Extra black wire after I fooled w/ solenoid

[cowboyup3371]

Have you tested your main fuse since you replaced the solenoid? Remember that it can "look" good to the naked eye but blown under the metal caps.

[robdsuzuki]

No. I will. thanks . If the main fuse was blown, would the solenoid still clack and all the accessories still light up? RD

[DanTheMan]

No. I will. thanks . If the main fuse was blown, would the solenoid still clack and all the accessories still light up? RD

No on both counts. I suspect your starter is either bound up or you're not making good contact at the starter. If you can't make the starter spin by direct positive 12v to the starter terminal (it's grounded through the bolts), you need to pull the starter and fix it.

[cowboyup3371]

No but I'd rather be certain my fuses are good

[Flyboy]

If you are pushing the starter button and the solenoid is clicking, then you are getting voltage to it, all is fine up to the solenoid, the solenoid itseld is working as well, as the clicking you here is the contact plate being brought up into contact with the two terminals to bridge them out.
I would look down at the starter, I recon your problem lies there.

It helps a little bit to understand what the solenoid does and how it operates.
The solenoid is just a switch allowing current from the battery to the starter when "on" and no current flows when "off".
The thick wire rom your battery in effect runs straight to your starter and is broken half way by the solenoid "switch" just as you would put a switch on the wire between a light bulb and the power outlet to control it on and off.

With me so far......
Ok how does it work?
Inside the solenoid there is a copper plate that is spring loaded and attached to a coil.
You can see the two posts are next to each other, the battery connects to the one, and the other is connected to the starter, obviously when you bridge them out you create an uninterupted bridge and the current can flow across, from the battery all the way to the starter, that s why the motor should turn over when you bridge it out.
The solenoid does exactly the same thing, but inside.
The copper bar is springloaded away from the terminals, when you push the starter button, it energises a coil inside the solenoid which pushes the copper bar against the spring pressure and up into contact with the two terminals, creating a bridge across them and a path for the current to flow from the battery all the way to the starter...just like whe you put the screwdriver across the terminals, that is the 'clack' sound you hear, as the bar is pushed against the terminals.
When you leave the starter button, the current to the coil stops and the spring pressure pushes the copper bar away from the terminals.

Hope this clears it up a little bit.

[robdsuzuki]

Thank you all. This is great, especially since of all the suzuki's I have owned in my life, this one is my favorite. Thanks for helping me get it back on line. i will work on it tonite. RD

[robdsuzuki]

I tried touching the starter wire directly to the pos terminal of the battery and it sparked. But it did not turn the engine. Just sparks. The ignition was off and the battery remained connected to everything. So I am not sure what that means. i didn't expect sparks. ALSO - when I touch the solenoid with screwdriver across both pos screws, nothing happens. No spark. Rob

[robdsuzuki]

Bass Cliff: thanks for all the info. Is there a section in your website about how to pull the starter? I have a clymer manual. Do I have to pull the carbs, etc? Thanks Rob

[DanTheMan]

Hey Rob, just sparks means the starter is bound up and needs rebuilding or replacing. I use an auto electric alternator/starter rebuild shop for mine. It cost me $92.00. To remove the starter, remove the cover first, then unhook the positive wire. Remove both mounting bolts, pull the starter back and up to the left. It'll then pull out of the hole and you can pull it out of the left side. I actually left the positive cable hooked up when I pulled it out. I did pull the neg cable from the battery though so that I wouldn't have any sparks.

[Curly]

No carbs make it much easier, then again I have pods so it's not such a big deal for me. Sounds like you have two issues if it's sparking but not starting when it's directly connected, but not when you touch the solenoid posts together. Not a very scientific test, but spark technically equals power.

I'm guessing there's an issue with the positive wire to the solenoid.

[robdsuzuki]

Thanks you guys. I am concerned because if there is no spark at the solenoid, but I hear it clacking when i touch the start button, I don't understand how that is. But I do not get spark at solenoid. I will clean and trace wires again. I guess i could have 2 issues coincidentally at the same time.

[chef1366]

Pull the starter and check it.

[Matchless]

Is that a heavy black wire?
If so, is it the wire that comes from the starter and should be on the second solenoid terminal?

[robdsuzuki]

Matchless:
no . it is a fairly thin wire. I need to trace it agin and then pull the starter. i will update tomorrow. thanks - rd

[Steve]

I just read through all this and can't remember ... did you describe the wires you have connected to your solenoid?

Use your meter or a test light for a quick test. Set the meter to read 12 volts DC. Connect your black wire to a good ground (could be chassis or battery -). Touch the red lead to one of the solenoid terminals, you should have power, even with the key OFF. Touch the red lead to the other large terminal on the solenoid, turn the key ON press the starter button. Your meter should show voltage. If you see all that, then it's good so far.

Do you have a large wire connected to that second terminal? Yeah, it's probably black, but it's NOT a ground wire, it's the wire that powers the starter.

.