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Help with starter!

4K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  Ron Robertson 
#1 ·
Help with starter! Haven’t had my GL1800 out for a couple weeks. Went to go for a ride today, and when I hit the starter my lights dimmed and I heard a click coming from the lower left side of the bike but no starter action. Any ideas what the problem might be?

Follow up...,Battery is fine. Went for about a two hour ride, came home with same results. So it’s not a battery issue
 
#2 ·
Personally I would clean all of the connections..... at battery..... main ground to engine..... and at the relays and starter.
At least check voltage at starter when you hit start and see if it is getting battery voltage. Eliminate the free stuff first.
 
#3 ·
and just to check.... I would try to start it with kick stand up, in neutral, clutch in, and make sure kill switch is in run. Just to make sure it isn't simply one of those switches.
 
#4 ·
Put a voltmeter on the battery while trying to start. It is a good load test for the battery. Voltage should not drop below about 10.5 volts.
As said above, clean all battery connections first and fully charge the battery. Just because the bike will start and run sometimes doesn't mean the battery is good.

You don't say what year the bike is. If the battery is more than 5 years old, it may be time to replace it.
 
#5 ·
On the 1500, solenoids A and B have been known to fail occasionally. They pass the battery voltage on to the battery . On the 1500 you can tap solenoid A with a wrench and sometimes it will start working. But once it starts sticking I recommend replacing it.
 
#8 ·
Sounds like the start relay may be a issue. You can rule out the battery as it appear you have done all the checks there. You can hot bypass the start relay by jumping directly from the hot side of the battery to the starter terminal on the relay. If it spins the starter than the relay is bad and that is a very common issue on automobiles so logical here also.
 
#9 ·
Mine was doing what you describe and it was a malfunctioning kill switch.
 
#17 ·
Lat summer on our Wyoming trip my riding Buddy Ray's 1800 started acting up. Sometimes it would start fine and other times we'd have to Jump start it. Finally in Powell, Wy. he had enough and bought a new battery Miracle of Miracle the problem went away along with a crappy 3 year old battery.
 
#19 ·
Sounds to me like there is a weak connection in there somewhere. Hopefully they can find it.
 
#21 ·
Everything described in the OP suggested a bad battery. BCIHIL suggested putting a volt meter on the battery and checking voltage while cranking the starter. Was thaT done? That is the only way to properly check a battery. It is easy to charge a bad battery to 12-13 volts, but a bad battery won’t hold that voltage while cranking the starter. The small “battery tender” voltage meter is ideal for checking this on a regular basis.
 
#23 ·
I believe the OP tried jumping with a car battery so that eliminates the battery part - you really need to jump the start relay as that is still the most likely problem.


I am waiting for someone to ask what kind of oil do you use :)
 
#24 · (Edited)
Start Relay Nuts -

Hey Jdhofwags - Electrical issues can take you for a couple of laps around a bike for sure. Just a suggestion - If you now feel pretty confident that your battery is OK - perhaps the problem is an intermittent start relay (As ETC proposed) or just a loose connection at the large cables connected to the start relay.

To determine if you are dealing with a (slightly) loose start relay cable issue,

1st - After disconnecting the battery - try removing the nuts and the two cables on top of the start relay. Then you will notice an identical pair of nuts (see attached photo) that's now exposed just under the two cables. Sometimes these lower nuts will gradually become loose which can make the start relay intermittent. (Budoka) :)

DON'T OVER TIGHTEN either the lower nuts OR the upper nuts when the cables are reinstalled. The relay housing is a Bakelite plastic and can crack if over stressed. Just make sure everything is SNUG. Connect back up the battery and try hitting the start button again.

If the problem continues -

2nd - You might try using the metal jaw tips of a pair of pliers to jumper the two cables on top of the starter relay - If the starter now consistently engages properly - the relay may be the culprit.

Good Luck - Michael
 

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