start going question

[Guest]

.. i think my starter is going. at the gas station when i went to start it didn't sound like it was engaging at all. i put the bike in gear, rolled it a few feet, and it popped over easy then, like it might have been jammed or not quite engaging. i'm thinking probably the clutch is going.

here's the question:

on the way home, it started making a metal on metal rubbing noise just in little spurts, that didn't affect the engine speed/sound at all, but did cause the bike to jerk a little bit. my guess would be the starter engaging while i'm rolling down the road because it's not quite clear.. does this sound reasonable? i am not sure if it could be comming from the starter or the secondary drive. i'm going to pull the starter out tonight and look at it, just wanted to get some opinions. it made the noise in all gears, and even in neutral, although it did it much more at speed then when sitting at a light.

[rustybronco]

Starter spins but doesn't turn the engine, correct?
my guess...starter clutch going bad

[mcloud]

Too bad they took the kick starter off from 1980 and up.

In the troubleshooting section of the Haynes manual it says: "find a hill"

lol

[seuadr]

Starter spins but doesn't turn the engine, correct?
my guess...starter clutch going bad

well ya, at the gas station, starter spun but no engine turning.. then when i was going down the road it felt like the starter might have been engaging it was lurching, but not affecting the engine speed at all ( like a bog)

[rustybronco]

So I guess that means the ride starts and ends somewhere in lansing?

[seuadr]

hahah ya, about 10 feet

i'm not going to be able to do a long ride.. i made a post in the thread, and i was trying to find my list of people. i have appointments on both the weekend of the 21st and the 27th sunday for wedding stuff..

i'm gonna save the route and aim for an early spring ride.

[TheCafeKid]

Starter clutch is going out. Get it out of there ASAP or you'll end up with bits-o-clutch showing up in your oil. Ask me how i know...

[seuadr]

ya, it's parked untill i figure this out.. the assembly is insane expensive.. if i have to get the whole thing, it's probably parked till spring.

rusty said i can probably get away with getting the springs and rollers, which would be less than 20 bucks..

but i'm nt sure exactly which parts i need to replace. on the fische i (think) they may be 5 6 and 7 .. anyone able to verify?

[SqDancerLynn1]

Depending on how long the starter was engaged You may need a new starter too. Had some thing similar happen to my 850. Started bike & apparently starter stuck. Hard to hear sometimes with helmet & rear plugs on. Stopped on the crest for lunch, went to leave & no start.
Bump start Removed the starter, had nothing but pieces falling out of the starter Swapped in my spare, working fine since

[seuadr]

well, i went to try to take it all apart, only to realize my 8mm wrench is too fat to get most of the bolts on the cover.. and the local auto parts store that is still open doesn't have an 8mm >< but i did take the cover off and inspect the starter, as well as run it.. the starter itself is turning and wants to engage, and infact does now and then, but the clutch must be shot. would that be an indication of additional damage other than the spring? i don't hear anything bounching around..

[journerr]

finding a hill

My 400, though I love it dearly, has given me rather regular starting problems in the 3 months & 7500kms I've had it.
Just today, it exhibited yet a new starting, or NON starting quirk
Anyway, there have been a few times when I've had to 'find a hill ' , and I am curious now, what exactly is happening when during a rolling pop/jump/bump start ? Can someone explain the mechanics of what takes place in the engine for me ?
Thanks

[rustybronco]

hahah ya, about 10 feet

What I meant was, it looks like the ride is to your place to help fix it!

more than likely will need a rotor puller, gasket and three each of the parts.
you still need to take it apart first, to be sure.

[rustybronco]

My 400, though I love it dearly, has given me rather regular starting problems in the 3 months & 7500kms I've had it.
Just today, it exhibited yet a new starting, or NON starting quirk
Anyway, there have been a few times when I've had to 'find a hill ' , and I am curious now, what exactly is happening when during a rolling pop/jump/bump start ? Can someone explain the mechanics of what takes place in the engine for me ?
Thanks

Pull the clutch lever in, hit the button and nothing happens? check the clutch lever switch.
if not, start a new thread an we will go from there.

[seuadr]

What I meant was, it looks like the ride is to your place to help fix it!

more than likely will need a rotor puller, gasket and three each of the parts.
you still need to take it apart first, to be sure.

wow holy crap. i didn't realize it was that involved. so 3 pins, 3 springs and 3 of those other.. things?

it's weird.. it showed no problems startign at all.. it went all at once.. i'm glad i didn't sell it to a member here to have it go out on them on the way home!

[TheCafeKid]

DONT attempt to rebuild the clutch. Simply replace the whole assembly. The problem isnt generally in the throwouts or the springs. Its the casing on the clutch. It gets warped or pushed out, and on mine, it looked like the pushers and springs were trying to come thru the other side. Rebuild it, and it might work, for a while, then again, it may do the exact same thing.