No crank - Can't find open circuit / grd issue new battery, solenoid, starter is good

[Guest]

1980 gs250t finally got her running well now my only issue is the no start.

When I push the start button nothing happens.

The bike is in neutral, kickstand up, bypassed the clutch switch.

Starter turns when I take the starter wire and touch it to the battery terminal on the starter solenoid. The batter is brand new. The starter solenoid is brand new.

No sound at all.

Is there a ground wire that should be going to the solenoid or something? I didn't see a switch by the kickstand. I tried putting a ground wire under the solenoid mounting tabs to see if that works but nothing. All electrics work fine except that. The run/stop switch works. I looked at the wires in the button assembly and noticed nothing bad.

[JTGS850GL]

Should be pretty simply to track down. If you bypassed the clutch interlock, then it's either the ignition kill switch, the start switch or related wiring. The starter solenoid is grounded through the mounting plate but if you ran +12 to the solenoid coil and it clicked and turned the engine over then it's not the problem. If you turn the engine over using a jumper wire, does the engine start? If so it's not the kill switch.

[DragonMiata]

Should be pretty simply to track down. If you bypassed the clutch interlock, then it's either the ignition kill switch, the start switch or related wiring. The starter solenoid is grounded through the mounting plate but if you ran +12 to the solenoid coil and it clicked and turned the engine over then it's not the problem. If you turn the engine over using a jumper wire, does the engine start? If so it's not the kill switch.

It wouldnt do that before but I ran its own ground wire from the battery to the plate and it turns over when I touch off the smaller wire. I tracked down where the current stops.... The kill switch works, then from there the orange wires go to a small circuit board for the push button start. I cleaned the copper cap and the contact zone it make but nothing seams to happen after that. Matter a fact I don't understand how touching off a piece of copper closes the circuit. I tried shorting over from the orange wire (12v) to the yellow and green wire but nothing happens and I don't get current to the clutch switch.

I'm thinking if i weld a wire to the copper cap on the starter button and run that out of the handle and straight to the signal wire on the solenoid I should be good to go. What do you think?

[Steve]

I think you are planning on WAY too much Band-Aid work to fix a simple problem.

You have a test light? If not, this is the perfect time to get one. A meter will work, too, but I am going to use the term "light" in the test procedure. If you are using a meter, interpret that as "a voltage reading approximating battery voltage".

Clip the ground lead of your light (black meter lead) to the battery negative terminal. Briefly touch the point of the light probe to the positive terminal to verify the light works. When you know it works, touch the probe to the yellow/green wire on the starter solenoid. Turn the key ON, press the starter button. If the light comes on, you know that power is getting there. Move your probe to the case of the solenoid. Press the starter button. If the light comes on again, you need a ground wire for your solenoid.

If the light did NOT come on at the yellow/green wire, take the tank off, find the connector that comes down from the right handlebar switch. One wire (orange/white, might have a red band on it) will be hot when the key is ON, a second wire is also orange/white (but no band), that will go ON and OFF with the kill switch, the third wire will go ON when the starter button is pressed (and the kill switch is ON). Verify those wires and get back to us.

.

[JTGS850GL]

Trouble shooting this should be a simple divide and conquer trouble shooting exercise. If you have no tool to measure voltage and no test light, then Take a piece of wire and jumper out from battery + to the yellow/green small wire going to the solenoid. Make sure the bike is in neutral first. If the starter turns over then you know the problem is upstream. Turn the ignition on and kill switch on. Jump the solenoid and crank the engine with the choke on. If the engine starts then you know the problem is between the kill switch and the starter solenoid. If it wont start and you've verified no spark then look further back from the kill switch.