start issues plus a problem?

[dark7068]

I tested my starter solenoid while cranking the bike over, before cranking, its 13.45 volts, soon as the button is pushed its 0. I decided to pull the left side cover off (isn't that where the stator is?) and it puked out oil (wife was watching and gave me hell).. so I buttoned it back up. pulled the right cover off for the ignition stuff and it looks brand new. I get a weak spark and sometimes the bike will start, that's what got me testing tonite. it could be the starter or stator right? and if the stator is under the left side cover,, then why is there oil there, that would explain why that's not working right. this is on the 85EF

[chuck hahn]

Has oil because its oil cooled...big hole at the top right and a slot at the bottom where the oil goes back into the sump.

Yeah maybe a cup of oil will come out when you take off the cover.

DO NOT start the bike with the cover off...oil will squirt out at an alarming rate. I have never tried plugging the feed hole, so others will have to advise on that as a way to start it with the cover off.

[dark7068]

ok,, so its normal then, thanx.. I will take a look and test the starter and generator tomorrow. thanx

Rick

[chuck hahn]

DUH MOMENT....


Cant start it anyway with the cover off...the starter connector gear will have no axle to run on since the cover supplies the other end for it to set in...DUH!!!!

Guess one could start a bike with a kicker with the cover off though..in which case the subject of plugging the feeder hole would apply.

[Steve]

To prevent spilling any oil, tip the bike to the right by putting a 2x4 under the left side of the center stand.

It looks a bit precarious, but is actually rather stable.





By the way, you probably did not need to remove anything from the engine.

If your battery showed 13.45 volts, it obviously was just removed from a charger.
The fact that it immediately went to 0 volts tells me you have a bad battery.

Replace the battery, then troubleshoot your charging system, it might be perfectly fine.

.

[dark7068]

I use a jumper battery, I will get a new one Friday and test again.

[Steve]

I use a jumper battery, ...

Is it a stand-alone battery or one of those "jump boxes"?

You have to be careful with some of those jump boxes, some of them increase the voltage a bit to reduce the number of amps they have to produce.
That extra voltage can kill your bike.

If you must use a jumper battery, connect cables to a NON-RUNNING car, truck, lawn tractor, whatever, as long as it's a 12-volt system (most of them are).

If you connect to a running car, the car's output voltage might be a bit higher than the voltage that your bike would like to see, so it will try to regulate it. The car will adjust its output to maintain its voltage, which increases the demand on the bikes regulator. Let's just say that the bike's regulator can only handle so much.

.

[dark7068]

its a stand alone battey, group 27 from my car (actually from a commercial truck).

[dark7068]

new battery, soon as I crank it the volts drop fast. starter? tried a different solenoid and same thing.

[eil]

You say you're testing the solenoid, but where are you putting the test leads? If you're measuring across the big nuts on the top of the solenoid, yes, those will go to 0 volts when you press the starter button.

Also, it would help if you could say more about the symptoms. You mentioned weak spark and hard starting, and that's about it. Is there anything else? If the starter is turning the engine over, I'm not sure why you'd be checking the solenoid. And the stator certainly has nothing to do with starting.

Have you done all of the required maintenance mentioned in your mega-welcome? Cleaned all of the electrical connections?

[Steve]

I just went back and re-read the original post. It is rather confusing.

What is wrong with the bike? Apparently there is some trouble starting, but exactly what is (or is not) happening?

Turn the key ON. Do you have lights that come on?
Yes - good
No - Check battery and/or fuses

Push starter button (and pull clutch, if necessary). Does the engine crank?
Yes - good
No - check battery voltage and/or starter solenoid

Engine cranks. Does it start?
Yes - good
No - check fuel (assuming other maintenance has been done)


Dark, let us know exactly what is going on, rather than coming in in the middle of a test that is probably meaning less. Testing the starter solenoid is easy:
Push the starter button. Does the solenoid click?
Yes - good, test is over
No - check voltage (test light is fine) at each of the large terminals and at the small terminal. One terminal should be 'hot' all the time, the other will be 'hot' if the solenoid clicks. The small terminal should be 'hot' when you press the starter button.

Most voltage readings should be taken with a ground reference (battery negative terminal). Where were you measuring that you got an instant zero volts?

.

[dark7068]

i will recheck everything and write down what i find. thanx for putting up with me.