SuzukiSavage.com /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> No power to starter /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1375646469 Message started by savagepillion on 08/04/13 at 13:01:08

Title: No power to starter Post by savagepillion on 08/04/13 at 13:01:08 Hello, when I try and turn the motor over, the motorcycle will make some clicking noises from the the relay to the selenoid. It seems as though the selenoid is working however I do not get any power delivered to the starter motor. Any ideas?

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by Steve H on 08/04/13 at 13:10:40 Battery fully charged?  That's usually what causes clicking and won't turn over.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by savagepillion on 08/04/13 at 13:13:28 Yes, I actually bypassed all the ignition components with a wire to the starter, started no problem. the de-compression selenoid, does it have to be closed to start?

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by savagepillion on 08/04/13 at 13:16:59 I also messed around with the part under the seat attached to the rear fender. I do not know what that does, but when I messed around with that area it started to work.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by WD on 08/04/13 at 14:01:36 Starter solenoid. Almost never go bad on Savages, unlike several other Suzuki cruiser models... They can/do however get a bunch of crud built up on them that can short them to the fender mount. Usually spider related. If the decompression relay goes bad, it can cause a lot of other electrical issues. Several circuits are directly connected or slaved into it.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by Super Thumper on 08/04/13 at 17:02:05 With a fully charged battery you were able to bypass the solenoid and start the bike. The clicking is the solenoid opening and closing rapidly due to insufficient voltage/amperage to keep the solenoid closed and complete the circuit to the starter. Assuming the solenoid is good......the most likely cause is corrosion either on the connections to the solenoid, battery and starter AND/OR corrosion creeping within the insulation on the battery cables to and from the solenoid, battery and starter. Either situation will make it impossible for the battery to deliver the necessary voltage & amperage through the solenoid and to the starter. Check your connections to make sure they are clean and corrosion free. Also check your cables for any telltale corrosion  (corroded copper wiring looks green) where copper conductor exits the insulation.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/04/13 at 19:31:53 The ground on the engine is sometimes the problem,

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by savagerider87 on 08/04/13 at 21:08:21 the starter switch contacts get corroded as well, especially if itsits out in the elements all the time ;)

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by savagepillion on 08/05/13 at 07:02:49 Thanks for all the support. I measured the decompression selenoid clearance and when it is out, it is about a half inch away from being closed. Will this cause the motorcycle not to start? The manual states 3-5mm of play.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by swedishbiker on 08/05/13 at 07:22:21 No, it has nothing to do with the starter. The play just makes the valve to open less.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by savagepillion on 08/05/13 at 13:47:50 okay, now I am really stumped. I cleaned the connections of the starter selenoid and the connections of the battery cables. It still makes the clicking noise. Where does the battery actually get grounded to the bike? maybe I have not grounded it properly.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/05/13 at 13:50:17 66797F7865625363536B79753E0C0 wrote: The ground on the engine is sometimes the problem,

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by verslagen1 on 08/05/13 at 14:14:43 ground is a wire to the back side of the engine case, by the oil level window.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by savagepillion on 08/05/13 at 18:27:21 okay, so i checked the ohms on the starter selenoid, and have the proper amount of resistance in that selenoid. I checked the cable that leads to the starter, but when I removed it, I accidentally  touched the positive and turned the starter over. could it be the relay is not sending a signal to the selenoid?

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/05/13 at 21:29:25 Could be,, youve got a V meter,,

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by Super Thumper on 08/06/13 at 07:34:50 The fact that the solenoid is clicking proves there is a complete circuit to the solenoid from the relay. the relay serves this purpose....The starter switch cannot carry the necessary amperage the starter needs without being a very large heavy duty item so the designers came up with a relay. The starter switch goes to the relay which then goes to the solenoid....the solenoid carries the heavy amperage needed for the starter...this is why one of your battery cables goes directly to the solenoid and the other goes directly to the starter.The starter switch activates the relay which in turn activates the solenoid. if all the wiring is connected with clean and properly sized wiring to handle the current (Amperage) then the connection is made and the necessary amperage flows to the starter. The fact that a direct connection to the starter results in immediate starting means that the fault lies in the wiring from the switch, relay and solenoid. Check this wiring AND the associated connections for corrosion, make sure the connections are clean and there are not frayed wires. Look for wiring that may have a few broken strands but is still connected at the end where a connector is. Partially broken wires like this will allow a connection but can't carry all the current needed for proper operation. Your VOM will show conductivity but the resistance will be high so always check both when checking wiring with a VOM.

Title: Re: No power to starter Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/06/13 at 08:46:34 A solenoid is nothing but a high current relay. YOuve got the 2 puny wires, they activate the coil that creates the electromagnet which pulls a Big Fat copper washer into contact with the hot wire in & that copper washer IS the connection that carries current over to the wire that feeds the starter. If that copper washer doesnt rotate & beat up the edge all the way around, it will build up spots of arcing & sparking & stop working to carry the current well. If It clicks & clicks when ya hit the start button, there isnt enough power to keep the solenoid engaged. Before you let it eat on ya too much, hook up a solenoid & see how that goes.. prolly get one for 3 bux at a junk yard.

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