need help.no start

[grayskull]

I have a gs650 that the push button does not work to start the bike. It worked before winter though.We checked the clutch safety its fine.Fuses?ok what else could have went bad sitting...

[Octain]

Any power anyplace else when ya turn on the ignition?
Hows the battery?
How do ya know the clutch switch is ok?

[azr]

The switch is probably just gummed up with 'crap'. Take it apart and clean it. It could also be a connector on the wiring harness is shorting out, get out your multimeter and start tracing, probably a good idea to check the voltage readings before you pull the control apart as you may not have to if it's in a connector elsewhere. Not a hard fix, just takes a bit of time. Good opportunity to clean and grease the connections too. I did all the grounds and connections last year on my 850, took a total of 3-4 hours using a contact cleaner ( I used Deoxit and it worked great but there are cheaper products out there) and a bit of sandpaper for the grounds and then a dab of dielectric grease. Made a HUGE difference and they still look great.

[Dboyd]

Check the solenoid too.

[chuck hahn]

recheck the fuse..VERY CLOSELY.. My 78 1000 did the same thing and it came down to a blown fuse that looked to me like it was good when in fact it wasnt. Also does it crank when you short across the two bid terminals on the selinoid with a screwdriver? If it does then that eliminates the selinoid and the starter itself.

[Steve]

It could also be a connector on the wiring harness is shorting out, ...

Why does EVERYONE think that if something electrical doesn't work "it must have a short in it"?

I get that all day at work, from the nurses, too. "This piece of equipment doesn't work, I think it has a short."

If it had a "short", it would be arcing and sparking and blowing fuses. It's far more likely that it has an OPEN.

Any break in the circuit that prevents current flow (this includes switches) is called an OPEN, not a "short".

/rant

recheck the fuse..VERY CLOSELY.. My 78 1000 did the same thing and it came down to a blown fuse that looked to me like it was good when in fact it wasnt.

Have you ever noticed Nessism's signature?

"To measure is to know."

As Chuck mentioned, just because a fuse (or connection or switch, or ...) looks good does not mean that it's working. Get out your test light (it's quicker than a meter) and follow your current path to see where you are losing power.

Start with the battery, make sure it's good, then follow your wires and connections through the MAIN fuse, ignition key, IGNITION fuse, coils. You can take a shortcut and just see if you have power at the coils. If you have it there, you obviously have it everywhere else on the way there.

Use your test light on the little green/yellow wire on the solenoid to see if it is energized when you press the starter button. If not, work backwards through the clutch switch (unless it's been bypassed), starter button, kill switch, coil power wire.

Following a systematic approach, it really doesn't take all that long to diagnose.

.

[tom203]

I have a gs650 that the push button does not work to start the bike. It worked before winter though.We checked the clutch safety its fine.Fuses?ok what else could have went bad sitting...

If ignition lights come on, suspect kill switch;put bike on centerstand, jump across solenoid terminals to bypass entire starter circuit.

[Matchless]

Some advice without meaning to insult anyone!

Never short the starter solenoid across the two heavy duty bolts if you can help it! It leaves nice welded marks on those parts and can shoot a spark onto something that can ignite!

Rather unplug the thin green/yellow lead on the solenoid and briefly touch it to the lug next to it coming from the battery.

This also tests the operation of the solenoid and the operation of the starter in one go and is much safer and easier to do.

I am just referring to our GS bikes here, other makes and models have different ways of operating the solenoid which can be found on the wiring diagrams.

[azr]

I'm curious how 'Grayskull' is making out with this. And from what you said Steve, 'short', 'open'...aren't those the same things?? maybe it's just because I'm a nurse, lol. Thanks for the education though, always good to learn something more. So just so I'm right with my thinking, muck gets into the starter switch and won't allow it to close which in hand allows the current to continue? If a short occurs a spark/arc makrings to some degree show them selves, maybe some burned wiring and hopefully a fuse will blow before it does permanent damage to an expensive part?

[tom203]

Some advice without meaning to insult anyone!

Never short the starter solenoid across the two heavy duty bolts if you can help it! It leaves nice welded marks on those parts and can shoot a spark onto something that can ignite!
.

I don't insult easily! But I did mean to jump trigger wire to solenoid and not the big boys . Of course, if solenoid internal contacts were suspect, I'd make some sparks to satisfy my suspicions!

[Steve]

And from what you said Steve, 'short', 'open'...aren't those the same things??

Hopefully, you are joking.

If a short occurs a spark/arc makrings to some degree show them selves, maybe some burned wiring and hopefully a fuse will blow before it does permanent damage to an expensive part?

Actually, you have it the other way around.

Fuses do not 'blow' to protect the expensive parts.

Fuses 'blow' because the expensive part has failed. If it has failed in the "short" mode, it will draw much more current than it should, that extra current is what blows the fuse.
In other words, the fuse is there to protect the wiring harness that feeds the expensive part.

.

[azr]

Yes it was a joke, hard to communicate properly on this internet thing at times. Thanks for the electrical education, as always muchly appreciated.

[Steve]

Yes it was a joke, hard to communicate properly on this internet thing at times.

Smilies help.


Having a separate library of smilies helps even more.

.

[dueller]

Why does EVERYONE think that if something electrical doesn't work "it must have a short in it"?

I get that all day at work, from the nurses, too. "This piece of equipment doesn't work, I think it has a short."

If it had a "short", it would be arcing and sparking and blowing fuses. It's far more likely that it has an OPEN.

Any break in the circuit that prevents current flow (this includes switches) is called an OPEN, not a "short".

/rant

.

Yeah, I get this all the time when people talk about how they think "the memory is full on their computer" and they reference their hard drive space rather than their RAM and they don't seem to understand the 150 items in their systray is using BOTH and the important part is that they are in their systray not just that they are installed.

[WrenchWannaB]

Why does EVERYONE think that if something electrical doesn't work "it must have a short in it"?

I get that all day at work, from the nurses, too. "This piece of equipment doesn't work, I think it has a short."

If it had a "short", it would be arcing and sparking and blowing fuses. It's far more likely that it has an OPEN.

Any break in the circuit that prevents current flow (this includes switches) is called an OPEN, not a "short".

/rant

Once I came across a "short" due to a fray in the wiring harness that was grounding the ignition to the frame under the fairing. Blew the fuse twice before I found said short, wrapped it up with some electric tape, and it ran fine after with no blown fuses. In "short", I never suspect a "short" unless fuses are blowing. If it doesn't work it isn't getting current, backwards plan with a diagram.

Said bike was a 98 Suzuki GSXR600, my first, and she was stolen a few months later. RIP my fair lady!