starter won't turn just clicks

[Guest]

I hate to ask, but have done some searching. I am not a electrician. I have tried to start bike but the battery was dead it was running nice,had been a week of setting, new battery from walmart lead acid type. I tried putting the charger on it an it seems to charge it but as soon as the key is turned on the light clicks on slowly a second after you turn the key on. I have a volt meter and was checking the volts on the battery and it went down as soon as I hit the starter. The starter just clicks or barely turns over. The battery felt warm after it was on a trickle charger over night. Starter, battery, wiring? I am not sure where to start, I am taking the cover off the starter to check wires and check it on a car battery. I have a new r/r and am in the process of installing it. I am going to run the wires straight from r/r to where ever they go, that way it won't go through the harness. I was wondering if there were other things possibly wrong? What should I check first. Any help in the correct direction would be appreciated. Just remember I am not an electrician. You can talk over my head real quick. I have a very basic idea of stuff but not sure about alot.Thanks

[chuckycheese]

Connections

It sounds like it's shorting out somewhere. You need to check your wires and connections really carefully. It's probably something simple in the starter wiring (starter button, starter, fuse box, battery) so it shouldn't be too hard to isolate. Don't let anybody talk you into buying a solenoid.

[Steve]

I am going to just quote you and insert my comments.

I hate to ask, but have done some searching. I am not a electrician. I have tried to start bike but the battery was dead it was running nice,had been a week of setting, new battery from walmart lead acid type. I tried putting the charger on it an it seems to charge it but as soon as the key is turned on the light clicks on slowly a second after you turn the key on.
What light? The dash panel lights? The headlight? Most lights don't "click".
I have a volt meter and was checking the volts on the battery and it went down as soon as I hit the starter.
What was the voltage before you hit the button?
What was the voltage while you were holding the button?
What was the voltage after you released the button?
The starter just clicks or barely turns over. The battery felt warm after it was on a trickle charger over night. Starter, battery, wiring? I am not sure where to start, I am taking the cover off the starter to check wires and check it on a car battery.
How are you "checking it on a car battery?
The easiest thing to try first is to connect jumper cables to your car (engine NOT running) to see if the larger battery helps.


I have a new r/r and am in the process of installing it. I am going to run the wires straight from r/r to where ever they go, that way it won't go through the harness.
Not sure just how to tell you this, but "through the harness" is the way they are supposed to go.
Just make sure all the connections are clean and tight.
I was wondering if there were other things possibly wrong? What should I check first.
If the car battery does not turn the starter over any better than the bike battery, you may need to clean the starter brushes or replace them.
Any help in the correct direction would be appreciated. Just remember I am not an electrician. You can talk over my head real quick. I have a very basic idea of stuff but not sure about alot.Thanks

One other question: how long has it been doing this? Is this a new problem on a bike that has otherwise been running well, or is this a project bike that has been sitting for a while? Do you know the history of the bike?

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[chuckycheese]

One other question: how long has it been doing this? Is this a new problem on a bike that has otherwise been running well, or is this a project bike that has been sitting for a while? Do you know the history of the bike?

.

Steve, from what he wrote in the third sentence, it sounds like it was running fine a week ago. (Maybe not, but that's what I gathered.)

[Steve]

Steve, from what he wrote in the third sentence, it sounds like it was running fine a week ago. (Maybe not, but that's what I gathered.)

I saw the "new battery from Wal-Mart" part and kind glossed over the rest, I guess.

It's one of those things where you read about starting problems and don't know if they are trying to start it for the first time.

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[chuckycheese]

Yeah

I saw the "new battery from Wal-Mart" part and kind glossed over the rest, I guess.

It's one of those things where you read about starting problems and don't know if they are trying to start it for the first time.

.

Well, I read it over a couple of times....and I'm still not sure, either.

[diante]

starter

my 1983 gs 850gl would just click when i tried to start it,it turned out to be brushes. easy to look at. just a possibility.

[chuckycheese]

Easy fix...sometimes!~

my 1983 gs 850gl would just click when i tried to start it,it turned out to be brushes. easy to look at. just a possibility.

Quite true!! Also, sometimes all you need to do is take a steel wood pad and get the crud off of the armature (it will look like polished brass with about a minute's worth or work) and all will be well for a long time.

[scrapper]

I will check the starter first, The head light did not click, sorry, but it came on very slow and when I hit the starter button it went out. The problem just happened, was running fine, the battery was 4 years old and it was overcharging,i guess, because it was losing electrolite,added water several times, and would not hold a charge after a week of setting without a trickle charger on it. I got the battery and also the r/r hopeing to solve the overcharging. Thanks for pointing me in a direction. I am alittle worried about how to check the wiring with out cutting alot of stuff. I am not sure how to check for shorts. I will do some more stuff after work tomorrow. Thanks again

[scrapper]

I only had enough time to take the cover off of the starter, i unhooked the positive wire that goes to it. I charged the battery and checked the amount of current going to the wire where it hooks up to the starter and had no problems with the headlight going out after hitting the starter button, the volts did not drop off at the battery or on the starter wire. I am going to guess it is probly the starter or the wire going to it. I will get the starter out and clean it up and check the wire for bad spots where it could be shorting out. I have to hang some gutter tomorrow then if I get time will pull it out. If I am wrong about my thoughts so far, please let me know. Some one ask how much the voltage droped when I hit the starter button and the starter was hooked up and it went down to zero.Thanks

[raistian77]

Had almost the same problem today, my lights did not dim due to rewire and new batter and good R/R. However my starter started dragging, pulled starter out and found the brush holder no longer had insulation around the positive feed wire. After 32 years I guess the insulation had finally given out. I ordered the new holder from Bike Bandit for 20.00 and removed the starter wire and reinstalled the starter until the parts arrive. I will be singing the kick-starter blues until then.

[scrapper]

I replaced the wiring and checked the starter out of the bike and it works after installing a rebuild kit. I installed starter and same problem, lights went dim, so I replaced the solinoid and the starter turned over, mtd model 10.19 w/tax at O'Rielly's auto parts. The starter is turning backwards, I read somewhere here that the wires were backwards on the solinoid. I removed the clutch cover to replace clutch parts, and the stator cover to see why engine would not turn over. PITA to get old gasket off, it seems harder than the case. Hopefully will be up and running this weekend. haven't been out riding for three weeks or so??? Guess I needed to do the clutch parts anyway. I am not sure how the wires are hooked up would matter on a solinoid switch? I will see maybe I did something really bad? Thanks alot for great ideas.

[Steve]

There is no way that reversing the wires on the solenoid will make the starter run backwards.

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[tom203]

If it was me, I'd focus on starter problem now and worry about clutch later. You can't get starter to run backwards by messing up solenoid connections- you mentioned rebuild kit for starter , new brushes? Since you had stator cover off, did starter gear system look ok? -no damaged gears?

[scrapper]

gears had some wear but not bad. I was wondering about the whole solinoid backwards because it is one wire in and one out. I must have done something inside of starter? flywheel turns but stator did not . I am looking at the starter gear with cover off and it turns counter clockwise. I am going to go ahead and start on it in alittle bit. There is still alot to do to it. If I cant find the problem to the starter I will still put the clutch back together. I have not rebuilt a starter before may have missed something easy. It seemed like it would only go together one way. maybe something is backwards?