnt turn or try to.

This apparently means the motor is gubbed. Altho it worked, albeit spuriously a couple of days ago... and ive only had it that long :/

Mate said to me other day.. "Daz get rid of the bike"

No chance! when it goes, i love the beastie.

I shall prevail. Im reluctant to take it into a garage atm, mainly down to cost, being so close to chrimbo, it would be inadvisable!

VTRbob · Post by **VTRbob** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:35 pm

yep sounds like you got a duff starter, when you try them like that they should jump out of your hand when they set of spinning, dont you know someone near with a storm to try thier starter.

Dazjm · Post by **Dazjm** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:02 pm

Went round bob the builders gaff tday.

Took his starter off his bike (after much wrestling with the bolt) with the intention of testing out the 2 i have, as well as the starter solenoid.

Both my starters worked , as did the starter solenoid!

Back to drawing board. Will need to investigate the circuit involving the clutch switch, sidestand switch, neutral indicator etc, that plugs into the top of the solenoid.

Also could there be a faulty earth on the bike? anyway to test that.

It has to be something unusual.

Post by **sirch345** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:31 pm

Dazjm wrote: Took the starter motor off, disconnected my batt, stuck a jumper cable between neg terminal and the motor housing, connected a jumper cable to posi terminal of battery, took the other end of that cable, and proceeded to nearly arc weld it to the terminal on the front of the motor. The motor didnt turn or try to.

When you tried the starter motor with the jump leads (as above) after removing it from the bike, did you remove the heavy cable going to it, as VTRBob suggested

You say you removed it at the battery end, but no mention about the starter motor connection

As VTRBob says if that cable is still connected to the starter motor and it's earthing out, that would explain why you basically had a dead short, or a near arc weld as you put it

Chris.

brovtr · Post by **brovtr** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:04 pm

just try cleaning the starter switch as it gets contaminated with grease from the throtle tube.

steve

VTRbob · Post by **VTRbob** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:09 pm

brovtr wrote:just try cleaning the starter switch as it gets contaminated with grease from the throtle tube.

steve

switch is a seperate unit on storms, grease can't get in.

Dazjm · Post by **Dazjm** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:32 pm

When you tried the starter motor with the jump leads (as above) after removing it from the bike, did you remove the heavy cable going to it

Yea, i basically had the starter sitting on the deck, with the cable disconnected. Connected up jump lead from neg on battery to motor case, and connected the other lead to the posi term on batt, and touched the bolt on the front of the starter.. i got an almighty spark, with some bolt meltage. The batt was d/c from the bike completly. Imo the motor should have started up, but i dunno. Took em to Bobs and they both work wombles spot on.........

Its honestly driving me up the wall. There must be something in the fact that it started the motor when i bounced about on the bike. Like a loose / corroded connection somewhere, somethin to that effect. Its intermittent, but moreso on the side of not workin.