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Starting difficulties. ... RESOLVED

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    Starting difficulties. ... RESOLVED

    No, you didn't miss part 1 that outlined the difficulties, it's all HERE, in this thread.

    For some time, my wife's bike has had a bit of difficulty starting. Sometimes it would just take a stern look at the starter button to get it going (as it should), other times we would push the button and it would sound like the battery just tanked to about 6 volts and just would NOT turn the engine over once more. Even after an overnight session on the battery tender, it was a 50/50 proposition whether it would start easily or not.

    A couple of weeks ago, we stopped at the Post Office on our way to lunch. Bike had started perfectly on the way there. Trying to leave, not only did it not start, the solenoid was making noise. Not the usual chatter (due to low voltage), but a distinct HUM. Pushed the bike to get it started, it worked, but we decided not to chance it going to lunch, so we pushed it to a corner of the parking lot, went home and got the trailer.

    This past weekend, I finally got a chance to put in the spare starter. Tested it, it worked perfectly. Put the chrome cover on, tested it again, NOTHING.
    Got out my clamp-on ammeter, clamped it on the battery-to-solenoid lead. Pushing the starter button, I found it pegging at about 180 amps.
    I then started to remove the chrome starter cover and noticed that the far end of it was rather warm.
    After removing the cover, I noticed that there was a small burn mark on the inside, that happened to match up with the melted insulator over the starter wire. Evidently, there has been a weak spot in the insulator that has occasionally been allowing a few electrons to flow through it, instead of letting them do their job in the starter's armature.

    I hammered a dent in the cover where the burn mark was, to allow a bit more clearance.
    Put the cover on, now the bike is back to starting with just a stern look at the starter button.

    Sorry, no pictures were taken in all the frustration, I think the mental pictures will suffice.

    .
    sigpic
    mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
    hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
    #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
    #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
    Family Portrait
    Siblings and Spouses
    Mom's first ride
    Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
    (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

    #2
    yes tight clearance in there and if that little plastic bolt cover is missing then watch out.

    Comment


      #3
      My cover has a hole burned clean through. Didn't happen at the bump, more like a 12 o'clock position.
      I don't know for sure what happened. Was it reassembled with the pole sticking straight up and then the cover screwed down ? That would take stupid to a whole new level.
      Was the motor not screwed to the crankcase and kicked out of position ? Who knows.
      97 R1100R
      Previous
      80 GS850G, 79 Z400B, 85 R100RT, 80 Z650D, 76 CB200

      Comment


        #4
        The plastic cover was there. Has a neat little hole burned through the top-most point.

        There is always the chance that the terminal on the starter was "clocked" incorrectly, but on two separate starters?

        I checked the one that came out, the index markers on the body and ends were all properly aligned.

        I also opened it up to check the brushes, they looked good, so I just cleaned up the armature a bit and set it aside for my spare.

        .
        sigpic
        mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
        hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
        #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
        #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
        Family Portrait
        Siblings and Spouses
        Mom's first ride
        Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
        (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

        Comment


          #5
          Thanks for that post Steve.

          I've had one or two instances of something similar on the 650 this year, and now I have another avenue to explore.
          '83 GS650G
          '83 GS550es (didn't like the colours in the 80's, but they've grown on me)

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by BigD_83 View Post
            ..., and now I have another avenue to explore.
            That was the whole reason for posting it.

            We can't be ranting about the latest Sawzall "artist" all the time, once in a while we need to post some help.

            .
            sigpic
            mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
            hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
            #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
            #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
            Family Portrait
            Siblings and Spouses
            Mom's first ride
            Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
            (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Steve View Post
              That was the whole reason for posting it.

              We can't be ranting about the latest Sawzall "artist" all the time, once in a while we need to post some help.

              .
              ...and those of us who need the help, appreciate it, even if it doesn't get said often enough.
              '83 GS650G
              '83 GS550es (didn't like the colours in the 80's, but they've grown on me)

              Comment


                #8
                Get some thin rubber sheeting and use contact cement to make an insulating patch glued to the cover Steve.
                MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                Comment


                  #9
                  There was already too little room. Without hammering a relief to provide the extra room, it would only squish that thin rubber sheet into submission, too.

                  I will get some pictures to show the extra room I created. Will just have to get a shot of my 850 and one of hers.

                  .
                  sigpic
                  mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                  hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                  #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                  #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                  Family Portrait
                  Siblings and Spouses
                  Mom's first ride
                  Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                  (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Wow. All this time...
                    Dogma
                    --
                    O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you! - David

                    Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense. - Carl Sagan

                    --
                    '80 GS850 GLT
                    '80 GS1000 GT
                    '01 ZRX1200R

                    How to get a "What's New" feed without the Vortex, and without permanently quitting the Vortex

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Steve View Post
                      There was already too little room. Without hammering a relief to provide the extra room, it would only squish that thin rubber sheet into submission, too.

                      I will get some pictures to show the extra room I created. Will just have to get a shot of my 850 and one of hers.

                      .
                      I'm pretty sure I did some ball pein hammering of that relief myself at one point or another.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        OK, picture time.

                        This is my bike. So far, no problem, but note the factory relief at the far end of the cover:


                        This is her bike:


                        Just in case you can't see the 'doctored' area:


                        Could have been done a little bit neater, but nobody usually looks very closely at that area.

                        .
                        sigpic
                        mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                        hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                        #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                        #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                        Family Portrait
                        Siblings and Spouses
                        Mom's first ride
                        Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                        (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                        Comment

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