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Solenoid 'chatter' but what to do next ?

Hoople said:
I wish you had an inductive amp probe to measure the current coming out of the battery at the time of cranking. That would be a valuable number to know.
You wouldn't by chance have 1 would you?:p:p
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... no, I guess I wish I did but then again I'm not so sure I even know what one of those is :) but I can get a pretty good idea from the name.

NEWHD74FAN : yes I do have a battery tender (that's what you guys mean by a connector connected directly across the battery terminals so that you can plug your charger into it ... isn't it ?). Though I would say both battery posts and any wires connected to them have been checked for corrosion and tightness ... as mentioned before, battery connections remade. To the best of my knowledge I've never had this battery anywhere near a fully discharged state.

I'm measuring voltages between the solenoid + terminal on top of the solenoid housing and the frame. Battery still charging after taking a beating :)

Also as mentioned in my earlier post, I did see this problem once before ... at least a year ago ... but it just vanished after 2 or 3 start attempts never to return until now .. but this time I can't fix it.

cheers

RR
 
Thought I would mention this again. Battery cables have TWO ends and this problem can be caused by a bad connection on EITHER end.

Clean BOTH ends of EACH cable to eliminate the cables as the source of the problem.

Also when this "clicking" happens, hold the start button a few seconds and feel the temps of the cables and the end fittings . If they are hot, then you probably found the problem.
 
glider said:
Thought I would mention this again. Battery cables have TWO ends and this problem can be caused by a bad connection on EITHER end.

Clean BOTH ends of EACH cable to eliminate the cables as the source of the problem.

Also when this "clicking" happens, hold the start button a few seconds and feel the temps of the cables and the end fittings . If they are hot, then you probably found the problem.
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... OK I will definitely try to find a possible hot cable.
As far as cable end cleaning goes ... NEG has been done both ends ie. at battery and onto frame. POS done at battery but I will recheck the connection onto the solenoid (I originally only checked this for tightness 'cos I got 12.7v at this point). Will get back a.s.a.p.

RR
 
RetroRocker said:
... (I originally only checked this for tightness 'cos I got 12.7v at this point).

RR
Click to expand...

Checking just the voltage to identify a poor connection does not work. You will will go down Primrose lane if you do. Trust these guys advice.

*************************
After checking your cables ends and making sure all is well, there is 1 thing I would like you to try if your handy and up to it.
I want to by-pass a couple of parts:

If it's not clear,,, say so and I will give you more detail.
Go to the fuse panel box. There should be a label on the inside of cover. Identify the "start relay".
Remove it and look at the bottom of the relay and locate pin #30 and #87. Leave the relay Unplugged. Insert a short piece of wire into the FEMALE panel receptacle #30. Insert a short piece of wire into the FEMALE panel receptacle #87.

Make SURE the bike is in neutral. (MAKE SURE)

Touch both free ends of wires together. Does engine CRANK or does solenoid just chatter.?

**Do Not just take a jumper wire and jumper between pin #30 & #87. Do it as described.**
 
Hoople : thanks for this. I WILL do your starter relay bypass suggestion soon and I WILL report back. It's just that it's very late Sunday evening here and I've just had supper with a little too much alkyhol :newsmile030: . I reckon for safety's sake and to guard against frying myself ... I'll save it 'til tomorrow.

Back soon and thanks again

RR
 
Morning again here ...

Harvey : thanks, I have dismantled, cleaned, reassembled the + connection onto the solenoid ... no joy.

Hoople & Glider : Here's a recap. of where I'm at :
1. Connections dismantled, cleaned, reassembled ...
a. POS battery post and POS onto solenoid.
b. NEG battery post and NEG onto frame.

2. I have jumped directly from POS battery post to POS solenoid contact.

3. Hoople: I did exactly as you suggested by putting wires into #30 and #87 sockets of fuse panel after removing the starter relay, then bridged them.

It's a pity but in ALL cases just still nothing more than loud solenoid 'chatter'.

Any further suggestions will be gratefully received. This was a really sudden onset (except for that one, long past, episode I mentioned in a previous post of this thread).

Maybe starter motor just dropped dead ???

cheers

RR
 
Glider : I should also have mentioned that I held the starter for several seconds and felt for hot wires. There's nothing appreciable in the way of any wire warming ... just a 'luke warmness' after a long period of solenoid chatter, which I'm sure would be expected.

cheers

RR
 
Being you jumped from the POS battery terminal directly to the large post on the solenoid, try doing the same to the OUT post of the solenoid where it goes to the starter but make sure the bike is in neutral first. This will test the starter and I would also load test the battery too.

Also try jumping the POS on the battery to the small green wire terminal on the solenoid which would eliminate all the bike wiring as well as the relay too.
 
glider said:
Being you jumped from the POS battery terminal directly to the large post on the solenoid, try doing the same to the OUT post of the solenoid where it goes to the starter but make sure the bike is in neutral first. This will test the starter and I would also load test the battery too..
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... OK but I'm a little bit out of my understanding here (hopefully not too dumb :s) but the OUT post ? I obviously have this great big post that a big POS wire and also a not quite so big POS wire both are bolted on but nothing else that sticks out. Am I missing something simple here or is the OUT post behind the solenoid cover ?

glider said:
Also try jumping the POS on the battery to the small green wire terminal on the solenoid which would eliminate all the bike wiring as well as the relay too.
Click to expand...

... is this behind the solenoid cover too ?

RR
 
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