GS1100 Crank but No Start

[Deltacharlieecho]

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...982_wiring.jpg


Have a look at the starter button on the top of this diagram. With the stop/kill switch closed the coils should be hot. If you have the starter button wires the wrong way around the coils only are live with the button pressed.

Believe it or not, this was a problem I was expecting I'm using a set of Amazon special switches to get the job done and no schematics were provided.

Hopefully it is as easy as swapping the pins in my connector housing.

[Brendan W]

Believe it or not, this was a problem I was expecting I'm using a set of Amazon special switches to get the job done and no schematics were provided.

Hopefully it is as easy as swapping the pins in my connector housing.

Toast always falls butter side down

It may not be as simple as switching pins. Effectively that changes nothing. The object is to have the supply from the kill switch common with the coil supply wires.

[Steve]

In the stock configuration, there is a connector with three wires that feeds the starter and kill switches from the main harness. One wire is orange/white. A second wire is also orange/white, but has a red sleeve near the connector. The third wire is yellow/green.

The orange/white/red sleeve wire is 'hot' when the ignition key is on. It will feed the kill switch. The output side of the kill switch splits inside the switch housing. One branch comes out as the orange/white (no sleeve) wire to feed the ignitor and coils. The other branch feeds the starter button. The output of the starter button feeds the yellow/green wire, which goes to the clutch "safety" switch, then to the starter solenoid.

Your replacement switches will undoubtedly have different colors on the wires, so spend a few minutes with your meter to find out what is connected to what, unless you have some instructions with the switches.

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[Deltacharlieecho]

Toast always falls butter side down

It may not be as simple as switching pins. Effectively that changes nothing. The object is to have the supply from the kill switch common with the coil supply wires.

It's still a double throw setup the trick should be getting the momentary switch before the kill and that should in theory solve the issue. Hopefully anyway.

[Steve]

It's still a double throw setup the trick should be getting the momentary switch before the kill and that should in theory solve the issue. Hopefully anyway.

No, you want the momentary (starter) AFTER the kill switch.

If you put it before the kill switch, you will be able to crank until the battery goes dead and wonder why it's not firing. By the time you find the kill switch in the OFF position, it's too late to crank it over again.

Have you seen a wiring diagram? Click HERE to see a decent one. Yes, it's for an '80 850, but is similar enough to your '82 1100 to show what you need here. The major difference between this diagram and your bike is that there is no wiring for the side stand switch.

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[Deltacharlieecho]

I wired based on the 82 gs1100 diagram so I guess I'm confused at why it runs with the start button held but dies when released.

[Steve]

My guess would be that the yellow/green wire is connected to the 'hot' wire in the main harness and only engergizes the coils and ignitor when pressed.

What does it take to activate the starter?

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[Steve]

Another possibility is that the yellow/green wire and the orange/white (no sleeve) wire are reversed. The problem with that idea is that the kill switch will activate the starter (with no way to turn it off), but the coils don't get power until you press the starter button.

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[Deltacharlieecho]

I think I wired them in series somehow instead of in parallel. I attempted to bypass the clutch safety switch so I may need to just run a jumper between those wires and see if that makes a difference. Activating the starter requires the kill to be flipped to the on position and starter button pressed.

[Deltacharlieecho]

Just got back from messing around with the wires and I think you are right about the switched around y/g and w/orange it's a little confusing but that would explain why there's only power to the coils when there's power to the starter. Easy fix in the morning I hope.

[Deltacharlieecho]

Is it possible that the switch itself was wired up wrong with both the hot connection to the coils and the connection to the starter relay being soldered up after the starter switch?

[Steve]

I attempted to bypass the clutch safety switch so I may need to just run a jumper between those wires and see if that makes a difference.

In a stock harness, bypassing the "safety" switch is a simple matter of disconnecting a couple of connectors in the headlight bucket, then re-connecting them a bit differently. Takes about two minutes, including removing and re-installing the headlight.

Is it possible that the switch itself was wired up wrong with both the hot connection to the coils and the connection to the starter relay being soldered up after the starter switch?

Once the snippers and soldering iron come out, ANYTHING is possible. Just follow the wiring diagram carefully.

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[Deltacharlieecho]

In a stock harness, bypassing the "safety" switch is a simple matter of disconnecting a couple of connectors in the headlight bucket, then re-connecting them a bit differently. Takes about two minutes, including removing and re-installing the headlight.



Once the snippers and soldering iron come out, ANYTHING is possible. Just follow the wiring diagram carefully.

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I'm going to take a look here in a little bit but I'm pretty sure it is down to a short of some kind or a bad ground somewhere in the igniter wiring that is getting a completed circuit when the starter button is pressed.

I'm hoping there's no wiring weirdness inside the switch itself because I dont want to buy a soldering iron since I don't have my wiring setup where I'm currently living.

[Deltacharlieecho]

Issue has been solved. Turns out the hot power and the starter momentary wires were switched. The bike starts and idles nicely now. No crank time required just starts right up and runs.

Thanks for the help on this one. I am going to have more stuff I need help with but I can get started on more of the functional build stuff now and might even be able to soon! I've been working on this bike since September.

[Brendan W]

That's 1:0 to you but bikes have no concept of Full Time