Gs850g starter problem

[samson]

My 1982 GS850G has been giving me starter grief. Towards the end of last riding season (October 2009) it started turning over slowly, but eventually would start. After a week or so it would not turn over at all, so, being cold in PA, I garaged it.

Before getting back on the road this year, I checked all battery / ground / starter connections and bought a brand new battery. After cleaning and reinstalling all connections from battery to starter, including the main ground, and charging my new battery, everything seemed to work fine. After starting normally for about 6 weeks, the starter began turning slowly again, and eventually I got only the click of the solenoid and no turnover. Again, I cleaned off all connections and tried to start the bike again. This time, it turned over slowly, but some wires in the harness under the seat, forward of the battery box began to smoke and burn. I did not let this go on long, but could see where the burning had taken place.

Is my starter bad? I know that battery is fine. The wires that smoked were small guage, and wrapped in a branch of the harness with other wires. In other words, it was not the heavy guage hot or ground wires to the starter that got hot. I assume it was the wires to the solenoid, but I am not sure yet.

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

[tkent02]

The starter most likely needs it's brushes replaced. I don't know about your smoke.

[chef1366]

I know you said you did but you really need to check your main ground.

http://www.stockers.com/

[BassCliff]

Hi,

You could be having trouble with your starter. You can either buy a new one or just get a rebuild kit. But I would start by checking the charging system as per the Stator Papers. Check/clean/repair EVERY electrical connection on the entire wiring harness including, but not limited to, the fuse box, the ignition switch, the solenoid connections, the starter connections, all grounds, etc. Even if they look clean they could have oxidation which increases resistance. Resistance causes heat. See the Electrical Odds and Ends section of my website for all kinds of information.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[samson]

more info

As always, I appreciate the knowledge, experience and help you guys all have to offer. This site is awesome for quick, timely and informative replies to us less experienced GS owners. I have had mine about 1.5 years so I won't be a rookie forever!

When it comes to wiring I am not afraid to delve into it. It is, however, easy to be rash and attempt solutions that not only do no good, but can do more harm as well. When I first got my '82 GS850 GZ, the guy I bought it from had it listed incorrectly as a GS850 GL. Those who know the GS know there is a huge difference here. I was actively looking for a G model. He had bought and owned it under the impression it was an 'L' or 'GL', because it had a Vetter fairing, sissy bar and hard bags. When I saw the tank in the ad's photo, I knew it was a 'G' model buried under a lot of stuff. In any event, I had to do some rewiring to bring it back to its original status. During that process, I came to notice that the smallest fault in wiring could cause big problems. A corroded ground, a loose connection, a short from friction...I encountered all of these.

In any event, I diagnosed my smoke / burning wire symptom, and concluded that it was not related to the starter problem (though I cannot say 100%). The wire that burned was a B/W ground that connected to other B/W grounds to lights. I will replace the wire. It looks like it has been tampered, unless Suzuki used solder and elec tape to make branch connections.

I still think the starter has issues, but the smoking wire forced me to garage the bike until I sort this all out. These types of dual problems that may or may not be purely coincidental are frustrating. All I can do is work out one thing at a time. Thanks for everything.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Good possibility it is the starter. Clean it up and put some new brushes in it..
Bl/white wire could be the ground for the solenoid