Starter relay ques

[Guest]

I am so lost!

I have what appears to be a relay for something.



The relay has a power line running directly from the battery. The relay is ground .. Before I fried my wires a red wire that came OUT of this relay was tied under with the 2 O/W wires that went to the coils. I imagine this red wire was switched power called for in the Dyna install instructions.

Here is my problem .. I dont get power from that red wire with the key in the on or off position. The bike will crank but sine I have no power at the coils I have no spark and I am lost. Should I get power coming out of this red wire when the ignition is turned on?

[Big T]

That's not the starter relay

You don't have a wiring diagram?

[Boriqua]

I do have a wiring diagram but some stuff isnt adding up. I am starting to think this may the "relay"mod I have been reading about for 2 years. In any case .. the wiring diagram doesnt show this little relay and neither does the manual. I found that power is going from the Fuse box to the kill switch fine. The power comes down from the kill switch fine and then goes to that small relay in my picture. The red from the relay was then tied up to the 2 O/W wires that went to the coils.

I just pulled that small relay and it is indeed gone. No click or clack when I apply power. I have messed with relays in the past on Interactive museum exhibits so What I am seeing is that power came from the kill switch to the relay and back up through the relay to the coils. Energized it would have completed the circuit but when I apply ground and power to the relay direct from the battery nothing happens.

So ... I am suddenly feeling optimistic. Going to try a new relay and see how it goes.

[Boriqua]

well after over a week ... SHE LIVES!

I must have killed that little relay when I fried the wire. The relay clacked like it was supposed to but when I threw the meter around no power was coming out to the switched power leg that went to the 2 O/W wires.

Bought a new relay for $8 and she started right up.

The way this one was and is wired is that you have ground from the battery and the wire from the kill switch activating the relay. I have power coming direct from the battery on one side of the switch and the other side of the switch is the wire that was tied to the 2 O/W wires.

So when you throw the kill switch it completes the circuit between the power from the battery and the power the coils need. Dont know if that is right or wrong but that is how it was and it worked for the last two years so that is how it is now.

With the old relay you heard the switch close but the power from the battery didnt make it across to the wire for the coils. Pays to use a meter.

Its 112 outside .. I will put it back together tomorrow!!

What i am curious about is .. Why the relay? Why couldnt I have gone straight from the kill switch to the o/w wires directly instead of breaking battery power.

[mnferwerda]

The relay provides higher voltage to the coils. The voltage typically drops a bit when it goes through the kill switch.

[Boriqua]

The relay provides higher voltage to the coils. The voltage typically drops a bit when it goes through the kill switch.

Ahh... Makes perfect sense!! So is that the "relay Mod" and I didnt even know it?

[Redman]

Ahh.... . . . . . . . So is that the "relay Mod" . . . . . . . .

Yep, coil relay mod.
THat is one way to do it.
Are other ways also.

You are getting power straight from the battery +, would be good to have that fused.

[Steve]

Yep, the reason you don't see that in any wiring diagram is because Suzuki did not install it.

Yep, it's the "relay mod". As stated, by the time current goes from the battery or the R/R, through a connector, then the ignition switch, another connector, yet another connenctor, the Ignition fuse, another connector, yet another connector, the kill switch, another connector and finally the coil, it just <might> have lost a volt or three. After it leaves the coil, yep, there's another connector, the ignitor, yet another connector and finally a ground connection. Installing the relay to power the coils shortens that to: relay, connector, coil, connector, ground. MUCH better voltage.

On the other hand, if you look at other devices, like LIGHTS, horns, signals, etc., you will find a similar situation, where they are getting low voltage, so some have installed a "light relay mod" or a "horn relay mod" using similar relays. I have found it better to just use one relay to power the fuse box, instead of running all the current for everything through the ignition switch, which is really susceptible to dirt and wear.

.