Still no start

[whenpigsfly514]

Jumping the contacts shows that solenoid is connected to starter motor and battery AND is passing juice thru. Now you have to detrmine why the trigger wire (green/yellow from starter button) is not activating solenoid. Put your test light probe on trigger wire connection - should light up when you press button (and ignition, kill switch and clutch safety switches are on). Make sure the solenoid frame has a good ground to frame.

I had a small wire that got really hot and actually melted the jacket so I need to up the gauge of the wire.

If you jumped it across the solenoid termenals and the engine cranked over that means the solenoid and starter motor are working. Start at the battery, to ingnition switch. Switch to start button. Start button to solenoid. It sounds like solenoid is not getting power.

I am getting power to the solenoid, confirmed via test light.

[koolaid_kid]

If you jumped it across the solenoid termenals and the engine cranked over that means the solenoid and starter motor are working..

Actually that is incorrect. This test shows that the battery is connected to the battery side of the solenoid and that the starter is working. It is not a test of the solenoid itself.

[bwringer]

Actually that is incorrect. This test shows that the battery is connected to the battery side of the solenoid and that the starter is working. It is not a test of the solenoid itself.

Agreed.

If you need a meter, head to Harbor Freight and get one for $3. They also have coupons for free meters in the moto-mags sometimes (I have a stack of these free meters I issue to meterless riders when neccessary).

Some test leads would also be very helpful for testing the solenoid.


This is just a WAG, but does the metal plate where the solenoid mounts have a good ground? It's rubber-mounted and must have a ground wire.

If it does not, the solenoid will not work or will be intermittent. I've seen this more than once.

[mike10]

So the solenoid is Bad? If there is power on the battery side and power on the starter side, from the starter button. But no spin from the starter when the button is pushed.... But the starter spins if you jump across the terminals. Does your bike fire up and run when you jump it across the solenoid terminals?

[koolaid_kid]

To test the solenoid you need to pull the small wire that connects to the starter button and put a voltmeter on it. Press the starter button. If you get 12V then the solenoid is bad. (this is what tom203 stated earlier.) If you do not get 12V, you need to trace back to the starter button. Could be the kill switch, the starter button itself, or the wiring in the harness.
Hope for 12V appearing; the other stuff is a lot more time and work.
And as bwringer and tom203 stated, you need to make sure the solenoid is grounded by a ground wire.

[mike10]

My bike

My starter button on the handlebars was junk on my bike. What I did was run a wire from the Hot side(battery side) of the solenoid to a heavy duty starter button then to the starter side of the solenoin. So when I push the starter button I'm just jumping it across the soleniod terminals. So does it matter if my soleniod is good or bad? Its worked for years this way. I 'm not hijacking thread. Trying to understand what the soleniods job is

[tom203]

The solenoid lets you control a large current flow with a small current flow. When you press a starter button it causes a magnet inside solenoid to bring the two big solenoid contacts together so large current can flow from battery positive to starter motor. The trigger wire on solenoid only needs about 3 amps to activate- then about 80 amps can flow to starter motor.
If you do it your way with big switch just jumping the contacts (not using the solenoid), you run the risk of large current short circuit if your switch wiring fails.
If you can't replace/fix your starter button, do what I do as backup system. I have a small normally open push button switch under my seat edge which I can use to trigger the solenoid in its normal fashion. This is safer than your method .

[Killer2600]

New battery. Checked start switch with test light. Its getting power, and when the bike is switched to run the start switch then has power.

Here-in lies your problem, are you sure which way the switch goes for run and for stop? It defies conventional logic where up is on and down is off, on bikes flicking it down allows the bike to run and up doesn't.

[mike10]

The solenoid lets you control a large current flow with a small current flow. When you press a starter button it causes a magnet inside solenoid to bring the two big solenoid contacts together so large current can flow from battery positive to starter motor. The trigger wire on solenoid only needs about 3 amps to activate- then about 80 amps can flow to starter motor.
If you do it your way with big switch just jumping the contacts (not using the solenoid), you run the risk of large current short circuit if your switch wiring fails.
If you can't replace/fix your starter button, do what I do as backup system. I have a small normally open push button switch under my seat edge which I can use to trigger the solenoid in its normal fashion. This is safer than your method .

I will work on changing mine. Thanks..better to be safe.

[whenpigsfly514]

Agreed.

If you need a meter, head to Harbor Freight and get one for $3. They also have coupons for free meters in the moto-mags sometimes (I have a stack of these free meters I issue to meterless riders when neccessary).

Some test leads would also be very helpful for testing the solenoid.


This is just a WAG, but does the metal plate where the solenoid mounts have a good ground? It's rubber-mounted and must have a ground wire.

If it does not, the solenoid will not work or will be intermittent. I've seen this more than once.

The wire that grounds that plate was i think too small. It got really hot and the wire almost came out of the jacket.

So the solenoid is Bad? If there is power on the battery side and power on the starter side, from the starter button. But no spin from the starter when the button is pushed.... But the starter spins if you jump across the terminals. Does your bike fire up and run when you jump it across the solenoid terminals?

I have power at the switch and it moves when I change the engine kill switch. No, the bike did not start when I jumped the solenoid.

To test the solenoid you need to pull the small wire that connects to the starter button and put a voltmeter on it. Press the starter button. If you get 12V then the solenoid is bad. (this is what tom203 stated earlier.) If you do not get 12V, you need to trace back to the starter button. Could be the kill switch, the starter button itself, or the wiring in the harness.
Hope for 12V appearing; the other stuff is a lot more time and work.
And as bwringer and tom203 stated, you need to make sure the solenoid is grounded by a ground wire.

I got a new solenoid from Suzuki and wired it to a common ground I made and then I grounded the plate that I welded to the frame to hold the electronics.

[tom203]

.... have power at the switch and it moves when I change the engine kill switch. No, the bike did not start when I jumped the solenoid."

But did starter motor spin when you jumped solenoid?

[whenpigsfly514]

.... have power at the switch and it moves when I change the engine kill switch. No, the bike did not start when I jumped the solenoid."

But did starter motor spin when you jumped solenoid?

Correct. It spun and tried, but no luck..

[850 Combat]

Thke a piece of wire and touch it to the small terminal on the solenoid, the one that is connected to the kill switch, clutch switch, and starter button, and see if the starter cranks. If it does, the solenoid is good and the circuits between the ignition and the solenoid have a problem.

[mike10]

You were riding

1. You were riding and the bike quit on you as if you turned the key off.
2. Then when you tried to start the bike back up, You turned on the key pushed the starter button and nothing happened.

It just seems like it has to be a problem in one of the kill engine safety features. Kick stand, clutch lever,.... So still, when you turn the key on and hit the start button nothing happens?... I'm getting confused are we trying to get the starter to crank the engine over. Or is it cranking the engine over now, but the engine won't fire up?

( It spun and tried but no luck)